Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying this fic! Don't hesitate to leave reviews with your thoughts and ideas! Criticism is always welcome!
Jace and Clary journeyed to the Silent City, hoping the Brothers would be able to lift a block placed in her memory. They returned from the Silent City hours later and Jace had them all meet up with him at Taki's Diner to brainstorm a plan for recovering Clary's memories. Even Simon the mundane tagged along, having arrived at the Institute that morning asking for Clary, though Eva knew it was to talk to Izzy. Eva couldn't help but find it adorable.
"Wait, what was the name in Clary's head?" Izzy demanded. Eva looked up from her tacos—not as good as the ones at Doña Flor, but they would do for now. She recognized Izzy's tone; it was that demanding one that let her know Izzy was onto something.
"Magnus Bane," Jace raised a curious brow as he licked the salt from his French fries off his fingers. Like Eva, he also recognized Izzy's tone. "You know him?"
"It can't be—I'm almost totally sure—" Izzy rummaged around in her purse until she fished out a folded piece of blue paper. Alec took it from her hands, his scowl visible for miles.
"It's a party invitation for somewhere in Brooklyn," he rolled his eyes. "I hate Brooklyn."
"Brooklyn?" Eva's eyes widened, realizing its familiarity. "Does it say something about a rapturous evening of delights?"
"Yeah, word for word," Clary, who had the paper in her hands now, nodded. "You were invited?"
"Raphael was complaining about this party last week," Eva said. "Magnus invited almost half of the New York clan, including him—he wasn't too happy about it. He hates parties."
"Could you convince him to go?" Clary asked, her green eyes wide and hopeful. "He could get us inside."
"At what time is this party?"
Jace leaned over to look at the paper in Clary's hands. Eva fought back a smirk when she felt Clary's emotions flare up in that nervousness one feels around a crush. "Midnight."
His telenovelas would be over by then. He's already watching a new set of novelas, but they're always from eight to ten P.M. "I'll sweet talk him into getting us in, don't worry."
They returned to the Institute after their lunch at Taki's. When the sun set, Raphael came by the Institute and picked her up for their usual telenovela date at the Four Seasons penthouse. They were curled up together on the bed and Eva waited for his second novela to end before making her request.
"Can we go to that party in Brooklyn?" she batted her eyelashes dramatically. "Magnus Bane's party?"
"Why?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Eva told him as quickly about Clary Fray, about her blocked memories. He knew all of this already, except the part about finding Magnus Bane's name in her mind and Izzy's party flyer.
"We were hoping you could get us in," she pressed a kiss to his jawline. "You were invited, after all."
"I hate parties," he rolled his eyes. Eva leaned forward and planted another kiss on his neck. He wouldn't have minded it so much had it not been for her hand wandering a bit too far below his belt. His body tensed all over and his words were hushed, "You're going to seduce me into attending this party? That's very juvenile of you, mi cielo."
"Can we go?" she mumbled against his skin. He let out a sigh and bucked his hips against her touch. Got him, she thought proudly. "Pretty please?"
"I don't feel like it." He was being stubborn just to annoy her. His voice was tight in an attempt to appear indifferent, but there was no point in hiding. He knew her well, but two could play at that game. "In fact, I'm considering watching the rerun of Amor Bravío at midnight just because I liked tonight's episode so much."
"Fine." Eva abruptly drew back her hand and rolled away from him towards the nightstand. She reached for her phone, flipping it open to send out a text, doing so with an evil smirk. She had to be quick about it; if there was anything that annoyed Raphael more than missing his novelas, it was unfinished business. She knew his gaze was burning into the back of her skull, a feeling of desire and frustration consuming him like an aura. She left him hot and bothered, and he was weighing his options in his head: he could be stubborn for a bit longer and enjoy her beg a few more times, or he could give in.
Apparently, he was in no mood to continue the game. The moment Eva snapped her phone closed, he rolled her onto her back and towered over her with his body.
"I'm getting you in, and then we leave," he said huskily against her ear. Eva hummed in thoughtfulness, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt to frustrate him further. It worked like a charm; he was turning into putty in her hands.
"We'll stay for two hours, at least," she purred. "C'mon, it'll be fun."
"You, who loathes loud music and nightclubs like I do?"
"We can loathe it together," she joked.
Thank the Angel she sent that message before Raphael had his way with her.
I'll meet you guys there at midnight with the Trojan Horse.
"You're late!" Izzy called out into the dark street as bright light engulfed her and everyone that stood behind her. The rumbling sound of an engine inched closer and closer before it was close enough to distinguish: it was another motorcycle similar to the others parked along the sidewalk. Eva hopped off the motorcycle, giving everyone a sheepish grin.
"We got here when we got here," Raphael said as he swung his leg over the motorcycle. The bike obediently turned itself off as soon as he did so.
"You're still pissed off about that?" Izzy scoffed. "That was a year ago."
"Lovely first impression, Rapha," Eva jabbed his arm scoldingly. She turned to Clary and Simon, wide-eyed in shock like all mundanes seemed to look when presented with something supernatural. In this case, it was their first time meeting a real, unbreathing vampire. "My sourpuss of a boyfriend, Raphael Santiago. I promise you he's very happy to be helping us."
"Doesn't look like it," Simon blurted out.
"An observant mundane," Raphael grinned, purposefully exposing his fangs just to get a frightened reaction from them. As he expected, Simon and Clary jumped at the sight and Eva rolled her eyes; Raphael was so childish sometimes. He surprised her when he took her hand and began walking up the sidewalk, brushing past Simon. It was clear that the mundane was more spooked than Clary, and Raphael reveled in it. "That's certainly a first."
They all walked up to the front door of the industrial-building-turned-loft, its entryway illuminated by a single lightbulb hanging from a thread over their heads. Raphael reached for the buzzer labeled BANE and gave it one long press. It was only after a minute or two that they heard footsteps approach the door before it swung open, revealing a tall and thin Asian man with golden tanned skin and spiked black hair. Eva didn't know it was possible to put so much glitter on your eyelids and not have them droop closed.
"Raphael! My sweet boy!" he said happily. His yellow-green cat eyes swept from Raphael towards Eva and he gasped. "Is this your girlfriend? I almost didn't believe you when you said she was the most beautiful girl in New York—the angel blood in her is vicious!" He gave her a quick dramatic bow. "Magnus Bane; it's a pleasure to meet you."
Eva giggled as Raphael rolled his eyes in annoyance. Magnus straightened his back to wave his hand towards the crowd behind them, his jeweled rings sparkling with every twirl of his long fingers. "I said you could bring your lovely cupcake to the party, but I don't recall saying you could bring the entire bakery."
"They insisted," Raphael shrugged. Magnus narrowed his eyes, looking each of them over carefully. Nevertheless, he didn't seem too keen on arguing with Raphael and stepped aside for them to pass.
They all split up the moment they entered, with Raphael leading Eva to the bar on the other side of the loft. There were few barstools and all were taken. Eva was mentally thanking herself for wearing comfortable boots just as Raphael's hand went to tap a large man's shoulder. The man swiveled around on the barstool, his flawless pale face tight with a frown but it immediately melted away at the sight of Raphael.
All Raphael had to do was nod his head sideways and the man practically flew off the chair and disappeared into a nearby crowd of more vampires. As if nothing happened, Raphael patted the seat, wordlessly telling her to sit. Eva couldn't keep the grin off her face as she hopped onto the cushioned barstool. "Well, that was impressive."
Raphael smirked but didn't respond to her; instead, he called for the bartender and ordered an Arnold Palmer and whatever blood was on tap. Despite being together for a year, Eva had never seen Raphael interact with vampires of his clan. He liked to keep her separate from the complex politics of the Night Children, and while she knew clan leaders were very respected, it was another thing entirely to see the dynamic in action. It was exhilarating.
"Was that really so alluring to you?" Raphael leaned against the counter, preferring to stand. "Your pulse spiked."
"Is it such a bad thing to find you hot when you're in clan leader mode?" she teased, the tip of her boot nudging the back of his knee. "Power is very attractive to the ladies, you know."
"It won't last long if la bruja decides to show her face again," he said this in a hushed tone, close to her ear. Eva knew the truth behind his rise to power; he'd confided in her how Camille Belcourt, the real clan leader, had to flee after he threatened to turn her into the Clave for killing mundanes. She hasn't returned, but Raphael has been looking over his shoulder ever since.
The bartender placed the drinks in front of them and Raphael went straight for his glass of deep red blood. Eva watched him take a careful sip, licking his lips as he habitually did. She nudged his leg with her boot. "Can I ask you something?"
"No."
"Is Magnus the warlock that helped you when you Turned?" she stirred her Arnold Palmer with the straw absentmindedly. "You never mentioned his name, but I can tell you two know each other."
Raphael sipped his drink again before nodding. "Yes, it was him. He practically raised me."
"My sweet boy?" She reached out to smooth the curls on the back of his head. "No one calls you that and gets away with it."
"That's what gave me away?"
"That, and the fact that he called me cupcake and beautiful and you didn't even flinch."
"Well, he's right about the last part," he shrugged casually. "There was no point in correcting him."
"Why, thank you." Eva flipped her hair dramatically, like Izzy would. She suddenly recalled that night at Pandemonium when they met Clary Fray and jumped on the opportunity to put Raphael on the spot. "What was it about me that got your attention at The Nightfall?"
He looked at her with a quirked brow, urging her to explain herself. "Izzy stands out so much compared to me. I was just wondering why—"
"Let me stop you right there," Raphael placed a hand on her knee affectionately. She could feel the coolness of his skin through her jeans, but oddly enough, his touch always made her body burst with warmth. "Isabelle didn't even notice me when she walked up to us at the bar, and even if she did, I'm not overly fond of women like her—some men are, like that mundane she's been grinding with on the dancefloor," he rolled his eyes at the thought, "But you were different—it's hard to explain. You could've left me alone after I ignored you, but you didn't and not a lot of people are willing to..."
He trailed off, his jaw squaring tightly as the overwhelming feeling of vulnerability and slight embarrassment floated around them. Eva smiled and placed her hand over his on her knee, lacing their fingers together intimately. "Get to know you? Is that what you want to say?"
He shot her a playfully pointed look which made her laugh. "You're such a softie, Rapha. It's hard not to love you."
He chuckled and leaned in to brush his lips with hers. "Te quiero con la vida, mi ángel."
"Me too." She kissed him, but it didn't last very long. A hand landed on her shoulder and spun her around on the barstool, pulling her away from Raphael's lips abruptly. If it wasn't for Izzy looking so distraught, she would've snapped at her. Just feeling her anxiety scared her. "What's wrong?"
"He's a rat!" she whispered harshly.
"You can do better, Isabelle," Raphael said flatly. The girl shot him a deadly look.
"Not you," she spat. "It's Simon! He drank some blue cocktail and he turned into a rat!"
Eva's jaw dropped. "Jesus, Izzy! Where is he now?"
"Under the bar."
"Calm down and go find Clary," Eva told her firmly. "What does Simon look like?"
After Izzy told her he was a brown rat, she disappeared into the crowd to find Clary while Eva hopped off the barstool. As she circled around the counter to look for anything that resembled a rat, she heard Raphael chuckle. "Evangeline Starkwood, New York City's finest rat catcher."
"Shut up," she snapped and dropped on her knees when she saw a furry creature curled up into the shadowy crevice of the bar. She called to it—"Simon?"—and let out a relieved sigh when the rat whipped its tiny head around and began scampering over to her. She scooped it into her hands, its tiny heart beating frantically against her fingers. When she walked back around the counter, Raphael purposefully exposed his fangs and stared intently into the eyes of the terrified boy-turned-rat.
"A snack? You shouldn't have, mi amor," he joked. At his words, Simon let out a shriek and squirmed in her hands. Eva immediately punched him in the arm which he had already flexed as if he expected her reaction.
Clary arrived at the bar with Magnus, Jace, Alec, and Izzy in tow. The redhead thanked her profusely when Eva passed Simon the rat into her arms; she looked so relieved as she hugged him to her chest. Despite Clary's insistence Magnus use a spell to turn him back, the High Warlock refused and reassured her that he would turn back in a few hours. Clary stuffed poor Simon into her backpack as Magnus left their little group to attend to some angry voices at his front door.
"Can we leave?" Clary frowned. "I'm sick of this place."
"Al fin, dios mio," Raphael slammed the rest of the blood in his glass and pushed himself off the counter. As they all made their way to leave, the cluster of people they'd previously heard yelling were actually angry vampires complaining to Magnus.
"Any pile of dust in this loft could be Gregor!" one female vampire cried. "I can't go around sweeping every single one hoping it's him!"
"I rarely sweep," Magnus studied his black polished fingernails in boredom. "When he turns back in the morning, I'll be sure to send him to the hotel in a taxi with blacked out windows."
"What's the problem here?" Raphael strolled into the cluster. All the vampires tensed at the sight of their leader and bowed their heads slightly in respect as they explained the situation: their missing drunken friends and their motorbikes mysteriously being ruined by holy water.
"And you're complaining to Magnus why, exactly?" Raphael raised an eyebrow, a collected coolness in his voice that spoke volumes to his role as clan leader. "He offered to send any vampires that wake up here back to the Dumort safely and as for the motorcycles, they're parked outside; he can't be held responsible. You've all had too much to drink, so I suggest you start heading back before sunrise."
"With that being said," Magnus raised his arms in the air and shouted, "Party's over! Everybody out!"
The music stopped and everyone began to shuffle out of the loft. Raphael took Eva's hand and walked through the crowd; the vampires parted the way for him to get through easily. When they were finally on the sidewalk, Eva kissed his cheek. "Thank you for getting us in. I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it," he joked dryly. "I mean it; don't."
Eva only laughed. Vampires were checking their bikes; it was only a few that were ruined with holy water and those that were had to get chained to another working bike and dragged along like a tin can behind a Just Married getaway car. Eva couldn't help but think Jace had anything to do with the sabotage; he was always secretly jealous of the motorcycles vampires were known for. Or perhaps he did it just to see them all get annoyed. Eva put her money on the latter.
They were nearly alone on the street when Izzy, Alec, and Jace made it out. As soon as Clary made an appearance on the sidewalk a minute later, the Lightwood siblings began to make their way to the nearest subway station.
"You want to go eat something?" Raphael asked her as he sat on his rumbling motorcycle slipping on leather gloves.
"Maybe some horchata—" Eva couldn't finish. Jace was calling out to her from down the street, Clary following at his heels as he approached them. To Eva's confusion, Clary looked mortified with those large green eyes of hers wide on her freckled face.
"What now?" Raphael huffed in exasperation.
"One of your vamps pickpocketed Clary and took Simon out of her backpack," Jace explained, showing him Clary's backpack. The zipper had clearly been torn from the outside. "We need to get him back, or else they're going to kill him the moment he turns back."
Eva whipped her head around to stare incredulously at Raphael. Her boyfriend did not look amused in the slightest. In fact, he looked like he was going to set very strict rules in his clan for parties and social gatherings.
"Rapha?" Eva asked softly after a moment of silence.
"Be at the Dumort in an hour," Raphael finally spoke, his motorcycle revving loudly as if it sensed its owner's irritation. "If you're even a second late, the mundane's ours."
