Chapter 12: Father

They were traveling across the humid landscape, the horse trotting along . Clary placed Jonathan behind her, her hands over his hands on her waist. She knew he was still bleeding; the sticky substance coating her back even as he leaned heavily against her. Why wasn't he healing?!

The horse jumped over a fallen branch and Clary held the reigns in a death grip. She grunted as it settled back against the ground, but she was missing something. Or rather, someone. Her brother was gone from behind her and she pulled hard on the reigns. The horse whinnied in protest, but she had already jumped from the creature, running a couple of feet back to her unconscious brother as he lay on the dry grass.

"Jonathan!" she cried out, even though it was useless. It wasn't as if he could hear her. She knelt next to him, wincing as she spotted a new gash across his forehead from the fall. Gods!

Clary let out a frustrated cry, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Alright, just breath, Clary. Just breathe. She wiped a shaky hand across her eyes before letting out a forceful breath. Right now Jonathan came before her burned out nerves.

She lifted his arm and pulled it over her shoulders. "Alright... One... Two...!" On three she let out a groan as she stood, shouldering most of his weight. He so owed her after this.

Shye partially dragged him the rest of the way to the horse, panting from exhaustion and the heat by the end of the short trek. She was barely able to maneuver him into the saddle, this time in the front. She wouldn't take the chance of losing him again.

She climbed on behind her brother, snapping the reigns to hurry the horse along. Clary rested a hand on his back, her fists clenched in his shirt to keep him on. They had to hurry back to Valentine and hope he had a way of saving him. God, she never thought she would wish to see Valentine.

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They finally arrived at Valentine's mansion hours later. The sun had set, giving the large structure a macabre appearance. There were two guards set up outside, watching them warily. Did they know who she was?

She slid off the tired horse, feeling a pang of remorse when she felt the animal's heaving side. "Thank you," she whispered softly. Clary rubbed the beast's soft fur before looking at the two men watching her cautiously. "You two, help me with him!" They only looked at her, seemingly dumbfounded by the order. What in the hell was wrong with them?! "Get your asses over here and help me lift him!" Wow, was Jonathan's attitude starting to rub off on her?

This time, the muscleheads jumped up from their stations. The redhead eased Jonathan down from the saddle and her heart clenched in her chest when her brother groaned. At least his wounds had stopped bleeding; that was something.

The other one opened the door for them, his eyes uneasy as he continued to lead them in. They stopped them, hesitantly. She growled, frustrated with the men. "What are you two doing? Take him to his room and get a doctor! Or Valentine, for gods sake!" Her anger seemed to jar something in them ande they proceeded down the corridor, still silent. They were going towards the room she had first been held in when Jonathan had captured her.

They opened the large oak door, revealing the king sized bed with red silk sheets. It was obvious someone had come in to clean while they were gone, but she had more pressing matters to attend to than wondering if the sheets were clean.

Clary instructed the guards to put him down on the soft bed. They retreated from his bedside and then filed out the door, leaving the two of them along once more. Jonathan's chest rose and fell rhythmically, giving her at least some hope for his condition. Whatever was going on with him, he was fighting it. Clary approached the bed before climbing in next to him and onto the soft sheets. She settled beside of him, her hand running through his dirty hair.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, but she didn't raise her eyes, even when someone stepped into the room. Only when they approached did she finally raise her head. Before her stood Valentine, his eyes showing how interested in them he was. Just his gaze made her skin crawl, but she managed to keep her nervousness from showing.

"Valentine," she whispered, her voice scratchy. She was parched; it had been a long journey and she hadn't had anything to drink the whole way. Why was it only then that she realized how exhausted she was? "Jonathan needs help."

Valentine nodded, and for one moment Clary thought she actually saw compassion in his eyes. Could it be that somewhere deep inside he actually cares about them, or at least cared for Jonathan? "I realize," he answered dryly, pulling something from his jacket pocket. Was that a needle? He stepped closer, the syringe at the ready and his eyes cold once more. Panicked, Clary huddled over her lover, her eyes wide as she stared at her father.

"What are you doing? What is that?!" she hissed. He simply gazed at her, as if suddenly bored with the whole situation.

"It's a potion of sorts. It controls his body's rejection to his foreign blood. That's why he's not healing; he missed his latest dose." Still, she watched him warily before settling back. For just this, she would trust him. Right now, she was useless to Jonathan, but Valentine just might be the only hope they had. Was she an idiot for blindly trusting him like this? When they were both so vulnerable?

Valentine reached for his son's arm before glancing at Clary. "Try to move him into a sitting position. He can't be lying down for this." She readily obliged, gently shifting him so that his back was against her chest as she sat against the pillows at the head of the bed.

"Will this work?" she asked, biting her lip as Jonathan groaned from the pain of moving. Valentine only nodded before aligning the needle with the artery in the crook of his arm.

Even Clary winced as the needle pierced her brother's vein. He emptied the fluid into Jonathan's arm before removing it and pressing a cotton ball against the insertion spot. They said nothing for a few minutes and then Valentine turned, his tall form retreating from the room. He only stopped once his hand was one the door. "He should be awake in a couple hours."

Then, he was gone, leaving the two of them to their privacy. Who knew even Valentine could act human sometimes?

Clary laid Jonathan back down on the soft silks before curling into his side. "You can't leave me, Jonathan...," she whispered brokenly before closing her eyes. She fell into a fitful sleep, her exhaustion finally taking over.

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Soft cloth against his cheek was the first thing he noticed, along with Clary's sweet scent surrounding him. When he opened his eyes he was greeted with the sight of his darkened room. His wounds no longer pained him, and he had no nausea to speak of. Valentine must have administered a dose of his potion to him, but how? How did he get here?

He sat up slowly, his aching body protesting with the movement. Fuck, did he get trampled by a wild animal or something? A soft moan caught his attention and his eyes were drawn to his sister's sleeping form. A tenderness filled him as he gently caressed her sleeping figure. Of course, Clary must have brought him all the way back here. He should have been mildly surprised, but he knew he would have done the same for her.

He watched her sleep, memorizing her features and committing them to memory. What would he ever do if he lost her? Well, that was an easy question, he would destroy everything to be with her once again.

Clary's brows furrowed together before she shifted. He smiled, leaning down to kiss his sister softly before running a hand through her hair. "Wake up, sleeping beauty."

She actually batted his hand away before turning over, trying to get comfortable once more. A low chuckle left him as he poked her cheek. "Wakey, wakey!" he added. This time, her eyes blinked open, but she still appeared confused. As soon as she saw him, however, she was fully awake. Her arms surrounded his neck and she somehow ended up in his lap. "Woah!" he called out, but Jonathan couldn't keep himself from laughing. Clary, on the other hand, looked sad and a little pissed.

"I can't believe you! I-I was so worried." Okay, now he wished he hadn't laughed.

"Listen-," she interrupted him, her eyes gazing into his, full of a determination that left no room for argument.

"No, you listen. You owe me some answers, and I want them now." Well, fuck, his sister was becoming a hardass, and... it was fucking hot if he was honest. Though, she was right. She did deserve to know everything. So, he would be honest and tell her exactly what was wrong with both of them, and how they both tied into the war.

Alright, guys! Sorry, this chapter took a little bit longer. I've been splitting the majority of my time between A Dark Hate and Lost Amidst Shadows. Thank you for everyone that has been reviewing and telling me you love the story! It really means a lot to me.

If you're interested, you should check out Lost Amidst Shadows. It's actually my original story with a lot of supernatural creatures. It would mean a lot to me if you gave it a chance!

It's on Wattpad, and my author name is writing_notoriety