"Seems we have yet another visitor." Valentine mused.
I knew it was him before I felt that eerie sense of someone watching. I could feel every damn time he was near me. His annoying presence was hard to ignore.
I glared at where Valentine was staring, finding it hard to believe that he would be stupid enough to pull shit like that. But the feeling was gone as soon as it came. He was gone.
"They know." Valentine announced as soon as everything was normal again. "Magnus told them."
"Obviously." Daniel drawled. "That was expected."
"The deal's off." Valentine suddenly decided, his voice hard and final.
Daniel's head shot up, his eyes turning black. "What?"
The questioned echoed in my mind as I sat up a little straighter. If it was truly off, then there was no way he could swipe my memories.
"You heard me." Valentine's voice was calm. Too calm. "I won't repeat myself."
"Then what of the two Warlocks we have?"
"See if they know anything about taking one's memories."
"If they don't?"
Valentine shrugged. "Kill them. I'm tired of playing these games. I have much more interesting things to deal with." With that, the blond man walked out of the room, his pace holding purpose.
"And what of Magnus and the others?"
Valentine shrugged before he turned into a hallway that probably lead to the main doors. "Ambush him and do as you please."
Daniel watched him, his blue eyes darkening with hatred for every step his partner-in-crime took. He let out a curse in a language I didn't recognize.
"You know you could just kill him?" I crooned, glancing up at him.
His eyes danced as he watched me. "If he didn't owe me something that only he can retrieve, I'd happily let you out do it."
I placed a sickly paled hand over my chest. "I'm honored that you'd entrust me with such a task, but I think I'd go straight for you first."
He snorted, picking up the dagger resting on one of the metal tables next to the floating woman whom Valentine had mentioned to be named Jocelyn. He twisted the tip of the blade on the table, inducing such a horrid sound that I had to refrain from blocking my ears, scared they bled to death. "I don't think you have it in you to kill anyone, my girl."
I flashed my white teeth at him. "You can release me and we can find out."
"You do realize who you're talking to?" He raised an eyebrow. "Your old man is a demon too, girl."
"A demon with no morals and no motives. I'd beat you any given day out of sheer will because I have an actual reason to want to win." His eyes flashed and the corners of my lips curled. The more riled up he got, the more he'd actually want to fight me– to put me in my place no doubt. He was right; I had no chance of beating him, but I was faster. I could outrun him. I could warn Magnus.
"I'd watch your mouth if I were you." The man snarled, stalking closer to my cage with the blade dangling from his left hand.
I didn't miss a beat. "Why? I speak the truth."
"You really think you could take one of the oldest creatures on this earth?"
"I think it would be worth my time." I shifted, examining my poorly-cared-for nails, adding some effect to make him more annoyed. "I'm bored anyway. And so is Azel. If you want me to help you incinerate every Downworlder, I should at least have some practice."
He snorted, standing up straight from his previous predatory crouching position. "If you think I'd fall for that bullshit, you're delirious."
I stared into those dead blue eyes. "And if you think that I'll help you do shit to anyone, you're delirious."
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Even if it happened to be that red haired bitch– what's her name...Clary Fray?"
The woman floating in midair stirred a bit at the name and that's when it clicked. I knew the red hair seemed familiar, and there was something about her face. This Jocelyn was Clary's mother.
Well no shit.
I growled at the demon harboring inside of me. Shut up.
"I wouldn't help you with anything, let alone kill someone, you fucked up asshole." I snarled, letting my stupid temper get the best of me. "Not Vampires, not Wolves, not Faeries, and especially not my–Shadowhunters."
"And why not?" Daniel walked a little closer to the cage, his eyes boring into me as if he were trying to see straight through my skull and into my brain where my thoughts swirled around each other, each memory of the past few months going around and around and around. "Shadowhunters were the ones that killed your clan, no?"
My teeth barred. I didn't want to think about Georgia. About Henric. About Stefan. About any of that part of my past. Forget all of it except who took it away from me. "They worked for Valentine. They are nothing like my k–"
I bit my tongue, my eyes slamming shut as I inhaled a deep breath. That was the second time I'd had been about to say it: My kind. Because they were– Izzy and Eli and Alec and Clary and– and Jace. They were my kind. My people. My–
"And what makes them so special?" Daniel seethed, his hands now clutching the metal bars as he pried out the realization that I wanted to kick myself for taking so long to come to. "They're the reason you're locked up here in the first place, no? They threw you out of the institute– kicked you right the curb as if you were nothing. And we– Valentine– the man you claim is so horrid gave you a place to stay. He wants you to use your powers, to explore them. Not just lock them up to rot. He's– we're giving you a purpose. Don't act like that's not more than anyone else has ever done for you in your entire, pitiful, and worthless life."
I let out a soft, humorless chuckle. "I've always had a purpose. I certainly don't need to be locked in a cage for weeks on end to know it."
"And what, pray, is that purpose?"
His words were venom, but mine were laced with the promises of havoc as I said, "I am going to rip you and everyone who has even thought about helping you to shreds. And it will be slow. And it will be painful. And I will make sure they feel everything, exactly how Mom and Mia and Hana felt it. And you will be begging for your death long before I'm done with you."
This. This is what I'd been suppressing all those weeks in the institute. This is what Jace– what all of them had warned me about. This is what happened when dumbasses like the man standing in front of me threatened my family.
"And there it is." A slow, wry grin spread across Daniel's face. "That's what I was hoping for. Your demon side, making an appearance at last. It's nice to finally meet my daughter– my real one who doesn't have to hide who she truly is from the world."
"I hide nothing."
He shot me a look that said otherwise, his eyes filled with arrogance and–pride. It'd been so long since anyone had looked at me with pride. A wretched, dark part of me couldn't stop from feeling proud too.
"I just want you to remember something, Azel." He sighed, giving me a small shrug.
"I just want you to burn and rot in hell."
My words had no affect on him, but the same couldn't be said for his words to me. With a chilling look in those cold, shallow, blue eyes, he stared into my hazel ones and spoke the words that would change every course of action I would ever take beyond that point. "You talk about destruction, about the promise of carnage for me and mine and Valentine's followers. But if you really plan on keeping your word, what makes you any better of a person than me? What draws the line from you being any less of a monster than me?"
And even if I could formulate an answer, he was already walking away, leaving me to dwell upon the horrid truth. If I really kept true to my words, what did make me any less of the monster my Father made me out to be?
Tah-dah?
I don't really know y'all. Please comment what you think :)
~Leexnnx