Author's Note: Last update of the night. But tomorrow, I promise, I will have the rest of the story. Maybe two or three chapters later after this? I'm not sure, but I'll give y'all the ending tomorrow! Enjoy! (:

Chapter Thirty-Seven

It's not enough.

It just enrages the demon.

It tosses me back, and I loose the grip on my blade, falling to the ground painfully. The demon rears back, and swings towards me, tossing Jace aside. He rolls gracefully to his feet, and I see him search for his own blade before the demon is blocking my view, coming for me now.

I scoot back as quickly as I can, but it's of no use. The demon is on me, its face burnt and charred and dripping old flesh. Its stench is ungodly in every sense, and I gag slightly as it reaches for me, ready to grab me and crush me like a toothpick.

But Jace is already there, swinging his blade down, severing the demon's hand, and it howls in frustration before grabbing Jace with the other. It lifts him up, hissing and growling, and I make out some words. Words like revenge, father, broken deal. And then I hear, very clearly, "You will pay for your father's mistakes."

"NO!"

I hear the scream, and I think it is from me. But it's not.

It's from Isabelle.

She's running towards the demon at full speed, a sword in her grasp, and she swings it with all her might, cutting a huge gash in the demon's leg. Black, thick and chunky gore pours from the wound, making the demon cry out and sling Jace across the ruins, his body slamming into one of the tilted pillars before dropping to the ground.

And then the demon has Isabelle in its grasp, and its squeezing her, squeezing her like a python squeezes its prey, and I heard the sickening snap of her spine being broken and her head drops forward, the light going out of her eyes.

The demon tosses her down like a discarded toy, its black eyes roaming, searching for its next victim.

Rage fills me, and I'm standing up, dashing for Isabelle's fallen blade, grabbing it and throwing myself into the air, swinging, arching the blade down so that it cuts through the demon's other hand. It drops to the ground as I do, and I regain my balance just before the demon swings at me with the stumps of its arms.

I fly back through the air before slamming into a pillar, the breath knocked out of me.

My vision bursts white and all I see are stars, real or a figment of my imagination, I'm not sure.

And then I'm in a different time, with a very human Jace, and we're sitting in the gardens behind my home, the smell of roses thick in the air. He's nervous tonight, wringing his hands, sweating a little, stuttering sometimes he speaks.

"What is it?" I inquire finally, smiling softly.

"What?" he shoots back, looking petrified.

"Why are you acting as if something horrible is about to happen?" I prod gently, scooting closer to him on the stone bench we sit atop.

"Nothing horrible is going to happen," he murmurs, looking down at his hands, before shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath. And then he's looking over at me, sliding off the bench, going to one knee in front of me. He says, "Something wonderful."

I'm back to the present now, my breath coming back into my lungs, and I sit myself up, turning to see the demon throw two of the men I don't know into the fire. They scream in agony, their bodies twisting as they are consumed with flame.

I feel sick but I force it away.

Instead, I somehow find Jace. He is sitting, stunned, a few yards away, watching as his associates are burned alive. And then his eyes meet mine, like our gazes are magnets, and I mouth to him, "Distract it."

And he nods slightly, jumping to his feet, and rushing the demon. I feel my heart constrict in fear—fear that he will get hurt, as insane as that sounds—and I find my blade just as Jace's blade finds purchase in the demon's foot.

What do I need to do? I ask the voices. "What do I need to hit to kill it?" I ask aloud.

They don't answer at first, because they are stunned and their plan has been foiled.

"TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" I scream.

Its heart. Hit its heart. And then say the words we tell you.

So I run, and I climb up its back once again as it tries desperately to squash Jace. And then it's trying to throw me off at the same time, but it's too late. Because I've already climbed over its shoulder, and I pull the blade back and sink it in as viciously as I can.

May God damn you back to Hell and relinquish the holds you have on this world.

So I say it. I scream it. I scream it again and again, and the demon collapses underneath me, falling to the ground and screeching out in pain as its body begins to dissipate.

Its skin begins to sizzle, burning me, and I cry out. I panic, and I can't move.

But then Jace's hands are grabbing the back of my dress, hoisting me off the monster as it sizzles and turns to a pool of black that seeps down into the earth, back down to Hell.

And then it's gone, and Jace and I are all that's left alive.

I'm resting against his chest as we catch our breath through quick pants, but I'm pulling myself away from him as quickly as I can to meet his eyes.

His face is blank. Astonished. His eyes wide, his lips parted.

We both must look the same way as we stare at each other, at what's just happened.

And then Jace opens his mouth wider, as if to speak, but something happens.

His neck jerks back violently, his body falling backwards and arching, shuddering. I scream in horror, crawling over to him swiftly, desperately, and his eyes are rolled back into his head, his body twitching and shaking.

"Jace," I whisper, reaching out to touch him, but someone else's hands are in the way—dark, tanned hands spotted with dirt. I look up, find Jordan's kind eyes, and I part my lips, ready to yell at him, to demand he tell me what's happening.

But he's already explaining.

"Don't touch him, Clary. He's changing back."

"Changing back?" I repeat dumbly, my eyes going back to Jace, just as he seizes horribly, his limbs stiff and jerky.

"To a human. The demon's holds have been relinquished—all of his holds, Clary."

I barely understand. I'm too busy watching, watching as the unnatural sheen of gold drains from Jace's curls, turning them back to a healthy, subtle shimmery blond, as his skin becomes less radiant, still golden toned and pretty but more real. He changes before me, yet not really. He's still gorgeous. Still handsome and everything appealing. But he's human. No longer unnatural.

No longer a monster.

And it happens right before my very eyes.