Grateful to have readers, and sorry for the late update as always. Thanks to fun and forever young, a great fast working beta. Don't forget to leave a comment. And welcome to the new followers. Enjoy !
"He is...blond, hum... quiet tall, his eyes are… I don't know what you're asking of me right now!" Clary was worried and afraid, this wasn't good. Something had to be wrong according to Luke's demeanor.
"What else ? Is there something specific about his appearance that you remember ? Or did he ever say or act strange ? What did he want with you ?"
"Other than the fact that he is very handsome there isn't anything specific that I can recall. He was nice; he said he just wanted to get to know me. It was just a date, I don't think he had other intentions. Even though I've gotta admit that sometimes it felt like he was hiding things from me..."
"What do you mean exactly ? Details Clary, focus !"
"I don't know it's just that when we talked he seemed to sometimes ponder the answer a bit more than necessary for some simple banal questions." Clary suddenly realized that he must have been lying because he was coming up with the answers along the way or not telling the entire truth. She must have had doubts since she remembered these details. He didn't lie the entire time, he was honest when he talked about his personal life, he seemed genuine with her during these times.
"So he must have been lying to you. Did he tell you what his job was in this institute ?"
"He said he was sort of a diplomat, going from institute to institute."
Luke turned to look at Maryse. They had this sort of mental understanding, a silent conversation clearly happening between them.
"Clary get changed . I'll be waiting in front of your room. Do it now." He barked the order as he and Maryse were leaving the room, they closed the door behind. Izzy and Clary looked at each other not knowing how to react to this entire situation.
"What in the heaven is going on ? What's up with their reactions, who's that guy you're dating ?"
"I don't know Izzy, but now I'm kinda afraid. It seems like they think he is someone dangerous or something."
"Now I'm also getting scared." Once the sentence left her lips, she grabbed Clary and hugged her tightly. Clary was surprised but grateful. She rested her head on Izzy's shoulder feeling comfortable and soothed. Then she remembered what Luke said, she had to get ready. He was waiting for her. So she got up from the bed and opened the dresser to pick an outfit.
Once she washed her face and put a grey turtleneck sweater dress on, she hugged Izzy one last time.
"I am sure everything is going to be okay." Izzy whispered in Clary's ear, in a warm tone. Clary simply nodded to that sentence.
She left the room finding Luke exactly where he said he'd be : in front of the door. Talking quietly to Maryse. They seemed to be in an argument.
"You don't need to do this, Lucian." Maryse said desperately.
"You know that this is necessary." Luke answered vividly. Then Maryse noticed Clary's presence and added "Alright call me whenever possible. I'll keep you updated on the situation."
Maryse left. Luke was silent, lost in his thoughts for a moment before suddenly walking down the hallway. Clary followed silently, a knot forming in her belly. This was bad. Luke rarely acted this way, this was new. He seemed like a soldier about to make a tough decision, acting quickly for the safety of his comrades.
Their steps on the stoned floor resonated, as she was following him in the maze that was the institute. Then finally they went up the stairs, passed next to the angel's statue, and with a sure and rapid step they walked out of the church in a matter of minutes.
The cold winter wind caressed her bare face and legs. It was refreshing amidst all this chaos. The blue sky was clouded by a great number of grey clouds. It wasn't snowing yet but there were the remains of the previous night's snow. Clary liked the cold, winter was her favorite season.
"Clary, chop chop, get in the car." Luke opened the passenger door for her. Getting in the car. How did the car get here so fast? Clary wondered where they were heading as she glanced at the church. She didn't want to leave the institute for good. She had finally started appreciating her life there. Once they both put their belts on and Luke started the car, Clary asked "Where are we going ?" Her heart beat faster waiting for the answer. The car was already on the road, heading to an unknown location.
"We are staying a few days out of the institute, until the situation gets better."
"What do you mean, a few days ? Where are we staying ? What situation are you talking about ?" Silence. "Luke?" Still nothing " What is going on ?" Luke never answered, he was focused on the road. After 5 minutes of silence, she stopped hoping for an answer. She redirected her attention to the window, focusing on the view. They were passing by many business buildings; it seemed like they were in the french district.
"Alright, you won't answer my question but at least tell me: who do you think Chris is ?"
Luke looked troubled once she asked that, something changing in his attitude.
"Clary you must have his phone number right? Give it to me, I need it." The girl was getting annoyed by their conversation. It felt like she was talking to a wall. How come he was the only one to get answers to his questions ?!
"I do have his phone number but I don't have my phone." Luke turned his head and looked at Clary, shock and disappointment clear on his face. "There was an emergency during our date; I had to leave abruptly so I forgot my phone."
"What exactly happened for you to leave your phone, when you can't go anywhere without it ?"
The girl started panicking her heart working in overdrive. Can she actually tell the truth? How is he going to react ? Alright I think the best thing to do is tell the truth. He doesn't seem to like Chris. It feels like he suspects Chris of being someone he knows, someone dangerous maybe. But is Luke going to scold me for my decisions ? Clary wondered.
"I was in the High Tower- I think it's called something like the Luxuria High Tower." Clary decides not to mention the being drunk part. Luke, flabbergasted by this information, stopped the car in the middle of the road. Clary was now panicking. He turned his head slowly to look at her "What did you precisely do there, Clary ? And how the heaven did you get there ?" He inquired, raising his voice dangerously.
"I…" She coughs, trying to find the right words. "We had sex." She expects him to yell at her incredulously, to punch the steering wheel or even to sigh in disappointment but nothing. He says nothing, engulfing them both in silence. Too much silence.
The honking noise startled both of them. Shaking his head as though to disperse his thoughts, he restarted the car. And just like that they were on the move again.
"Did you use protection ?" Was the first thing he said after 10 minutes of silence. Clary wanted to bury herself in a hole somewhere far away. Because she didn't, with Chris nor Alec. She had decided it was best not to mention she also had sex with Alec literally 5 minutes after leaving Chris. She was such a mess.
"No, I didn't…" She whispered. Turning her face away from him; she couldn't face him, this was so humiliating.
"Did something happen afterwards ? Did you feel pain somewhere ?" Clary immediately looked at his face, confused clearly. How could he know ? He knows way more than I think.
"Yeah actually, it felt like someone poured acid on my vagina." Clary shared, not ashamed to talk about her body with Luke, he was her father after all. He deserved the title after all this time.
"Oh lucifer, Clary I'm sorry you had to go through that. I have so much to tell you." He seemed sorry.
"If you're truly sorry, then tell me the truth. I'm tired of being left in the dark. I am sure you know more about me than I do. And stop telling me you are lying for my own protection. I'm sure I'm in danger because I don't know everything about myself."
Luke parked in front of a humongous chic beige building. It had to be a five star hotel. The architecture of the building was a mix between the Rococo and Baroque style.
Getting out of the jeep Luke gave the keys to a valet. This place was clearly very expensive. Clary didn't understand why they were here. The inside of the building was so beautiful Clary regretted not having her phone to take pictures. She could swear on her life that the inside of this hotel was an exact copy of the inside of the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola at the Campus Martius in Rome. The colossal grey-beige wall was overwhelmed by golden ornaments and colorful paintings. The beauty of the paintings was so surreal that Clary felt like this was a dream.
Luke, apparently unfazed by the view, was talking to an employee at the reception. The Valeya Hotel was written in big golden letters on the wall behind the reception. Luke paid with his card and got a hotel card key in exchange. Clary joined Luke in front of the elevator. Once inside, Luke pushed the button 8.
"How can we afford to stay at a place like this ?" Clary asked worriedly.
"Don't worry about that, it's fine."
The elevator doors opened, Luke grabbed Clary's hand and walked quickly down the hall. He stopped in front of door number 26, looked around one last time, then opened the door with the hotel key card.
It was a suite. The room had two king sized beds, a couch, two walk-in-closets and a mini bar. There was a bathroom with a shower and a tub. The toilet was in a separate room and they had a small kitchen and a dining room. She sat on the bed near the window. Luke took off his coat and sat on the other bed. It was only then that Clary realized he was wearing a grey suit. It was a bit strange to see him in a suit, he usually would wear those for special occasions.
"Clary you're right, you deserve to know more about yourself." Clary nodded, relieved and ready for answers.
"This Chris you had sex with, he ejaculated inside of you, didn't he ?" Luke asked. Then Clary remembered that he didn't, they stopped before that. But the pre-cum on the head of his penis was definitely inside of her, and Alec did cum inside of her. So she answered according to that.
"Yes, his sperm was inside of me." This sentence angered Luke according to the changes on his facial expression. But he definitely tried to remain calm for her sake.
"That's the reason why you felt a burning sensation on and in your vagina. His sperm. Does he know, did you tell him about your pain ?"
"No I didn't, I don't have my phone, remember ? Luke what does it mean ? I don't understand. Is it like this for all the shadowhunters ? Does it mean I can't have children?"
He shook his head. "Well that's good you didn't tell him, you can't tell anyone about this. No one can know about this weakness. And no you are not infertile. Only a small part of the shadowhunter population have this condition. It means that you can only reproduce with shadowhunters who have the same condition as you. Does it make sense ?"
She thought about it."Yes I guess, but who is like me then, who else has this condition ?"
"Well that I know of, only two other people do."
"Two! Two?! Just two people in the entire world ? Who are they ?" She was astonished.
"They're people you'll meet during your sixteenth birthday. Until then you don't need to know more about them."
Again with the secrecy "Fine. I'm only accepting this because my birthday is in less than a week. But now tell me who you think Chris is."
"I can't be sure with the little information you gave me, but I'm afraid he could be one of the most dangerous person in the shadowhunter world. There is a man called the Messiah, he's the number 1 on the most wanted criminal list. He has committed some of the worst crimes against shadowhunters and underworld creatures. He's the latest leader of a secret society called the Christus Bavarian Illuminati. They call it the true faith. They believe in the god Lucifer defeated, Jesus Christ. To them we're a bunch of heretics. Their main goal is to destroy everything related to our religion, to Lucifer's and Lilith's legacy. The members of this society are what mundane would call terrorists."
"What ? So you're telling me there is a secret society, the illuminaties or whatever and they believe in God, well in his son, in Jesus christ. So it's literally just a bunch of christians who want to put an end to all things related to Lucifer ?" The irony of what Luke just said was resplendent. Clary barely managed not to burst into laughter. "But why would Chris be this Messiah ? Why would he be interested in me in the first place ? I have been shadowhunter for a week, it doesn't make any sense."
Luke stood up from the bed and kneeled in front of Clary, placing her hands in his. All of this was getting dramatic and too serious real quick. "Luke you're scaring me. Please answer my questions?"
"It's because I entered your name for the Regalis Certamen. It's a competition amongst single high-born women. The winner called the chosen one will be able to marry the prince when she's of age. This is the first time this contest is held, because, for the second time in history, there is only one heir to the throne, the prince." Clary remembered the story Robert told. The first time there was only one heir, she married Jonathan Shadowhunter. Which is how the De lapsis became The Camphbilim. But then Clary realized what he just said.
"What ? You did what, Luke ?! YOU ENTERED MY NAME IN THIS CONTEST !? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I didn't want this ? Why didn't you ask for my opinion first ?"The girl stood up from the bed, startling Luke. "Are you mental ? Since when did you start taking life changing decisions about me BUT WITHOUT ME ?" the three last words were said sharply, her anger vibrating from her core.
"I'm sorry I should've told you about it beforehand. The deadline for the entry was yesterday and you were unreachable, so I had to take the decision alone. And like you said it's a life changing opportunity which is why I couldn't just ignore it, Clary."
"You know what ? I need some air." She simply said and stood up.
Guys I need some help, could you help me find a beta for this story ? So obviously they have to be okay with the tags of the fanfic. I would be very grateful if you guys contacted available betas, and sent them in my DM's. The quicker we find a beta, the faster the updates !