Isabelle was hurt and bleeding, Clary's pain was beginning to worsen due to the venom, all the while being face-to-face with her masochistic brother, trapped behind a barrier of feril creatures.

But Clary refused to ask if it could possibly get worse.

"I'm very sorry, Sister, for the attack. I see it has taken quite a toll on you," Sebastian said, his voice sending splinters up Clary's spine, digging deep into the bone.

"Sorry you did it or sorry I'm still here?" she challenged, meeting the black eyes with her own defiant glare. She would not fear him, would not, no. She refused to give him that satisfaction.

Sebastian's expression twisted into some false mockery of hurt. "I never wanted to hurt you, Clarissa. That was never my intention."

She locked her jaw, feeling Jace tense again beside her. "You sure about that? Because nothing you did, nothing you ever did pointed to the possibility of you actually caring! You don't even know how to define that word, or any relatively human word regarding feelings," Clary spat the last part, raising her chin higher as her aggression grew. "You know only anger and deception."

He gave her a lopsided smile, one she despised the moment it appeared on his face. "We still share blood, Clary. You and I, we could accomplish great things. Look at what you're able to do now and you've only just begun to discover who you truly are. You need someone there to help you. I know more about you than I allow you to believe."

"You honestly know nothing about me. You're not part of my family! You never have been and you never will be."

Clary saw the anger burning in his eyes and triumph surged through her that her words had impacted him one way or the other. She suddenly felt a little stronger.

"I can take what you have, Clarissa. I can still take it and break it all."

Clary ignored the threat. "If you do, you won't live long enough to see the effect it'll have on me."

"Not unless I start now."

"Isabelle!" The voice that rang from one of the tunnels echoed through the room and both Clary and Sebastian turned to see Alec running towards his sister. A loud growl tore through Simon's throat at his approach. "Touch her and I'll kill you," he snarled.

"She's my sister.," Alec shot back.

"And you did this to her!" Simon roared, the sound deafening.

The tension between Clary and Sebastian seemed to momentarily melt away, watching as Simon's words made the Shadowhunter falter back a step. It didn't help Alec that nobody tried to deny it. Why would we, Clary thought. It was kind of his fault. It abruptly became silent, as quiet as the dead as Alec stared, horrified.

Clary turned back just in time to catch a glimmer shining brightly in Sebastian's eyes. "Basic theory shows the weak will be the first to go."

She looked at him in confusion, but he was already gone, stepping over to Alec and lifting the Shadowhunter off his feet, Sebastian's hand locked around Alec's throat.

"NO!" Isabelle screamed just as Jace shot forward, yet he had nothing to defend himself with. Then Jace was sending a kick to Sebastian's back, but it didn't faze him; he just continued gripping Alec between his fingers.

Simon lifted Isabelle and carried her out of the range of fire, ignoring her shouts of protest. Clary's thoughts blended together and before she knew it, she too was racing towards Sebastian, trying to send an uppercut between him and Alec.

It didn't work. Sebastian threw her aside with a single motion and her back smacked against something big-with fur. The growl rippled through the massive body as Clary turned to the hybrid.

It was good to know she had anticipated that things could still go very wrong indeed.

Sorry, I know it is a really short chapter but the next one I will make longer.