Hello you gorgeous people. Merci to all readers, je t'aime, but more importantly GUESS WHAT CASSANDRA CLARE WROTE WHEN SHE SIGNED MY BOOK! She wrote "you are not trivial". I very nearly died. I may propose to her. Also, lemon this chapter, and what Jace asked the magic magic 8 ball next time.
And Zoe, you no read this!
Camille glared daggers as they walked along the bustling street, laughing to each other. There had been a time when she had a group like that, friends, but they were so much different. They had power, style, money, wherever they went, downworlders and mundanes alike had parted like the red sea to let them through- and if they didn't, well. They were hungry for more than power.
Magnus had been part of that group, and she knew how he had loved it. The attention he'd loved the most of all of them. Surely he missed it as much as she did? Hanging around with these idiotic children, how could they fulfil him?
When Alec was out of the picture, she would give him what he needed. They could get the old group back together, if they wanted. They could do anything.
Camille had to think of the future; she abhorred the present. Slinking in the shadows like some dirty old alley cat, hiding from the Clave. With Magnus to protect her she wouldn't have to walk in shadow. His power was greater than anyone knew, even himself, his father had seen to that. And he had never tested its limits. But all that was for later, right now she needed to remind Alec Lightwood who was in charge, who he needed.
Jace had caught his first glimpse of the vampire just after the sun sank, jagged sunbeams jutting out from behind the city's buildings no longer. The sky had faded from watery orange-blue to raspberry violet to that luminous cobalt blue which drenches the world in electric half-light.
Camille had been slinking anfractuously in the shadows behind a large, regal bank where they had earlier dispatched six or so Vermis demons. She was like a ghost, pale and bleached by the moon- not that Jace saw ghosts very often, but he had- and she seemed barely there.
At first he'd been puzzled as to why she would follow them, but then the penny dropped with a clang. Camille was after Alec. He could tell, because as soon as Alec had spotted her, he'd become uneasy, rattled - he was hiding it well, but Jace could literally feel his parabatai's anxiety like a nest of ants at the base of his own skull.
He didn't know if Alec knew he'd seen her too, but he was pretty sure none of the others had. Even Magnus, which just showed how depleted his magic was; Jace had once seen him magically trip a werewolf that had been ogling Alec so that he stepped directly into the path of a large fly, consequently zooming down his throat. All from fifty feet away, and he'd had his eyes closed.
Of course, his instant reaction upon seeing that uppity vampire pissing off his parabatai was the urge to rip out her throat and eyeballs, but that would violate the accords. 'Making your parabatai uncomfortable' surely wasn't a justifiable cause. So Jace had spoken to Alec, taking him to one side when Magnus and Izzy had stopped to get frappuccino's.
"Look, man, why is that vamp bitch following you?"
Alec's blue eyes widened under his sweaty hair, and it struck Jace that it was like looking at a picture of Earth from space, stormy twin seas under inky black furrows of cloud.
"It doesn't matter."
But they both knew that it did.
"Alec, why don't I just go over there and-"
"No! No Jace, don't make a scene. That's what she wants, she didn't come all the way to Brooklyn just to look at me."
"Ah, then she must have come to look at me. Raziel knows I'm worth it-"
"Seriously, Jace. Don't acknowledge her, she's looking for trouble. Another chance to spit venom at me."
"But why does she- Alec, whatever it is, you don't have to hide it, not from me. You know you can tell me anything. We're parabatai. Hell, we're brothers."
Alec looked up, expecting Jace to go 'psyche!' but for once there was no sarcasm in the flickering golden eyes, just familial concern. He gently squeezed Jace's arm.
"I know."
Now Camille was following them into the supermarket of all places, and Jace couldn't take it anymore. His angel-amplified senses could hear her two aisles over. She wasn't breathing, but her movements were different to those of the surrounding mundanes; slinkier, sneakier, somehow less alive. The rage that had been bubbling up, rage at the twisted little vampire for trying to hurt decent, honest Alec for whatever reason, itched to explode out.
"Alec!" he hissed. "Come and…look at the mangoes."
"What?"
Alec looked confused. Simon, next to him, seemed meditative, as though he was remembering the time Jace had requested a mango and tomato soup for his tea.
"The mangoes. What, you're not afraid of them, are you?" Jace hoped not, as he shot Alec a loaded look that said 'play along, dumbass!' He would be mortally offended if that were the case.
"Of course I'm not afraid of the mangoes. I am a demon hunter." He said, finally getting it, and they scuttled off to the lumpy stack of fruits, away from the others. Jace picked up one of the juicy, squidgy mangoes, getting a little misty-eyed for a second, then quickly snapped out of it. He was Jace Lightwood, and he had a vampire to sort out. (AN- What is Jace calling himself now? Who knows.)
"Alec, we can't let her do this."
"We can't fight her, Jace! We can't even speak to her! She knows exactly how to get under my skin, and Magnus', and probably yours too!"
"I'd thought of that. We can't fight Camille, but we can…annoy her."
Alec caught of the playful spark that that lit Jace's eyes like miniature lanterns, and grinned crookedly, unable to resist.
"Annoy her how?"
Camille strained to hear what that arrogant blonde was saying to Alexander- she couldn't recall his name. The one that wasn't really Valentine's son.
Probably something about his undying love for that midget redhead. Ugh. Mortals used the term without really knowing its true meaning. They didn't love, not really.
Alec and Not-Valentine's-Son scuttled into the next aisle, out of sight, so Camille snaked towards a gap between some cereal boxes, hoping to get a better view, when- THUD. A bag of sugar had dropped out of thin air, narrowly missing her. SMACK. Another, this one hitting her on the shoulder. She hissed, drew back, and saw the objects raining down around her, fury igniting in her chest.
Alec snorted as Jace tossed a bag of sugar over the top of the aisle. His snorts became giggles as the next one smacked the vampire's shoulder. The giggles brewed into laughter as both he and Jace lobbed random objects over the shelves; sugar, flour, even eggs that hit the floor unseen, but with satisfying crack-squelches.
Jace's syrup-coloured eyes lit up with a playful fire, grinning properly like he hadn't in a while, as both boys danced up and down, gleefully socking the unfortunately placed products at the fuming vampire, who, unable to fight them in public and outnumbered, fled the store swearing painful bloody revenge and demon pox on all their houses.
Unfortunately, security didn't take the tossing of unbought items around the store very well, and prepared to advance on them. Grabbing the others without purchasing anything to cook, Alec and Jace dashed out of the automatic doors, their laughter echoing into the night.
"What in the name of the Angel was that about?" Izzy panted, when they were safely out of sight.
"Aw," Jace slapped Alec's shoulder with a grin "Just looking out for Alec here. Making sure there's no trouble in the fair land of Waitrose!"
Izzy looked as though that hadn't really answered her question, but decided not to pursue it. After all, sometimes Alec and Jace acted weirdly; she supposed they were men and therefore couldn't help it.
"But we're still hungry. I mean, you shadowhunters can probably convert concrete into glucose and soak it up or something, but I can't. I need blood, and Magnus probably needs a glitter burger or something." Simon reminded.
"Screw it." Jace said. "Takeout?"
Everyone agreed.
Magnus however, had bigger problems than hunger. His feet were dangerously numb, and he wanted to get back to the apartment to change; the thing was, he couldn't admit it. The Magnificent Magnus Bane defeated by some tight glittery jeans? No. He had a reputation to uphold, if the downworld got wind of this- it didn't bear thinking about.
"Alexander." Alec looked up from the pavement, his eyes wide, like the pretty electric-blue china plates he'd thrown out in the sixties. Now he sort of wanted them back. "While the children pick up dinner, I suggest we get a cab and tidy up the apartment. We didn't sort it after our, ah, interlude this morning."
Jace looked at them. "Izzy and I were there this morning."
"Before you came over."
"Alec had only just woken up then."
"He also woke up in the early hours. Anyway, you two only went in the kitchen. The living room is…somewhat unsuitable to entertain in."
Jace looked as though he regretted saying anything, and Magnus hailed a cab, his outstretched arm drizzling glitter onto the dirty pavement. The couple slid into the back seat, Alec mumbling Magnus' address to the driver. "Bye kids!" Magnus grinned "And watch out for demons!"
Out on the street, lights from the surrounding buildings had painted a harsh glow over everything, but inside the hollowed-out cave of the taxi, the world was bathed in darkness that hung about Magnus' features like black mist. Alec could just see the curve of his boyfriend's throat, a faint outline of his face as if he were illustrated in charcoal. But charcoal wouldn't be so warm. He scooted closer, and felt the hot little tendrils of Magnus' breath on his ear and neck.
"Alec, undo your zipper." He whispered.
"What?"
In other circumstances, he wouldn't have worried about the shock on his face, but of course Magnus' feline eyes allowed him perfect vision even in the dark. All the better to see you with, Alec.
"You heard me, Alexander," he purred. Alec swallowed.
"Why?"
"So I can suck you off in the back of this cab," the words were a decadent growl escaping his lips, and they caused Alec's blood to rush south.
"Magnus, the driver is right there."
"Which is why I've cast a handy little spell. He can hear, but nothing coherent. Kind of like being underwater. So come on, chop chop!"
"Magnus, we can't!"
"Alec, we can."
Alec could see Magnus gazing at him with burning lust-filled eyes, reeling him in, so close he could count the warlock's lustrous black eyelashes. The sight made his jeans tighten involuntarily. He was about to protest again, but Magnus grabbed him roughly by the shirt and trapped him in a kiss that blazed with the same fierce lust as his eyes.
Alec moaned a little, surrendering to the feel of his warm, wet lips; they tasted like sweet coffee, with a tangy hint of blood from a cut on his pillowy bottom lip. He pressed their chests together, Magnus smirking into his mouth as he dragged down Alec's zipper and pulled down the clothing with long, capable fingers.
The feeling of Magnus' hands on him sent shivers down Alec's spine as the warlocks' tongue danced into his mouth and then suddenly, abruptly, he pulled away. Alec pouted at the loss, wanting him back like someone about to break the surface of water craved air, but found himself not caring as Magnus knelt in the footwell and stroked the tip of his painfully hard cock.
He bit back a groan, threading fingers into Magnus' lush dark hair, and an enthusiastic lick followed the strokes lead, electric heat rushing straight to Alec's core making him buck his hips, desperate for friction.
"Magnus,"
"Oui Alexandre, c'est moi."
Alec moaned throatily, gripping the warlock with his knees, both loving and hating the slow, teasing torture.
"Don't tease me." He growled, tugging Magnus' hair.
"S'il vous plait, Alexandre?" Alec felt a primal desire rising inside of him, and only the driver's presence made him fight the urge to throw his lover across the seat and fuck him right there in the cab.
"Please" he begged, and gasped- if he stopped now it would be pure hell.
Finally, Magnus took him in, all the way, and Alec threw back his head so far he could see out of the back window, the nearly empty city streets. In that moment he wouldn't have cared if a demon in a leotard had been staring back at him.
As Magnus bobbed and sucked, hollowing out his cheeks, Alec couldn't help but moan and writhe, wringing the collar of Magnus' jacket in tight fists, until he felt that familiar heat that meant he was nearly there. The feeling was so exquisite he wanted it to last, but Magnus sensed his state and hummed his approval around Alec, causing him to come and scream out his boyfriend's name.
Unfortunately, a sound of that volume couldn't be ignored by the driver, who's sound-dulling spell broke and he turned around, eyes bugging out like those of a startled fish.
"What the hell! Not in my damn cab! Get out!"
There you go guys, my first lemon. Hope you liked it, as there is more to come! Please please please review, as I desperately need your feedback on this one!
Love, China. xxxxxxxxxxx
