CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Renwick's Warehouse

I stood in front of my fireplace in my room, fumbling with the belt of my gear. There was I reason I couldn't put it on properly. I was nervous. I knew I probably shouldn't be. But I am. What would happen to my father and brother if we get them? And what if we don't get them?

What if the plan goes terribly wrong and my mother is hurt? What if she already is? What if Jace or the others get hurt?

I was so lost in thought I no longer fumbled with my belt, just stood still and watched the burning flames. I didn't even notice the door to my room being slowly pushed open and Jace slipping inside.

I only came back to reality when I felt Jace's warm hands touch my skin. I gasped and blinked, turning around, though I immediately relaxed when I realised it was him. I felt him run his hand down my arms, reaching my hands and fixing my belt.

I leaned back into him, both his arms encircling my waist as he stood behind me. If only I could really feel relaxed. If only we weren't about to fight my father, brother and no doubt a lot of demons, I would enjoy this moment. But it was a moment, nonetheless.

"You okay?" Jace asked quietly as he leaned into my hair, his breath tickling my shoulder.

"Mhmm," was all I gave as a response.

"Clary," he said, obviously knowing there was more behind to what I said.

So I gave in. "I don't know," I said softly. "How am I suppose to feel when I'm about to fight my evil father, my evil brother, save my mother, who might evil, and that I'm putting everyone I cared about in danger?"

He place his hands on my hips and turn me around so I could face him, the heat from the fire warming my skin through my gear. "You're no putting anyone in danger," he said, his golden eyes staring into mine. "We're doing this willingly. We're choosing to do this. And no one is going to get hurt."

I felt like my chest was being pierced like a blade. What he said had so much heart in it. For the moments we stood alone, I actually came to believe it. I felt Jace's lips softly press against my forehead and he looked me in the eyes again.

"I'm not saying this as a goodbye, or as an 'in case'," he said. One of his hands played with one of my red curls. "Clary," he begun, his words were soft. "I lov-"

"Guys?" Jace was cut off as we heard Isabelle's voice.

Neither of us groaned nor complained at being interrupted. We just slowly moved a little away from each other, although Jace's arms were still around me. It just didn't look as intimate as it truly was when she came in.

We looked up as she poked her head around the partially open door. Her eyes landed on us and flicked to our arms wrapped around each other, but she didn't say anything about it. "We're ready. Luke is here and has his pack waiting a few blocks away from the warehouse."

"Okay," I nodded. Both of Jace's arm and mine fell away from each other. I was a little shocked about what Jace was going to say. I sort of wanted him to say it. Although when he didn't quite get there, I was grateful. I still had that slight feeling in my gut. The feeling that I was going to betray them.

But could that be true? I was worried about them getting hurt. Yet they will be if I betray them. How could I feel those two ways at the same time.

I looked towards the door. This was it. Suddenly I felt all the nerves rise up again. And as if sensing that, Jace reached for my hand and entwined his fingers with mine.

Together we met the others in the foyer of the Institute.

"Has anyone told Maryse," I asked when we got there.

"Yeah, I sent her a message," Alec answered a question while drawing runes onto his arms.

"You didn't call her?" asked Jace.

"You want her to be shouting at you, then be my guest," Alec said. "I had to put my phone on silent because she won't stop calling."

"Well, if anything goes wrong, we know Maryse is bringing the Clave," Magnus said. I looked at him and smiled to myself. After that time all of us took to get ready, all Magnus did was change his coat to a dark navy blue, rather than his black leather one he was previously wearing.

He caught me smiling at him and raised and eyebrow. "What?"

"You changed jackets," was all I said.

Magnus looked down at it and fixed a button on his sleeve. "Well of course I did," he said, "that was an Armani, one of favourites. I'm not having some demon ruin it when it decides to spit it's venom everywhere."

I laughed, which was strange, considering the time. Luke walked up to me, pulling a phone from his ear, holding it away when he asked, "Are we ready to do this? The pack is getting anxious."

I looked around at the others to meet their eyes. They seemed ready enough. I nodded at Luke, "yeah."

"Okay," he said and put the phone back to his ear, "Yeah, we're good here, head to the warehouse now... Yes... Maia, you can do this. It's only for two blocks. If you're that worried, Bat is there, okay?" He smiled as, I'm guessing, the person on the other line agreed with him. He hung up and slipped the phone it his pocket.

"Everything good there?" I asked, a little concerned with the conversation he was having.

But Luke nodded, "It's just Maia, she's covering my place and is a little spooked. She's a good kid though, she can handle it. The pack is heading there now."

"Okay. Then we should too," I said and looked across at the others. "You guys ready?" They all nodded their heads.

I walked forwards, bringing my stele from my pocket and begun to draw the portal rune on the wooden wall, before I stepped back with the others. The portal came to life, replicating all the portals I made before this one. It was a like a tidal pool of water sitting on the wall, letting off a blue glow.

"Jace," I looked to him and he nodded. Since he was the only one that had been to the warehouse more for once, we decided he would go through first to give the portal our destination. I unconsciously sucked in a breath as he stood before it. Without a second glance back at us, Jace confidently walked through.

We waited a moment. Unsure why, as if the portal would just suddenly explode. Or that Jace would come running back screaming that there's millions of demons on the other side.

"Okay," I finally said, after it clearing wasn't going to do anything unusual. "You guys go next," I motioned to Isabelle and Alec. Once they were gone, I made Luke and Magnus go through.

Then it came to me. The last one. The person who had probably caused this and most of the trouble surrounding it. But this was it. It was finally going to end. And when I thought that, no what if's came to my mind. No nerves springing to life. I was ready for this.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and took a deep breath. Then I walked straight into the portal.

All eyes landed on me when I came through. The others stood around, their senses on high alert. I heard the portal snap shut and I spun around, only to see the last of it vanishing. I then focused my attention on my surroundings.

The area was quiet. There were no houses nearby, no shops, and even better, no mundanes passing by. So by the looks of it, no one came here often. Around us, trees were bare of leaves, preparing themselves for winter and the grass seemed rather dead. That, or it was covered in concrete.

I looked at the building in front of me. About five storeys high, some of the windows shattered, the outside bricks covered by moss. As much as I tried to be on high alert like the others, I felt a little offended. The building clearly didn't have a glamour on. My father was keeping my mother here. Here, of all places. And they expected it to end here?

"Here they come," Luke said casually. But I still was shocked. When he said that, I thought he was referring to my family, or demons. But instead, he was talking about his pack.

As he passed me, making his way to them, I asked, "Why do you even have a pack?"

He shrugged and said, "who doesn't?"

As the pack approached, I noticed Luke begin to talk to three werewolves. They were young, probably a few years older than me, but then in werewolf terms, they were adults. They came towards me, and I hardly noticed the other shadowhunters and Magnus gather around me.

"Clary, this Maia, Bat, and Jordan," he said, introducing the three people with him. A dark skinned girl who was obviously Maia. Bat, a broad shouldered man with a burn scar across his cheek. And Jordan, tall with dark hair tumbling over his forehead, had Sanskrit tattoos over his arms.

Luke introduced us as well. Then it was quiet again.

"So what do we do now?" I heard Jace ask from behind me.

"I suppose," I said, looking the building, "we go in."

I took a step towards it. But someone put their arm in my path and stopped me. I looked to my right to see it was Isabelle. "Something's not right," she said.

I barely had time to ask her what she meant when my eyes landed on the ruby necklace hanging from her neck. It strongly pulsed red. Alec saw it too and immediately knocked a arrow with his bow. I was about to tell everyone be on alert, but I never had time. At the end of the pack, farthest from us, we heard shouts and growling.

Although we didn't have to ask what it was before nearly everyone took off towards the commotion. But with all the werewolves, and my lack of height, I was hardly able to see over their heads. It was only when Jace came up beside and said, more like growled, although it was different from the changing werewolves around us, "There's demons. Lots of them."

A picture was already shaping in my mind, but then Jace's lots and mine could be very different. "How many is lots?"

He never answered because demons were coming around the side of the pack, towards us. Immediately all of us unsheathed seraph blades, except for Isabelle, who got her golden whip ready. And before I could even take one look around to see if anyone was in serious trouble, the demons were on us.

The first demon that came at me, I was a little surprised. Sure I still knew how to handle a blade and fight demons, but again, I had been stuck in the mundane world for a while. Even assassinations don't prepare you for the dark yellow saliva dripping from the demon's teeth, the wretched smell of festering flesh it brings with it, and not to mention the gruesome amount of eyes these things have.

Not all of them were Drevak, like we expected. No, they weren't blind demons that only rely on smell. And most of them weren't demons that just happened to have a brain the size of a pea. None of them were like that.

As I took a step forward, ready to attack it, I watched as it snarled, it's disgusting breath reaching my nose and making it scrunch up. I swung my blade, readying it in my grasp. But just as I was about to slash forward, a blonde figured jumped into front of the demon and swiped it's head cleanly from it's shoulders.

I shouted at Jace as he moved on to the next demon in our path. "That was mine, Herondale!"

"You took too long!" he shouted looking over his shoulder at me. He wasn't even watching as he sliced another demon. He smirked at me, knowing that was his plan all along.

"Show off," I mumbled.

"No, just amazing," he laughed. Laughing, in the middle of a fight. He was just so-

"Nuriel," I said, my eyes landing on something behind Jace. I felt the blade come to life in my hand as I named it. Jace frowned at me, "wha-?"

Before he could finish, I quickly side-stepped around him and make quick work of the demon that had just lunged at the back of Jace's head. Jace spun around, staring wide-eyed at the creature as it turned to dust and vanished. I guess he never thought that would happen. He nodded at me, "thanks."

He started pass me, on his way to more demons when he stopped and turned around, "Clary," he said as werewolves, demons and the few shadowhunters fought around us. Oh, and Magnus, who you could tell was making easy work of the demons when blue sparks lighted the air around him.

"Be safe," Jace said.

I laughed at him, "you're telling me?" I locked eyes with him for only a second before they drifted past him to the warehouse. Suddenly, I was completely unaware of the threat around everyone, of Jace frowning as I stood frozen, looking past him.

Jace spun around once more, his eyes following my gaze to the window of the top story of the building. But just as Jace laid eyes on him, my brother disappeared back into the shadows of the warehouse.

"Please tell me you saw him," I said, finally able to look back at Jace. I thought my nerves might have gotten the best of me.

"I saw him," he said. I breathed out, relieved. "We've got there now, or they'll just send more."

I looked around and my eyes landed on a werewolf, black and a patch of silver. "Luke!" I shouted at him. He faced me, his teeth covered in ichor as he snarled. Seeing it was me though, he relaxed and slowly turned back into human form.

He came towards us, and I said, "we're heading in."

He nodded, "the pack can handle this. I'm coming with you."

"Of course you are," I agreed with him. There was no way I doubted his love for my mother now. "Jace?" I said and he was by my side in a second. "Go get Alec, Izzy and Magnus."

He nodded before off and manoeuvring through the pack, slaying some demons on his way. Meanwhile, Luke and I headed towards the large double doors of the warehouse.

"Are you ready, Clary?" Luke asked, becoming serious.

I nodded, "Yes."

"So you know what your going to do? With Jonathan and Valentine?"

I looked at him and I could tell he knew I had no plan. No official plan. I was telling myself I would catch my brother and father. But I had no idea what 'catch' meant. All I knew for certain was that I wanted my mother safe, even if she did side with the rest of my family. She wasn't really safe with them.

But again, what to do with Jonathan and Valentine? Valentine was already corrupt, beyond saving. But then Jonathan was born corrupt. Could I save neither of them? But even if there was a chance, even a small one, I had to take it.

I looked into Luke's crystal blue eyes and said, "yes."

I knew my plan.

Before long, Jace met up with us, along with Alec, Izzy and Magnus, who seemed annoyed about the burns and slashed in his jackets. But I saw Alec lean over to him and whisper, "at least it wasn't the Armani."

That instantly brought a smile back to Magnus' face. But I was pretty sure it was just the Alec whispering to him part, not the fact that his expensive leather jacket was safe at home.

"Okay?" Luke asked, as a general question to everyone. They nodded, and without a second thought, we made our way into the warehouse.

I knew it, last week I didn't say I'll try to update on time, and now look, the chapter is up!

So, what you think? Like it? Don't like it? Any suggestions?

Since I'm on a writing role (is that a thing?) I'm gonna start writing the next chapter. Cause I'm also excited, even though I've been saying that a lot. Probs cause it's true hahaha

Anyway, hoped you enjoyed it. And thanks to the continued supporters, lov you guys!

Au revoir!