Chapter 7
Gabriel walked into Tessa's room and immediately began looking around her room for something.
"What are you doing?" Tessa demanded.
"I heard voices. Who were you talking to?" He paced around the room.
"I wasn't talking to anyone. I was reading aloud." Tessa indicated to the book lying on her nightstand, abandoned when Will had entered.
"I see," he muttered in response. "And why is your floor wet?" He pointed downwards to where Will had stood, dripping water onto the carpet.
"Tessa sighed. "I needed some fresh air so I opened my window. As you can see from the weather though, it is raining outside. Is that all?"
"I just wanted to see if you are settled here." Gabriel looked across the room at her. "Are you?"
"Thank you. I am quite comfortable here for now. However, I do miss the Institute." She answered him honestly.
"What is there to miss there?" Gabriel asked.
"The people." Tessa said simply, wishing that Will was still with her.
"The people?" Gabriel sneered. "William Herondale and James Carstairs you mean?" He scoffed as he spoke their names which made Tessa angry.
"As a matter of fact, yes. I have indeed been missing Will and Jem!" Tessa flushed with rage. "Jem is a perfect gentleman! A good person. You should do well to remember that!" She snapped.
"He may be, but you surely cannot say that for Will!" Gabriel laughed harshly.
"There is more to Will than meets the eye." Tessa said softly.
"What did you say?" Gabriel asked, obviously not hearing her the first time.
"Will is…" Tessa began but before she could finish, the clanging of the doorbell interrupted their conversation.
"Who on earth could that-" Gabriel's sentence was cut short by a loud explosion which shook the whole house, sending Tessa tumbling to the floor.
Tessa rolled onto her side, a pain throbbing in her head. She searched across her room and spotted Gabriel struggling to get up amongst some rubble. Her ears were ringing and she felt dizzy as she attempted to sit up.
"What was that?" Her voice sounded distant, even to her own ears. She gingerly reached her hand to her head and touched her wound. Her fingers came away red. Gabriel appeared at her side and inspected her wound.
"Herondale is going to kill me when he sees that," he muttered. Tessa would have found the inappropriate comment funny if she wasn't in so much pain.
"What was that?" She repeated.
"I don't know. Stay here! I'm going to see what's going on." He stumbled out of the door, his voice sounding far away.
Tessa pulled herself up using her bed and found that her leg had been hit with some wood during the explosion and she could barely walk. As she made her way to her bedroom door she noticed thick, black smoke billowing towards her. Fire. The house is on fire! She could make out the glowing orange light as the flames licked up the walls from downstairs, casting shadows along the hallways.
Will had been walking aimlessly around the city near the Lightwood's house. He hadn't gone there with the intention of kissing her. He just wanted to make sure she was being taken care of. Jem had assured him that Tessa was fine but he had needed to see her for himself. The days had been dragging on without her and although Will had tried to train himself not to think about her, he was finding it harder and harder to do so the past few days. He couldn't help himself when he saw her, he gave into his temptations and now half of him regretted it. He knew he was going to hurt her and as much as he didn't want to see her hurting, he knew he had to save her from himself.
Will sighed loudly, frustrated. He kicked a large stone angrily and watched as it tumbled across the road. Then he heard it. An explosion. He whirled round to see smoke rising from the direction he had just come from. The direction of Tessa. Tessa!
Will sped back the way he had come, his heart hammered in his chest. The feeling of dread was rising in his stomach much like the last time he had dashed to save her. Please let her be ok!
By the time he reached the house smoke was billowing from every window and he could make out the brutal flames as they attacked everything they came in contact with. Without hesitating Will leapt through the flames and into the burning entrance way. Using his sleeve to cover his mouth he ran up the burning stairs calling Tessa's name and scanning everywhere for her. A small cough attracted his attention and he rushed to the body lying curled up on the floor.
"Tessa!" Will gathered her in his arms and turned back to take her down the stairs. "Tessa! It's me. Will! I've got you, you're safe now!" He shouted over the roaring flames as he burst out into the night. He gently placed her on the grass as she coughed, trying to clear her airways. Her head was bleeding and her face was covered in soot but she seemed otherwise unharmed. He was just about to gather her in his arms when she screamed his name. He turned around but something hard caught the side of his face and he fell onto the grass. He felt himself slipping into unconsciousness but before he did he heard the voice of someone he had dreaded to hear. Mortmain.
"Will!" Tessa screamed.
"Grab her!" Ordered Nate to two clockwork creatures. "Aw, look at your precious Will now! Now he'll never be able to save you." He held a gun above Will's still body and aimed…
