Jace, upon hearing Isabelle's comment, laughed and threw her a look over his shoulder.
"Oh what a world it would be." he said teasingly.
Isabelle scoffed and gave him a scathing look as she walked past him, purposely bumping into his shoulder as she did. Jace laughed again while rubbing his sore shoulder. He glanced at Alec who had shut the door and was standing next to him. "Is she ever going to like me?" Alec peered after his sister who had went into the dining room.
"Trust me she does like you. Just give her some time to get over the grudge that she has against your family." Jace nodded and stared in the same direction Alec was looking.
Somebody crossed in front of the doorway of the dining room, framed by the bright ceiling lights. A short somebody with a flash of bright red hair. Jace blinked and the person was gone. Jace's heart thudded in his chest painfully. What just happened…?
"Jace? Are you okay?"
"Who was that?" Alec frowned and looked back at the doorway.
"Who?"
"The redhead." Alec looked back at Jace.
"Oh, that was Clary. A friend from New York." A small grin pulled at Jace's mouth. "Jace?" Jace had suddenly decided to follow Isabelle without a word. Alec stared at the back of his head glumly and slowly trailed behind him.
In the dining room, Jace's eyes were immediately drawn to the table where she sat, leaning intently over what looked like a sketch pad, a gold pastel held lightly in her fingers. Isabelle sat in the chair next to her, long legs crossed at the ankle and propped up on the table. Isabelle was sharpening a very thin knife, and looked up at him with a razor stare as he approached them. Clary, focused on her picture, didn't notice him.
Jace stopped in front of her, his eyes drinking in her face as she gazed down at what she was drawing. Curious, Jace looked down at it.
It was a drawing of a golden angel with a blade held lightly in his hand. His wings stretched out as if he was about to fly away but he had a somewhat anguished look on his upturned face, like something was holding him back.
"I think it's missing something." Jace said to her. Clary gazed down at the picture more intently, a small crease appearing between her eyebrows.
"I know. I just can't figure out what it is." her voice was light and dreamy, but somehow focused and intent at the same time.
She blinked once in confusion before finally looking up at him. Her green eyes widened and her lips parted ever so slightly in surprise. Jace couldn't help but smile.
"Hey. I'm Jace."
"I'm Clary."
"Yeah, I know. Like the herb, Clary sage." Clary couldn't tear her eyes away from him.
"Sure." she said dazedly.
Jace lowered his eye lashes, trying to hide the amusement he was feeling, but he knew he could do nothing about concealing the crooked grin. He flicked his eyes back up to hers and she seemed to be trying to look away from his face.
Her green eyes stared up at the ceiling as she took a small breath. Recognition flashed within him but was gone too fast for him to catch a hold of.
"Have we met?" he asked her. Clary looked back down at him and her eyes kept moving down as she got a good look at the rest of him. She raised her eyebrows.
"I'm pretty sure I would've remembered you."
Isabelle elbowed her and threw her a 'shut up are you crazy' look that seemed to wake her up. She shook her head. "Uh, I mean-" Jace's grin turned to a smile as she blushed lightly.
"Jace. You ready?" Alec said from the doorway. Jace looked over his shoulder at him.
"For what?" Alec gave him a look of impatience.
"What did you come here for?"
"Oh yeah. Sorry, I got distracted." he said as he looked back at Clary, who blushed even more.
Jace lightly took her right hand off the table and rubbed a smear of gold pastel off her skin with his thumb. Her breathing quickened as she stared up at his face, watching as his expression changed as he looked down at her drawing again.
"I hope you figure out what's missing." he said before letting his hand slip away from hers.
"Yeah, me too." she said quietly.
Jace flicked his eyes back up to hers and flashed her a little smile before forcing himself to turn away from the table.
Alec moved aside for him before meeting Isabelle's eyes across the room. Their sibling telepathy went to work over Clary's head.
Uh oh… Any chance that either one of them will just forget that they met? Alec rolled his eyes. Are you kidding? That was grade A flirting. They're doomed. Isabelle smirked and looked down at Clary as her brother followed Jace into the living room.
"You need a napkin to mop up that drool?" Clary threw her a halfhearted dirty look that was ruined by the smile.
"Be quiet, Iz." she said as she nudged Isabelle in the arm.
Alec led them down a hallway to a door made of rich oak wood. They stopped in front of it and Alec turned to Jace.
"Okay. I know this is going to be difficult for you. In more than one way. But please, please, please…don't insult him." Jace raised his eyebrows in a overly hurt look.
"What are you talking about? I'm only ever charming." Alec gazed at him with heavy lidded eyes. Jace grinned wickedly. "Well usually." he murmured.
"Please behave. You do remember that this is for your benefit right?" The rune that inked around his wrist seemed to stand out malevolently.
"Yeah, yeah." Alec turned away from him with a small sigh. Here goes nothing, he thought as he rapped his knuckles on the expensive wood.
"Enter."
Jace cocked an eyebrow. Alec gave him a look of warning before turning the handle and pushing open the door. Alec entered first, and Jace followed behind him, his eyes trailing over the room's décor.
It was nice, but Jace wasn't impressed; he had seen plenty of wealthy rooms in his lifetime and it was all the same after awhile. Everything in the room was to be expected, from the white leather furniture to the marble topped bar. The tall man standing by the fireplace, however, was not.
"Alec, my darling. I was wondering when you would show up again."
Jace felt his eyebrows disappear into his bangs as the lanky man turned and walked up to them, lightly holding a delicate martini glass filled with acid blue liquid in his right hand.
He appeared to be quite young, perhaps only nineteen though he carried himself like someone who had seen it all, and wasn't impressed. His smooth skin was a light caramel color, and his black hair…was spiked up with an insane amount of glitter.
Jace blinked a few times as he approached, wondering if he was really seeing this person. He had on a tight black shirt with the sleeves artfully ripped and even tighter jeans with more than one stud belt looped around his slim waist.
"Magnus," Alec said in greeting. "How are you?" Magnus raised the glass in a toast to him with dark glitter painted nails.
"I would say 'fantastic' but I'm afraid it isn't true." A frown crossed Alec's face.
"Why is that?" Magnus pursed his lips before reaching out and twining a stand of Alec's hair around his finger.
"Alec my sweet, I'm afraid that I've fallen victim to a most dreadful case of boredom. Which is, as you know, ghastly for people such as myself." Alec smiled as sparks flew from Magnus' fingertips in the exact shade of blue as his eyes.
"Well I may have a cure." he angled his body to include Jace in the exchange. "Jace this is Magnus Bane, the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Magnus this is Jace-"
"Morgenstern." Magnus finished, his gold green cat eyes glittering as they settled on Jace. Jace hooded his eyes. "No we haven't met, but I'd know that arrogant posture anywhere." Magnus set his drink down on the bar behind Alec. "You do resemble Daddy quite a bit don't you? Much to everyone's surprise."
"So I've been told." Jace said as he raised his chin. Magnus' strange eyes gleamed before he crossed his arms, cocked a hip and leaned his weight on one foot. "So you've met my father?" Magnus glanced down at his nails, feeling their edges with his thumb.
"Yes, I did have the…misfortune, of meeting Valentine once or twice before." Jace's eyes flicked down at his attire.
"Yes. That is unfortunate."
"And that's quite a smart mouth you've got on you." Magnus said as he took a slow step towards Jace, his eyes bright and impossible. "I bet Daddy dearest doesn't like it very much when you talk back to him…" he stopped in front of Jace and reached down, taking his wrist in his hand and lifting it up to prove his point. "Is that how you got this wonderfully sinister adornment, little Nephilim?" he asked softly. "I bet that's why you're here huh?" Jace gazed back at him stonily.
"Well you don't miss much do you?" Magnus' grin was as soft as a knife as he shook his head.
"Now ask me if I'm going to help you."
Jace flicked his eyes towards Alec, who was watching their exchange nervously like he was expecting bloodshed.
"I think your tone is a clear enough answer as any." Magnus smiled and tilted his head to the side, making Jace return his eyes to him.
"Well it can't hurt you to ask nicely." Magnus crossed his slim arms and waited.
"Fine…will you?" The warlock's eyes glittered wickedly.
"Will I what, Jace?"
Jace stared at him coldly. He knew Magnus was just playing with him and enjoying it immensely. Jace wondered how badly his father had insulted him. He could only imagine.
"Will you help me? Please?"
"Help you with what? Be specific." Jace inhaled a breath angrily through his nose. Magnus raised his eyebrows. "Ah ah! Patience, Morgenstern. Ask me again."
Jace raised a hand to his eyes and blocked out the room for a moment, feeling a headache throbbing at his temples. Well he might as well show him just how much of a Morgenstern he was…Jace slowly lowered his hand and spoke with a slow and careful grace.
"I would really appreciate it, Magnus, if you could help me figure out what this rune does to me. And if its possible, your talents with magic could really be useful in removing it," he met Magnus' cat eyes with his golden ones and locked his gaze. "That is if you'd be willing enough to offer me the help that I need, regardless of who my father is."
Alec was unaware that he was holding his breath as his eyes flicked back to the warlock, waiting for his response. Magnus smiled.
"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" he took a step closer to Jace, testing him to see what he would do. Jace stayed where he was; of course he would be good under pressure.
"Now while I do love to be charmed by beautiful boys…" Magnus ran his finger lightly down Jace's cheek, liking how Jace suddenly wouldn't look him in the eyes. One of Magnus' favorite hobbies was making tough guys nervous and he did it extremely well.
"Your charm, has that distinct Morgenstern taste to it, which makes me wonder if you all just have a little charm switch that you flip on and off when you need it." Jace looked up at him, his golden eyes growing dark. "So while I enjoy a pretty face and a smooth talker as much as the next person…" Magnus turned away from him, "I'm afraid the answer is no."
"Magnus," Alec said imploringly. The Downworlder arched an eyebrow at him. "You're not being fair, he asked you nicely just like you wanted him to."
"Alexander, life isn't fair. It's about time you learned that."
Alec's blue eyes darkened with hurt. Magnus turned away from him as well, and leaned into the bar, meaning to pour himself another acid blue drink.
"It's okay, Alec. He probably can't help anyways." Jace said lightly.
Magnus' eyes flicked up from the alcohol. He set the bottle back down on the marble before turning back to Jace, who had his jaw set.
"Careful now, you wouldn't want to say something you'd regret." Magnus warned softly.
Jace's eyes held that telltale sparkle of iniquity that made Alec pinch the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.
"And FYI, reverse psychology is a very feeble and transparent persuasion tool. Come back and play this game with me when you actually know the rules, little boy." Magnus said sweetly.
Alec sighed and pulled out a bar stool. Jace approached Magnus slowly, watching his fingertips out of the corner of his eye for sudden sparks.
"Who said that's what I was doing? You not being able to get your magic up is the only reason I can think of for you refusing to help me."
Jace stopped in front of Magnus, who was staring at him with anger glowing in his eyes.
"Not being able to perform adequately must really take a toll on your confidence." Jace said in a low voice.
Magnus narrowed his eyes and raised a hand to Jace's face, a few hot sparks flying up from his fingers before he gently traced the line of Jace's jaw with still heated fingertips.
"Do you wanna see just how confident I am with my performance?"
Back in his stool at the bar, Alec reached for the bottle of blue liquid and took a medicinal swig from it. He cringed as the drink burned down his throat, surprised at how strong it was. He'd assumed that something that looked like liquid candy would taste a little bit less like rubbing alcohol.
Alec forced his mind back on the situation at hand, knowing that there were two possible outcomes. This situation could either turn out very bad, where Jace and Magnus attacked each other with blades and magic…or it could turn out very good...
But Alec, knowing his luck and knowing Jace, had a feeling that this particular situation would only end badly. He should have figured out earlier that his luck and Jace seemed to have a direct effect on every situation that they found themselves in.
With borderline exhaustion, Alec turned back to Jace and Magnus and braced himself for the fireworks.
