The confrontation with Valentine in the Accords Hall left everyone shaken. Nevertheless, it didn't stop the Consul from approaching Eva and Hodge like a hound on a scent. He tried leading Eva away to speak to her privately, but she stood her ground.

"This is something I have to share with all Shadowhunters," she said. "It's easier to explain this once with everyone present."

"This is not up for negotiation—"

"We can't keep sweeping things under the rug and excluding each other," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. The Consul was visibly uncomfortable. "All this secrecy and hiding is what leads to corruption and distrust in the Clave."

Murmurs began. The Consul cleared his throat, "Very well. I will make an announcement that everyone is to meet here in the Accords Hall."

When the Consul left in silent fury, Lucian approached her. Unlike the rest of the Shadowhunters, he didn't seem unnerved. In fact, she could sense his genuine curiosity.

"You think you can convince everyone to work together?" he asked.

"I hope so, otherwise we're all doomed," Eva said with a lopsided grin. "Valentine's going to throw the worst he's got at us and in my state, I can't keep up my form for too long without exhausting myself."

"That..." Lucian cleared his throat awkwardly. "I don't even know where to begin..."

"It's a long story, which is why I want everyone here in the first place," Eva said, trailing off to the thought of confronting Isabelle. It made her stomach flop. "How long do you think before everyone gets here?"

"Some are still attending funerals. I'd say late afternoon." Lucian turned his head, seeing one of his pack members waving him over. He excused himself, leaving her and Hodge.

"Can you send me a fire message when everyone arrives?" Eva asked. "I want to go see Raphael."

Hodge nodded knowingly. "He can give you good advice."

Eva let out a laugh. "He'd throw up if he heard you say that."

"I'll make him some tisane then."

She wrapped her arms around his midsection, sighing at the comfort his embrace brought her. Eva then slipped out of the Accords Hall and began walking to the nearest gate. The streets were still empty with the distinct smell of smoke in the air. Her heart wrenched at the thought of everyone who lost someone, of all the people she couldn't save because she was too late. Of Max, who was too innocent to die so young without having experienced life.

Eva tried not to think about the heaviness of her decision. As she crossed over a bridge, she looked over the edge and saw her reflection in the still water of the canal. She'd look like this for the rest of her life.

Being immortal is a blessing and curse—you're destined to watch the world evolve and grow, but you're forced to watch the people you love die. Raphael once told her that. She hugged her torso at the thought of him. By the Angel, she needed him.

The guards at the gate let her pass without questioning her; the issue was letting people in at the moment. When she made it far enough down the trail away from the city, she pulled out her stele from her belt. She balanced it in her hand, realizing she didn't need it anymore. The adamas was glowing in her hand, reacting to the heavenly blood coursing through her veins.

For old time's sake, she held out her hand and carved a Portal rune. A doorway opened up in front of her, revealing a shadowy and ominous forest clearing. She stepped through without hesitation, walking into the heart of Brocelind Forest. It didn't take her a few steps to have a vampire she recognized as Lily Chen appear before her. Eva was now hyper-aware of people's heartbeats, their breathing, their auras. Vampires lacked all three, but she could sense the presence of the soul within Lily's undead body.

"Looking for Raphael?" she asked. Her soul thrummed louder against Eva's ears with the unrequited feelings she had for her clan leader. Eva always did wonder why Lily eyed her with a bit more suspicion than the others when she and Raphael first started dating. It always made Eva feel terrible that Lily had to watch Rapha choose a Shadowhunter over one of his own kind.

Lily seemed to be indifferent to her lately, however. She, like Ragnor, likely accepted that Eva wasn't a casual fling and made Raphael less of a grouch—which was happy by his standards.

"He's not too busy with Nightshade is he?"

"He certainly wants an excuse to get away from him—Nightshade's a pretentious prick." Lily scoffed lightly. "Wait here; I'll go get him for you."

She disappeared into the shadow of a tree. Eva waited patiently, taking in the sounds of the forest around her. The enormous trees provided enough darkness to protect vampires from even the brightest sunlight but a cool breeze always swept through at odd intervals.

Eva sensed the pulse of his soul before she saw him. It was soothing and familiar to her; it made her heart quicken and her belly flutter at the thought. When she turned in Raphael's direction, she saw him standing in the clearing.

He was frowning deeply, like he did when he was highly suspicious. His soul suddenly went rigid as did his muscles and his stance. He looked like he was being confronted with some sort of foreign object.

"Rapha?" Eva took a step towards him but immediately froze when she saw his eyes widen. Like he now realized who was standing in front of him. She swallowed at the lump in her throat. "What's wrong?"

"Your blood smells different." His eyes narrowed. "I know your scent, and this isn't you."

"I know it's you though," Eva smiled softly. "I can smell the Bleu de Chanel from here."

The corner of Raphael's lips curled in a smirk. Still, she could feel the uneasiness looming around him. Despite not needing to breathe, a vampire's scent was their strongest sense—it helps them take in their surroundings before actually using their eyes and ears. He associated Eva with a particular scent and memorized it fondly, so hearing her voice and seeing her face but smelling a drastically different scent was very confusing.

"I promise it's me," Eva said gently as she walked towards him. He was scanning her with his eyes as she did so, still battling with his senses. She boldly took his hand when she was close enough and looked into his eyes. "And I promise there's an explanation."

"I'd love to hear it," he said. He seemed to accept she was who she said she was because he pressed his cold cheek against hers in affection. "How does one go about changing their scent entirely?"

Eva squeezed his hand and through their touch, she eased herself into his mind. She began showing him her memories of going to the Wayland Manor, seeing her tortured father in chains and their conversation about Ascension, about taking an oath to stand between the realms as a guardian. She knew she wasn't exactly allowed, but she showed him a brief snippet of her transformation in Heaven before the choir of God's messengers.

When she made the images recede, it took Raphael a few seconds to pull away from her just enough to take her face in his cold hands. She swore his eyes were glossed over.

He pulled her into a breathtaking kiss. It was difficult to read his emotions clearly; it was overwhelming. When he pulled away, he added, "So you really are…?"

She knew what he was asking. His soul was singing with it. "Yes."

There was a brief moment of silence as Raphael let her answer sink in. "I was always preparing myself for the day you'd break up with me," he said. "For the day when you'd get a little older and realize being with a vampire is less than ideal when you want stability and a family and everything else I can't give you."

Her eyes were stinging with tears. "Stop it, Rapha."

"I'm being realistic. And I wouldn't have blamed you for it."

Eva remained silent. He was so cynical, yet so unnervingly realistic that it hurt. She couldn't think of her life without him, but she knew his words held some truth. She might have moved on after growing more mature, or maybe would've wanted someone that wouldn't look like her son when she was in her thirties or forties.

"I thought about walking away once—I wanted to save you the trouble. But I couldn't do it; I'm too selfish when it comes to you. So I always just tried to appreciate the time I had with you."

"But you really would've stayed with me until I grew old and died?"

He nodded with no hesitation. "Either that, or until you gave me the boot."

"If we broke up, I think the entire Downworld would be at my doorstep begging me to take you back," she laughed, her heart fluttering at seeing his very rare and genuine smile. "You'd be insufferable!"

"And now look at me," he scoffed playfully, but his eyes burned with a passion that made her knees weak. "I'm stuck with you for eternity."

"I think you're finally being punished for doing unspeakable things with an angel."

"I accept my penance."

They shared another kiss, softer this time. When they parted, Eva sighed softly against his cheek. "Rapha, I don't know how much you know about what's happened to my family, but I really need you right now."

"What happened?" His voice was tense, bracing himself for the worst.

For Raphael to be completely unaware of things meant the lockdown in Alicante was airtight. No information in or out, and it only made her wonder who within the Clave was feeding Valentine the information he only would've known if he was in the city during the demon invasion. "Max is dead, and Izzy...we're not..." Eva's bit back a sob. "We're not parabatai anymore, and she doesn't know. I had to break the bond, and I don't think she'll understand, especially not now."

Raphael pulled her into a tight embrace. "Lo siento, mi vida. I'm so sorry."

"What should I do, Rapha?" Her voice was wavering against his collar. "Did I make the right decision? Sacrificing my mortality and breaking my bond without Izzy's consent? It's not fair to her—"

"You did what had to be done," he told her sternly. He took her face in his hands again so she'd be forced to look into his dark brown eyes. "Ithuriel's your father, but you're definitely Starkweather's kid. Don't question your decisions like he does—even if it's the wrong one, it's the only one you had and you have to take it, otherwise you'll live the rest of your life wondering what could have been."

Eva smiled. "Hodge told me you'd give me good advice."

Raphael grimaced, just like she knew he would. It brought her a sparkle of joy she desperately needed.

Thank you for reading!