Hello there guys! Oh hey here's chapter 10. And now… let the fun begin. I wonder if anyone has picked up on the clues as they read from chapters 1-9 on this big secret? It's there. Small hints but oh it's there ;D anyway, thanks so much for the lovely reviews! Almost at 200 now! Ahh! Thank you so much! More would be much loved and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Not too many chapters left now. Wow I'm going to miss writing this one when it's done. The equi umbra have rather grown on me x

Clary

The Run was in 24 days now. Pressure was building. Or was it 23 days? I wasn't even sure anymore.

When I woke the next morning, I lay there for a long time just thinking. How was I supposed to even do all this? Race? I wasn't built for this. Mentally or physically. How was I supposed to master something that took years in less than a month-? At least… I had a not-so secret weapon on my side.

That same secret weapon came into the room, glancing my way once so I shut my eyes, feigning sleep. Jace stopped dead before entering the kitchen, and through my eyes that were open the tiniest of fractions, I could see him staring at me. His expression was a light frown, as if deep in thought. Conflicted. But then without a word or anything, he moved off to the kitchen. As he left, I heard him sigh wearily.

I looked at him with new eyes now I knew he had feelings for me. It was… strange. Jace of all people?

When I really looked at him, what did I feel? I wasn't even sure. But there was something.

Jace returned ten minutes later with a cup of coffee and a slice of toast between his teeth, and a plate of toast in his other hand.

"Hey-" he mumbled at me, mouth full of toast. "I bought breakfast."

Jace Lightwood had bought me breakfast in bed.

The world… was it ending?

I 'woke up' with a groan, reaching for the coffee as I sat up. There was excitement glinting in Jace's eyes as he perched at the edge of the sofa. A moment later I found out why.

"Your riding gear is to be fitted today."

I just stared at him. "What?"

Jace snorted. "Or are you going to ride your horse naked?"

I about choked on my coffee. "No, what I mean is… that's expensive. I don't have that kind of money. It's all at home, you know that."

A shrug. "I have a lot of money Clary. It's fine with me. Pay me back or not, I really don't mind nor care."

Jace was nuts.

He nodded to the window. "It snowed more last night. And it settled this time. The lake will be frozen this year, I'm pretty sure." I nodded, drawing the covers around me more. "So," I started slowly. "Strategy?"

Jace went quiet. "I'll admit it," he told me a moment later. "Everything I learned about riding, I didn't learn from books. I learned from actually doing it. Trial and error."

"Didn't you get hurt though?"

A grin spread across his face. As I took a sip from my coffee, he stretched out his right leg and yanked his jeans up to about his knee. I about choked on my drink at the sight of his leg.

All up the front of it was scarred to high heaven. As I leaned closer, I saw what had caused it- at least five bite marks. Equi umbra bite marks.

"All up my right tibia," Jace told me, tracing a particularly dark red and deep bite with a finger. "And one bite to my knee. On the back of my left calf, I have two bites there. One is actually from when I saved your ass that time. Uh…" he looked thoughtful, frowning at his leg. A moment later he'd raised the hand that had been at his leg to his right shoulder. "One bite on my right shoulder. Two on my right hip." A pause. "And scratches from taloned horses-" he patted his chest and stomach. "A few up and down there, and one long one on my back. All down my spine. And some on my arms."

All I could do was stare at his ripped up leg. It was then that I realized something.

"These are old. Did you get these while-?"

"Training for my first race? Yeah, I did," Jace finished, not meeting my eyes, tugging his jeans back down. "Plus most horses are poisonous. But antidotes are common around here, so it's not a big deal. Just hurts like a bitch and kills you in a few days or so."

Jace was insane, not nuts. He was utterly and completely bonkers.

There were also faded white lines at his right temple and jaw. You could barely see them unless in the correct light like now. Without thinking, I raised a hand, touching the one at his jaw. Jace froze at my touch, but relaxed a second later.

"And these?" I asked, tracing my thumb over his jaw.

Jace was quiet, but then caught my hand and tugged it down and holding it loosely upon his lap. "Those ones don't matter. They all don't matter."

"Clearly they do" I replied softly. Jace was still refusing to meet my eyes, and I had to wonder something.

Those scars… oh god.

"You silly boy," escaped me before I could stop myself. My eyes were wide in horror. "You are not that careless."

"It doesn't matter."

I pulled my hand from his own. "Jace, those scars are old. Older than when you started training for the Run. What did you do?"

He shrugged. "Something."

I scowled. "Jace."

"Forget it Clary. Show and tell is over." He stood up and my eyes narrowed as he left the room.

I guess strategy training was postponed.

Jace

I still felt tired and a tad drained from the cold, and even more so now.

Why had I told Clary about those damn scars? Nothing more than showing off. Stupid, stupid me. She wasn't some female Shadowhunter that hooked up with whoever she clapped eyes upon. Other girls would fawn over my scars, ask to touch them. It didn't bother me at all. It got me a drink and a white hot kiss, right?

But Clary was horrified at the sight of them. And not from how they'd looked. She'd… thought about how I'd gotten them. And I hadn't been entirely truthful. Other people, other girls would assume I'd gotten them from training. From the Run.

Only three bites, the ones I'd shown Clary, were from training in the last few years.

The rest… I didn't want to think about. It hurt, thinking about them. How and why I'd gotten them. And shame too. Such bloody shame.

I wasn't planning on riding today, but I still went down to the stables. Draco was dozing with his head resting on Nyx's back. They looked totally at peace together.

And that pissed me off. Our fucking horses were more in love than me and Clary. God that girl… she was impossible to erase from my mind. Shove from my train of thought.

Damn her. Damn her to hell.

I was probably being a bastard as I tugged Draco from the stall the pair shared together, shutting him up in the one next door, but I didn't care. The mere idea of love was fucking me off. Nyx snarled at me as I locked the stall door, but I ignored her. Equi umbra mated for life. The last thing I needed was those two bonding. Tying themselves to each other. There would be no way to split them up after that.

It was admirable, really, how Shadow Horses would kill everything around them to protect their mate. Some fought to the death, riding into freezing storms to find each other.

I kicked an empty stall door as I passed it, feeling sour. It reminded me of someone.

Myself.

Maybe I'd been around the horses too long. Their characteristics and habits were rubbing off on me. I hadn't thought twice about trying to please Clary. Make her happy.

And then I'd freaking blow it and make her sad. And I knew why I did that. Why I was such a monster.

I literally was one.

All thanks to her father.

I stayed in there all day, finding whatever excuse I could for it. Cleaning the floors and stalls, brushing Draco's mane and trimming his tail. Everything and anything.

I was very nearly done when there was a knock on the stable doors. And hell I recognized it. Her.

"If you're small and ginger, go away," I called, feeling grumpy. But the door opened all the same. Footsteps and I turned with a scowl.

But then froze, words dying on my lips.

She looked amazing. Clary was wearing black gear made for riding. It was tight in all the places it was supposed to be, looser at the others. On her back, I wondered what family symbol she'd have there. The Morgenstern pattern of stars, or nothing? Another thing, she had more boob than I realized in this. And if she turned around, I was prepared to bet every penny I owned that ass of hers would be perfect in the tough leather.

With her hair an inferno around her face, hanging loose, Clary looked… she looked not deadly, but sexy. Sexy with a touch of innocence thanks to her wide emerald eyes and flushed red cheeks. "Is this okay?" she asked me.

She was actually asking me that-?

I wondered if she'd take 'I want to strip you naked and throw you into my bed and not let you leave until morning' as a compliment.

Probably not.

I walked forwards in silence, stopping dead before her. Clary frowned as I raised a finger and made a motion with it. But then understood and turned around.

And I just stared.

She told me quietly. "I refuse to wear my fathers crest and let him take the glory if ever I won. And I didn't want it blank, because… well I'm me. There should be something there." Clary paused. "We're on the same team, right?"

I nodded, too numb for words.

She had the Herondale crest upon her back. Nothing elaborate, just birds in flight.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Why my crest?"

Clary went quiet for a long moment. "You go by Lightwood. And you are the last Herondale." She groaned. "I'm sorry. I- I didn't think. I just thought you might like it since we're team members."

"Clary, turn around."

She did, eyes fixed upon my feet the entire time. Without hesitation I raised my hands, cupping Clary's face into them to force her to meet my eyes. She did, but still looked worried.

This girl was going to break me down in every way possible.

"Remember when I said I liked the idea of us starting over as just friends?" I told her quietly. Clary nodded a little. I sighed heavily. "I lied. I don't like the sound of that."

Hurt flashed through Clary's emerald eyes. But before she could pull away or say a word, I did something.

Something that would make her understand my words instantly.

That they weren't bad in the slightest.

Clary

He kissed me.

Jace kissed me.

The initial kiss was brief and sweet, lasting no longer than a few seconds. I was too surprised to kiss him back. Jace broke away, staring with my face still in his calloused hands. He was watching me. Gauging my reaction.

"No," I found myself muttering in response. It was Jace's turn to frown in confusement, so I added on. "I don't like the sound of being just friends either."

Realization dawned on him. I could see it lighting up those aureate eyes of his. A grin and he'd kissed me again. Only this time, I kissed him back. It was inevitable, really. Jace was… amazing.

Those hands of his slid from my face and to my waist, holding them as he kissed me once more.

I never would have thought Jace Lightwood would have been my first kiss. The one I fell in love with.

My back met the wall of the stall as Jace deepened the kiss. A moment later his hands had slid down to my backside. I didn't even care. As he hitched me up onto his hips, I draped my arms around his shoulders, pressing my form to his own with my ankles locking behind him. A growl against my lips caused me to moan softly against his mouth. The embarrassment. But he didn't let me pull away from him. Not one bit.

It was intoxicating, kissing Jace. Before long I was breathless, kissing at his lips with a ferocious force that surprised even me. He was only too happy to return it. With a hand on my backside, back pressed against the wall and Jace's lips now at my neck, his other hand wound into my hair, it was easy to see why girls fawned over him.

But they didn't love him. They never had.

But I did.

Neither of us was aware of another presence slipping inside of the stables until Jace sharply let me go, causing me to drop to the floor with a painful thump. The padding of my new gear stopped me breaking anything, but it still hurt.

Jace was pinned up against the opposite wall, the one lined with stone. And there was my brother stood before him, arm against his throat and snarling into his face.

"How dare you," Jonathan growled. "I come here to take Clary home and find this-?" I couldn't see his face, but those black eyes would be alight with fury. I knew that tone well. "Stay away from my sister you beast."

Jace was glaring, and then had shoved my brother away, scoffing out, "excuse me? Who was the one that ridiculed her right in public, hmm? Get out."

"No," Jonathan replied coldly. "I'm taking my sister back with me. This… thing about her racing has gone on long enough. And it's your fault. I had to do that the other night or Father would have thrown us both out!"

Jace was laughing. Laughing so hard it made the horses, both normal and demonic alike skitter about. "You're an ass Jonathan." he might have been laughing, but his hands were curled into fists. I knew what was about to happen right before it did. Only it wasn't Jonathan who got punched in the face, but Jace as my brother beat him to it.

And I had to intervene.

"Jonathan-!" I yelled, standing before Jace and shoving at the white haired boy's chest. "The hell-!?"

He looked down at me as if I was an ant. An ant he wanted to squash. Jonathan grabbed my wrist and yanked me forwards towards the doors, talking the entire time in a low growl. "I'm taking you home. Just… keep your head low yeah? Father's moved to Alicante and I have the mansion now."

And then Jonathan went flying backwards, hitting the door of Draco's stall. Jace picked up my brother by his shirt, ramming his head back against the door.

The blonde haired boy was snarling. And it scared me.

He sounded like a demon.

Jonathan was laughing now, but I could hear he was in pain.

"Jace, let him go," I told him quietly. Yelling would get us nowhere. A growl and Jace let my brother drop to the floor, snarling out at him "get out. And Clary's staying here."

Jonathan snorted. "Clary's coming with me. Far away from you. She may not know what you are, but I do."

"What?" I frowned, wrenching Jonathan's hand away from me as he reached again. "Don't touch me. I know what dad did, Jonathan. To Jace's father. You must know since you live in his pocket."

My brother paused, but then nodded. "Oh I know that," he muttered. "I was there. I saw it happen." He cocked his head. "You were there too little sister. The last time you were ever allowed at a Run, if I recall correctly."

I shook my head. "I don't remember that."

"Well you were only little," my brother told me. "You wouldn't remember."

Jace was truly glaring. His nose was bleeding, but he hadn't noticed. "Just leave, Jonathan. You are not welcome here."

The way they were sizing each other up… what had happened between them?

I was missing something. Something big.

Jonathan left. But not before calling back to Jace "I recommend you tell my sister who you are. What you are. The things even the Lightwoods don't know."

All I could do was stare at Jace. He was shaking in rage, hands still clenched. It was like he couldn't control himself.

I'd never seen Jace like this.

So angry that he was another person.

And when I caught sight of his eyes, they were so dark it was like the molten gold they usually were had solidified.

Jace opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He sighed instead and pushed past me, shoving the door to the stables open and was gone.

Gone was the boy who had just kissed me, wanting to be more than simple friends.

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