"Three second head start and you didn't try to run?" Jace remarked when he came out the portal after me, as we were in New York now, "I'm disappointed."
I scoff, inching closer to him, "What, so I could- humor you by letting you catch me again?"
Jace grabbed my arm and shoved me forward, ignoring me, "Let's go."
"Did you kill Clary, Alec and Izzy?" I stopped and faced him again, "Did you hurt them?"
When he just stares, I press, "Answer me!"
Jace held ground, "I don't take orders from you."
I roll my eyes, "But- you do from Lilith?"
"She is my Queen." Jace grabs my arm again and forces me to walk, "Keep moving."
"We can run all you want." I reminded him, "It's only a matter of time before the guards from the Clave get to us."
Jace held a tighter grip on my arm, "That's why I activated your Anti-Tracking rune."
I stopped again and faced him, "Let me talk to him."
"Give him back to me." I demanded, not budging, my voice going slightly quiet, "I can't lose him again."
Jace said nothing, not moving an inch.
He just stared at me.
I pushed myself onto my tippy toes and pressed my lips against his, feeling him kiss back for a few moments.
I pulled away, looking between his eyes, waiting for some sort of reaction that it had gotten through to him.
"As hot as that kiss was-" Jace's words made my blood boil, "Still me."
I clench my jaw, "Son of a bitch-"
"There is no version of this where your Jace wakes up and comes home." Jace's words hurt, "The life you knew is gone, you belong to Lilith now."
-
"Come on." Jace pulled me along forcefully as we entered the alley, "It's not much farther now."
I breathed heavily, my legs exhausted and striking with pain, along with soreness, "That's what you said 10 blocks ago."
I needed a way to let everyone know I'm here.
That I'm back in New York.
That's when I noticed the broken beer bottle on the ground next to the trash cans.
I purposely trip over a few boxes and fell out of his grasp, my body hitting the ground, secretly grabbing a shard of the glass.
"Get up." Jace instructed.
"Just give me a minute." I breathed heavily and sat up, squeezing the glass in my palm, feeling it cut into my flesh with every time I squeezed harder, "I haven't stopped moving since Valentine's interrogation."
"Stop moving." Jace grabbed me and forced me up, running his stele over my stamina rune, "You're gonna need your stamina."
I felt the quick adrenaline rush running through my body, a gasp leaving my lips at it.
"Let's go." Jace pulled me along, drops of my blood trailing on the ground as I cut deeper into my flesh with the shard of glass.
-
"The prodigal sister has arrived." Lilith said when I was brought into the apartment, my eyes scanning the room to see all the people that had been possessed.
Lilith looked between me and where Jonathan's demonic body laid, "The family resemblance is striking."
"Really?" I scoffed deeply, my eyes falling onto Jonathan, "To tell the truth, I just don't see it."
Lilith faced me, "You're a sassy one, aren't you?"
"Sorry for the delay, my Queen." Jace apologized and handed her the bone, "Valentine's rib."
"All that matters is we have everything necessary to begin." Lilith slowly took it from him, setting it on the glass as it melted into the coffin Jonathan was in.
"My Owl is going to need his energy." Lilith faced us once more and stood in front of Jace, a red fog leaving her lips as she connected her lips with his.
Anger was all I felt.
"Thank you, my Queen." Jace exhales when they pulled away, staring at her as if she was his everything.
"Leave." Lilith ordered as he obeyed, her eyes landing on me, " Oh- anger isn't a good look on you."
"Neither are those clothes." Lilith noticed, then gestures for Ollie to come over, "Get her cleaned up and into a change of clothes for her brother's rebirth."
"Perhaps something blue." Lilith suggested then smirks at me, "That's what your kind wears when the lost return, isn't it?"
-
"Raising Jonathan from the dead-" I trail off when I brought back into the room, losing the cuffs and in a blue dress, "Is he really worth all the murder?"
"The things we do for our children." Lilith set down her cup of tea, "Besides, the mundanes killed by my disciples will do far more for this world in death than they'd ever do in life."
"And yet you need me alive." I brought up, wanting answers, "How does that work, exactly? I mean, you can't really just borrow my heart."
"Oh, I'm afraid that's exactly what it's like." Lilith came so close that she stood directly in front of me, "But- the heart isn't what you think."
I opened my mouth to question but she continued, "Jonathan needs to share your life force in order to breathe again, so I might hold him once more."
Lilith folds her hands together, "Losing Jonathan hearing him call for me with his final breath was the single most painful moment of my very long life."
I scoff, "You say that like you loved him."
Lilith looks between my eyes, "Why wouldn't I?"
I eye her, "Demons aren't capable of love."
"A failing of frail human imagination." Lilith shook her head at my words, "Demons live, we die, we feed, we lay- why wouldn't we love like you?"
Lilith clenches her jaw, "I need to care for Jonathan like you, your sister and your father never would."
I almost laughed. "If there's one thing that Valentine and I can agree on, it's the fact that the world is a much better place with a monster like Jonathan dead and buried."
Lilith's hand flew, coming in contact with my cheek as I grunted slightly, her using her magic to trap my wrists and ankles in metal bars, "My son is not a monster!"
-
Ollie walks back into the room after a few moments and right for Jace, her voice low, "The fire alarm just went off downstairs."
"The mundanes are evacuating the building." She then adds in, making my confusion increase.
Jace stood still, "There's no fire."
"Luke Garroway is leading a strike team from the Institute." Ollie's words made a sigh of relief leave my lips, a small smile forming on my lips.
Lilith joined the conversation suddenly, looking st then, "Is the Daylighter with them?"
I looked at him, joining in myself, "Why do you care if Simon's here?"
"Keep them away from my boy." Lilith ignored me and instructed, "Avoid the vampire, kill the rest."
Then everyone was exiting, leaving me alone with Lilith and Jonathan.
-
When Lilith had screamed, I knew they had defeated the demon that had possessed Jace.
And it only filled me with the hope I had lost.
"Jace is coming for you." I said just to spite her, "Everyone is."
"Let them." Lilith almost growled as she walks closer to me, pulling the collar of my dress to the side, staring at my skin, "I bet Jonathan can't wait to see them again."
Then, her sharp nail was craving into my skin, as I tried my best to hold back my grunts in pain but ended up letting out a scream due to the pain being too much.
When she had finished carving into my skin, her teeth were clenched, "As you live, so shall my son."
She turns and walks back over to Jonathan, my eyes landing on the traces of blood in what she scraped into me, my flesh stinging in pain.
Suddenly, my hair flew behind my shoulders at a gust of wind, Simon Lewis suddenly in front of me, his voice quiet as he pried the two bars from my wrists and ankles, "Hey, miss me?"
I softly smiled, my voice quiet as well, "Simon-"
"Let's get the hell out of here!" Simon whispered when he free me, staring to pull me along.
"No, wait!" I stopped him, quietly gesturing towards Lilith, "We can't let her bring my brother back to life."
Simon's eyebrows furrow, "Sebastian?"
I correct him, "Jonathan."
Simon held up his fingers, "Two brothers?"
I shook my head, "Same guy."
"Oh, cool, cool, cool- okay," Simon agreed and gave in, "So, what's the play?"
I looked around then pointed. "Lilith is afraid of that mark on your head."
"But- it's defensive, not offensive." Simon reminded me, "We'd have to get her to make a run at me, but she's smarter than that, isn't she?"
"Not when it comes to her son, she isn't." I pointed out, "I need a stele."
"Uh-" Simon held one up after pulling it out of his pocket, a smirk falling onto my lips, "Alec thought you might say that."
-
I stood still, holding the stele tight in my hand, raising my voice, "Get away from Jonathan!"
Lilith turned at my voice and slowly walked towards me, "Why would I do that?"
I pulled out the stele and held it against my neck, repeating her words, "As I live, so shall your son."
Lilith went gray, "You wouldn't."
I smirked just slightly, letting the stele cut into my skin, the bait working as she started to move towards me.
I moved quickly and drew my sun runs, shooting it towards her as she fell, "Foolish child!"
I held strong, instructing, "Simon, now!"
Simon was by Jonathan now, looking back at me as I nodded, "Do it, Simon- end this!"
My sun rune went out right as Simon began slamming his fists against the glass of Jonathan's box, getting close to shattering it.
"No!" Lilith screamed, jumping up and rushing towards Simon, flying back when her fist went for him.
But, things didn't go as planned.
Because I was running for my best friend that had flew towards the glass during the collision.
"Simon!" I shouted his name in fear, rushing towards him as he fell through the glass, the cold air rushing through the room when I felt someone grab my wrist, stopping me from going any further.
I looked back, my eyes going wider than they already were when Jonathan's demon blood stained hand had gripped onto my wrist, keeping me with him.
He was back.
Lilith was rising up, a look of satisfaction crossing her features, until her skin began to glow red.
Then, she blew.
-
[ jace's pov ]
"Zee!" I shouted her name as loud as I could when I reached the roof of the building, seeing that how I did left it was no more.
I spun slowly, pieces of the ceiling and tiles on the ground, bits of flame everywhere.
No Zee, No Jonathan, No Lilith.
Then, I saw a hand gripping the broken ledge, my heart leaping in hopes that it had been Zee.
But, it was Simon.
Simon's hand shook as he pulled himself back into the roof, slowly standing up, spinning around, his eyes filling with tears.
"Hey-" I dropped my seraph blade and grabbed his face when he tried to pull away from me, "It's me-"
"It's me, it's me-" I repeatedly assured him, his eyes connecting with mine, his pain and hurt present in his eyes. "It's me."
"Where is she?" I breathed heavily, needing to know, "Where's Zee?"
"I killed her." Simon's voice cracked, "Zee's dead."
My hands fell from his face, as I took a few steps back, a overwhelming pain in my chest at his words.
Tears burned in my eyes, and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
All I could feel was the pain.
I lost her.
authors note:
i actually really liked this chapter tbh
it expressed more zace content then recently
i'm sorry for the late update !
thank you for 19k !
go read redamancy !!!
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