Valentine on Fire

Valentine... that word almost sounds like an empty hollow to me. It is more to the fact that the word instantly reminds me of someone that I ought to call "Father". But I never met him, let alone knew him personally. However, since his son, Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, asked my hand in marriage and then drew marriage rune on my hand and my chest a month ago... then, yes Valentine Morgenstern is my father... late father-in-law. But he is dead, end of story.

So how about my mother-in-law? I met her once and ... I hate her. Not because she was burning my ears with her mad questions like "what the hell are you thinking, girl?", "Have you lost your mind?", "Don't you realize he's just using you and then he will spit you out like rubbish?", "Jonathan, how dare you trick an innocent girl like her?" after I said to her that I am his protégé. No, it's because I couldn't stand the way she looked at Jonathan. It's like she looked at a ... demon, not her son. Well, he has demon's blood inside but still, he is her son. Then, there's Clary, his sister. Dear me, all I can say that she is such a true hypocrite. Jonathan loves her so much, I almost envy her. Why can't she accept him? And also her mother? Their mother?... My poor Jonathan... Well, enough of the crazy mother and sister-in-law. Now, back to Valentine.

In mundane's world, it is a celebration of love, right?

Love... I don't even know if our bizarre marriage is based on love or not. All I know is I need him, he needs me. Whether as his protégé, sidekick, or partner-in-crime, whatever. I'm sure our life together does not like any other common or, you may say, normal shadowhunter. As people on the run, we can't be free and life is moving from one place to another. But sometimes we were separated for awhile, I spent time with other boys or men, and only to find myself crawling back to him. There is a part of me who always long for him deeply, like a thirst. He is like that too. He went out only-God-knows-where, but I'm sure he was also with some other girls that I wish I could burn. Nevertheless, in the end, we always found the way to each other especially after the marriage.

We are both damned, as a dark shadowhunter. Half-Nephilim, Half-Human, and Half-Demon, too. The power I have, even before I drank Lilith's blood, has been attracting demons to come to me. But I am their master, they bow to me, to us. Thanks to my defiant late parents. As a dark shadowhunter, some things cannot come easy and normal, at the beginning. Can you imagine when we had a fight? Like this morning, this very Valentine morning.

One of my demon pets happened to mess with his experiment or something... long story short, I managed to grab the poor little thing before Jonathan cuts him into two pieces. I shouted angrily at him, and he shouted back. Then it continued to be a seraph blade battle. It's not something new to me. It happened a lot to us and usually we would end up lying in the ground, panting and then giggling while making fun of each other's moves. Next, we would find our body cuddling up so tightly with our lips locked in a long-passionate kiss. But this time is different. This time I don't feel like having another seraph-blade duel with him.

After I saved the poor pet, we continued the usual shouting contest and the blade sparring, while my demon pet disappeared so quickly. In the middle of the fight, I turned the ring that teleports me to other place, ignoring his surprise "hey". Thank god, he did not pursue me, yet.

So, here I am. Taking a stroll to nowhere in particular until I arrive in an alley full of chocolate and flower merchants, and lovey-dovey mundane couples. I saw pink, red, chocolate, pink, red heart-shaped confetti, pink, red, men and women kissing, "Happy Valentine" words ... uugh this is... very sickening! But wait! So today's Valentine's Day? I sighes. No wonder I feel sick. The early hours of my Valentine's Day had been coloured by shouting and a short-lived blade match.

Suddenly, a very interesting view is caught by my eyes. By the Angel, I see... JACE! And beside him... is Clary! Trailing behind them is... if I'm not mistaken, they're the vampire... I forgot his name... Simon? and... the Lightwood girl? Isabelle? Whoa What a perfect distraction! This could be so much FUN!

Looks like they just had a Valentine shopping, I roll my eyes. I am very glad when they walk further away from the alley, casually separating themselves from the mundanes. They look happy... very contradict with Jonathan's life... despite the fact that two of them are his siblings and they don't even care. I follow them secretly and my head begins formulating so many tricks to ruin their so-called Valentine's euphoria.

I come up with something. Then I try to call some demons nearby with my mind to come around. In order to avoid mundane's attention, I have to lure them to a secluded area. I run and grab Simon's shopping bag. One of the perks of being a dark shadowhunter is you can run faster than a vampire, and I'm sure Jace or Isabelle must have noticed my running speed is not normal at all, because I heard there are more feet dashing after me.

I bring them to an old warehouse I find coincidentally, thank god haha. When I get inside, there are some wooden boxes that can make everything more exciting. I hide behind a large one, and check what I managed to snatch from the vampire. Some chocolates hmm good for snacks later. Then, their shoutings begin to draw me out.

"Hey, where are you?" Jace voice.

"How dare you steal Simon's bag?" that's Clary.

"Show yourself ! " it's Isabelle, no doubt about it.

Show time. I smile to myself. "Halloo, my dearest enemies. Oh wait! Err... Simon? This is your chocolate's bag, right?", I lift the bag high, "I wonder why you're the only one who keeps silent as the victim of your stolen bag." I smile widely at him.

"You.. you are.. his.. partner, aren't you?" Clary asked dumbfoundedly.

I turn to look at her, my smile's gone. "yes, sister-in-law," I reply her matter-of-factly. I am not surprise when I see their eyes widen in horror and ... I don't know, hatred or... disgusted maybe. "It is something that cannot be hidden forever. Eventually, you will know sooner or later, and I think sometimes sooner is better. Well not much different for me. Not that I like both either." I shrug nonchalantly. Silent. But then, Clary laughs out loud.

"Hahaha stupid girl! You're such a fool for willingly marry him and now you're gonna do what? Willingly bring yourself to the Clave? Because if this turns out into a battlefield, Clave must notice sooner."

"Precisely! I want them to come here so they can see their famous heroic shadowhunters lying on their own blood before a mere foolish girl. KIIIIDSSS !" I call out to my small demon army, who has been waiting outside. I count there are fifteen of them, not bad for a quick entertainment. Those shadowhunters are immediately focusing their eyes on my army, which are slowly encircling them like I ordered from my telephatic technique. Jace and Isabelle already got a seraph blade in their hand.

"Oh damn! Are these actually their offsprings? This many demons at once? Eeuuggh ..", Simon said after a long time. Nobody is gonna answer that, obviously.

"Simon, try to run and get some back-up here if you could. I'll cover you. Quick!" Isabelle said.

"Nah we don't want anyone to leave this party so early, right? It's Valentine Day after all and it means to be celebrated, no? so I got this initiative to throw a party. You're all invited! that's why all of you must be present to enjoy it as I will." I said cheerfully.

Jace looks at me with so much hatred in his eyes. "You and him will regret this, especially him. Sebastian should never ever make it alive if Lilith didn't interfere."

Another hatred for him, this is unacceptable, I thought angrily.

"Tell Sebastian to go back to hell and never come back!" Clary spat furiously.

I manage to smirk at her. "If you mean the real Sebastian Verlac, oh don't worry about it. He is having a fairytale life there as we speak. Certainly, he will never want to come back hahahaa well enough of this." I turn to my demons. "EAT THEM NOW!".

Such a pleasant entertainment for free! Watching the battle in front of me and also munching the chocolate (yummy ) What a special treat! I don't forget to shout "HAPPY VALENTINE" to them before I bite the chocolate.

However, Jace, Isabelle, and (surprisingly) Clary have knocked out maybe seven err eight demons now. Most credits go to Jace and Isabelle, of course. They're just like a pair of demon-slayer machine. Well I didn't really expect my demons to win this fight actually. I finish my chocolate quickly, unsheathe one of my seraph blade, and lunge to Jace's back, when he's busy fighting a ravener demon. But Clary runs to me and swings her seraph. I halt my attack to Jace and block her attack instead. Soon, I am engaged in one-on-one fight with my sister-in-law. What a nice family meeting!

We spar our sword skill for awhile and I'm happy to see some scratches I made on her skin, while I don't have any single one on mine. Then I manage to make her blade thrown away, and I slam her to the ground. I pinch her there by sitting on top of her. I press her both hands to the floor above her head.

"You're actually good, Clary. But your speed is no match for me." Then I punch her face.

"Don't you know that your brother, Jonathan, loves you so much?" she spits out blood to my face, I punch her again. She grunts in pain. Then she whispers to me.

"I know. But he doesn't deserve my love."

"What? Why?" I shout at her face.

"Because he is evil and he IS NOT my brother!" she screams the last word, and I automatically imagine if I had a sister, and then she screamed her denial that I was her sister, her blood...

Then I feel someone kick the side of stomach so hard I think I am half-flying away from Clary and crash a wooden box. I lay on the box rubbles on the ground. Pain shoots through me on the side of my waist and chest. Oh great! I must have broken some bones there. I ignore the pain, and try to get to my feet. Then I see Jace in front of me. He grabs the collar of my jacket, and hauls me upright. He prepares his left knuckles to punch me. I move my leg rapidly and kick his stomach as hard as I could. When he double-over, I kick his face with my knee and we fall to the ground together.

Suddenly, I can feel Jonathan. He is here. Then I see him walk to me. His black eyes cold, his expression is unreadable. Jace sees him too, and he abruptly rises up to attack him with his seraph blade (God-knows-when-he-pull-it-out), despite all the blood on his nose and face.

Jonathan ends the fight very fast, with only small wound on the corner of his mouth. Jace lays down again on the floor, but he kicks Jonathan's foot until he falls down. However, he manages to hold the fall with his both hands on the ground. Before Jace get a chance to give his counter-attack, I leap from his side to knock him on the ground again.

Then Jonathan pulls me up, hits my face and my stomach. I crouch on the ground and panting hard. Sweat and blood mixed on my face. Then, I hear him briefly explaining his motives with low voice. "That's for hitting my brother, luv. You should've left him for me. I'm the only one who will teach my siblings lessons they must learn."

I look up to see Jonathan's back in front of me (By the Angel, why can't I keep my eyes from staring at his sexy backside?).

Isabelle charged at him with two seraph blades at once. "THIS IS FOR MAX!" she screams wholeheartedly.

With only one Morgenstern sword, Jonathan can beat her down swiftly. He looks down at her and said, "Just how many times you will avenge your long-lost brother, hm? Don't tell me you don't know it won't make him come back." He chuckles. Then, Clary, Jace, and Simon approach him but halt quickly when he bends down, grabs Isabelle's hair, and put his sword in front of her neck.

"Put your filthy hands away from her, Jonathan!" Clary spats at him.

"Ahh thanks sis, you finally call me by that name. Sounds like a music to my ears."

"You sick psychopath! Let her go now!" Simon seems to have found his voice.

I stand up slowly and walk to Jonathan's side.

"Don't do anything!" He commands me coldly. I nod. Even if he didn't tell me to, I would not do anything in this situation. He takes control now. I scan the house instead. There are two demons left, they guard the entrance. The hall is full of wood's wreckage.

"Why do you chase me all the way here, Jonathan? I'm just gone for an hour, I don't believe if you already miss me." I said sarcastically. He chuckles again.

"Yeah I miss devouring your pathetic body, luv."

Simon makes a sound like he's throwing up. Jace looks itchy to kill Jonathan.

"Just get a nice room in hell and do your dirty game there, you two!" Clary snaps with so much frustration on her face.

"Why, you jealous, sis?" he replies, clearly amused. Clary shows her middle finger as the reply. Jonathan laughs. "Your manner still needs correction, Clarissa. More lesson in the future for you, I guess."

The two demons suddenly disappear, and a group of Clave shadowhunters breaks in.

Jonathan releases Isabelle and kicks her away. He grabs my waist and jumps to the mountain of remaining boxes there. He stops at the highest box, and stares at the shadowhunters below. I hold his body and prepare to turn the ring on my finger, but he stops me and smirks, "You must see this." He pulls out his stele, then he draws an orange-coloured rune (unfamiliar to me, because it is not in the Gray Book, probably a demonic rune) on empty air. Some arrows are shot in our direction, but looks like the rune is forming a barrier in front of us, since no arrows hit us.

The rune turns to a big-long creature and moving like a snake... no a dragon without wings, that made of fire. It quickly flies around the warehouse, leaving some fire traces on the wall everytime it passes by. Soon, the whole room was glowing with flame everywhere. All the shadowhunters below are fighting their way out. Thanks to our fireproof rune, we don't even feel hot at all.

"Leviathan. Lovely, isn't it?" He looks down and shows me his triumphant smile, but he looks tired. His breath sounds too quick as if he just ran to climb a hill.

"It is. But are you alright? You look exhausted."

"I'm fine. To call the shadow of a Great Demon directly from the purgatory just took more stamina out of me. Remind me to practice more on this."

I sighes. "You are such a masochist sometimes. We have to go soon. Ah anyhow, before that, Happy Valentine, Jonathan."

He hugs me, lowers his head and kisses me, hard. The fire only helps us brighten our Valentine celebration. It heatens up our situation, too. Aah this better continue elsewhere. So, I turn the ring on my finger and we vanish...

The End