Chapter 5: Jace POV

I give myself one last look in the mirror and deem my appearance suitable. Tonight, we were having a welcome dinner for Aline and Zara, though most just want to welcome Aline.

My black suit is still a little stiff since it's brand new, but I brush it off. I wink at myself and head down to Clary's room.

My stomach flips at the thought of her name. When we were little, I had a huge crush on her. But she never gave me the time of day. That's why I turned into a huge player: to try to get her attention. That plan backfired because now she hates me. But that crush never left. I think of this arranged-marriage as a blessing in disguise.

I arrive at the door with the green "C" on it and knock. A faint "come in" resounds and I open it before stepping inside.

I've never been inside Clary's room before, but I don't know if I'm really missing anything. It's no different than any other bedroom in the manor, besides a few splashes of paint on the walls and full bookcases.

Clary's in the bathroom, applying mascara. She glances at me and my heart skips a beat. She looks gorgeous.

She's wearing a long, fitted, silk, emerald-green dress that's off-the-shoulder and has a slit along her left leg. Her curls are gentle but purely red, with two strands pinned back. Clary's wearing almost no makeup, save for mascara and lip gloss. Her heels are open-toed and gold, the color matching my eyes the way here dress matches hers.

"How do I look?" she asks. Clary steps out of her bathroom and does a little twirl.

I shrug. "Not as good as I do."

She hits me on the shoulder. "Shut up."

"Roger." I extend my arm and she takes it. Even through the layers of clothing, a spark sets my body on fire from where her hands clutch my limb.

Heading down to the dining room, Clary plots on how to get Zara to lose her cool. I add in a bit here and there, but I mainly just listen to her and her musical voice.

Have I said that I have a crush on Clary yet?

"Are you ready to enter the pits of hell?" Jon and Izzy appear on right on the other side of the door as we near it. Jon's voice is light and cheery while Izzy rolls her eyes. I can already tell that this is going to be an interesting marriage.

"I got engaged at 17, Jon. I'm already there," Clary responds.

I send her a look. "You're married to me, Clare. I'm your saving angel."

"Oh, just go in already," she snarks back.

Jon pushes the door open to reveal a dimly-lit but grand room. A dark mahogany dining table takes up most of the space in the marble-walled space. Glimmering chandeliers are placed conservatively across the roof.

Valentine is already seated at the head of the table with Jocelyn at the other side. He's chatting quite animatedly with Aline, who's seated to his right. Alec is on her right, facing Sebastian, who's on the left of Zara. Jocelyn is talking to a blonde man that resembles Zara greatly, Horace Dearborn. Next to Horace is the Consul.

The man at the head of the table looks up when we answer and a broad smile stretches across his face. "Welcome, you four. Just find your spot."

I can feel Zara's stare on my back as Clary and I find our seats. We sit down, Clary next to Alec and across from Izzy, whereas I'm across Jon and next to an empty seat that is soon taken by my mother. Dad sits on her other side.

Valentine claps his hands. "Greetings, everyone. Tonight, we are welcoming the newest additions to our family, Ms. Aline Penhallow and Ms. Zara Dearborn. They are both quite honorable young ladies-"

"My daughter is more than honorable, Valentine. She is precious and valuable," Horace interrupts. Everyone's heads turn on their necks at lightning speed. Mr. Morgenstern is the third highest-ranked official in the Clave. All Shadowhunters under him call Valentine "General Morgenstern". Only close relatives and friends, immediate high-ranking officers (Robert, Dad, you know), the Inquisitor, or the Consul can call him anything different. And Horace is nowhere near any of that. In addition to the insubordinate name, Horace interrupted Valentine. That's a feat only Clary can pull off.

The general takes a deep breath. "Excuse me, Horace?"

"My daughter is worthy of a more extravagant title than just 'honorable'. She's a princess!" Horace, who had leaned forward as he spoke, leaned back. "You should know that, Valentine."

Beside me, Clary tries to stifle laughter. She fails miserably.

Valentine, who's quite pissed off, goes to glare at his daughter but his gaze softens as he realizes who it is. "Clarissa," he warns.

Clary doesn't stop. "I'm sorry, Father. It's just hilarious to see how rude Horace is being."

The man spoken of turns indignant. "You are rude too. How can I not be?"

The Consul interjects. "She's his daughter. Both Clarissa and Jonathan are exceptions to being rude. They don't address him as 'General Morgenstern', because Valentine is their father. They also interrupt him because they are children. You, Horace, are older and not related to the general in any way."

"But I will be!"

"Even then, you will address me as 'General Morgenstern'," Valentine booms.

Horace shoots out of his chair. "I've had enough of this. I really did expect more, Valentine." The clueless animal stalks out of the dining room. A few minutes later, he returns with a frazzled expression. "Could someone point me to the direction of the exit?"

Valentine gestures to Clary. "My daughter will draw up a Portal for you in the library."

Clary gets up, quite reluctantly, and leads Horace out of the dining room. Zara stands up and goes to follow the two. When she leaves, the tension in the room vanishes.

"Where are the Whitelaws and the Rosales?" the Consul asks after everyone finishes their rants on Horace (for some, Zara too).

"They weren't here just for a visit. I sent them out on a mission but should return soon. There were some odd lycanthrope disappearances as well as Fair Folk mysteries that needed investigation," Valentine responds.

Eventually, Clary and Zara return. The dinner passes somewhat smoothly and when the night is over, a bunch of us guys are walking back to our rooms. The ladies had gone off to the library with Jocelyn for some sort of talk.

"I bet Horace will be an awesome father-in-law," Jon says.

"No sarcasm, please," an exhausted Seb replies. He looks so worn out. A wave of sympathy crashes down on me like a wave.

"Ok, ok. I won't."

An ear-splitting crash echoes from the direction of the library. Without a second's hesitation, every single guy in our group - Jon, Seb, Alec, and me - are dashing for the site.

Yelling sounds from the room. Our fathers - I have no clue when Robert got here - arrive exactly when we do and they go in first. Inside, Clary and Jocelyn are bent over a body while Iz and Aline are bent over another body. Zara is sitting in a chair, filing her nails.

"What happened?" Robert demands. Valentine and Dad were walking toward Adrian and Xavier, who had just Portaled back. As our bunch of boys drew closer, we recognized the bodies as Kendra and Lyra. Both were soaked in blood.

"We don't know," Jocelyn answers. "The girls and I were talking when the bodies thumped onto the floor. Catarina Loss poked her head in and told us that there was a Centurion incident that the girls picked up on the way back from Faerie. She said that it was intense."

A moan escapes from Lyra. Clary's stele just finished a rune on her shoulder. The room goes still. Well, except for Zara, who looks totally unimpressed as she moves onto the other hand.

"Lyra?" Adrian's voice is soft and clear. He walks forward, toward his sister.

Lyra suddenly bolts up and winces before laying back down just as quickly. "Where's Kendra?" she asks urgently.

"Right here," Aline replies. She and Izzy had leaned back to give Lyra a better view of her parabatai.

The Rosales girl darts over quite quickly for someone who had just woken up from being unconscious. She whips out a stele and traces a deliberate iratze on Kendra's upper arm. It shines brightly and cuts that hadn't been healed before zip up.

The whole room exhales in relief as Kendra starts to wake up. "Lyra?" she calls out.

"I'm here." Lyra clasps Kendra's hand.

Zara scoffs. "Parabatai aren't allowed to be in love, you know," she says snarkily.

"How are they 'in love,'?" Clary stands up, her expression making her seem ten times taller. She glares at Zara with such a defensive ferocity, I almost cower. And Jace Herondale doesn't cower.

"All the mushy-gushy stuff like, 'Lyra?' and, 'Where's Kendra?' Come on, you two aren't lovers."

"Yeah, not like you and yourself are. Get over yourself, Zara. You're not the Alpha here. We don't care if you're a Centurion or that you are a Dearborn."

"I have a fact that does make myself the Alpha. Jace is mine," she yells. Her right index finger is pointed at her chest. "Not yours. Mine."

I step in. "Ms. Dearborn, please stop this nonsense. I am not yours, nor am I Clary's. I belong to myself. And I do not make someone 'the Alpha'."

"Then why was she in your arms this morning?"

"Zara, enough." My dad's voice is stern, to the point where not even Zara would disobey if she wanted to live. "You are engaged to Sebastian, not to my son. Leave it be."

"Lyra and Kendra are acting this way because of their bond. Neither of them would rest easily if the other wasn't there," Robert adds. "You cannot comment on something you have never experienced."

"Clary doesn't have a parabatai either!" she argues.

"Clary does, in fact, have a parabatai," Jocelyn cuts in. "Simon Lovelace, one of her childhood friends, is it."

"Then where is he?"

"He had a family emergency. His father died recently and he was pulled away without warning. So, Clary can defend Kendra and Lyra."

"You, Ms. Dearborn, need to tone it down. Just because life isn't going your way means that you can act as obnoxiously and rudely as you do," Mom chastises.

Zara storms out. Jon throws up his hands. "Dad, can't you call the engagement off?"

"I could and I certainly am thinking about it. As a Centurion, she should act better. This is ridiculous." Valentine sighs. "Kendra, Lyra, I need you two in my office when you're able. Xavier, Adrian, follow me."

The two boys, Valentine, Robert, and Dad leave. The others sit around the fire while Kendra and Lyra adjust.

"When's the wedding, Seb?" Kendra asks gently. She looks concerned and regretful in the dim light.

Seb sighs. "It's scheduled a couple of days after Jon and Isabelle's. So probably in two weeks."

Jocelyn places a hand reassuringly on her son's shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, Clary's first."

"Mother!" Clary scolds. "Seb, I really hope that doesn't make you feel better. This whole thing is hell."

I scoff. "Please, little girl, being married to me is heaven. Now, on the other hand, being married to you...well, I might see the Devil here and there."

She rolls her eyes. "Shut up, Goldilocks."

"Whatever you say, Red."

I can feel Alec's smirk. "Already arguing like a married couple," my parabatai comments.

"Alec!"

Sorry, it took so long. I've been really busy lately. Enjoy!