Pandemonium was the type of nightclub that average people like me queued outside of for hours in the hopes of getting a peek inside, or just didn't bother going to at all. The guest list was almost exclusively dealt with in the currency of connection but, luckily for us, no one in Brooklyn was more connected than Magnus Bane.
A few people in our group stepped in to place at the back of the line as we approached it, but Magnus shook his head with a cat-like smile.
"This way, children." He joked and beckoned us to follow him up the outside of the velvet ropes that separated the line from the sidewalk. Izzy cheered and took my hand, practically skipping her way towards the surly doormen flanking the entrance with me in tow. Even from outside, I could hear the music surging.
As we approached, a willowy man in a pale green suit with bone white hair stepped out of the darkness in the doorway.
"Magnus, a pleasure as always." he said in a smooth English accent, arms open in welcome.
"It's good to see you, Ragnor." Magnus said brightly. He waved me over, planting his hands firmly on my shoulders.
"This is Clarissa, the birthday girl." He explained to Ragnor, "Clary, meet Ragnor Fell; he's been kind enough to agree to host us for the evening."
"It's great to meet you, thanks so much for having us." I gushed and held out my hand to shake Ragnor's. He bent his head low and dropped a kiss on the tops of my fingers instead. I giggled awkwardly as Izzy nudged me in the ribs, biting back a smile. Someone in the crowd surrounding us wolf whistled.
"Any friend of Magnus is a friend of mine." He grinned as he straightened up, brushing down the creases in his suit jacket. He leaned towards the doorman to the right and spoke quietly into his ear. The doorman nodded curtly, producing a collection of wristbands from his jacket pocket.
"If you'd all like to take a band and follow me, I'll show you to your booth." Ragnor said airily with a sweeping arm.
"Booth?" I stage whispered to Magnus as the doorman wrapped the small plastic band around my wrist.
"Patience, my dear Biscuit." He said sagely, his eyes shining. Maia and Isabelle looped their arms through mine, and we giddily followed Ragnor through the heavy velvet curtains obscuring the doorway, into an open area lit up by soft red sconce lighting.
I didn't know what I'd been expecting of the décor in Pandemonium, maybe purple neon lights and a few disco balls here and there, but the foyer alone was made up like the inside of a gothic speakeasy, and was quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before in a nightclub. The walls were lined with retro artwork, and gauzy curtains draped from the high ceiling down to the floor. Two pillars flanked the room, each one was encircled with black flowers and golden vines. The floor was black and gold marble.
A bored looking young woman with barrel rolled, electric blue hair and lips to match was tapping on her phone screen behind a booth as we pooled into the foyer. She dropped it quickly when she spotted Ragnor, and sat up straight whilst she readjusted her face into a cheek splitting smile. I could see the entrance to the dancefloor at the back of the room behind where she sat; strobe lighting flickered through the cracks in the velvet padded doors.
I took a step towards the door but rather than heading straight forward, Ragnor led us off to the side of the foyer away from the other guests milling about the room. We walked excitedly towards another doorway concealed by more heavy curtains. The blue haired girl hurried to hold them open for us, smiling brightly. One by one we filed through the hole in the wall and made our way down a low-lit corridor.
"I'd like to show you to your booth for the evening." Ragnor came to a stop and gestured at the closed double door to our left, his eyes glittered in the dim corridor light. Izzy squeezed my hand, humming excitedly under her breath.
"Ladies, gentlemen," he said dramatically, as if he were the ringleader of a travelling circus, "Welcome to Pandemonium."
He pushed the doors open and I stepped through into the blast of noise and heat of the main room. The 'booth' turned out to be a large, private area off from the main dancefloor, made up with its own bar, wait staff and security stopping the general masses from entering. From my vantage point, I could see that the club itself was packed; throngs of people crowded on to the dancefloor, spinning and swaying along to the music as if they were in a dream. I could feel the deep tremor of the bass pass through the floor and up my legs. My whole body felt like it was vibrating.
"Pretty special, huh?" Magnus shouted into my ear as I watched a woman tumble gracefully from the ceiling above the dancefloor from aerial silks. Two men blew fire from their mouths on the stage at either side of the DJ booth. I turned, wide eyed, and captured him in a tight hug.
"How did you arrange all this? It's amazing!" I said loudly as he grinned.
"Ragnor and I go way back. Let's just say he owes me more than a few favours." He winked and led me by the hand towards the bar.
"Pick your poison, Red," he purred, "It's all free tonight."
I laughed incredulously, shaking my head in awe as I placed an order for the most delicious sounding cocktail I could see on the menu. The bartender put on an impressive show as he mixed it and wished me a happy birthday when he handed it over a few minutes later. As soon as his own drink was served, Magnus thanked him and left a tip, then took me by the hand again. He led me to a comfortable collection of sofas off to the side of the booth, where Jace and Alec were already seated.
I circled around towards Jace and carefully negotiated my way into the seat beside him. He leaned back casually in his seat, chatting animatedly with Alec. He didn't stop his conversation, but he touched his fingertips lightly to the back of my hand in greeting. I smiled as I sipped on my drink and rolled the cocktail umbrella idly between my fingers.
Aline appeared at my side and flopped down in the spot next to me, carrying a bucket of chilled champagne in her hands. She set it on the table and turned to me.
"This is awesome, how did you manage to swing this?" she asked breathlessly, eyes wide with excitement. I snorted as I watched her pull an empty champagne flute from her cleavage and pour herself a generous glassful.
"Nothing to do with me! This was all Magnus." I grinned. She shook her head so that her sleek raven bob shifted around her face like a silky black curtain.
"I should have guessed. I feel like a celebrity."
"It's like I'm in a dream." I agreed.
Aline smirked and leaned her head closer to mine, talking in a low voice that only I could hear.
"Speaking of dreams," she said conspiratorially, "When did this thing start happening between you and the walking Michelangelo painting, huh?" her eyes dropped to my hand, which was now intertwined with Jace's on the sofa, and she wiggled her brows suggestively with a mischievous grin, "Did you hook up at the wedding? You both disappeared at the same time…"
She trailed off meaningfully and I nudged her in the ribs as a laugh escaped my lips.
"We didn't hook up." I hissed in her ear, struggling to hold back ripples of laughter, "Nothing happened."
Aline sniffed sceptically.
"You don't fool me, Fray. I can spot sexual tension a mile away and you, my dear, are rife with it."
I rolled my eyes, but a foolish grin had worked its way across my lips. Aline tipped her head back with another laugh, though I was spared whatever quip she was building up to next by the arrival of Maia and Isabelle. They each carried a tray lined with shot glasses, looking decidedly smug.
"What's this?" I asked without needing to as they set the trays down on the table in front of me. I eyed the clear amber liquid, saltshakers and slices of lime dubiously. Maia shoved one of the small, brimming glasses into my hand, wiggling to the beat of the song that was playing as the rest of our group surrounded us. Isabelle started dealing out shots like poker cards.
"This is my good pal, Don Julio. He insisted on wishing you happy birthday!" Maia hooted as I took a sniff of the tequila and wrinkled my nose. Jace, who had finished his conversation with Alec, leaned forward and grabbed a saltshaker and a slice of lime, offering them out to me.
"Bottoms up?" he said in my ear, leaning in close. I could hear the smile in his voice as the sharp bristles of his stubble rubbed pleasantly against my cheek. I narrowed my eyes at him playfully as he backed up and plucked the salt from his hand, licking the back of my hand quickly. I poured a small mound of salt on the damp patch.
"You're not going to make a girl drink her birthday shot alone, are you?" I smiled, raising my eyebrows in challenge.
"Wouldn't dream of it." He said airily and snagged one of the leftover shots from the tray. Feeling an uncharacteristic rush of confidence that was almost definitely spurred on by the alcohol, I took his free hand and ran my tongue slowly over his skin and poured the salt for him. I vaguely registered catcalls from my friends, could see Isabelle clapping her hands together excitedly, but I didn't take my eyes away from Jace. He was rigid in his seat, the smirk he'd worn seconds beforehand had disappeared to be replaced by something else entirely. Something hungry.
"Bottoms up." I teased and tipped the shot in to my mouth in one, licking salt off my hand first. The tequila burned my throat as I swallowed, and I winced against the smooth and sour taste. I bit into the wedge of lime Jace was still holding between his fingers and slammed the now empty glass down on the table. My friends roared with cheers and whistles, and I beamed.
Jace continued to watch me carefully; he hadn't moved since I'd licked his hand, and his eyes were dark – almost completely black with only a thin ring of golden iris visible. The look he gave me made my toes curl in my shoes. I wiped my mouth slowly with the back of my hand and sat back against the couch.
"Your turn." I breathed, and he exhaled with a blink.
"You're going to be the death of me." He groaned under his breath and tipped the shot into his mouth.
I swayed along to the music at around a third of the pace the bassline demanded. My chin was tilted up to the ceiling, my eyes half lidded. I watched the lights above us as if in a trance; the way they bounced and splintered across the room like bolts of lightning in a storm was hypnotising. My entire body felt like white noise, like static in a television.
I ran my fingers idly through my hair and felt beads of sweat trickle down the back of my neck. Somewhere above us a fan was blowing, but the dancefloor was so full and throbbing with movement that it hardly made a difference.
Maia appeared in front of me and grabbed my hand, abruptly pulling me out of the spell the light show had placed me under. She turned me on the spot, yelling the lyrics to a song I didn't recognise at the top of her voice. I smiled lazily at her when the spin came to an end, and she gave me a beaming grin in return. She backed away, twirling her hips along to the music in perfect time. Bat appeared from the crowd as if out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around her waist as they danced.
Simon was to my right, miming the lyrics to the song with actions, like he was playing a bizarre dancefloor game of charades punctuated by the odd air drum. Isabelle smiled endearingly at him as she swayed, and after a time I watched her give up on dancing properly in favour of goofing off with him instead. They waltzed on the spot, laughing openly.
I saw Jace before he saw me. He was leaning against the wrought iron railing just off to the side of the booth, staring out on to the packed dance floor as if lost in thought. Under the lights, his hair looked saturated, more silver than gold. I felt a smile creep on to my face.
"I'm going to get a drink!" I shouted at my friends as loud as I could above the music as the song transitioned. I turned and headed back towards the booth, squeezing my way through crowds of people. I kept my eyes on Jace as I weaved around dancing bodies, and, as if he could feel me looking, his eyes cut across the crowd and landed on me. A languid smile stretched across his face.
I took another step towards him, my mind focused so entirely on getting closer to him that before I realised what was happening, I was knocked unceremoniously to the floor as a sharp elbow connected with my jaw. I blinked for a long moment in shock on the ground before my brain caught up and registered the throbbing pain.
A young guy stood above me, yelling apologies I couldn't quite make out. I blinked up at him, dazed, and tried to wrap my mind around the sounds he was making as I swallowed back the sick feeling that was settling into my stomach. I knew I needed to get up, but my legs felt like lead beneath me. I'd never been hit before, intentionally or unintentionally. My brain struggled to catch up with what had happened as stunned tears stung behind my eyes.
I was thankful when I looked up again and saw Jace appear in front of me, haloed by the bright lights above us, looking stricken. He pushed the guy unceremoniously to the side and crouched in front of me, taking my hands in his.
"Are you okay, Clary? Can you stand?" he asked. I nodded briefly with a wince and he pulled me carefully off the ground. Once my feet were firmly planted, an arm secured itself around my waist to keep me steady. His other hand cupped my face so he could take a look at the damage.
"I'm fine," I reassured him, then repeated it louder for the horror-stricken guys benefit, adding, "It was an accident. I wasn't watching where I was going."
"I'm so sorry," the guy repeated, and I waved him away with my hand.
"Enjoy the rest of your night." I told him firmly as Jace steered me gently through the crowd that had gathered around the commotion. We climbed up the steps to the booth, and Jace paused at the bar to explain the situation briefly to Alec and Magnus who watched us approach apprehensively. They sprang into action, collecting a glass of ice and some napkins from the barman. They handed them over to Jace; he thanked them, assured them that we'd be okay on our own, and guided me out of the double doors, into the quieter, empty corridor.
"Where are we going?" I asked him when the door closed behind us. I tried to peel myself away from his side, but he only held on tighter.
"Ladies room." He explained as he knocked on the door to the private bathroom opposite the booth. He was greeted with silence but when he pushed the door open ajar with his foot he was still hesitant.
"Anyone in here?" he called. More silence.
"I think we're good," I tried to smile, but instantly regretted it. Pain throbbed through my jaw and I sucked in a breath, massaging my chin. He closed the door firmly behind us and quickly scooped me up by the waist. I yelped in surprise as I left the ground and my feet kicked limply in the air, the cold glass pressing against my legs. He strode across the room and deposited me on to the marble counter between the basins.
"C'mon, Rocky. Let me get a look at you." He said gently as he straightened up, taking my chin gently in his hands. A worry line had appeared between his eyes and I smoothed it over with my thumb.
"I'm okay Jace, honestly." And it was true, aside from the pain in my jaw. The rolling nausea I'd initially felt in my stomach had passed and my wrists had absorbed most of the shock of falling. Luckily, there was no blood to be seen.
He nodded but studied my face carefully nonetheless, ignoring my weak protests. He gently tilted my chin up to the light and clicked his tongue. He leaned around my body to grab a fistful of ice from the glass and wrapped it in a napkin, then brought it very carefully against my jaw. It was cold, but not unbearable, and it soothed the throbbing.
His close proximity, however, threatened to make me forget my injury almost entirely. My train of thought was immediately swept up in the realisation that he was once again stood exceptionally close to me, one hand wrapped around my waist, the other cupping the ice to my face. I could see every fleck of gold in his eyes as they studied my face carefully, could see the shadow of concern that lingered on his own. If I just leaned forward even an inch, we'd be kissing.
"You're probably going to have a bruise tomorrow." He observed quietly. The sound of his voice, like honey in my ear, pulled me out of my daydream. I swallowed and nodded my head distantly.
"You're lucky you didn't get hit harder." He continued as he brushed my hair back from my face. It didn't escape my notice that his eyes dropped to my lips for a beat. I leaned into his palm when it rested against my cheek.
"Good job I had Doctor Herondale on hand. You seem to know what you're doing." I teased. He smiled wanly.
"My Aunt Tessa's had to patch me up more times than I'm willing to admit. This is nothing."
"You get punched often?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.
He shook his head, smiling, "Not anymore, but when I was a teenager I fought a lot. She was always cleaning up the messes I made, especially in the first year I lived with them. I was angry all the time." He explained. His eyes quickly darted to mine and he pressed his mouth closed as he registered what he'd said, looking uncomfortable.
I didn't know how to respond to the insight about his life without prying, and judging by his reaction, it wasn't the time to delve into the specifics, so I settled with "She sounds nice."
Jace visibly relaxed and laughed, nodding his head. His eyes showed me he was thankful I hadn't asked.
"She is. They both are, Tessa and my Uncle Will. They've put up with way more shit than they should have with me, but they never complained."
We were silent for a long moment as he readjusted the makeshift icepack on my face, and I imagined a younger Jace, face swollen and bloody after a fight, getting cleaned up by a faceless lady. Eventually he shifted and looked around the room, eyebrow quirked in amusement.
"What is it with us and bathrooms, huh? Two weeks running." He grinned. I chuckled, remembering our first meeting.
"Hopefully I look slightly better than I did on the stall floor." I wrinkled my nose, recalling the racoon eyes and tearstained cheeks, and he laughed with a half-smile. His hand traced lazy circles over my waist. I shuddered against the light touch as he gave me a thoughtful look.
"I'm not sure, there is something deeply sexy about a woman covered in her own snot." He joked. I hit him lightly on the arm with a shocked laugh.
"You were supposed to say I looked just as good then as I do now, you know." I chided with mock hurt.
"I don't lie, Clary." He grinned widely. I gasped a laugh and tried to shimmy away from him, but he held me firmly in place, dropping the ice in to the basin as he pulled me tightly in to the circle of his arms. My face was buried in the crook of his neck, and I closed my eyes briefly, taking in the warmth of his body.
One of his hands crept deliberately up my spine, leaving trails of white-hot fire where his fingertips met my bare skin. Ever so slowly his hand snaked into my hair, still damp with sweat, and he touched his forehead to mine. My heart thudded in my ribcage as my own hands came to rest against his chest, firm and warm beneath my palms. I let out a gasp of air when he scooted my body closer to his along the cold porcelain of the countertop.
"You want to know what I really think?" he said quietly against my neck as he trailed his lips across my skin. My fists balled in the material of his shirt as I nodded silently.
"I think you're beautiful, inside and out." he said between feather-light kisses. I tilted my head back, giving him more access to my skin, "I remember thinking I had to talk to you the second I saw you walk into the ceremony in that green dress. You blew me away. It didn't matter that you had makeup down your face when we spoke in the bathroom, because you were still one hundred times more beautiful than any woman I've ever laid eyes on."
My breath hitched in my throat. He kissed the shell of my ear as he muttered, "I don't think I've stopped thinking about you for more than a minute since we met. Not touching you drives me crazy."
"You're touching me right now," I pointed out in a whisper, my voice hoarse.
"Not enough." He sighed.
His words set a spark in my chest that threatened to burst into fireworks without a seconds notice. I tightened my grip in his shirt and turned my face to his, catching his mouth with mine in a hard, hot kiss. I pushed my body closer, closer, to his as my hands flew to his hair, gripping on to silky strands as they curled around my fingers. He kissed me back with just as much passion, pulling me close to his chest as my legs wrapped tightly around his waist, my dress hitched up around my thighs. I gasped against his mouth as his hands ran up my body, feeling every curve with purpose and clear intent. I was absolutely certain no one had ever kissed me like this; like I was the oxygen he needed to breathe. If I'd thought the kiss at the hotel had been an explosion, this was a supernova.
"Clary?" Jace said huskily against my mouth a minute later, slowing his kisses to a near agonising halt. I opened my eyes a little to see him looking at me darkly.
"Mmhm?" I mumbled.
"We have to stop."
"Why?" I asked, kissing his jaw. He groaned and took a small step back and I let out a pitiful sound of protest, clutching at his arms to keep him close. His chest was rising and falling rapidly in tandem with my own.
"Because we're in a public bathroom." He laughed gruffly as he rested his forehead against mine, "If we don't stop now, I won't be able to stop ever."
"So don't." I heard myself say. He let out a rattled breath and gently kissed the top of my head before he untangled himself from my mess of limbs with a sigh. He adjusted his shirt and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair, watching me with dark, glittering eyes.
I gently pulled my dress straps back up over my shoulders and pushed the skirt down my legs, covering my thighs as quickly as I could, whilst Jace watched every move I made. I slipped off the counter, filled with sudden, sobering embarrassment. It was like my whole body had been scorched with blush within seconds. I wrapped my arms around my torso and looked away, chewing my lip.
"You're right. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." I flushed.
Jace reached out and touched my face with his fingertips, shaking his head, "Don't apologise. That was… Jesus Christ I don't know a word for what that was."
"So why did you stop?" the pout in my voice was mortifying.
Jace smiled at that and leaned in close to me. He spoke very quietly in my ear.
"Call me old fashioned, Clary, but I'm not big on having sex in nightclub bathrooms."
"You don't strike me as much of a traditionalist," I grumbled, but a grin tugged at the corner of my mouth. I turned away, no longer able to look at him without feeling like my skin was crawling with lust. He was right, of course, but I couldn't swallow the disappointment quick enough or shift the embarrassment of what I'd almost certainly been willing to do in the heat of the moment.
I examined my reflection in the mirror instead for a distraction.
"Yikes." I said, frowning at myself. My eyeliner had smudged beneath my eyes and my lipstick was smeared across my mouth from kissing him. I quickly wiped up the mess as best I could and turned my attention to the red welt that was blossoming on my jaw. I prodded it gingerly with a wince.
"Does it hurt?" Jace asked behind me. I looked at his reflection in the mirror as he walked towards me and shrugged. His hand gently moved my hair over my shoulder, and he dropped a slow kiss on the nape of my neck. I sucked a breath in through my nose as my eyes fluttered, shuddering.
"It'll hurt more tomorrow when the tequila leaves my system, I'm sure." I said, trying to keep my voice level. Truthfully, I was more drunk from him that any alcohol I'd consumed but the numbing effects of spirits were evident.
"I could help with that." He muttered against my neck.
"You know, it's rude start something you won't finish." I remarked breathlessly. He met my eyes in the mirror and grinned, slow and wicked.
"Do you want to get out of here?" he cocked his head, eyebrow raised. I blinked twice, gauging if he were serious, but could see no trace of a joke in his eyes. I turned in his arms and pressed my lips his mouth softly.
"Let's go."
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Full disclosure, the next one is probably not what you're expecting, but follow/favourite to find out in the next update! My city is now under enhanced local lockdown measures in the UK, so you might start to see chapters coming a little quicker that they have been since I'm back to not leaving the house!
Let me know your thoughts in the reviews, they really do make me smile. Thank you for all your kind words to those who have left comments already! As always, stay safe everyone and thanks for reading :) G