We eventually reached our destinations; the outside appearing to be a warehouse, all steel beams and cardboard boxes, utterly eerie with a deafening silence. We all slowly walked through the building, weapons at hand, carefully scanning the desolate area for any signs of a threat.
"Magnus's lair is just behind that fence" Jace says, pointing at a raised metal fence and all our eyes follow, and I quickly frown, "Magnus lives in a warehouse?" Clarys asks, wide eyed and confused, a similar expression to my own.
Guess that comes with being twins.
"Not exactly" Jace states "Warlock glamour"
Isabelle suddenly raises her hand at us, halting our movement, all eyes falling on her as we wait for her words. "Somethings wrong" She sighs, a small frown on her face as she glances at us, "It's far too easy to get this close"
"His protective wards must be down" Jace mutters, and we all seem to unconsciously stiffen, our fighting stances becoming second nature as we prepare for anything.
You never really know what's going to pop out next.
"You" Alec calls gruffly, his glare directed at Clary, "Don't get in the way"
Clary merely scoffs, glaring for a mere second before looking away, not bothering with Alec's hatred for her. I simply shake my head in disappointment, not angry at Alec but confused, why did he hate Clary so much?
'It's funny how the only girl you're attacking is Clary, isn't 't Alec?'
Jace's words echo through my mind, re-playing over and over again and I groan, mentally exhausted, since not only did I have no idea what he was implying but my sudden school girl crush on Alec was making me hope that it meant Alec liked me.
Or at the very least he didn't despise me as much as Clary.
But then again; hope breeds eternal misery.
I'm swiftly pulled out of my thoughts when the sounds of grunting and fighting echoes through the abandoned warehouse and all our eyes snap to the two men fighting at the metal fence entrance; and I gasp as I watch the circle member aggressively stab and then throw the warlock off the edge, the man falling wordlessly to the ground.
"Oh, god. Valentine found Magnus!" Clary exclaims and we all quickly jump into action, racing forwards, weapons in hand.
"Daddy?"
Clary and I were hiding behind a couple of boxes and storage equipment when we noticed the little girl appear, tears trickling down her face as she ran to her father, shaking his dead figure on the floor, crying for him to wake up.
My heart ached harshly, knowing that the girl's father was dead and she was alone.
Suddenly, we notice a bald and bulky man with a circle rune at his neck appears behind her, and as he pulls out his serph blade and aims for her back, Clary and I jump forwards.
"Look out!" Clary screeches, grabbing the little girl, whilst I kick the man at his chest as hard as I physically could and watch as he stumbles with a grunt, before regaining his stability and facing us with a sneer.
"Clary and Camilla Fairchild" He growls, a leer overtaking his features as he looks us up and down, "Valentine will be pleased to meet you"
He quickly rushes forwards unexpectedly, and as I step to attack, Izzy's whip wraps around the man's wrist, and from the upper level Jace appears and throws a knife into his back, making the man fall to the ground, grunting in pain.
"Thanks for that" Clary exhales, a smile over coming her features at Jace, who merely smiles and winks in reply.
"Anytime"
I giggle lightly, catching Clary's attention and I wiggle my brows suggestively at her, making her roll her eyes and I can tell that she desperately wants to flick me off, but refrains from doing so because of the little girl clutching her waist sadly.
"Stay close" Izzy says, walking towards them, "It's safest if we stick together"
We all nod, Clary stopping momentarily to run a caring hand over the little girl's hair, a small smile etched on her face, "It's okay. I won't leave you alone, I promise" She says, soothingly and I smile, glad that we had come in time to save the poor girl.
We all walked onwards and into a room, which appeared to be Magnus's living room, and immediately my eyes fall on Magnus himself.
"Magnus" I say quietly and as he turns around, his eyes widen as the little girl runs forwards and he bends down to pull her into a tight hug, his eyes sad. "Go join the others sweetie, this is no place for a little girl" He says as he releases the girl and sadly watches as she swiftly rushes away, before turning his attention back to us.
"I heard what you did for Zoey" Magnus says, his eyes shining with gratitude as he steps closer" You risked your lives for a small warlock girl"
I laugh lightly, rolling my eyes, "Well we weren't just going to leave her, she's a kid, defenceless. Besides, it felt great hurting the bastard who planned to hurt a little girl." I state shrugging, and Magnus smiles, chuckling lightly.
"She was just a girl" Clary adds with a sorrowful head shake, "She was in trouble. We had no choice"
"You always have a choice," Magnus assures "You two aren't like other shadow hunters, most protect Downworlders as a duty, whereas the two of you did it from what was inside your hearts." He says, a smile etched on his face and I smile back, not wanting to boast about something that any decent person would do.
"You're more like your mother than you know"
I glance at Clary and smile, swallowing down the tightness in my throat at the mention of my mother, and merely take the time to enjoy that fact that we're doing what's right.
And I know my mother would be proud.
"Magnus please" Clary says, stepping forwards pleadingly "You can't hide from this battle. Valentine found you once, he will find you again. We need to work together. Help us"
Magnus sighs, nodding to us "I can summon the demon but you must make the demand. Now, I warn you, retrieving your memories will not be easy" He explains, his eyes hard and narrow as he stoically imprints the danger of the situation.
Clary and I both determinedly nod, "We will do whatever we have to do" I say, my voice firm and authoritative, and despite the anxiety in my chest, I knew that we had no choice but to.
"Alright" Magnus states, turning to everyone "But the lairs been compromised. Everyone, hold on tight, we're about to move"
Within a second Magnus's hands begin to glow a bright blue and suddenly the room is shaking, and we all begin to wobble and before I have a chance to grab anything, the room layout has changed and the ground is still shaking.
I suddenly trip over my own feet due to the shaking and fall, landing on top of someone, instantly wrapping my arms around their neck as they do the same, their hands falling to my waist.
Once the upheaval is done and the world stops moving, I glance at the changed surroundings before turning my head sheepishly, and nearly fainting when I notice that I hadn't just fallen on somebody, but I had sat on their lap.
And of course, that someone had to be Alec.
I swallow nervously, staring wide eyed at him as he smiled back, nervous at our position, before swiftly removing my hands from his neck since I no longer needed the stability as he moves his hands from my hips and I quickly jump up and step back a few yards, blushing horrendously.
"Talk about literally falling for him" Izzy says, her voice teasing as she giggles, and as I glance up, I notice that everyone appears to be looking between Alec and I, a teasing and knowing smile on their face, even Magnus winks suggestively at me.
I cough awkwardly before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and walking away to the side, ignoring Izzy and Clary's mischievous looks, and from the corner of my eye I can tell Alec is attempting to avoid Jace's smirk too.
Great.
I swiftly zone out as Magnus gives Izzy the red ruby necklace as a thank you gift and merely acknowledge the weird flirting that Magnus appeared to be doing with Alec.
I say merely acknowledge but I may have been more aware than I'm letting on.
Oh well.
"Okay," Clary states, standing up and facing the rest of the room "How do we summon the memory demon?" She asks expectantly at Magnus and I swiftly walk over, standing next to her and closer to the rest of the group.
"Are you certain?" Magnus asks, "Summoning such a powerful demon could be lethal"
"We're willing to do anything to save our mother," I say, barely flinching at the prospect of it being dangerous.
Literally everything we've done has been dangerous, what's stopping us now?
"Okay" Magnus says nodding, before gesturing over to Jace and Alec. "Pretty boy, get your team ready"
Jace walks over, ready to prepare everyone. "I know what to do" He mumbles, but is quickly cut short by Magnus uncaringly holding his hand out to stop him, a mocking smile on his face.
"I'm not talking to you" Magnus says with a smirk, before pushing Jace slightly to the side to reveal an unaware Alec. "I'm talking to him" Magnus exclaims flamboyantly, his hand pointing exaggeratedly to a stunned Alec and I snort at Jace's bewildered expression.
"Well he aint wrong" I say laughing in agreement, before swiftly halting my laugh when I notice that all are eyes are on me, and as my eyes glance at an amused Magnus, I gulp fretfully. I clear my throat awkwardly whilst nervously playing with the ends of my hair.
"Don't we have a demon to summon?!" I exclaim, before swiftly turning on my heels and rushing out, mentally scolding myself for basically saying that I did think Alec was hotter than Jace.
I mean he is.
But that doesn't mean I wanted him to know that.
***
"Jocelyn was right" Magnus says smiling, impressed, as everyone enters the room and marvels at Clary and I's pentagram for the demon summoning.
There's a sentence I never thought I would say.
"Your artistry is beyond compare"
"I don't know about that" I reply with a curt giggle, brushing my hands together to get rid of the chalk layer as my eyes glance to our joint piece.
"Well the only other person I've known who could draw as well was Michelangelo. He was excellent in bed, might I add" Magnus notes, smirking devilishly at a blushing Alec and I giggle, shaking my head at how easily embarrassed Alec could be.
It was seriously adorable.
"Okay, we're ready" Magnus states, slowly making his way over to one of the sides, his eyes trained on the rest of us. "Everyone takes your rightful place on the pentagram" Magnus states and we all move forwards, a slight pulling force coming from the pentagram to a certain place.
I swiftly feel myself being pulled to a certain spot, and once I'm at the right side, my eyes shift upwards and I see Magnus on my right and Alec on my left, and as my eyes lock with Alec, our sights linger over one another, both of us questioning why we were placed together.
"You must initiate a bond" Magnus states "Once this bond is sealed it cannot be broken until the demon retreats. No matter what happens, you must not let go of each other's hand"
We all glance around, the atmosphere tight as we anticipate our next moves.
All eyes fall on Magnus as he lifts his hand and I connect my hand with his, and we ripple slightly as we feel the bond connecting within our palms. My eyes then nervously shift over to Alec and I gulp, unsure of my uncertainty but nevertheless I still slowly raised my hand outward to him, watching as he hesitantly glanced at it.
However, moments later he begins to lift his hand before cautiously placing his large handover my small, tentative one. I bite my lip, before smiling slowly, my eyes scanning over Alec's expression and I feel my heart flutter when his hand squeezes my own lightly, a small smile etching onto his features too.
"Alec"
Noticing that everyone was awaiting Alec's next move, I quickly looked away from his gaze, a small blush creeping up my cheeks as he turned away, joining hands with Jace, before Jace joined hands with Clary, before she patiently held her hand out for Izzy.
"You people are pathetic "Izzy laughed before stridently placing her hand in Clary's before eventually joining hands with Magnus.
"I will lead the ceremony and you must all do exactly as I say" Magnus starts. "The demons name is Valak, and at some point, he will require payment for Clary and Camilla's memories."
"What do you mean? What payment?" Jace inquires roughly.
"We will see" Magnus shrugs "Let us begin" Magnus states before closing his eyes and addressing the demon in Latin.
"The necklace" Izzy exclaims, "It's pulsating"
We all abruptly look up and gasp as within the circle a dirty and gloomy mist of charcoal black dust begins to tornado within, and at the centre of the dust a harsh and growling wind erupts, slamming aggressively against us, and we all tighten our hands in response.
"Valak is among us. Do not break the bond!" Magnus orders and I nod, trying to maintain my strength.
The strength of the wind becomes overwhelming and I feel myself desperately fighting for control. My eyes snap to Alec as he twists his hand over and interlocks our fingers, not only strengthening our hold but also calming my raging heart. As I glance upwards at his face, he looks questioningly at me, and I nod back with a slight beam.
I felt better with him there.
"Hold on!" Jace shouts, looking over at a struggling Clary, "I'm trying" She replies, a distressed expression over her features.
"It is time" Magnus yells "The demon demands payment"
"What does it want" Alec shouts, his hand still firmly holding mine.
"You must each relinquish a memory of the one you love the most" Magnus explains.
Izzy is the first up, her chest arches forwards as a memory of Alec smiling is pulled from her, before being torn into the tornado. Clary was next and a memory of me is swiftly yanked from her, a memory of us together.
I smile sadly at her before, closing my eyes for a second to prepare myself as a memory is pulled from me, and as expected it's of Clary, a simple memory of us enjoying a day out together, before it's yanked into oblivion like the others.
The demon skips over Jace, no one appearing when it was his turn and I frown, looking over sadly at Alec before squeezing his hand is reassurance, and as his eyes fall on me, he nods gratefully, knowing exactly what I was implying.
Next it was Alec's turn, and as he stands waiting for the memory, a memory of Jace is pulled out and yanked into the whirlwind. Alec shakes his head, a terrified and baffled look on his face, "No, that's not true. The demons deceived me"
"Do not break the bond!" Magnus yells.
"Alec, it's okay!" Izzy yells assuring him but he still shakes his head, and as I feel his hand slipping, I tug at his hand, making his eyes fall on me and I smile, sadly.
"Alec, it's okay" I say, my voice quiet and reassuring and as he frowns dejectedly at me, I suddenly feel his hand loosen and watch as 's pulled back from the circle.
"No!" Magnus exclaims as the demon instantly appears from the tornado, throwing us all back as it swirls out of control. I fall backwards before quickly leaning up and getting back on my feet, my eyes falling on a straining Magnus.
"I can't hold it much longer!"
Alec walks towards the creature but I swiftly push him backwards.
"NO!"
However, I'm cut off with a scream as I feel myself being yanked by the demon and pulled backwards, "Cam" Izzy yells, grabbing onto my hand, and attempting to keep me in place.
I scream in terror as I'm flung by the demon.
"Hold on!" Alec shouts, coming forwards and aiding Izzy as they both attempt to pull me out of the demons hold. My hand interlocks with Alec, and my eyes narrow down on him and we stare at each other.
And I quickly note that Alec's expression mirrors my own.
He looked terrified.
"She's slipping!" Jace exclaims and Clary steps forwards, activating her serph blade, and Magnus, noticing this, yell over at her.
"Clary, if you kill the demon your memories will be lost, forever!"
"Don't do it Clary!" I shriek, my heart fully accepting me being taken by the demon if it means getting the memories back and saving my mother.
"No!" Alec yells back, his expression angry and scared, as he still desperately attempts to rail me back in. Clary looks between the sword and me, and despite me shaking my head at her, begging her not to, she still ran forwards and stabbed the demon, and as it screeched in horror, it dropped me to the ground before vanishing.
"Cam!?" I heard Clary say, my mind twisting in and out of consciousness as I feel her warm hands shaking my body.
"Camilla, get up" I heard Alec plead, his voice desperate and wavering and despite wanting to get up, I felt painfully weak.
"Camilla" Alec says again, this time more sternly and I feel my body shudder before I jolt upwards, onto my elbows as I cough, the life coming back to me as I feel myself energised again.
"I'm okay, I'm okay" I say lowly, exhaling deeply as I meet the eyes of the others. "Thanks god!" Clary exclaims before swiftly pulling me into a hug before pulling back and helping me to my feet.
As I stand upwards, my eyes fall on Alec and I notice his solemn and devastated expression and feel my heart ache for him. Stepping forwards, I hesitantly reach my hand over and place in on his arms. At the contact, Alec's eyes shoot up to mine, and at seeing me he frowns dejectedly, his eyes remorseful.
"It's okay" I say with a small smile, my voice soft and reassuring and Alec sighs, lowering his gaze before sighing and walking away.
HIYAAA
Another chapter up!
Lots of Camlec, lots of drama and as usual one step forward and two steps back...
Don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT AND SHARE if you enjoyed the chapter, and stick around, the next chapter are going to be VERY interesting :)
See you all next time xoxo