Jonathan leaned forward and rested his elbows on the bar with the air of someone eternally damned but completely okay with it. He continued to stare at Jace with that strange, humorous gaze as he ran his index finger lightly around the rim of his shot glass. Jace finally recovered.
"I really don't know why I'm surprised." he said as he reached out and took his shot off the table. He drank it the same way he always drank shots, only this time it actually seemed to effect him. He felt the liquor burn down his throat even though he was still too numb to taste it. The heat in his stomach now felt too hot and Jace couldn't stop the goose bumps from rising up on his arms. Jonathan seemed to notice his reaction and tilted his head to the side like an amused puppy, which far from making him look adorable, made him appear even more sinister.
"Something wrong, little brother?" Jonathan asked with a small smile playing across his mouth. Jace knew that Jonathan could sense that he was uncomfortable with his confession and that he was enjoying it. Jace dropped his glass down onto the table top and shook his head.
"Nope. Not at all." he looked up at Jonathan and their eyes locked; black burning into gold. "And since we're pretending we can stand each other, why don't we have a little brotherly chat and you can tell me all about that poor innocent person that you killed." The fire seemed to leave Jonathan's eyes and his face became blank and unreadable.
"If you insist." Jonathan looked away from Jace and paused. "It happened in the city." Jace's eyes widened.
"You went to the city for the first time and ended up killing someone?" Jonathan grinned.
"Who said it was my first time in Alicante? Just because you're a little angel boy and you always listen to Daddy when he says stay home all the time doesn't mean that I do." he said with a condescending tone. Jace clenched his jaw angrily.
"How did you even get there? He keeps the horses padlocked."
"Don't worry about it." Jace rolled his eyes. "So then what happened?" he asked.
Jonathan narrowed his eyes at Jace, like he was considering how much he should tell him. Then he pushed away from the bar and walked slowly to the expensive winged armchair that sat near the front of fireplace. He leaned his elbows on its back and gazed into the fire meditatively for a few seconds. Jace walked around the bar and stopped a few feet away from him with his arms crossed, waiting.
"Can you keep a secret?" Jace gave him a look.
"Who would I tell?" he asked bitterly.
"Father of course." Jace thought for a moment. So now Jonathan was keeping things from Valentine? That was unexpected.
"Yeah, I can keep a secret."
Jonathan turned his head and looked at him. In that moment, the firelight caught his eyes and made them glint sinisterly, making him appear as though there was an inferno raging inside of him.
"I enjoyed it."
Jace suppressed a shudder. He would not let the other boy know how much he disturbed him. He kept his face blank and impassive.
"That's not surprising to me. And really, it probably wouldn't be bad if Father found out because we both know he enjoys it too. This could be just one more thing that you two have in common." Jonathan straightened up and turned towards Jace with a patronizing smile.
"Well, well, well. Did I just hear a hint of jealousy?" Jace raised an eyebrow apathetically.
"And what would I have to be jealous of Jonathan? You?" Jace laughed and shook his head. "No, sorry. Jealousy isn't an emotion that I'm well acquainted with. That's always been your department." Jonathan stared at him, his rising anger darkening his eyes to abyss-like blackness. He smiled charmingly as he took a few slow steps towards Jace.
"Oh, I'm sure you know what jealousy feels like, little brother. Just as you know what it feels like to be the one that Father wishes was better." Jace rolled his eyes.
"I'm not you. I don't really care what he thinks of me. And, unlike you, I don't crave, need, and want his approval." Jonathan smiled coldly and his voice lowered so it was soft and soothing.
"You're going to stand there and tell me that you've never went out of your way to stand out to him? You've never pushed yourself during training to make him proud and you've never wanted him to tell you that you were good enough? I know you, little angel boy. You crave acceptance like oxygen. You may act tough but I can see through you, and so can he. You wear your heart on your sleeve, Jace, just begging for love and Father and I both know it will destroy you." he smiled with ice in his eyes. "And we just can't wait for it to happen. Believe me." It was in these moments, that Jace remembered why he hated his brother. However, he smiled arrogantly.
"Okay Jonathan. You win. You get to be Daddy's little girl. I hope it's everything you dreamed it would be." Jace turned away and started to the door. "But when he gets tired of you and puts you down like the rabid dog that you are, he's going to realize that he made the wrong choice. He's going to realize that he picked the wrong son. And even though you act all tough, because it's how he taught us to be, you know deep down that I'm right. You know deep down, in that fucked up thing you call a soul, that I'm right and that I'm better than you. And I'm always going to be better than you in every way that truely matters to you...and to him."
Jace heard a soft sound behind him and spun around just in time to see Jonathan as he slammed him backwards into the wall. Jace's head cracked back into the wall hard enough to make him see black spots. He felt one of Jonathan's hands grab the front of his shirt and the other slide down his hip to his belt. Jace's eyes flew open and he grabbed for it but he was a breath too late; Jonathan already had the dagger's edge pressed against his throat. Jonathan chuckled softly.
"Ah, Jace. Your going to be almost as easy to kill as that pathetic excuse for a Shadowhunter, Alec Lightwood."
