The next morning, I wake up to the smell of coffee. I rub my eyes as I roll off of Magnus' couch and drag my feet towards the kitchen. I smile slightly at Julian, who had made a bed for himself on the floor with a bunch of pillows and blankets. I insisted that he should take the couch, but he wouldn't let me sleep on the floor. We had stayed up most of the night talking, being careful to stay away from the topic of Valentine or my death.
When I enter the kitchen, I see Magnus seated at the table, sipping on a martini. His feet are kicked up on the table and he holds a newspaper in his hands. I never pegged Magnus as someone who would enjoy reading the news, but I guess it passes the time. He looks up from his paper, sees me, and snaps his fingers. Blue sparks soar through the air and two cups of coffee appear on the table, one for me and one for Julian.
"Isn't it too early for that?" I nod to the martini, grabbing one of the coffees and sitting across from him.
"Shouldn't you be wearing a shirt?" Magnus asks, scanning over my sports bra and sweatpants combo.
"Well, someone insisted on turning on the heat and I enjoy being comfortable." I take a sip of the steaming liquid.
"Shadowhunters." Magnus rolls his eyes, looking back at the paper. "Where did all your runes go?"
I give a dry chuckle. "They're glamoured."
Magnus puts the paper down, looking at me with raised eyebrows. "I would see them if they were glamoured."
Without saying anything, I go back out to the living room to grab my stele out of my jacket. When I return to the kitchen, I slide the stele over the rune that Hodge left me on my arm. Suddenly, all of my runes and scars become visible again and Hodge's rune fades completely. When I look up at Magnus, he is watching me with wide eyes.
"Hodge showed me the rune. He wanted to help me look like a mundane," I explain, sliding my stele into the pocket of my sweatpants. "He's not going to be happy when he finds out that I blew my cover, but I'll deal with that when he finds me."
"Those scars," Magnus grimaces, scanning over the deep scars on my stomach and arms. "Are they from Valentine?"
I nod, trying to act nonchalant. If I told him the real story, he would pity me. "Training was brutal."
"Do you think he's going to hurt your friends?" Magnus asks softly. "Or Alec?"
I shake my head. "They're safe until he finds out that they have the Mortal Cup."
"Who's Alec?" Julian's voice comes from behind me.
I whip around to face him. His eyes are still slightly puffy from sleep and his clothes are wrinkled. The deep shadows under his eyes were still present, meaning that he didn't sleep well last night.
I almost forgot that I didn't tell Julian about Alec either. He was one of the other topics I was trying to stay away from.
"My friend," I respond, "or rather, he was my friend."
"What happened?" Julian walks over and picks up the second coffee cup. I don't miss his eyes scanning over the multitude of scars that covered my arms and torso.
"I told him the truth."
"And what is the truth?" Magnus asks. "I don't think anyone ever got the whole story."
I look at Magnus through narrowed eyes. He just wants me to tell Julian the truth-- he wants me to tell him everything.
"Is the truth going to explain the dark hair?" Julian plays with a fallen curl. "Or the fact that you look like a mini she-hulk?"
I look up at him. "That's a little dramatic. My muscle definition is nowhere near as good as she-hulk's."
I should feel as nervous as I was when I was about to tell Alec, but I don't. I recount my entire story to Magnus and Julian. Both of them wait patiently for me to tell the full story, asking questions when necessary. I tell them the story from the beginning, explaining why I worked with Valentine in the first place and how I worked my way to being his second-in-command. I went on to explain how I escaped and what I have done in New York since escaping. I make sure to leave out the parts that indicated me liking Alec, for my own sake.
"So," Julian starts after I finish the story, "I put myself into danger by coming to find you."
"I ran away for a reason, Jules," I answer. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see you. I'm just not happy you're here."
Julian gives a tight-lipped smile and nods. "So you want me to go back to California and keep your secret."
My phone begins to ring, causing me to jump. "Hopefully you'll do a better job than Emma." I exit the room to retrieve my phone from the couch. My eyes widen slightly when I see that caller I.D. I immediately press the green button and press the phone to my ear. "Clary?"
"Something has happened to Simon," Clary sobs into the phone. "I need your help, Rae. I don't know what to do."
"I'm so sorry, Clary, but I can't come back," I say softly.
"Rae, he's dead! Camille killed him!" Clary says harshly.
I nearly drop the phone. My feet stumble back until I fall against the couch. "I-I'll be right there." I end the call and my phone slips out of my hands. Julian is already there to catch it before it hits the ground. He places himself next to me on the couch, placing an arm around me.
"Addie...?" He whispers.
"I have to go," I say, but I don't move. My eyes remain glued on the floor and my hands remain in my lap.
"What happened, cupcake?" Magnus sits on the other side of me.
I shake my head, getting up from the couch and searching through my duffle bag. I pull out a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, quickly heading to the bathroom to change. As I am turning the corner to head back to the living room, I run into Julian. He catches my elbows to steady me.
"I'm going with you," he states.
"No, you're not." I push past him to grab my jacket— or his jacket— and my phone. As I put the jacket on, I check the pocket for my daggers and stele. Remembering that I put my stele in the pocket of my sweatpants, I search through my clothes until I find it. "You didn't know Simon and I don't feel like explaining you to everyone."
"You mean you don't feel like explaining me to Alex," he states.
"Alec," I correct him, enunciating the 'c'. "I'm already putting myself at risk by going there. Alec has probably already contacted the Clave."
"Then I should go and help you," Julian states as he follows me towards the door. "I told everyone I was going to visit the New York Institute anyway."
"Absolutely not," I say as I swing the door open. "You are not coming with me."
"I'd like to see you stop--"
I take his arm and twist so that I can flip him over my shoulder. He lands on the ground in Magnus' foyer with a loud thud, gasping for the air. "Stay here." I step over him and exit the apartment.
When I get to the Institute, Clary is already waiting outside for me. She sits on the front steps with her head in her hands, her foot tapping the ground. As I approach, she lifts her head to look at me. Her eyes are red and puffy as though she's been crying for awhile. Without hesitation, I run up to her and pull her into a hug. She returns the hug as sobs wrack through her body. I fight to keep my eyes tear-free-- Clary needs me to be strong right now. Besides, I haven't known Simon for that long anyway.
"It's going to be okay, Clary," I whisper. "We're going to figure this out."
"We should probably go in the back." Clary pulls away and begins to lead me around the building. We go through a set of doors that creak from the lack of use. We sneak through the building and down a set of concrete stairs.
As soon as we enter the room and I see Simon's lifeless body lying there, a wave of nausea hits me. Luckily, Jace provides a distraction as he rushes at me and presses me against the wall. His Seraph blade is out and it rests at my throat. My hands find Jace's wrists and I try to push him away. He doesn't even seem to notice.
"So, you talked to Alec," I grunt as I try to push him away from me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jace snarls at me. His face is so close to mine that I can feel the heat of his breath.
"I called her," Clary states.
Jace stiffens all over as he looks back at her. "She's working with Valentine, Clary. She shouldn't be here."
"Hey!" I yell at him. I ignore the sneer as he turns back to me. "I'm on your side."
"You're a liar, Herondale." He presses the blade into my throat. If he moved another millimeter, it would pierce me. "Just like your father."
"You wanna say that again, dick?" I scoff, but he doesn't say anything else. Testing his limits, I lean forward. A thin trail of blood trails done my collarbone and soaks into my shirt as the blade pierces my skin. Jace's eyes widen slightly as he moves the blade back a bit. "I lied to save your ass, Wayland."
"Enough!" Clary yells.
"For someone who claims that she's one of the good guys, you sure act a lot like Valentine," Jace lowers his voice so that Clary can't hear him.
I harshly push Jace away from me. He scoffs and walks to the other side of the room, presumably to put as much distance between us as possible. Clary places herself beside Simon, bringing her phone to her ear. Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone stand and approach me. I didn't even realize that there was another person here.
"You're the vampire that took Simon in the first place." I turn to face the vampire. "Why are you here?"
The vampire smiles at me. Though his fangs aren't showing and he looks mostly human, the smile still sends chills down my spine. "I'm Raphael. I brought Simon here after Camille killed him. You're welcome."
"Camille?" I question and Raphael nods. "The leader of the New York clan. What's stopping us from killing you and your kind?"
Jace chuckles humorlessly. You sound just like Valentine, the chuckle seems to say.
"We haven't broken the Accords," Raphael says smoothly. "Camille acted alone."
Clary lets out a shaky breath as she pulls her phone away from her ear. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there. This is all my fault," She whispers to Simon's body.
"It's not your fault, Clary," I take a step towards her, but stop when Jace shoots me a glare. If I get any closer to her, he would probably pounce.
"No, it is! If it weren't for me, Simon would have never even known about the Shadow World. He would never have been kidnapped by vampires. He wouldn't have met Camille. He would--" she stops to take a breath, "--he wouldn't be dead."
"Fledgling," Raphael corrects. " He's in transition."
My eyes widen when I realize what's going on. Simon's not really dead. Clary has the choice to bury him and let him become a vampire. Raphael gave her that choice and I know what she is going to choose.
"No," I whisper. I take another step towards Clary, ignoring the look I get from Jace. "Clary, you can't."
"I can't lose him, Rae," she sobs. "Do you know how it feels to lose your best friend?"
My mind immediately goes to Emma and James. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for them, but I don't think I would ever be able to make this decision. This isn't a decision you make for someone else-- no good friend would choose to let their best friend suffer a fate that a vampire has never even wished for themself.
But could you live without Julian? I think to myself. Could you live with the guilt of knowing that your best friend died because you couldn't pick up the phone?
"Yes, Clary. I do," I finally state. "And the decision you're going to make for Simon is worse than death."
"On the contrary," Raphael cuts in, "you'd be granting him a full life. Simon wasn't supposed to die young. You could give him the life he deserved."
I scoff, rolling my eyes and walking away from Clary.
" And now I am left with two--two reprehensible choices--" Clary shudders, "--and I can't figure out which one is worse. If I, uh--if I bury Simon, what are the risks?"
"Clary, no!" Jace says at the same time I say, "Absolutely not!"
"I need to know!" Clary yells at us before looking back at Raphael.
"If Simon is buried and he doesn't emerge, he would be trapped under the earth, starving for eternity." Raphael states.
"Oh, my God." Clary lets out a breath. "And, uh--if I-- if I stake him?"
"He'll die a human death. It's painless, as far as I know." Raphael shrugs.
Clary sobs, looking back at Simon. Her hand reaches to brush his hair away from his face. "Simon, I'm sorry."
Tears sting my eyes and I turn away to hide them. "I know that you want me here, but I can't watch you make this mistake. I'm sorry, Clary," I say and run up the stairs before anyone can see the tear that escaped my eye. Partly blind from the tears that are blurring my vision, I try to make my way back the way we came. Somehow I end up in the Ops Center instead.
I always have been directionally challenged.
I scan the area, looking for a way to sneak past all the people. Instead of finding a path, my eyes fall on Alec, who is crouching in front of a child that I assume to be Max. I quickly back up, pressing my back to the wall. Peeking around the corner, I scan again. There is no clear path-- I'm going have to pray that no one will recognize me and sneak past Alec.
Suddenly the front door opens and everything seems to stand still. The man who has haunted my nightmares for the past three years walks through the door. Every part of my body tenses and I am frozen in place, watching the scene unfold before me. Valentine walks in, completely unarmed but still just as scary as I remember him.
Alec moves, pushing Max behind him and shooting an arrow at Valentine. Instant of planting itself through Valentine's forehead, the arrow is caught. Valentine smirks, as he lowers the arrow. His face seems to flicker like a malfunctioning hologram would. Slowly, Valentine pulls out his stele. He rolls up his sleeve and slides the stele over the rune-- the same rune that Hodge had used to disguise me. Valentine's face fades and becomes the face of a professional-looking blonde woman.
"That reaction time was abysmal," she announces before looking at Alec. "Except for you." She takes a few steps forward, approaching him. "I'm Lydia Branwell, envoy from the Clave."
Someone grabs my hand and pulls me backward, nearly dragging me away from the scene. I regain my footing and turn to see Isabelle pulling me down the hall. She doesn't stop until we are in a deep, dark, secluded hallway. There, she lets go of my hand and faces me with crossed arms.
"You shouldn't be here," she states.
"You're right." Still struggling to regain my breath, I lean against the wall. "The Clave is here. I need to leave."
"We can sneak you out the back." She reaches for my arm again, but this time I pull away.
"No. You shouldn't be helping me--"
"You're right." My eyes widen at her, but she doesn't seem phased. "I shouldn't be helping you after you lied to us and broke my brother's heart."
My face softens and I let out a breath. "Isabelle, I'm sorry."
"I know you are." She is still frowning, which makes me think she's about to say something that will hurt me in my heart. "And I forgive you. But you need to get out of here."
I hesitate. Though I know I need to get out of here, I also know that one of my friends just died and another one of my friends is grieving. Would I be a good friend if I just left Clary here? Sure, she has Jace, but he didn't like Simon. Also, no one ever accused me of being a good friend.
"Rae— I mean, Adelia," Isabelle says softly, causing me to look up at her in shock. "We have to go."
I shake my head. "I have to stay with Clary. She needs a friend right now."
Isabelle looks at me for a second before sighing. "The Clave envoy doesn't know you're here. I'll try my best to keep Alec from finding out and telling them."
My brows furrow. "I thought they sent the envoy here for me. How come Alec didn't tell them?"
Isabelle shrugs. "Maybe he really does care about you."
We find Clary and Jace as they are exiting through the back door. They had decided to go to Simon's house to tell his mother that he's dead. To my surprise, telling Simon's mother that he was dead was Clary's idea. I expected her to let Simon become a vampire and let him go back to living his life as the vampires do in all the romance novels. Somehow, Jace must have convinced her to see reason.
When we arrive at Simon's, Jace lifts his shirt to activate his glamour rune. As I take off my jacket to do the same, Clary stops me.
"Simon told his mom about you," she says. "I'm sure she'd want to meet you."
I shake my head. "I can't, Clary. Anyone who knows me is in danger."
"Please, Rae," Clary pleads.
I look back at Jace, who has kept a close eye on me since we left the Institute. He simply shrugs as a response to my silent question. "Let's get this over with."
We walk up the steps of the front porch together. Clary knocks on the door and I notice that her hand is shaking slightly. I glance back at Jace nervously, but his eyes are on Clary. For the first time today, Jace isn't staring me down.
A couple of seconds later, the door opens to reveal a thin, brunette woman. Though I don't see much of a resemblance, I guess that this woman is Simon's mother.
"Clary?" Mrs. Lewis says. "Simon's not here."
"I know," Clary says. "I actually came to talk to you about Simon."
Mrs. Lewis nods, stepping aside to let us in. As I pass by her, I don't miss the confused look on her face. Her eyes move from me to Clary with raised eyebrows.
"Oh," Clary turns to me. "This is Rae. She's a friend."
Mrs. Lewis smiles in recognition. "Oh! Simon's told me a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you."
My eyes widen slightly. "Really?"
Mrs. Lewis nods. "He seems to like you a lot."
My heart swells and I feel a wave of guilt. Though I know what happened was entirely Camille's fault, I still feel bad about it. The worst part is that Simon's mother had no idea that her son was dead in the basement of the Institute. Even thinking about it makes me feel sick.
"Yeah," I force a smile. "I liked--like him a lot, too."
"How about I get us some iced tea?" Mrs. Lewis suggests. "You guys can take a seat in my office."
I let out a breath as she disappears in the direction of what I assume if the kitchen. As she walks away Clary leads us to Mrs. Lewis' office. Jace follows closely behind her while I linger, looking at the various pictures of Simon and his family that are strewn about. The guilty pit in my stomach grows as we go deeper into the house.
When we get to the office, Clary sits down on the couch. I sit next to her, trying to avoid anything that would remind me of Simon. Jace wanders behind the desk, his fingers trailing over the objects sitting on the surface. He comes across a picture and lifts it up to look closer at it.
"This is a bad idea," Jace tells Clary. " Promise me you won't tell a mundane that Simon was bitten by a vampire."
"I promise." Clary doesn't look up at him as she responds.
"Good." He puts the picture down and continues to snoop. "'Cause part of our job as Shadowhunters is making sure mundanes don't–"
"Know the truth?" Clary finishes for him.
"Know anything about the Shadow World," I correct her. "If they know, it'll make our job harder."
"So, we lie." Clary looks at me as my face goes blank. "Don't worry, I'm just gonna tell her there was an accident. That, um--that Simon's not coming back. I owe his mother that much. She loves him."
I nod as Mrs. Lewis enters the room carrying three glasses of iced tea. She sets them down on the coffee table in front of us, keeping one glass in her hand for herself.
"I haven't heard anything from Simon since yesterday," Mrs. Lewis tells us, "And he flipped out on Rebecca and I, and then just disappeared. Have you heard from him? Or have you seen him? Should I be calling the police?"
"No. No, don't do that. Um--" Clary glances at me and I give her an encouraging nod. "If we needed to, I would have called Luke."
"I just want to know if he's alright," Mrs. Lewis says.
I let out a breath and look down at my shoes. This wasn't going to end well.
"I saw him," Clary sighs and I lift my head to look at her but she doesn't look back at me.
Mrs. Lewis's eyes widen and she sits on the coffee table in front of us. "Oh, my God. You did? Where? Where is he? Is he okay?" She stammers.
Clary glances at me. "No. Not exactly."
"Is it drugs? I mean, he said that it wasn't, but–"
Clary shakes her head. "Uh, no, it's not drugs. Um--"
I glance past Clary to look at Jace. He turns to the bookshelf, his hand hovering over one of the little monkey figurines.
"Clary," Mrs. Lewis addresses her. "Whatever it is, I can handle it."
"Okay, look, the truth is--"
Jace flicks his wrist and knocks one of the monkeys to the ground. My eyes widen at him as he moves away from the shelf. Confused, Mrs. Lewis walks straight past him to pick the fallen monkey off the ground.
"Clary," I warn her in a whisper.
"What are you doing?" Jace asks her.
"I don't know, okay? This is really hard." Clary whispers back to us.
"Be careful," Jace warns her before returning to the shelf.
"I will," Clary says as Mrs. Lewis straightens up.
Mrs. Lewis looks at the monkey and then looks around the area. She walks over to us, still clutching to the monkey. "Simon got this for me for Mother's Day. You know, 'cause he's my little monkey." She stops next to Clary, looking at her expectantly. "Clary, I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him. Rebecca and Simon, they're all I have. After I lost their father...But you were saying? To tell me the truth..."
Clary looks at me before looking back at Mrs. Lewis. "Um--"
Sensing that Clary wasn't going to tell Mrs.Lewis anything, I stepped in. "You said Simon was here yesterday?"
Mrs. Lewis nods. "He made a mess of his room and just disappeared."
"Do you mind if I have a look?" I ask her. When she gives me an unsure look, I continue. "I'm a trainee in the police academy. I was thinking that maybe he left some clues as to where he went."
Mrs. Lewis still looks unsure but eventually nods. "Yes. Of course."
I give her a polite smile and grab Clary's hand before standing. She stands with me and leads the way upstairs to Simon's room. Jace follows closely behind us. As soon as we enter Simon's room, I gasp. The room is in complete disarray-- Simon's desk is broken in half and the mirror on his closet door is shattered. Even his World of Warcraft poster was ripped in half.
"Does the fact that you can lie so easily ever concern you?" Jace asks me as we enter the room.
I whip around to face him. "Let's not forget that I was trained by Valentine. Lying isn't the only thing I'm good at."
Jace simply rolls his eyes before closing the door and looking at Clary. "What happened to the plan? Tell her that Simon's not coming home."
"Have a little sympathy," I scoff at him.
Clary begins going through the drawers of Simon's dresser, pulling out various objects. "I tried, okay? I just--I can't. I'm not ready to just give up on Simon." She moves to his closet and begins rummaging through is things there.
"You can't turn him into a vampire, Clary," I try to reason. "He doesn't deserve that life."
"Adelia is right." Jace leans against the wall, watching as Clary stuffs something into her bag.
I smirk. "Did it hurt you to say that?"
"Would you stop for a second, think about what you're doing?" Jace ignores my comment.
"I am, Jace, okay? It's like my brain is telling me to do one thing and my heart another and..." Clary trails off.
"Okay. Look," Jace says as he approaches her, "there was a boy, and his father bought him a falcon for his sixth birthday."
"For real?" I question. "You're going to tell us a story. Right now?"
"Please, just listen," Jace snaps at me. "His father told him to tame the bird. Make it obedient."
"That's crazy," Clary comments.
"The boy would spend every day with that falcon," Jace continues as if she hadn't said anything. "It would scratch at him. Make him bleed. But eventually, he earned its trust. He brought the bird to his father, to show him that the bird would come back to him. He thought his father would be proud."
"And he was, right?" Clary asks.
I shake my head. "I'm gonna guess he wasn't."
Jace nods in agreement. "His father took the falcon and snapped its neck."
"Okay, that's the worst story I have ever heard." Clary turns and continues packing Simon's things
"You're missing the point. Yes, the boy was devastated. But he realized his father was right. He was told to tame the bird, not to love it. That's why you have to listen to your head. If I listened to my heart, I'd never be able to do my job. Third rule of Shadowhunting: emotions cloud judgment," Jace finishes.
"To love is to destroy," I mutter. It was that I learned when I was very young. Love is what drove my mom to suicide and it is what drove me to work for Valentine all those years ago.
"If--if being a Shadowhunter means that I have to be dead inside, I'm not sure I want to be one," Clary says.
I give a sigh, knowing that my next words will hurt me in my soul. "He's right, Clary."
Jace turns to me with a smirk. "Did it hurt you to say that?"
"Tremendously," I say with a tight-lipped smile. I look back to Clary with a softer expression. "I let my emotions cloud my judgment for years and I ended up messing everything up. I was a terrible Shadowhunter because I allowed my emotions to control my actions. Don't make the same mistakes I did."
"No offense, Rae," Clary says, "but I'm not you."
I feel like I've just been slapped. "Fair enough. Just remember that if you don't stake Simon, you have damned him to a life of hunger and loneliness."
I end up back at the Institute after receiving a text from Julian. He and Magnus were called to the Institute to assist in dissecting a mutant Forsaken. Since I had worked with Valentine for a few years, they figured I could be of assistance. Personally, I just think they want to keep an eye on me to make sure the Clave envoy doesn't find me. Honestly, I could use and escape from all the drama. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I would have to face my grandmother.
Isabelle meets me at the back entrance to lead me to the lab. Magnus and Julian are already wearing masks and inspecting the body of the Forsaken warrior. I grab a mask and join them, despite the fact that this is not my area of expertise. Magnus is focused, his hands emitting blue waves of magic over the body as he scans it. Julian, on the other hand, stands across from Magnus with his arms crossed over his chest, observing the Forsaken. I stand next to him, giving him a small smile as a greeting.
"So, you do autopsies?" I ask Isabelle.
She gives a proud smile. "I like to do things that people wouldn't expect me to."
"Brains and beauty," I comment. "Why am I not surprised?"
Isabelle chuckles and walks over to Magnus' side. "You almost done?"
"Patience is a virtue, my dear," Magnus reminds her without taking his eyes off the body.
"Come on," Isabelle says, "I want to get my hands on that thing."
"Speaking of which, how is Alexander?" Magnus questions before looking up at me with a smirk.
I roll my eyes. "You're not going to get me to talk to him. He'll throw me in the direction of the Clave before I even get a word out."
Isabelle walks to the other side of Magnus, leaning over the Forsaken warrior to inspect the neck. "Putrefaction. It's decomposing." She grimaces.
"He's not going to forgive you if you don't talk to him," Magnus looks up at me with raised eyebrows.
"It hasn't even been that long since I told him." I cross my arms over my chest and watch as Isabelle opens the mouth of the Forsaken. For a second, I can't decide whether I am interested or disgusted. "The chances of him accepting my heartwarming apology are slim. Alec's not really the forgiving type."
"That's assuming that you know how to give a heartwarming apology." Julian looks down at me with a smirk, earning himself a punch in the arm. Although I hate that he came after me, it's nice having someone here who knows me— the real me.
"I'm not sure if you noticed, but my brother is not exactly warm and fuzzy," Isabelle adds. "Even if you apologize, it's going to take him a while to forgive you."
"And it doesn't help that he is under a lot of stress," I add.
Magnus hums in agreement. "I suppose, with Clary's arrival--"
"And Valentine's return," Isabelle adds. She turns to the tools, inspecting a pair of surgical scissors.
"Running the Institute,"
"The envoy from the Clave,"
"Oh, who I hear is very impressive," Magnus says, "What else?"
"Babysitting Jace," I contribute.
"And dealing with our parents who are trying to find him a wife." Isabelle looks up at me, regret filling her eyes. "Sorry."
I shrug, trying to hide the sting that I felt. "Why should I care?" My voice doesn't come out as strong as I thought it would.
"Maybe because you like him," Julian suggests.
Magnus looks at me with wide eyes, but when I look at him he averts his eyes. My gaze lingers on him, though, testing him. He wants to tell Julian so bad, but he won't dare when I'm a lunge away from sticking a scalpel into him. "He has to do what he can to save his family name."
"Not everyone gets the luxury of following their heart." Isabelle gently nudges Magnus out of the way to begin the autopsy, completely oblivious to the drama going on right in front of her. Or maybe she was just ignoring it. I mean, I don't blame her. If I could, I would ignore it too.
"I'm gonna go deliver the preliminary findings. It seems like you have everything under control here," Magnus says before shooting me one more look and exiting the room.
"I'm going to go with him." Julian grimaces as Isabelle begins to cut the body. "Are you coming?"
"I can't. If I'm seen by the Clave envoy, she'll take me into custody." I look up to Julian to keep my eyes off the body as Isabelle dissects it. "I'll see you later?"
Julian gives a tight-lipped smile and nods. "Sure," He says, lifting his mask and mine to peck me on the cheek. The gesture was normal for us, but it still gave me butterflies. As he follows Magnus out of the room, I watch him. When he reaches the door, he looks back at me. I give him a small smile and a wave, which he returns. When he disappears from sight, I turn back to Isabelle, who is completely focused on the body.
"So," she says without looking up. "That's Julian? He's cute."
"And he knows it," I joke.
Isabelle smiles slightly. I try not to look as she gets to the gruesome part of the autopsy. "So, what do you know about Valentine and the Forsaken?"
"He uses them to do the work that's too simple for a demon to do for him," I state. "They're disposable, so he mainly uses them as distractions."
Isabelle looks up at me. "So, what were they doing at the Jade Wolf?"
"My guess is that he wanted something from the werewolves," I infer. "Or he wanted to distract us from something big."
"Luke said that they weren't ordinary Forsaken. Apparently they were harder to kill." Isabelle watches my unchanging expression. "You don't look shocked."
"Valentine enjoys his experiments," I mutter. "He may be crazy, but he's also smart."
"Which makes him more dangerous." Isabelle goes back to working on her autopsy. After a few moments, she sets her tools down and looks at me. "Why did you tell Alec?"
I knew this question was coming, but it still shocked me when she said it. I take a breath to compose myself before responding. "It got too far. I felt something for him and I let my emotions get the better of me. When that happens, I tend to self-destruct."
"So, you pushed him away," Isabelle states with a hint of an emotion I don't recognize. It almost sounded like anger, which was weird considering the person I am talking to.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket. I pull it out to see that I got a text message from Jace.
Cemetery. Now.
I let out an angry breath and pocket my phone. "I'm going to kill her."
Isabelle straightens up. "She's going to bury him." It wasn't a question. Clary's choice was obvious, but that didn't stop us from hoping that she would make the right decision. "I can handle this. Go be with Clary."
Without a second glance, I leave to meet Clary and Jace at the cemetery.