AN: Here you go ladies and gents! Hope you enjoy.

Also, I'd just like to take a minute to ask you guys a favor. As many of you are aware, a horrible tragedy struck Aurora Colorado on Friday July 19th 2012. 12 people were killed and 58 injured in a massacre at a local movie theater. This even occurred just down the road from my house, there were people I knew in that theater. Thankfully no one I knew was killed, but several were injured. If you guys have any money to spare, please donate to one of these charities to help support the victims of this tragedy: givin gfirst inde ?s ection=co ntent&a ction=dyna mic&cm sID=36 Every little bit helps. 3


"Come oooooon, Leon. Let's do it." Jess giggled next to me.

"That's not what you call me tonight, darling." I pinned her playfully against the wall, sliding a hand loosely around her throat. She looked gorgeous tonight, my favorite spiked collar adorned her neck and she'd painted her lips black with just a hint of red on the inner edges. Her skin had been paled to perfection and nearly glowed against the black of her laced corset.

"Yes, your highness." She grinned, sliding her fingers under my fishnet top and raking them down my back. I growled and leaned forward, nipping at her neck. She giggled again and pushed me off, "Not now, we need to do the spell! It's almost midnight!"

"As you command, my darling." I moved away and turned, hearing her soft footsteps following me deeper into the warehouse.

We came to the room I'd set up before she arrived. There was a pattern of interlocking circles and stars in the center of the room, adorned with symbols I'd gotten from a book a guy had traded me for some meth. The outermost circle was ringed in candles, all puddling their hot wax onto the floor. Jess let out a breathy sigh at the sight of it,

"It's even cooler than you said it would be."

"I added some things." I smiled, "Now then, we're still missing an ingredient." I grinned, pulling out a packet filled with white powder.

Jess jumped and giggled happily, clapping her hands like a little girl. I poured the powder out onto an old table I'd dragged in off the street and used my school ID card to cut it into two piles. Jess ran over and leaned down, snorting up the whole pile on the left in one go. That was my girl. I leaned down and took mine in a couple goes, tilting my head back and grinning as I felt it sing through my senses.

"It's time."

"What do I do, baby?" Jess smiled. She looked ravishing, standing there more than willing to do my bidding. I was sure that, in that moment, I could make her do anything I wanted. Anything at all. And I loved it.

"Dance around the edge." I instructed, stepping to the center. She did as told as I started to chant, working the strange words from the book past my lips.

I could feel the effect almost instantly, the build up of energy around me. It felt like I was standing in the middle of a huge lightning storm but not getting struck. My arms raised up from my sides of their own accord, my eyes sliding shut as my voice got louder.

Then Jess screamed. A scream of terror that rung through the cobwebbed building. I snapped my eyes open, my chanting cut short. Right in front of me was the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen, and I wasn't even sure what it was. It was as tall as I was, with hundreds of twitching legs and a pile of glistening eyes that shifted around as if they weren't attached to anything. The thing was covered in a glistening black shell, and smelled like it had died a year ago.

Lying next to it on the ground was a man, but I didn't take the time to really look at him before I turned and sprinted away. Jess could fend for herself.

I slammed into the ground, crying out as I felt my wrist snap on impact. I knew I didn't have time to focus on it, not when I could still feel the presence of the demon behind me, so without thinking I rolled to my feet, relying on adrenalin to carry me through the pain ans I scrambled away. Turning I saw that the demon wasn't chasing me, but had gone in a different direction after a girl with long blond hair and purple streaks. The shadowhunter in me said I should try and protect her, she was a human girl from the look of it. But I knew I didn't stand a chance against the demon right now, not when I could barely walk let alone fight. So I kept hobbling until I made it out of the building and into an alley way.

"New York. I made it back to New York." I almost cried when I saw the familiar street glowing softly maybe twenty feet in front of me. I was only a couple blocks from Magnus's flat. A couple blocks from home. I could make it back, I could see Magnus again. I could curl up in bed with him, make breakfast with him, marry him. I could see Jace and Izzy and Clary and everyone else. We could all go to Taki's and then run around the city chasing demons like we always did. Things could be normal. I just had to make it to Magnus's flat.

I stumbled forward, using the wall for support as much as I could, which wasn't much due to the piles of trash shoved up against the walls. Before I could make out of the alley way and into the street I crumpled into a heap, coming to the delayed realization that I could barely breath. For a moment I was terrified that I was still in the demon realm, that that was why the air was burning my lungs. But no, I was really back in New York. This wasn't a dream, I could feel the throb of my injuries, the weight of David's journal thumping against my side, could feel the asphalt grating into my palms. Maybe it was the infection raging in my body that made it hard to breath, or an injury I didn't realize. It didn't matter though, I was making it home. I was making it back to Magnus. I couldn't get this close only to fail.

Taking a few raspy breaths as deeply as I could manage I struggled back to my feet. I had to make it to Magnus. Even if I died as soon as I saw him, I had to see him one more time. I had to say goodbye. To say I loved him.

After a block I realized that I would probably be crying in pain if it weren't for the fact I was so dehydrated that I couldn't manage it. The more I forced myself to walk the harder it got to breath, to the point I had to stop every few steps. But I would make it. I had to make it, I kept telling myself. Magnus was so close. So close. By the time I reached Magnus's stoop I just fell forward, managing to drag myself to the buzzer. I reached up, pushing it in again and again without response. I tried to cry out his name, but I didn't have enough air in my lungs. And I could feel the heaviness of unconsciousness drifting over me now, feel it tugging me down until finally my vision faded completely. I'd been so close. So close.


AN: Hope you enjoyed it! Two more chapters to go, and then the epilogue.

Reviews are love! Lots and lots of love!