Jace could have sworn he saw a tear fall from her eye before the screaming started. Hundreds of vampires flung themselves literally ON them in a frenzy of anger and pain. Although pre adult, the hunters were strong and highly skilled but dazed, outnumbered and unprepared. The leather clad woman mumbled a quick incantation and Raphael's body disappeared, never to remind her again that she is alone. She quickly wiped an unusual wet streak on her cheek and proceeded to dismember the remaining horde with a grace and calm that came from only deep sadness. She didn't want to have to kill them all but her honour demanded it. And the life of her friends depended on it. Ivory fell to her knees when it was done and was soon to sink into the floor when Magnus started yelling. The demon spawn were too much, too many. A deep red trail, different to the oozing black of vampire blood, cut through the carnage and led directly to Alec's neck. He'd been bitten.
Jace's mind stood still for one unbearable moment as the image of his downed parabatai burned itself behind his eyelids. Magnus was first to react, yelling to Ivory to help him. The elder redhead appeared at his side just in time to knock the steele from Isabelle's hand. "No! Any rune you can draw will fight the vampire venom, it will kill him." She pulled out her own rune until Magnus leaked a guttural growl.
"I will not let you claim him." If this had been any other situation she would have chuckled.
"Then what do you suggest we do?!" It's not often she had nothing to do in a situation. This helpless feeling was very unusual to her, especially because she cares.
"We... we bury him" The warlock had gone a sick grey, hands on the shaking form of an unconscious Alec.
"No! We can save him!" Jace, suddenly filled with a white anger, pulled his parabatai to him and gently lifted him off the ground.
"No Jace... He means let him turn." Ivory didn't take her eyes from her cat eyed brother. Her utter resentment at his refusing of her rune was swamped by the growing feeling of guilt. She should have done something. This was her fault.
Jace just looked at her with a new anger, seeing her with such weakness made him, in the situation, despise her lack of action. Later he would regret every moment he glared at vain, wishing he only held her to his chest. Stroked her cheek, whispered in her ear. But at that time he was selfish, thinking only of his irrationally overwhelming love for the unconscious boy in his arms. "Don't just stand there! You two are so big and powerful, do something!"
Magnus brushed his hand through his hair in frustration "Look Jace, we let Ivory mark him and IF it works, he will forever be bound to her and rejected by the clave. Do you really think he would want to live like that? We let you mark him and he dies. There is no cure for a vampire bite. If we let him turn then Ivory and I can help him to suppress his urges. No one will have to know. We need to make a decision quick though, if we don't bury him then he won't last, even as a vampire." It was the hard truth but there was no time for anything else. The warlock was very interested in Alec and had even grown to admire him over the past years that he knew of his existence. He wanted him alive.
The blonde shadow hunter growled heavily before sighing and hanging his head, seeming to be weighed down by the decision although they all knew it was the only one. "Fine. Let's go."