Disclaimer: It all belongs to Cassandra Clare.
Jace had just cut the head off the last of the Forsaken when he noticed that Isabelle had disappeared. Alec must have noticed too because he had asked Magnus, "Have you seen Isabelle?"
The warlock shook his head in response, but pointed to the docks. "Perhaps she went looking for Clary. That looks like the shed I saw. Let's start there."
But Jace didn't have time for them to plan a strategy; he went sprinting off as soon as Magnus pointed out the place. It was a minute later when he reached the backside of the shed. He halted when he heard Isabelle's voice.
"I shouldn't have told you anything. You're such a hateful bastard."
There was a deep, masculine laugh. "And you're quite vain. I can see why Simon disappeared on you." There was a clatter of metal; Jace could only assume she had brought out one of her seraph blades. "Testy, aren't you?"
Isabelle sneered, "at least I don't whine and complain about an aunt that I hardly miss. You could have just gone back to her Sebastian."
"Oh, but Sebastian is dead. It's Tristan now."
Jace took Isabelle's silence as the opportune moment to step out from behind the shed. "If I know anything about name changes, it's that it's best to stick to the one that everyone knows best. Sebastian," he addressed the other man. Jace had one of his blades in his hand, ready for any attack.
Tristan had two blades in his hands, though his right arm seemed to tremble holding it. There was a pool of blood collecting at his feet. Isabelle had managed to get her whip on him already. But she was also standing funny, leaning heavily on her left leg. He'd managed to get close enough to hurt her. Jace gripped his blade tighter.
"Got any more tricks up your sleeves? Or was that the worst you could send us?"
Tristan smirked, it was an ugly sight. "Oh, I have more for you."
At that moment Alec whipped into view, his seraph blade held high and ready to strike. Jace turned around just in time to see several ravener demons crawling into sight. Despite their bulky size, they moved fast, barring razor-sharp teeth and swinging their deadly tails. Isabelle reacted first, drawing her whips back and sending it flying toward the closest demon. She managed to slice a large chunk of its dome shaped head off. It was gone before it was completely dead. She didn't hesitate, attacking the next one in her range.
Not wanting to miss out on the action, Jace advanced forward, flanked by Alec, who had shown up moments after Isabelle had made the first strike. The raveners were fast, but Jace was tall and quick enough to jump over the crowd, catching them off guard. He slashed at three tails at once, spilling a line of ichor on the ground. Angered, but not dead, the three demons turned on him—their teeth their only weapons now.
"Kill... kill," they all seemed to chant. "Food. Eat."
There was no mistaking their hisses, their black tongues hanging from their mouths, dripping a greenish fluid. "You're so disgusting," Jace spat at one, as it lunged at him. He tried to side step it, but another jumped at him, tearing into his arm. It made a long gash across his bicep, rendering a groan of pain from Jace.
As strong as Simon was, there was no way he could open the metal door. He hadn't fed enough, and there was no way he was going to ask Clary for more of her blood. He would rather starve.
But he knew they needed to get out. He could hear the fighting outside the shed they were in, and it was getting a lot closer. His hearing picked up on Isabelle's voice, and his breathing hitched. She was right outside the door and so was Tristan.
"You lied to me," she spoke evenly.
There was a pause. Then Tristan spoke. "It was all necessary. Besides, not all of it was a lie. I told you the truth about where I lived. A slip up, on my behalf, but you didn't pick up on it. I guess you're only really good in bed, and not much else. I know how terrible your cooking is—the others complain about it on a regular basis."
Simon heard a cracking sound, and the low growl that must have been Tristan.
"You're such a hateful bastard. I shouldn't have told you anything."
"And you're quite vain. I can see why Simon disappeared on you."
Simon heard Clary take in a quick breath. She could hear the conversation almost as well as he could.
"I can't believe he's lying to her still."
They both turned their heads to the back of the small shed as a glowing light lit up the small space. Simon covered Clary as best as he could with his body as the back end of the shed blew in. His eyes recovered from the light change fast enough to see a very tall man, and a standing in front of the debris. Even without his usual decor of glitter, he was recognizable.
"Magnus Bane," Simon smiled as he spoke.
"In the flesh."
Clary stepped forward, her arms stretched out in front of her. Magnus's eyes flickered down to her wrists. He understood what she needed, and soon had his hands shining with his blue magic. She sighed when the burning restraints disappeared, rubbing her hands gingerly over the wounds.
"Want me to heal those too? They look awful."
Clary shook her head. "There's no time. We have to help the others."
Magnus looked impressed. Simon grimaced. As much as he opposed drinking human blood, the scent of hers was still strong enough to bring out his fangs. His lip tingled as his incisors nipped his bottom lip.
All three of them had their attention caught as Tristan came into view. Simon watched as he stumbled back, the fresh scent of blood over powering Clary's. Jace was there too, leaping forward to take a fatal swipe at Tristan.
"STOP!" Clary cried, running forward.
Miraculously, the poison didn't manage to find its way into his system and Jace stabbed the offending demon right in its snout. He followed suit with the other two, leaving no more room for mistakes. His pursuit brought him way out of range of the shed. He made a move to run back to the doors but Tristan reappeared and lunged at him.
Jace had his work cut out for him, as much as his father had trained him, Tristan had had enough training to test him. They flitted around each other, their blades constantly clanging together but their bodies staying out of range. Tristan started to lunge, but feinted to the side, drawing Jace out of his protective stance. Vulnerable, sprang forward, ducking into a roll and jumping up right in front of Tristan. He wasn't expecting it and stumbling backwards, letting Jace take a long swipe at his stomach.
The Angel blade cut through his shadowhunting gear easily enough, brandishing a scarlet liquid when Jace whipped it back. Tristan hesitated, Jace did not.
He lunged forward, intent of cutting his throat when a single voice cried out: "STOP!"
His blade stopped within an inch of Tristan's throat. Jace whipped his head up in surprise to find Clary hovering behind him. Her wrists were bleeding and her face was filthy. There was a large gash at both of her ankles and blood had already stained her bare feet. The faint outline of a black rune was fading from her wrist. Jace knew that binding rune.
Tristan took Jace's distraction to back up a few paces, but Alec caught him by surprise and Simon had appeared out of nowhere, his incisors handing dangerously out of his mouth. Simon gave Jace a fleeting smile, before looking at Isabelle. Alec already had his stele out, placing a rune of silence on his neck and a less violent binding run on one of his wrists. Tight, metal ropes appeared, keeping Tristan's hands locked together.
Only once he was sure that Tristan was secure, did Jace drop his weapon and pull Clary into his arms. She held herself stiff, as is she was uncomfortable with his touch. He let her go, but held onto her hand. "Do you want me to carry you?"
Clary shook her head.
"You have no shoes," he pointed out.
She looked down at her stained feet. "Okay," she said quietly.
Jace picked her up bridal style, and Clary put her arms around his neck, burying her face in his neck. He could smell her hair, having her head so close to him, and a feeling of longing took over his body. "Magnus," he addressed the tall warlock, "will you escort our friend here back to the Institute? I don't think a portal straight into the guard would work best in our favour."
Magnus smirked. "Of course. Alec, darling, care to help me with him?"
Obligingly, Alec nodded and took hold of one of Tristan's arms. The captive didn't struggle or move at the contact. His eyes held no emotion.
It was moments later and Magnus had opened up a portal. He let Alec walk through with Tristan, keeping his eyes glued to his boyfriend, then followed. Jace was about to go through when he noticed that Isabelle and Simon were still standing awkwardly side-by-side. "You two want to walk home?" he asked. Isabelle nodded. "Okay," he said. He took two long strides and was toppling through the portal, back to the Institute.
It took less time than Clary could have imagined for the Clave to respond and send out a crew to collect Tristan. She watched from a chair in the Library as he was handed over from Alec to a tall, older looking man, just a little sad. He had been so nice in the beginning. Even though he was crazy and murderous, she still felt for him. Jonathan had done something even more twisted and cruel to him than she suspected Tristan was letting on.
She still couldn't think of him as Sebastian. Sebastian was dead, just like Tristan had said. The boy from the picture had been long ago replaced by a hideous shadow of the boy. But she didn't want to dwell on the fact.
The new portal closed quickly, removing the sight of the guards and Tristan. She never wanted to see him again, but she knew that if a trial were to happen—and Alec had assured them it was most likely—they would all have to travel to Idris and stand before a council in Alicante. It sent shivers down her spine, thinking about having to see him again.
Once Alec and Magnus had shuffled out of the room, Clary felt that odd sense of discomfort being around Jace. She knew it was silly, but she still felt like she had somehow betrayed him. Tristan had been the one to kiss her; she had been helpless against him. Maybe it was more embarrassment than anything.
Either way, Jace had sensed her reluctance right off the bat. He was keeping a distance from her. When he turned his back to her to talk with Alec, she got up and slipped out of the library, intent on taking a shower. She made it into her room uninterrupted, but Jace was there before she could close her door. She let him in, and he closed the door behind him, locking it, then finalising it with a rune.
Clary turned her back on him, fumbling with the buttons on her blouse. She had forgotten to heal her wrists and they were still dripping a little bit of blood. "Shit," she cursed, grabbing the front of her blouse and pulling it violently open. There was the fulfilling sound of her buttons hitting the wall and floor, and she laughed, despite her low mood.
A warm pair of hands held hers, and Jace's gaze bore into her face. She looked away, ashamed. "Hey," he pulled up her chin to make her look at him, "if you wanted to strip for me, you're facing the wrong way." He smiled in a way that let her know he was teasing her—trying to ease some of the tension between them. It was more like Jace, always playing it light.
"Help me take off my clothes?" she asked, trying to sound normal. It sort of worked.
"Let me fix your hands first, they have to be hurting." He had his stele in his hand before she could nod in compliance. The burning of the stele was nothing compared to the relief of the pain. She sighed and let her eyes flutter closed for a moment. Jace's face was hovering in front of hers when she let her eyes open again.
The gold of his eyes was very fluid and warm. Clary couldn't help but lean into him. She tilted her head up, enough for Jace to bring his lips down onto hers. He kissed her gently, slowly massaging her lips with his tongue. She opened her mouth to him and their tongues lazily met.
She let her hands tangle up in her hair, like she always liked to and Jace responded by placing his hands around her back, tracing slow patterns on her bare skin. He removed her bra after a moment, and Clary helped him pull off what was left of his fighting gear. They both sighed at the contact of their naked flesh. Her nipples peaked at the sensation, hardening when Jace groped them one at a time.
Her pants were next, quickly undone by Jace's practised hands; it didn't take long until they were both naked and tangled up with one another, standing in the middle of the room. Clary broke away from their kissing to pull Jace to her bed. He was more than willing as he climbed up on top of her, his erection pressing into her belly. But they took it slow, generating more heat between the two of them, until Clary couldn't stand the burning between her thighs.
Gripping Jace, she moved so he could be placed right outside her slick opening. "No more stalling," she breathed.
Jace agreed with a kiss, moving his hand over hers, so they both guided his shaft into her. They moaned in unison as Jace began a slow and steady thrust inside her. Clary bent one knee up, and threw the other over Jace's hip, wrapping it around his lower back. It allowed Jace to push even farther into her, hitting her in spots she hadn't been reached in a long time. He had one hand on her right hip, the other in her hair.
Neither rushed their lovemaking, relishing in the reunion of the evening. Clary crooned as Jace kissed her neck, sucking on the spot where it met her shoulder. She gripped his shoulders, urging him to continue.
Sweat was beading on her forehead, and she whipped it off with the back of her hand. Jace took her hand before she could move it back to his shoulder, and kissed her newly healed skin. He kissed her lips again, panting slightly. It didn't take long, and Clary's first orgasm began to claim her. She could feel her walls contracting in their familiar rhythm and called out Jace's name.
She moaned loudly as she peaked, Jace still pushing inside her. She gripped his buttocks, giving it a squeeze, and Jace's hands clamped down on her hips, his head rolling back. He rocked into her for a few more paces, then let himself go. Clary could feel his warm seed dripping out of her as he pulled away.
He moved off of her, letting himself collapse beside her on the bed. She waited until both their breathing returned to normal before speaking up. "As wonderful as that was, I still need a shower."
"Have my lovemaking skill not tired you out?"
"Not yet."
"I'll have to work on that, then." He winked at her before standing up, pulling Clary along with him.
She propped herself up on the counter as Jace set the perfect temperature for the shower. Picking at a scab on her knee, she didn't realise what Jace was actually doing until he pulled her off of the counter and placed her down in the tub. It was filled to the brim in bubbles and she couldn't help but giggle at the sight. "I'm not five."
Jace shook his head, "You don't like it?"
"No, I do" she protested. "I just haven't had a bubble bath since I was really little. I can't even remember the last time I had one."
He had his devilish smile on his face quickly. "This isn't going to be any kind of child play."
"Close the curtain when you get in."
Jace stepped into the large tub, pulling the shower curtain shut behind him, effectively closing out the rest of the bathroom. He knelt behind her and began to slowly massage her shoulders; the knots in her muscles releasing themselves, bringing a quite sigh out of her mouth. He took his time on each part of her back; pushing on her spine with the right pressure; carefully rubbing around spots where bruises were forming; moving back up to her neck, letting the kinks out.
Next, he reached for the shampoo, after effectively soaking her unruly hair, getting the dirt and grime of the last day out of her curly. Once it was rinsed out into the tub, he kissed the top of her head. Then he thoroughly scrubbed her body of the caked on dirt she had managed to get all over herself. He was most careful of her arms and legs, though they no longer hurt.
She felt herself nodding off, completely relaxed in his capable hands. Noticing her slowly dipping head, Jace moved one hand onto her stomach, tracing a short and deliberate path to her crotch. He had no intentions of letting her sleep while they were in the hot water.
A flood of heat rushed to the centre of Clary's legs, effectively waking her back up. Jace slipped a finger into her when she moaned at his initial touch. He chuckled darkly. Her hips rocked against his hand, and he begun to pump in and out of her, slipping two more fingers in. Her second orgasm of the night was already creeping up on her, but she wasn't ready to let go yet. She placed a hand over Jace's and his motions stilled. "I need you inside me again," she purred.
He helped her as she turned her body around to face him, both kneeling in the water. She pushed away the bubbles to find Jace just as hard as he was before. She smiled, knowing it was her who did this to him; and so easily at times, too. "Why don't you sit down?"
Jace didn't have to be told twice, he sank down off his knees, not much shorter than Clary, despite her kneeling still. She bent down to kiss him hard on the mouth, letting their tongues battle for dominance while she positioned herself over him. His hands found her hips, helping to guide her back down, fully encompassing him. She didn't waste time and moved herself up and down, splashing some of the water out and under the curtain, effectively soaking part of the floor.
Her name spilled out of Jace's lips in a sort of chant: "Clary... Clary... Clary..." He kept moaning her name and Clary realised just how hurt he had been when she disappeared.
"I'm here," she whispered in his ear. "I'm not going to disappear again."
Her voice seemed to work as a trigger and Jace came quickly the second time, his hands securely gripping her waist. Clary followed him moments later, letting her head drop down onto his shoulder. She was very grateful for Jace's stamina as he helped her stand back up. He pulled the plug and turned on the hot shower cap, rinsing all the soapy bubble off their bodies before they stepped back onto the tiled floor. He even took the time to towel off her body, before picking her up and carrying her back to her bed.
"You're awful chivalrous," she commented as he climbed into the bed with her.
"It's one of my many talents, along with making girls swoon and keeping up the mysterious and badass attitude—not," he added, more for the sake of his reputation than anything, "that I'm going to let you in on that little secret."
"There's a secret to being badass?"
"Yes." He kissed her swiftly before she could press for more information. "Now go to sleep you poor little creature. Before the monsters come out from under the bed."