Jace Herondale was a heartbreaker, that much was obvious. He was also arrogant, conceited, thinks very highly of himself, and was cocky. In other words, he was the exact opposite of a humble man. The only reason girls fell for him was his looks- he was handsome with blond locks and golden eyes that turned black when he desired something oh so very much.
He was also brought up by a father who had drilled one message into his head: that to love is to destroy. He therefore thought of love as a weakness, which was why he kept his emotions locked up within him, and never developed an attachment to someone outside of his adoptive family, the Lightwoods.
That all changed when he met a stubborn, sarcastic, reckless red-headed mundane by the name of Clary Fray.
He didn't know what exactly drew him to her. When he first met her, he was annoyed at the interruption- he was in the middle of killing a demon, for Angel's sake, and he would just love some privacy. Hello, little red, why don't you leave us alone?
He also felt something strange stirring inside him, something so unfamiliar. He frowned inwardly, and shrugged it off.
It was only later when he realised that he wanted to get to know her. As if.
The second time he saw that red-headed girl was in Java Jones. She was laughing and talking with a scrawny, rat-faced mundane, and he tried to ignore the jealousy shredding his heart. However, when they got serious, he smirked. That poor rat-faced mundane would have to learn the hard way that the girl did not love him the same way. Unrequited love- how so very tragic.
Nevertheless, he couldn't help smirking inwardly when she left the mundane to follow him. And when she slapped him (the nerve), and stormed off, he wasn't planning her death straight away. In fact, it only made him want to pester her further- even if she despised him, at least she acknowledged him. When a Ravener demon left her helpless and dying, all he thought about was getting her to the institute as fast as he could. He didn't give a shit about what Hodge would say- he just wanted her to be safe.
Wow. He had really gone soft now.
Yes, she was beautiful, with pretty red curls covering her pale, freckly face. God, he loved her freckles. And those eyes, shining a brilliant shade of green, captivating him. But the fact still remains that she was weak, had no training- you wouldn't believe she was a Shadowhunter.
It was only later when he realised that she wasn't weak- she was the bravest person he'd ever known. That fact terrified him. When rat boy turned into a rat and decided to get himself kidnapped by a vampire (seriously, why?), Clary the red-head decided it was just perfectly dandy to walk into a hotel brimming with vampires and just get her scrawny best friend just like that.
Really? But, Jace had to admit that he wouldn't be that brave that he would have no qualms about entering the vampires' lair. It took guts, it was reckless and not very well thought out, but she didn't, not once, back out. Maybe she didn't love Simon the way he loved her, but she still cared about him so much, like she cared about her missing mom and her traitor of an uncle, Luke. She did it because she loved him. Love didn't make Clary Fray weaker; in fact, it made her so much stronger than anyone else, even the best Shadowhunter of the generation (which was yours truly).
And when Jace kissed Clary on her 16th birthday, on top of the greenhouse, he felt a sense of satisfaction, and longing. It drove him mad- he wanted more and more. He just wanted to kiss her until he forgot his own name. Of course, rat face and to come along and ruin everything. Typical. He had never wanted to murder someone so badly- after all, he screwed everything up.
It was also absurd that just when he had gotten somewhere with her, everything had to go wrong. Really, Raziel could not have been this cruel. To think that the only reason his walls broke down for Clary was because she was his sister pretty much tore him apart. Not only that, they were the children of a guy who is pretty much hated by everyone.
So when Father made a comment about being a proper family, he snorted inwardly in disbelief.
Yeah right, we'll be one big happy family with you who abandoned his own son by faking his death, a comatose mother who hates her own husband, a shell-shocked son and a daughter who hates your guts. Not forgetting the fact that your kids may be in love with each other, and are and secretly planning your murder for ruining it all. Just perfect.
He really didn't know what to do.
So he went against his own father, which was a first. At least he had a plausible excuse- it really did look like he was going to kill Clary.
It was strange to think that if he had to choose between a father who raised him for the first ten years of his life and a newly-discovered sister who he only met a few days ago, he would've chosen Clary every time. That's what love does- gives you a stubborn red-head and makes you alive.