A/N: Now that I am back at school I have a little more self-control when it comes to posting. Lol. I will be changing my posting days to Wednesday! I liked doing it that way better. Next time I hear back from my beta I might be able to switch to biweekly, but we'll see!

There is more Clace in this chapter so I hope you enjoy it.

"Clary," Jace shook her awake. A groan coated in exhaustion escaped her.

"What? Why are you walking me up so early?" She grumbled, rubbing at her eyes.

"I need to talk to you." He spoke softly, brushing the hair away from her face.

"About what?" She pushed herself up into a sitting position, trying to be conscious enough to focus. She was not a morning person since she moved here.

"I want you to come on our annual hunting trip." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"No way." She scoffed, lying back down on the bed. She pulled the blankets over her head, closing her eyes. She couldn't believe that Jace wanted her to go on a hunting trip.

"Clary?" He sighed softly, scooting closer to her.

"I want to go back to bed." She moaned, putting her face in the pillows.

Jace heaved a sigh, climbing out of bed. He started pulling on is pants, and Clary realized she couldn't fall back asleep. She grumbled in frustration, as she whipped the covers back. She pulled on her leathers quickly, striding out the door. Jace followed right after her talking about something but Clary was too sleep deprived to pay attention.

"Come on, Clary, loads of women go on this overnight hunting trip. It's a tradition. It's the first hunt of the winter." Jace practically pranced, as he kept up with her quick pace to Isabelle's tent.

"You have winter?" She exclaimed with confusion written across her face.

"Well we get a cloud." He cocked his head to the side, smiling innocently to which she rolled her eyes.

"Why do you want me to go so bad? What do you get out of it?" She crossed her arms at him, stopping in her pace.

"I don't get anything out of it. I'm trying to show you how we live. I know Isabelle has been doing a brilliant job of that but it isn't all cooking and pottery. Everyone has to learn to get their hands dirty. No one will take you seriously until you do." His expression went from boyish excitement to dead serious within a split second. She was not prepared for such an adjustment, this made her face heat up with embarrassment.

"They take me seriously enough." She glared at him, feeling slightly agitated at his accusation.

"None of the men here respect you. It's different with the women because you are one of them, but you need their respect. You are to be a leader beside me and you can't be that person when half of our people make jokes about taking your flower." He stated harshly, making her take a step back. He never talked to her like that and frankly, she didn't appreciate it. She furrowed her brow in anger, looking away from him.

"Come with us. Give them a reason to respect you." He scanned her face, waiting for her response.

"Fine." She muttered in a frustrated tone as she turned away from him.

OoOoO

They left the next morning, and it didn't take her long to realize that they were going to be out in the hottest time of day. Last time she had done that she nearly fainted. She was a little worried about that happening again, but this time the circumstances were different. She wasn't dressed in all the layers like she was before and she was definitely hydrated. They would also be moving deeper into the forest, which meant that there would be shade to keep her cool.

"Are you just about ready?" Jace strode into the tent, flinging a saddle sack over his shoulder.

"Yes, I'm ready now actually." Clary pulled her braid over her shoulder, lifting her own sack.

"Perfect, follow me." He tweaked his finger, urging her to follow him. She hurried next to him, making her way to him. She smiled faintly, recognizing the horse that brought her to this place. She attached her bag to her horse's saddle before sliding her hand down the horse's neck.

"Hi there," She breathed, smiling into the horse's fur. "I missed you." She patted its neck, as she looked over at Jace.

Jace was setting up his own horse, soothing it with a gentle touch. His hand moved with tenderness that mimicked how he touched her. She leaned against the beast behind her, it neighed trying to snuggle with her. Jace whispered to his horse with a soft smile, as he kissed his lips to the creature. She wondered if he grinned like that when he touched her. She shook the thought from her head, seeing the rest of the crew jumping on their horses. "Jace," She called over to him. "Can you help me up?" She asked, knowing that she would never be able to make it up there on her own. She was too short, and she knew that she needed help. She hated asking for help.

"Of course," He strode over to her, hoisting her up in the air to sit on her horse. She adjusted herself to a comfortable position, watching Jace get onto his horse. He moved so gracefully.

The group rode off together. Clary tried to stay in the middle of pack. She didn't want anyone to really pay attention to her but she also didn't want to get lost. It didn't take her long to notice that Jace had lied about the number of women going. There were about five girls in the group, including herself, while there were about thirty men. That unsettled her slightly, but strangely she took comfort knowing Jace was with her.

They weren't extremely close yet she trusted him. Somehow, over the course of their timid relationship she grew to trust him to some extent, which was something she admittedly didn't like. She didn't like that she trusted him because it made her feel like he trusted her. He didn't know what she was doing. He didn't know that she was actively trying to stab him in the back. She felt a pang of guilt her chest but she brushed it aside. It is his own fault if he commits treason.

They have a nice assembly compared to the other providences her brother ruled over because it was almost impossible to bring his soldiers here.

Her mind began fixating on her brother. He wasn't always ruthless and that made her sad. She remembered when they were children, Jonathan had the brightest green eyes and the biggest smile. They would go riding together every day and soar across the fields giggling and racing. As he grew older, his eyes darkened, his smile hardened, and his soul faded. He became of age to begin shadowing their father, he crushed her sweet brother. Dead was the brother who rode through fields with her and born was a man filled with the blood of demons.

She ran her hand through her hair, banishing the memories from her mind. She didn't want to think such sad thoughts in this company. She glanced around the woods, wondering how exactly their hunting parties worked. She went with Jonathan and her father a couple of times but they had hunting dogs, men with spears, and soldiers guarding specifically them.

She had noticed that the horse had drifted towards the front of the group. She felt her cheeks warm a little because these were the best fighters in their clan. She watched them train and she knew every single one of them were animals. Most of them were brutish but Jace and his cousin, Alec, had a graceful sense about what they did. They moved through motions like dancers perfecting technic, while the other men focused on destroying their opponent.

"How is your little princess between the legs?" A man nudged Jace from his horse, and Clary gulped thickly. "She seems timid, but I feel like she is an animal when you hit the right buttons." He belly laughed, as the other men snickered at his comments. She inhaled a sharp breath, wanting to disappear. They obviously didn't realize she was directly behind them, but she now understood what Jace had meant the day before. They look at her like some doll to be owned and used.

"She's a real beauty. I wish I could have been with her before her skin was marked. I've never seen a woman with clear skin before." Another added, making her purse her lips. She felt like she should fall back or let her presence be known, but she couldn't move. She was so horrified and embarrassed, but the thing that angered her more was that Jace remained silent. There was no one to defend her.

"You know you better be careful, Jace. I've seen her look at me. The first kid that pops out of her belly might be my bastard." Her eyes widened at the man's statement. He was lying. She had never even seen him before and he is bragging that she likes him.

"That's enough!" Jace snapped, whipping his horse around to look at them. His eyes locked with hers instantly, and he looked away quickly. "She is my wife. Our sex life is private, so if you want to talk about resting between a woman's legs why don't you talk about your own, not mine. If I hear another word regarding this matter, I will personally beat you senseless." He snarled, glaring his men down. "We are here to hunt. I want a kill from each of you by sun down or you are on century duty for a month." He threatened, riding up next to her.

OoOoO

They set up camp just before the sun with down, and Clary sat right by the fire. The men prepared one creatures they killed for dinner, while her and the other women cooked it. She starred into the flames, letting her mind get lost in the motion of the fire. She hummed softly, finding herself get mesmerized by the heat. She was drawn out of the tranquility when someone sat next to her.

"Hey," Jace murmured, leaning back against his hands.

"Hi," She whispered, swaying side to side.

They sat in silence, as they watched the fire. They sat like that for a long time and she felt content for the first time since they left for this stupid hunting trip. "Come with me." Jace whispered, pushing to his feet.

"Where?" She looked up at him, wondering what he wanted.

"Just come on," he grinned softly at her. She dusted off her legs, and Jace locked his pinky with hers. She followed him silently away from the camp until the fire the fire was a very distant glow.

"What did you-" she gasped softly when his lips tangled with hers. He hadn't really kissed her in a while, so it shocked her when he gently opened his mouth to hers. It wasn't rushed or nasty. She found herself rather enjoying it, which surprised her. His hands held her hips lightly, backing her into a tree. She whimpered softly, kissing him more vigorously. He turned her body around, kissing her neck. She released a breath, pushing her body from the bark of the tree.

She felt slightly disappointed that he switched to sex rather quickly, but he was trying to get her pregnant. He was on her all the time over the last month. She thinks it's because her father has been breathing down her neck about having an heir. She didn't blame him for it and she understood why he was trying so hard. She felt a little bad for denying him a baby because it was so obvious that he wanted one, but she knew that she couldn't risk it right now. She needed to wait longer before she gave up. She needed to find a shred of evidence that they were traitors and then she never had to have sex again.

OoOoO

Clary propped her hands against the tree, panting heavily, as Jace cleaned his seed off of her legs. He leaned back against a tree, while she turned around to hold herself up. She shimmed her skirt down, feeling her legs wobble beneath her. She closed her eyes, gulping thickly, as she tried to slow her breathing. She felt a little embarrassed to be with him in such an open environment, but she knew that no one was around.

"How are you doing?" Jace asked, heaving a large breath.

"Fine, standing during that is very exhausting." She muttered, putting her hand into her hair.

They breathed in silence for a few minutes before Jace cleared his throat. "How have you been doing?" Jace questioned again, pushing off the tree.

"I just told you I'm fine." She shook her head at him, wondering why he asked the question a second time.

"No, that's not what I meant." He murmured, shaking his head at her. "I meant how have you been adjusting to here?" He breathed, stepping in front of her.

"Alright, I guess." She shrugged, adjusting awkwardly, as he placed her hands on her hips. He noticed her discomfort rather quickly, so he released her, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I've seen you around, doing chores and stuff." He glanced over her, inhaling a deep breath.

"And?" She raised her eye brow at him, wondering where he was going with this conversation.

"Well, you look like you're enjoying yourself." The side of his lip turned up slightly.

"It's alright." She glanced down, pursing her lips lightly as she regained her footing.

"I'm sorry about earlier. My men were being crude. They shouldn't have spoken about you like that, especially when you are in earshot." He brought up the events that had happened earlier and she clicked her tongue. The very idea of what those men said made her feel uncomfortable. They talked about her as if she was a loose woman, and she was nothing like that. The careless morals in this place made her incredibly uncomfortable. "I knew you could hear them, I'm not an idiot." He scoffed, shaking his head about it. He still seemed slightly frustrated about what they had said.

"You defended me." She murmured, inhaling a deep breath. The fact that he defended her in such a loud manner shocked her. He seemed like he hardly noticed her for the most part but today he spoke out for her when no one else would have. She felt like her blood had thickened in her veins because she felt incredibly uncomfortable about the whole situation. She didn't know whether or not to thank him because she wasn't sure why he defended her in the first place. Was it because it hurt his pride or was it actually for her?

"Don't act so surprised, you are my wife." He touched her arm lightly, which she assumed was supposed to be affectionate, but it was just awkward for both of them. She moved away from him, wanting to remove the odd feeling from the air. He ran his hand through his hair, sighing heavily, as he looked around. He seemed like he was also seeking an escape from the dense air around them.

"Right." She mumbled, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "We should probably get back to camp. I'm starving." She moved around him, carefully making her way to the dim glow of a fire. A few seconds later she heard Jace's steps behind hers, as they arrived into camp.

She felt like everyone was looking at them, like they knew what they did.

She shook her head at herself because of course they knew what they did or else they wouldn't have gone off alone anyways. She made her face appear stone cold, as she sat next to the fire. A few of the men whispered around her, and she caught herself trying to hear what they were saying about her. She shouldn't have come. She wished that Jace hadn't insisted that she join them because she felt so out of place in this moment. Jace sat arm's length away from her, staring at the fire just like she was.

OoOoO

Their hunt this morning was on foot. She thought that this one would be much better because it allowed them to be quieter. Clary walked almost silently compared to the men. She was so much smaller than the rest of them, so it made it easy to move almost silently. She saw a creature in the trees, but she didn't have a weapon to kill it. She skipped up the way to Jace and Alec. She knew that she needed a kill over this trip. She needed something to show these men that she wasn't a little princess, but one of their leaders.

"Alec, give me your bow." She whispered, glancing out at the animal that was still there. None of the other men had noticed it, and she wanted it to be hers.

"What? No." He made an annoyed face, looking over at Jace.

"Let her use it." Jace ordered, glancing at Clary curiously.

"Ugh, fine." Alec rolled his eyes, handing her the weapon. She shushed the men, as she walked to the outskirts of their group, holding the arrow in its place. She wasn't used to handling such a crude bow, but she knew she could take care of it. She laced the string back, aiming at the creature carefully before releasing the arrow.

She hit her mark perfectly, as a grin appeared across her face. She did it. She felt a rush of adrenaline fill her veins, as she drifted to the center of the group.

The men looked at her in shock because not only had she killed the creature on the first shot, but she also noticed an animal that none of them had. She felt a wave of pride shoot through her and she felt her legs moving of their own volition towards the man who claimed that she looked at him. She knew that any disrespect aimed towards her needed to be squashed, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She whipped the bow around, smacking it against his face as hard as she could. He hit the ground like a ton of bricks, as she panted with frustration.

"I'm not a stupid little girl. I have ears and eyes, and I refuse to be disrespected by any of you." She snarled, glaring around the group of men. "I may not be a brute like the rest of you, but I am smarter, richer, and ten times more powerful. If I hear any of you speak about my milky thighs again, I'll beat you myself while Jace keeps you in place." She glanced over him, seeing that he nodded in agreement. "Is that understood? Or should I hit the other men who have been talking about me as well?" She threatened, stepping back to hand Alec his bow back. "Well?" She raised her eyebrow, waiting for them to challenge her.

"Yes, ma'am." They murmured, seeming utterly shocked by her outburst.

"Good, now go get my kill before another beast comes to eat it." She looked at them with disgust before turning around.

"You dented my bow." Alec grumbled, admiring the wood carefully.

"Calm down, Alec. It isn't that big of a deal." Jace rolled his eyes at his cousin who seemed very distressed.

"This is my favorite one!" Alec exclaimed, slinging it over himself. "And now it isn't going to work correctly." He pulled at the string, studying his weapon.

"Come here." Jace put his arm around Clary's shoulders, giving them a little space from the rest of the group.

"Alec hasn't taught you how to shoot a bow and I know Isabelle sucks at it, so I have to ask where did you learn to do that?" Jace asked, removing his arm from her.

"I used to practice with my brother before he turned into a psychopath." She shrugged her shoulders, glancing up at him.

"You did good. Half of those men are quaking in their boots." He chuckled, pausing in his steps.

"Thanks." She grinned faintly, feeling her cheeks warm up a bit.

"I know that you aren't the biggest fan of living the way we do, but you are really good at it." He complimented, patting her arm, as he walked back to the group. She declared her place in these people, which made her feel more powerful.

The rest of the hunting trip seemed like a blur. They did the same thing day in and day out and she found herself getting bored out of her mind. She got lost in her own thoughts more than once because they were silent throughout the day. Clary hated the lack of interaction she was having because it drained her to be alone in her thoughts for so long. The arrived at home just after everyone went to bed, so all they could do was head back to their tent. She was exhausted but Jace still needed an heir.

Afterwards, Clary found herself asking Jace to continue holding her. She didn't know why she asked him to continue to hold her after he was finished, but this time felt different. He held her the whole time, keeping her entire back against his chest. She couldn't explain how different it felt to be with him like that. She still didn't... But she definitely enjoyed it more than normal. He went to roll away from her, but she caught his arm, pulling him back against her. He melted against her back, letting his forehead nuzzle into her the crook of her neck. The act of endearment surprised her, but she found herself enjoying it so much. She reached her hand back, burying it in his locks. He sighed softly, as her fingers scratched lightly against his scalp. He circled his thumb over her skin gently, propping his head up slightly.

"Are you alright?" He murmured, pressing his lips to her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She whispered, crinkling his hair once again.

"You just normally don't want me to touch you except to get pregnant." He leaned up on his elbow to look over her.

"I don't know. I just- you seemed different tonight and I've been feeling lonely." She turned her head to look at him, feeling her heart heavy in her chest.

"I'm always here." He rubbed her arm, settling back behind her.

"But you're not." She played with his fingers, inhaling a small breath. "You leave before I wake up and you come back when I'm asleep. You wake me up, we have sex, and then you're asleep." She stretched her neck to look back at him, but, of course, he was asleep. She sighed quietly, holding tightly onto his arm, as her eyes fell shut. She couldn't believe that he fell asleep on her. He's not here for her. He's here for himself. She took a deep breath, pulling the blankets to her chin, letting herself be consumed by sleep.

A/N: I hope you guys liked it! More Clace is coming I promise, and it will be glorious. Clary is at a point where she wants more with Jace, and Jace is just all around clueless. It won't be like that forever.

What did you think?

Please review! I love hearing from you guys.