The plot of this story takes place a few years after Heavenly Fire.
Sorry for the grammar errors! I kinda wrote this in one sitting...
The music of the club was pounding against her head. Barely was the original composition recognizable with the swishing of electronic manipulation and screams from the drunken regulars. Girls and guys alike were giggling, their noses red from the irritation of what she refused to inhale from strangers. The DJ's face had a scar like no other, but the woman he loved did not mind it. A few paces away from him was she smiling sheepishly - proud of him in a way couples were. The twinkling lights above were mimicking stars, and she tried not to think of the Wild Hunt, or the boy that was lost to it.
Where someone would get their shoulder bumped, it was the side of her head that met the sweaty arms of partygoers. It would take her away from her mission, make her want to pull out the Morgenstern weapon that was strapped to her thigh and show them how much of a heavenly mandate she was sticking to.
She began to scan the dirtied floor. When someone had been short for the entirety of their life like her, they'd learn to recognize shoes just as much as they would a face. This time, she was looking for pointed black heels with shining ankle bracelets adorning the ivory skin that sprouted from them. If not those, than the sneakers of her best friend- or one of them.
She was happy to call him that again, that he could remember the details of her face with a smile, returning her own feelings of recognition. No longer was he plagued with a sinful hunger, and in fact had the same angelic taint to his blood as her and the majority of those they hung out with. The same blood that was heated with a craving, that made her pursue not only her kind, but one of the opposite.
The reason they were here.
Clary spotted Isabelle moving sensually next to Simon, biting down a laugh when he tried to copy her hip-swaying. They appeared to be happy, blissful as they mimicked a couple in love. She found a smile sprouting on her face when she saw the love that emanated from the two lovers. Her heart skipped a few beats as she imaged the golden-haired boy wrapping his arms around her waist and planting a few kisses on her neck and cheeks. He was here, somewhere, watching her as she scoured the place for evil. Whether Jace trusted her or not, he could never let her hunt without him, even in the protection of their friends.
Some part of her was upset by this. At the age of twenty, she believed that she was entitled to some form of bravery. It was all a mirage if there was no real threat. Clary was a child tricked into believing they had actually injured an adult. The other part of her, the part that was juvenile and playful, wanted to make some use of his protective gaze; wherever he was.
While pretending to look over her shoulder, she gave a devious grin that he would see, and joined the crowd of gyrating New Yorkers; closing her eyes and moving her hips to the pulsing music.
Courtesy of Bat.
It was as if his jealousy was reaching out towards her, though she could not see him. Her heart tugged on her limbs to try and stop her actions, to remind her that Jace was just nervous. But her mind, her upset and frazzled spirit, commanded her to throw a flirtatious pout at a passing Faerie, grabbing his attention and compelling him to walk her way. She was an emotional worm pulling on Jace's emotions, and if she was good enough, he'd be reaching for her in three, two-
"Get lost." His husky voice spat at the green-haired boy; his tan skin covering her exposed cleavage like a blanket. A grin of contentment gave away her plan, making Jace grown into her neck as he fell for her trickery yet again. "Why do you do this?" He asked humorously. As much as he tried to not let his nerves get the best of him, he simply could not. And each time did she win when she displayed her now matured body to the drooling male population.
"I like seeing you get all hot and bothered. Makes you dominant." She answered, turning to lock her arms around his neck. His brows furrowed, then smoothed out as he leaned close to her to press a kiss to her lips. "Ah, ah, ah." Clary chided, turning her head and once again scanning the floor for her - and now their - target.
"Why can't I kiss you?" He pouted, leaning in again with more aggravation to his attempt. Laughter bubbled up in her chest as she gently pushed him back.
"I'm on a mission, remember? Or were you stalking me?" She giggled, releasing him and giving a spin - something she was grateful Isabelle had taught her how to do. Especially in the pointed heels that adorned her legs. Jace's eyes trailed up her composure; fingers twitching and urging him to grab at her.
"Stalking? Me? Jace Herondale? Never." He scoffed, lifting his chin and snapping his eyes shut. A ghost of a smile traced across his lips to show that he was indeed stalking her. When his eyes opened again, he took two long strides toward her and seized hold of her hips and guided her movements. For the few years she'd lived this life of being a Shadowhunter, she could no longer imagine returning to her mundane world. He'd made sure of it when he captured her heart and soul, trading them for his own beautiful ones. Everyday that she awakened next to him would she find herself thanking him for chasing after her, for fighting for the love that enveloped them both.
"Let me go and I'll thank you later…?" Clary propositioned. She could feel his arms tense at her sides as he debated whether it was worth it. Her back was to him, and as still as they were and how strange it would have looked to the mundanes, no one bothered them. Though, the intricate lines on both their arms were to thank for this.
"And just how will you thank me?" He teased, his fingers skirting her stomach in a caring manner, but at the same time making her cheeks flush and pulse race.
"We're two creative people who have the power to seal a door shut and silence our voices. What do you suggest?" She quipped, running her fingers up his strong arms. Jace chuckled into her neck, nuzzling his nose to her skin.
"Fine. But I'll be close." He muttered, taking her hand and giving her a spin in the direction of what he must have presumed was their target. Dazed from the twirl, she looked around her, searching for the predator with an intense focus that would have driven someone mad. Her ears twitched and skin prickled as she sensed the room around her; thinking back to the night she encountered the shadow world. What she had learned by observing Isabelle.
Isabelle.
Clary turned, spotting the tall girl in seconds and seeing the intrigued face that she wore as her ruby pendant thrummed in alarm. Clary's hand grazed her thigh, feeling the family daggar; faintly remembering that she'd killed her own brother with the blade. Remembering his green eyes and the life that drained from them as he bled out…
"Hey! Earth to Clary!" Some groaned, snapping their fingers in front of her face. Her mind collected and her eyes flitted over to an annoyed Isabelle and curious Simon. "Did you forget that we are hunting a demon?" She questioned with sarcasm.
"No, did you?" Clary retorted.
"Have I ever?" Isabelle said with a raise of both brows and a higher pitch to her feminine voice. Clary stared at Simon for a second, grinning at her future reply.
"Seems like it when you're getting hot and bothered with my best friend." She shrugged. Simon's cheeks visibly flushed, his lips parting to say something, then shutting after a moment of thinking.
"Don't think I didn't see you with Jace. Remember what I said about protection?" Isabelle teased, her eyes lowering and her hands reaching to grab at her necklace and its pulsing. Clary's gaze quickly roamed around the room, wondering just who out of the frenzied crowd was a creature of shadows and hell fire. "Why don't you take this one, we'll follow." Isabelle suggested.
"Why me? You love to reel 'em in." Clary reminded in a whiney voice. Teasing was a whole other subject when someone had a dangerous creature drooling over them… and it wasn't Jace who was doing the chasing.
"My brother is looking out for you. If something happened to me, he'd think I would handle it. And we both know how much I hate getting dirty, especially with my boyfriend next to me." She explained.
"But my fiance is watching me. What's the difference?" Clary asked.
"Get's his protective side out. And who knows, maybe he'll see that you can manage yourself without getting hurt?" Her words sunk deep into Clary, making the gears in her head turn as she considered it. Isabelle gestured to a boy with hair as dark as night and skin a color that bordered on silver. His outfit blended well with those around him; wearing a red button up and dark jeans. Clary found herself nodding and taking a few paces ahead of them, her eyes set on the disguised demon. Isabelle had taught her to not be obvious, but to tease. To play with their dark eyes and capture their attention with a wiggle of hips and a revealing of tender skin. Whether it would be her flaming hair or piercing green eyes was up to the monster.
Swaying her hips, minding her pointed heels that clicked on the floor, she passed the boy with a few feet of space to spare. Her pulse raced as she presumed he was intrigued by her. He was a fly caught in her web, with him thinking the opposite. She didn't dare to turn around and check if he was truly staring at her, just continued her playful stroll, grabbing the arm of another boy who was partying. He didn't put much thought into it when he took his place next to her and placed his hands at her waist, moving them both. Clary's eyes languidly moved to the space where - to her luck - the platinum boy was standing, beckoning him with her finger.
A grin spread to his face as he slowly moved in on her, his fingers itching to get a hold on her damp ivory skin. The closer he got, the thicker the air became, the quicker her heart beat, the faster her blood pulsed, and her stomach began to roll with repulsion. Her mind was moulding to the illusion, feeding the demon's curiosity and tugging him a few paces away from her. Clary pushed away the other boy and focused solely on him, feigning the innocence of a mundane. All too quickly did his eyes glimmer with a sinful lust, showering her a set of shining teeth. Whereas before she would have saw nothing strange about him, the huntress she'd become showed the dark shadows under his eyes, the unusual redness of his lips and pointed incisors.
She began to take a few steps backward, still encouraging him with the flicks of her index finger. In the farthest parts of her vision could she see the outline of Isabelle and Simon, their seraph blades faintly glowing in the club atmosphere. Her own sword had heated in the presence of the demonic boy, sensing the cruel intentions churning in his twisted mind.
The more she backed away, the darker her surrounding got as she entered a hallway. More sooner than later did her fingers trace around the knob to the storage room door. The boy's eyes shimmered with possibility as his pace increased. Clary turned the knob, the door opening with a squeak, then fully immersed herself in darkness. The door opened a second time, outlining the sharp features of the artifice boy before he shut it behind him.
"Has anyone ever told you that you look absolutely edible in those heels." He breathed, his fingertips skimming over her hips. Clary swallowed back bile as she reached to touch his chest, ignoring her mind's protest as he pulled her closer and closer.
"I do?" She asked, one hand returning to her side to feel the bulge of her dagger.
"Oh, yes." He responded, leaning in and casting breaths down her chin. His skin was damp with sweat and literally stung against her angelic nature. Clary's fingers lifted the side of her dress, reaching for the blade. "Especially for a Shadowhunter." He said before slamming her against the wall of the large room. Her teeth shook in her head as she fought against the onset of vertigo.
"Did you figure me a fool? How can I not recognize a Morgenstern? Let's not forget the fact that you reek of angelic essence!" He growled, his voice approaching her and sounding less human with each word. With an impatient groan, she wrapped her fingers around the sharp dagger and pulled, slicing open her palm; the blood appearing like black specks as the metal blazed in her grip and tore through her dress. The room lit up with heavenly flame, showing her what had previously been disguised as a boy and now a demon: with its flesh stretching out to resemble a morphed starfish. Its mouth was detached like some sort of hose, reaching out to snap at her. Heosphoros was blazing at her side, engulfing her in illumination to appear as if she were a supernova, a star giving off its last burst of light into the universe.
The sound of the steel door opening kicked at her attention, making her lose focus of the dangers creature for a miniscule fraction of a second. In that same second was her body gripped with what she could only describe as a wet rope; feeling the muscles of the creature's mouth wrap around her as such and pull her in. Now it was her that was the trapped fly and the demon a starving spider.
Heosphoros had fallen to the floor, clattering as it sucked the heavenly fire back into it and left the room in a darkened state; her only company being the sound of her panting and the secretion of saliva from the demon's mouth dripping onto the floor. Footsteps raced across the floor and under her - however high she was held.
"Clary!" She heard a familiar male voice shout before the room was once again bathed in light. The demon roared, squeezing her till a sickening crunch was heard and leaving her shoulders in pain. Clary yelped just as Jace flung his seraph blade into the stomach of the creature, ichor spurting out and the creature roared once more. There was a moment where air whistled past her cheek and then a crunch of her leg as she landed. Her skin burned in the demon blood, then began to numb as her vision blurred.
"Isabelle! Give me your steel! Simon, call Magnus and tell him to meet us and the institute!" Jace barked as he fell to his knees at her side, his fingertips cupping her chin and pulling her to remain conscious. "By the Angel, stay with me." He whispered with a throat that was audibly tight.
"I will." She said far too calmly for someone who was in so much pain. Jace nodded, whispering an apology before pressing a stele to her arm and burning her with heavenly inscription. As light poured from the making of runes, she noticed that the demon had evaporated along with its ichor, and what they were lathered in was in fact her blood that was leaking from her thigh. In fact, she could hear the sound of blood spurting from the wound every few seconds like the pushing and pulling of waves at the shore of a beach. The only thing that remained painless was her midsection.
"I'm starting to think you fancy me, Herondale." She said with a tight laugh as she witnessed how he worked on healing her, how he scooped her up and into his arm.
"Damnit, this is not the time to work on your social skills!" Jace snapped, kissing her forehead and watching as Isabelle scribbled a portal onto the brick wall of the room. There was a moment of hesitation as he approached, then curled her into him before leaping through.
"What the hell did you do? Throw her into a dryer?" Magnus hissed as he looked at the wounded girl. Her skin was beginning to heal from the acidic ichor, and she her arms resembled the grotesque appearance of an eighties horror film antagonist. Her shoulder would occasionally crack as they healed themselves, and her thigh dribbled blood from the closing wound.
"Is there some way you can speed up the process?" Jace asked, not taking his eyes away from the unconscious Clary. His fingertips were too fearful of touching her, of causing any further damage and breaking her fragile state. Alec's face was visibly pained, sharing the emotionally agony of his parabatai. Magnus's fingers began to emit a blue flicker of light, already striding toward her.
"Move aside Shiloh." He muttered at the nerd.
"It's been almost five years! My name's Simon!" The boy huffed but moved aside nonetheless. Magnus shut his eyes, concentrating on the image of a healthy, happy Clary. Using this as his end point and wondering how to get there when he was just starting at point A. With a heavy exhalation of air, he ran his hands down Clary's arms, encasing them in the blue glow and watching as they increased the speed of the rune's magic. A lingering stare of her thighs and a flame coiled around them like a rope, beginning to heal the internal and external injuries with the devilish potence.
With his hands hovering over her head, his mind entered hers and searched her brain for places of distress that were fed from her nerves. Not hearing anything crucial, his hands lowered to her body.
It was like he was experiencing first hand what Chairman Meow was feeling when he bathed him: Magnus' eyes snapping open with a flame ghosting over their feline appearance as they were shown things that confused him painfully. His mind throbbed with images that were perhaps the only thing that had shocked him in the entirety of his extended existence. Magnus shot back a good five feet, him and the rest of the group gazing in disbelief as the burning rope and blue glow slithered over to her stomach where they were absorbed. All visible wounds healed and Clary appeared normal, like she hadn't been standing at Death's door with girl scout cookies. She did remain in her slumber, though.
"By the Angel." Isabelle gasped.
"Did I not remember this?" Simon thought outloud.
"Magnus?" Alec and Jace said with alarm. Magnus had nothing to reply, only managing to pant as he gathered his thoughts that had been scattered by the visions that were so unique even in a world of angels and demons. He looked down to see that the tips of his fingers were scorched from whatever it was that had caused the images. The part of him that was and always would be demonic shifted, whispering at him to retreat. Magnus had no idea just what to make of the visions that inspired such a reaction from his body, and neither did the rest of the confused shadowhunters.
"Woah." Was all he could say as he remained the safe distance away from Clary. The clearer the images were that had plagued his mind, the wider his cat eyes grew.
"Magnus, were your eyes on fire?" Alec questioned with a nervous tone. Magnus nodded at his boyfriend, still in a state of shock as his fingers began to quiver. Jace ran to Clary's side, searching for a pulse that relieved him when he found it.
"What happened, Magnus?" Jace asked, not letting go of Clary and cradling her head in his strong arms. The images, as confusing as they were, began to piece together like a puzzle. In one piece could he feel the vulnerability of the beholder. The next one was of the rawest form of love, one that made him question the extent of human emotion as it thudded in his own heart. It was as if he'd consumed sugar products his entire life and only now could he taste the sweet crystal grains, the true source. One image, though, made his skin prickle and pulse race, making him feel like filth next to something so… innocent. Pure and untouched by the sins of mankind.
And, for the first time in his life, Magnus felt his eyes prickle with tears that could only have one word to tie his feelings together: Glory. Magnus wondered if this was what Theresa Gray felt like whenever she would take on the life of someone else. But, surely she would have shared this warmth with him, told him of the painful cleanliness that he was feeling at the moment.
Immediately did Alec rush to his side, holding his wounded hands in his own and looking up at him with worried blue eyes that he could envision in a previous generation of Herondale.
"Tell me, what's wrong?" Alec pleaded. Magnus could not smile, fearing that it would not truly capture the powerful emotions that did not even belong to him. The only thing that managed to escape his lips was something that was a mixture between a sob and a distorted laugh.
"Nothing is wrong." Magnus said truthfully, turning his gaze to Clary, who rested in Jace's lap. Oblivious to what was going on inside her. Those around him were hesitant to move, unsure of what was happening. With a passing thought, Magnus rose to feet, walking to the unconscious girl that he'd seen blossom into a woman and finally…
"Is she okay?" Jace croaked, tears hanging from his eyes but not falling. Magnus carefully placed his hand on Clary's head, hoping to see the visions again, but could not. Next, he centered them on her stomach, feeling the unusual warmth that only he knew the cause for. His throat burned, urging him to expel the truth. Though, he did not know where to begin, how to speak of something so significant and impossible. As if to try and describe a rainbow to a blinded man.
Clary's eyes fluttered open, her eyes sharing the same shocked expression that Magnus carried. Only, instead of her eyes glimmering with amazement, she began to sob joyously, scaring Jace, who thought she was in pain.
"Clary?! Are you okay? Does it hurt?" He panicked, holding her face in his hands as she began to grin the brightest of grins. She reached for the nape of his neck and brought him down to her, crushing his lips to hers. Magnus chuckled before turning to face the confused crowd.
"What's going on?" Isabelle said with fleeting worry and the trace of a smile on her lips as she watched Clary awaken. Magnus could hear her sobbing into Jace, holding him no doubt. Her happiness was contagious to everyone in the room as Jace asked what had caused the influx of emotions. Normally, such a subject wouldn't effect him, never mind bringing him to tears. But what he had seen was beautiful that in no way could he not cry. If only could the others see what he saw. The only thing they could share was the information of what was happening to their dear friend.
"She's pregnant."
AN: So let me start off by explaining that the visions Magnus had were like the ones Ithuriel sent Clary, though not as strong as they didn't take away his vision. And since warlocks are Lilith's children, his body reacted badly as the baby has double the angelic blood in him or her, and the child felt like he was trying to hurt Clary so it stunned him. It was also the reason her stomach fluttered around the demon and downworlders. Hope that kinda explains some stuff in this chapter!
The cover for this story is what I envisioned a Clace baby to look like, and created to resemble a baby photo. Again, sorry for the grammar errors!
Leave reviews to let me know what you think!
