"You're early for Christmas and my birthday," Eva laughed, covering her eyes with her hands. Spring was bursting in Manhattan with warming temperatures, birds chirping happily, and trees and flowers bloomed. She could feel the warmth of the morning sun through the windows letting the breeze into the enormous library.

"Open your eyes."

Hodge stood before her in his usual sharp tweed suit, a smile on his scarred but handsome face. Eva always found it endearing how smiling always caused his glasses to slide down the bridge of his nose and made little wrinkles appear at the corners of his dark eyes. Paired with the grey streaks in his jet black hair, it made him look so much older despite being the same age as Maryse and Robert.

In his hands was a square metal box carved with various runes of angelic prowess. Eva looked up, silently asking silently for permission. When he responded with a nod, she took the box in her hands, unclasped the latch on the front, and opened it. Inside were a beautifully carved pair of chakrams, the razor sharp blade all around the perfect circle glistening in the sunlight beaming through the open windows. Across the middle of each pair was a firm grip that looked like sturdy black leather where runes were etched. The blades were also decorated with runes for sharpness and swiftness and even a lightweight rune— because only the Angel knows these were very heavy— but among them all was a single cursive letter E.

"I could've waited for you to turn eighteen and picked your name, but I couldn't resist," Hodge laughed nervously. "You've improved so much with the chakrams, and I don't mind lending you mine when you go off on patrols, but I thought it was time you have your own."

Eva felt her throat burn up with tears. During their training, everyone was naturally inclined to certain weapons. Jace was an expert with blades, whether they were swords or knives. Alec was gifted in marksmanship and he never left the Institute without his trusty bow and quiver of arrows. Izzy was given an electrum whip for her twelfth birthday and made cracking it in furious lashes look effortless. Eva was naturally talented and used every weapon efficiently, as all Shadowhunters should, but one day after a training session when she was twelve, Hodge approached her with a suggestion.

"These are chakrams, my weapon of choice," he'd showed her the circular, razor-sharp discs he's had in his possession for more than twenty years. "They're very versatile—they can be used in hand-to-hand combat, but can also be thrown for long-range attacks. If you're interested, I could teach you how to use them."

The rest is history. Jace has his blades, Alec has his bow, Izzy has her whip, and Eva has her chakrams.

Eva placed the box on the nearby desk hastily and buried her face into Hodge's chest, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck and bring him down to her level. His arms quickly embraced her, pulling her into a warm hug. He chuckled through a wince, "Eva, my shoulder..."

"Sorry," her voice wavered, pulling away from him so he could straighten up and roll his injured shoulder. "Thank you, Hodge. They're beautiful."

"You deserve them," he smiled. "You've grown right before my eyes—you look..." he trailed off.

"I look like what?" she laughed. "Like someone you know?"

"Yes, you do," he smiled, but Eva could feel the emotion lurking behind that cheerful grin. Grief.

Eva didn't prod him further; she was too interested in her new chakrams. She held both discs in her hands, feeling their weight and slicing the air, finding the whistle of it very satisfying.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" Hodge asked, watching her every movement with calm amusement.

"It's a little early for that," she looked at the reflection on the chakram in her right hand, her golden eyes staring back like beacons in a pitch black night. "Besides, I won't tell anyone until after the Clave approves it, just to annoy all of you."

"Not even Isabelle?"

"Not even her," Eva said. "Though she will try to extract it from me."

Being an orphan left to be found by the Silent Brothers like the Pharaoh's daughter found Moses, Eva has no known family and hence, no last name. When she began training and earned her first rune at the age of ten, the Clave decided that upon her eighteenth birthday when she legally became an adult under the Law, she could choose her own name and submit it for approval. So until next year, she was just Evangeline.

Later that night, Izzy had convinced her to go to a nightclub on 10th and 42nd Street called The Nightfall. It was rumored to be the hottest vampire hangout in New York City.

"Whither thou goest, I will go, so you have to come with me," Izzy brushed her hair back into a high ponytail. Her pale and beautiful face was already done up with perfectly blended eyeshadow, sharp cat-eye liner, butterfly lashes, and bold red lipstick.

"If I knew I'd be getting dragged to bars and clubs every other weekend, I would've reconsidered," Eva joked lightly. While Eva wasn't against a good party now and again, blaring music, sweaty bodies, drunken idiots, and sleazy men hitting on you lost its charm very quickly. She preferred much calmer pursuits such as the movies or the Central Park Zoo or even going to a museum. Nevertheless, she always accompanied Izzy, even before they became parabatai, just to watch over her. She was known to drink one too many drinks sometimes, and now with this hypersensitive bond linking them, Eva was certain she'd slice someone's head off with her new chakrams if they even came close to Izzy.

"I need a hot vampire boyfriend for a change," Izzy started, powdering her face quickly. "They're really good at French kissing."

"When they're not biting, I'm sure," Eva laughed. "So you've dated two warlocks, a mundane, and three werewolves— tonight we'll get you a vampire, and next week a Faerie knight?"

"Ha, ha," she spritzed perfume generously on her neck. "Aren't you going to get dressed?"

"I am dressed!"

"Oh Angel in Heaven, don't you ever learn?" Izzy sighed in exasperation. Her eyes scanned over Eva's form critically, taking in her ripped, light blue skinny jeans, block-heeled Chelsea boots, and a form-fitting scoop neck black shirt with quarter sleeves. She wore smokey eyeshadow, mascara, and powdered some blush on her cheeks. She managed to glamour her chakrams to wear like hoop earrings, and her hair was as always: wild and curly and big. She didn't bother to glamour the thin silver lines that swirled on her skin from years of rune application. There was a time when she was self-conscious, especially since her rich, medium-toned skin made the lines more pronounced and noticeable. Those feelings have long been gone.

"You're never going to find a boyfriend," Izzy rolled her eyes. "When are you going to have your first kiss, when you're thirty?"

"And have sex when I'm forty," she stacked on. "Can you stop fussing with your dress? You look fine!"

To Eva's shock, you could hear your own thoughts inside The Nightfall. The music wasn't bursting your eardrums, but wasn't straining to be heard either. She could only assume it was meant for the sensitive hearing of vampires. Like any other nightclub she's been to, there was a dancefloor filled with flailing bodies, tables scattered around with people drinking and laughing while others were empty with glasses of blood cocktails holding their place.

"See if there's any normal drinks at the bar, would you?" Izzy told her as she made a dash for the dancefloor. She obviously already spotted someone she thought was cute. "Get me a daiquiri!"

Eva rolled her eyes in amusement and walked to the bar. She approached the closest empty seat and hoped it wasn't taken.

"Is this seat empty?" Eva asked the guy sitting in the stool next to it. He turned his head to look up at her, his brilliant brown eyes half-lidded with boredom. His black hair was nicely styled with a bit of gel and he wore what looked like very expensive black jeans with a simple button-up white shirt tucked into it, leather boots, and a black blazer. His long fingers ran along the rim of his snifter of spiked crimson blood.

He didn't reply and merely went back to eyeing his glass of blood. Taking it in stride, Eva slipped into the seat and raised her hand for the bartender. The man saw her and nodded in acknowledgement before continuing to take another customer's order.

"You see what he did?" Eva began, leaning over to the guy close enough to burst his haughty personal space bubble. "The bartender nodded so I'd know he saw me. You should do that."

To her surprise, the vampire let out an amused scoff and brought his snifter to his lips to drink a sip. He licked his top lip absentmindedly before he spoke, "Nephilim don't usually come to places like this."

"There's an exception to every rule," Eva said. "Now, why do you look like the Mets lost a game?"

"I hate sports, and that's none of your business."

The bartender approached her and kindly took her order: a bloodless daiquiri and Arnold Palmer. He then eyed the grouch sitting next to her. "Raphael?"

"I'm fine for now," he replied aloofly.

Eva jumped on that like a cat on a mouse. "Raphael like the Angel or like the Ninja Turtle?"

"Like the painter," he narrowed his eyes.

"I'm Evangeline, but you can call me Eva."

"What, no pretentious Shadowhunter name?"

"If you'd like to hang out sometime and get some coffee, I'll be happy to tell you."

"I don't care that much."

The bartender came back with her drinks. Eva leaned forward to sip on her Arnold Palmer through the bendy straw before looking at Raphael again. "But really, why do you look so pissed?"

"I always look like this."

"You're annoyed about something; no one comes to a club and looks like..." she trailed off, eyes wide. "Did you break up with a girlfriend or something?"

"No."

"She cheated on you?"

"No!"

"She kicked you out and set your clothes on fire?"

"I'm single!"

"Bingo," she gestured at him with a finger pistol. "That's what I wanted to know."

Eva could've sworn she saw his angular cheeks glow in embarrassment. Nevertheless, the emotion was leaking from him like a terribly made dam. "You're annoyingly bold, Shadowhunter."

"Don't flatter yourself; I'm not interested," Eva pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "My friend Izzy's looking for a blood-sucking boyfriend, though she won't like that you look like such a sourpuss."

"Fortunate for me," he scoffed. "You've been dragged here, too?"

"So that's why you've got a bug in your butt," Eva teased further. She wondered how long she could keep this up before he got up and left.

"Some fledglings in my clan wanted to come here and I have to watch over them," he said. "It'll make me look bad if they do something stupid."

Raphael spoke like an exasperated parent would, but didn't look more than sixteen. Eva silently wondered how many years separated them. "Izzy drags me to a nightclub every weekend; I know the feeling all too well." From the corner of her eye, she saw her parabatai jump out of the dancefloor and head straight for her. "Speaking of the devil..."

"This place sucks!" Izzy cried when she was close enough. She reached between Eva and Raphael, snatching the bright red daiquiri from the counter. She gave it three large gulps through the straw and set it back down. Eva was sure she didn't even notice Raphael, but then again, he stood out as much as a tea cup in a china shop. "We're leaving!"

"Whither thou goest, I will go," Eva recited with her left hand over the parabatai rune under her collarbone. With a flip of her whip-like ponytail, she headed for the exit. When Eva met Raphael's eyes, he looked as if he'd smelled something putrid.

"I'm very fortunate I'm not her type," he said.

Eva jumped off the barstool with a laugh. "You have a pen?"

"If I had one, I wouldn't give it to you."

"Well, memorize my number," Eva quickly recited the digits of her phone number as she gathered her purse and looped it over her shoulder. "In case you ever need me for anything."

Raphael's face said it all.

What the hell could I possibly need you for?