Chapter 2

Pandemonium - A year ago

"You've got to be kidding me," the bouncer said, folding his arms over his massive chest. "You can't bring that in here."

Blair watched as the fifty or so teenagers in line outside the Pandemonium Club leaned forward to eavesdrop. She looked at the blue haired demon as he tried to smuggle the stake into the club. Immediately Blair tensed up, an irrational desire to stop the demon.

"Just leave it," Jack said as he guided Blair into the club, past two teens, one, a girl with fiery red hair, the other a taller guy with black hair and glasses. Blair only noticed them because they didn't look like the usual crowd at Pandemonium. And, the girl tasted strange. She wasn't human. But she didn't taste like a Downworlder either. Blair would have assumed that she was Shadowhunter, but she didn't bare any marks or scars. Blair shook it off. The girl wasn't any threat, so therefore, inconsequential. "He's not your problem."

"Not yet," Blair muttered. "If he tries to hurt someone, I will-"

"Not do anything unless you want everyone to know what you are," Jack finished as they entered the dark, flickering club.

"I'll be careful." Her voice was just as quite as it had been outside, even though the music drowned out everything. Jack could hear her anyway.

"You won't be anything," he said, and gave her a stern look. Blair pouted and slipped away from his hand that was on her back. Jack gave a frustrated sigh and said, "I'll get us some drinks. Try not to get killed."

"He's just a shapeshifter. I'm strong enough to take him. He could never kill me." But Jack had already walked away, ignoring her. Blair coughed once, hating to admit that the dry-ice smoke made her feel a little lightheaded. She moved away from the immediate crowd to a wall, leaning casually against it. The club was mostly full of humans, but there were vampires scattered around, a couple of fey – only the younger ones – and few other Downworlders.

It was in that moment that Blair saw the girl. A girl who seemed as if she didn't fit in with the world. From the dress and the beauty, Blair would have guessed fey, but this girl didn't taste like fey. Her long hair was jet black, her gown a distinguished white with lace. She wore thigh high boots and around her neck was a dark red pendant with a real and precious stone. The demon Blair had noticed earlier was now following the girl. Blair wasn't close enough to taste the girl's true name, but she knew immediately what this girl was the moment she tasted the runes that were marked onto her skin.

Shadowhunter.

The Shadowhunter girl slipped into a storage closet, the demon following. Another two Shadowhunters, tall, dressed in black, also followed. Blair scanned the whole club, noticing the red-haired girl looking nervous, and also beginning to make her way towards the closet. Apprehension flowed through Blair. This, was going to turn bad. Blair flickered her glamour to invisibility easily and also began to follow the others into the closet. Jack would kill her, but she figured it was worth it. Three Shadowhunters, a demon, and a girl who didn't know she was a Shadowhunter; this wasn't going to end well.

As soon as Blair entered the NO ADMITANCE door, she could easily taste the names of all the Shadowhunters. Demons didn't have names; they just tasted like a mixture of smoke and water. Kind of like having wet tissues stuffed into your mouth. The tall dark boy was Alec Lightwood. The girl Isabelle Lightwood. Blair could taste the brother-sister bond. The red-haired girl – who was hiding behind a concrete pillar – was named Clarissa Fairchild. Some human linkage – Blair assumed from a mundane upbringing – blurred her name slightly, but the Shadowhunter name was there, and stood out. The blond boy, who was now talking threatening nonsense to the demon, was harder to read. He had a true name, but it was hidden under lies and truth. Jace. Jace was his first name. Blair licked her lips. Wayland was there. So was Morganstern. Herondale. Even Lightwood. She wasn't sure. There were too many. Kind of like trying to taste to many flavours at once. Blair quietly watched the proceedings in the closet. A few times she had been ready to take control, but everything fell into place, and the demon was killed by the Shadowhunters.

The girl, Clary was almost worth worrying about, but she was Shadowhunter, and Blair didn't want to get involved in Nephilim issues. She'd stayed secret for over a year now. She wanted to keep it that way until completely necessary.

When Blair figured it was safe to leave, she slipped out of the closet, moving to a darker corner of the club to strip off her glamour discreetly. Generally, just dropping a glamour in the middle of a crowded club didn't go down so well – Blair had noticed that people appearing out of thin usually scared humans. Blair tasted Jack's anger before she saw him; he was stalking up to her, his muscles tensed.

"I know you think you're invincible, but I swear to you, I'll kill you myself if it proves something," he growled, grabbing her arm and dragging her towards the exit.

Blair didn't resist, only shrugged and said, "You know it wouldn't."

Jack stopped abruptly and turned to face her. "Damn it, Blair. You don't need to save everyone all the time. Sometimes people don't want saving. Sometimes they don't need it."

"Like you can talk," she said sulkily.

Jack stared down at Blair. "You needed to be saved. And don't pretend that you aren't grateful." The silver tattoo at his wrist glittered.

"You know I'm grateful."

Jack turned again, still fuming, and dragging Blair out of the club. When they were back on the street, Jack hailed a cab. They were both silent on the ride back to their house. Until Blair said, "They'll find me one day."Jack was still angry, the bitter emotion tasting slippery in Blair's mouth. He didn't answer. "They'll find me, and they'll want to train me. They'll take me away." Jack still didn't answer; he was looking out the window. "I won't come back," Blair said softly.

Jack's head flicked toward her. "You'd stay with them? Shadowhunters? They only want you as a tool. They'll just want to use yo-"

"I know," Blair cut him off. "I didn't mean that I would stay with them by choice. I meant that I won't becoming back because I won't be able to."

Jack still didn't understand. Or perhaps he did, and just didn't want to.

"I want you to look after my sisters," Blair's voice was soft and dim.

Realisation dawned on his face. "You're going to die? How do you know?"

"Because I just know. So please. Just promise me. My sisters need looking after."

Jack faltered, then said, "Yes. I'll look after them."

"Thank you."

Jack looked away from her, angry again. He knew she was right. He knew it. She would die with the Shadowhunters. She would die with the Shadowhunters just trying to be herself.