Jace dreamed of Maryse. Alec's mind hovered on the edge of sleep and awakening, caught between Jace's dream and Alec's own thoughts. In the dream, Maryse looked younger somehow, with a smile that was gentle, if not a little sad. It was more emotion than Alec had seen her showing in years and he thrashed in the bed when he noticed a dangerous looking man approaching Maryse.
It was Jace.
And someone else too. Alec squirmed on the bed, trying to tug on his end of the bond in hope of getting to his parabatai and wake him up. This was just one more of Jace's nightmares.
Maryse sat underneath an apple tree, her arms wrapped tightly around her to fend off the cold Alec could not feel. He was sweating from trying so hard to reach Jace through the bond. The stranger — Jace — sat next to Maryse, holding out a cup. Alec thrashed in the bed again, mumbling and struggling to get out of his hoodie.
The last thing Alec saw was his mother sipping unearthly, iridescent liquid from a cup.
"Alec? Are you alright?" Magnus mumbled from next to him.
The warlock rolled on his side, patting the mattress as he reached for Alec and missed. Alec felt his cheeks heating up at Magnus' attempt at comforting him. The shadowhunter was on his back, half-naked after tossing his hoodie on the floor and when Magnus' eyes blinked open, revealing slit pupils, Alec's blush intensified. Jace had clamped his end of the parabatai bond shut again and Alec blinked painfully. At least the blond was awake now.
"I'm fine, sorry for falling asleep on you again."
"I could get used to it. It's a nice view to wake up to," the warlock replied.
Alec averted his eyes and flexed his arms, checking the wound. It was completely healed. He folded his wings outwards, under the light pouring in from the window. Some feathers were rumpled and Alec clumsily reached to smooth them over. The sun was high in the sky, warm against the ink black membrane of his wings.
"Need a hand?"
Magnus sounded like he was making a pun, but his eyes looked like pools of honey in the light and the offer seemed genuine. Alec crawled closer and settled on his back again, spreading his arm out between them to let the warlock work. Nimble fingers brushed his feathers, painted nails sending shivers up the fragile membrane of the wings.
"Can you… can you do the other one too?" Alec dared to ask.
"Of course darling," came Magnus' easy reply.
Alec scooted closer as soon as the warlock was done and rolled to the side, extending his wing over Magnus. The older man worked diligently and Alec's eyes wandered down smooth, golden skin.
He barely remembered falling asleep at the crack of dawn, exhausted after patrolling with both his siblings and then Magnus. Even Clary and Jonathan had noticed that Alec was overworking himself, although no one except Alec's parents knew why or what he was doing.
Magnus brushed painted nails over the arch of Alec's wing once he was done and Alec shivered. It felt as intimate as a kiss and Alec realized he had never gotten the chance to kiss Magnus again the night before. He pouted at the thought.
"Practical and cozy," Magnus sighed.
"Cozy?" Alec repeated, lost.
"It really adds something to a hug, being wrapped in someone's wings."
"Do you have many winged-friends?" Alec asked, feeling petulant.
"I meant when you held me in your arms this morning darling," Magnus glanced over his naked shoulder and blinking at the shadowhunter.
Alec was at loss for words so he reached out to wrap the warlock in his arms instead. It was almost too much, feeling Magnus' warm skin against his wings, but the way the older man sighed and relaxed in his arms was worth it.
Alec watched Magnus fiddled with the feathers on the shadowhunter's wrists, tracing the flight runes that stood out in stark contrast to Alec's pale skin. A ring glinted on Magnus' fingers, the blue gemstone was a Cat's Eye aquamarine, like the one on the black and white ear cuff Alec always noticed. He pressed a tentative kiss to the back of Magnus' neck and immediately nuzzled his face in the warlock's hair. Magnus instinctively snuggled closer to Alec, burrowing himself in the shadowhunter's embrace.
Maybe Alec, too, could get used to this.
He dozed off after that, a dreamless sleep that did not quite manage to chase away the remnants of Jace's nightmare.
Alec woke up again when Magnus stirred, wincing because the way the warlock moved put too much pressure on the wing beneath Magnus. The shadowhunter coaxed Magnus against his chest again, smiling when the older man snuggled up against him.
"Hey," Alec whispered.
"Hi."
Magnus blinked a few times, cat-like pupils shrinking to dark slits with the setting sun beaming in from the window. It was early evening and Alec shifted to block the dim light when the warlock scrunched up his face. Magnus relaxed, hands sliding up between them to brush Alec's cheek and the deflect rune adorning his neck.
Royal blue nails flashed on the edge of Alec's vision, strangely similar to the color of his arrows and Alec frowned, eyes flickering back to Magnus' face. From the warlock's smile, it was on purpose. The shadowhunter felt his cheeks heating up, because changing his fletching to royal blue had been cheesy and totally unnecessary. A peck on the lips assuaged Alec's worries. His blush intensified and he tilted his head, whispering.
"Any chance The Chairman will jump on us if I kiss you again?"
Magnus seemed to consider it before shrugging and wrapping his arms around Alec's neck. The press of the warlock's lips on his had Alec's blush receding and he dipped his head, growing more confident when Magnus did not move away, but parted his lips instead.
Alec liked the weight of Magnus in his arms, wrapped in his wings. He followed the older man's lead as their lips brushed together, the tingle of want that sparked when their tongues met. He savored the rush of adrenaline that seemed to simultaneously spur him on and ease him into a state of oblivion.
Hard muscles and valleys of soft, warm skin pressed against his chest. Magnus hummed when their lips drifted away from each other, eyes fluttering open as he ran his fingers through Alec's dark locks. The shadowhunter sighed, enjoying the soothing and repetitive feeling as they shared a breath. The dusty pink sheets felt cool against his ribs and crystal clear curtains hung from the canopy, drifting over them. The hem of the curtain brushed Alec's lips when he moved to speak.
"My siblings have been bugging me about the patrols, asking if 'patrolling has a name'. I stopped pretending that I was going alone after a while, but they're going to give me hell about this."
Magnus did not react immediately. He chuckled at that eventually, but there was something in that pause, the light in his eyes, that caught Alec's attention, as though the warlock was surprised but not willing to share the fact that he was, nor the reason. Alec did not push, because he had not told Magnus about his lack of experience either, and they had other things to do anyway, such as kissing each other some more.
The sun had disappeared from the sky when Alec finally left the loft, taking the rooftops as Magnus cut through a dark alley. The city snored in the distance, unexpected noises jerking the night out of its sleepy state with the honk of a car or the sound of bystanders taking a party onto the pavement.
Magnus was graceful in his own way, Alec mused when he jumped from one roof to the other, keeping an eye on the warlock. Where shadowhunters walked with a threat in their gait, Magnus took every step with a certain elegance, almost like dancing. It was relaxing to watch, but not to the point of not noticing something padding on the roof.
A werewolf stalking its prey.
Alec threw himself off the roof just as a claws brushed the thin membrane of his wings. He glided down, falling to a crouch next to Magnus and glanced up at the warlock with a frown. There were no demons around, fortunately. One less thing to worry about. The pack surrounded them as soon as Alec reached the ground.
"I told you he wasn't at the Institute," a familiar voice huffed.
Alec straightened slowly and glared at the petite figure that stepped out of the shadows. Clary strutted towards him, walking amongst the pack like she belonged there. They barely paid attention to her, not even wary of the seraph blade she carried. Jonathan followed her, cautious with his own weapon and careful not to brush against any of the wolves. They were ready to pounce, hackles raised.
Fear gripped at him then. What if the pack had gone looking for him in the Institute, only to find Jace, Isabelle and Max? Alec froze at the insidious thought. Clary and Jonathan were here but Alec… Alec had not seen his siblings since the night before. He barely remembered the last time he had exchanged more than a few words with Isabelle and Jace.
Since then, Alec had started considering telling his siblings the truth. He should have done it immediately, sooner rather than later. He might never get the chance to come clean to Jace and Izzy.
He reached for the bond and tugged helplessly at it. It was strained still and nothing unusual sparked through the connection. Alec held onto the hope that he would have felt it if something had happened, like Jace had felt his pain when Alec fought the dragonidae. If Jace was alright, Isabelle and Max would be too. He hoped.
The city growled in the distance, or maybe it was the Alpha, as Clary came to a stop next to the brown wolf. Magnus tensed, magic flaring to life at his fingertips and Alec shrugged off his bow. The night breeze sent Magnus' cloak billowing behind him, the glow of magic burned bright blue against the dark fabric.
"Well, well, well. Seems like yesterday you were just toddlers," Magnus commented.
"We don't want any business with you, Warlock Bane. Please step back," Jonathan pleaded.
Alec rolled his eyes and nodded when Magnus ignored Jonathan. The warlock locked eyes with a smaller wolf, with a gray face and light brown tail. The wolf they had already met, that Magnus called Maia, Alec realized. She stood back, disapproval blazing in her yellow eyes as the Alpha stalked forward. Magnus did not back off and Alec took a deep breath in to attempt to focus.
He itched to grab his phone and call Isabelle, check on her and Max but this was not the time. Especially not with the way the wolves stalked towards Magnus and Alec. The pack looked ready to tear Magnus apart if he stood between Alec and them. What did that mean for Alec's family? Had the pack attacked the Institute, ransacked the abandoned church while looking for Alec?
Clary and Jonathan might have caved when threatened by the Alpha of the New York pack, but not Alec's siblings. Even if they did not know about the wings, Jace and Isabelle would have tried to protect him.
"I thought I had made myself clear, Luke? Alexander is under my protection. You want something from him, you take it up with me." Alec shivered at the dark edge in Magnus' voice
And nocked an arrow, aiming at Clary. She would know what had happened at the Institute if she had lived to tell the tale and he intended to get something out of her. The truth, hopefully. If he could endure the truth. Alec drew his arm back with a shaky breath. He tried to convince himself that if Clary and Jonathan were safe, there was no reason for his siblings not to be.
Aiming at Clary, however, gave the Alpha pause. Magnus shifted, moving closer to Alec. They did not need to glance at each other to express their surprise. Alec had only intended to get the truth out of Clary and take her out before she got hurt, thinking of Jace and how his parabatai would feel if the redhead were to get in the crossfire. The bond laid peaceful between them, stretched thin but there still. Jace was fine. He had to be.
"What are you doing here?" he asked Jonathan and Clary. "Where is my family?"
"We can't let Valentine use you for whatever mad experiment he's working on next," a ragged-looking man replied instead of the siblings.
It was the Alpha of the New York pack in his human form, who took a step forward to stand in front of Clary with a look of defiance. Alec recoiled at his words, at the lack of answer regarding his family. Magnus bristled, magic flashing in the narrow alley they found themselves in and bathing the pack in the glow of flickering blue light.
"What about them?" Alec nodded at Clary and Jonathan. "They're his children, who knows what experiment they're the result of."
Luke bared his teeth and snarled, offended by the mere idea. Jonathan paled though, taken aback by the suggestion and glanced between his sister and himself as though assessing the possibility. Maia sat down and rolled her yellow eyes behind her Alpha even as Luke hurried to prove Alec wrong. None of the wolves looked like they had been in a fight yet. Alec held his breath.
"They're not. Jocelyn never drank angel blood, unlike your mother."
"At least Maryse Lightwood learned from her mistakes and moved on instead of keeping to her ways," Magnus interrupted.
"She was on good terms with the previous Alpha, before you killed him, only to use the pack for your own gain," Maia stepped in, turning to her human form.
The wolves, who had been ready to pounce so far, deflated. They growled, a rumbling sound that echoed in the dark alley and Luke glanced warily at the rest of pack. Clary seemed on the verge of speaking up but Jonathan grabbed her arm and shushed her.
"Do you know Jocelyn well?" Alec added, eyes narrowed.
Luke glowered and Maia huffed impatiently as he kept silent. Alec wished the Alpha had said more, wished to know what to expect if he made it back to the Institute after this. What would he find there? Would his siblings ever know what he had been hiding from them and why?
"What have you done to my family?" he repeated, barely above a whisper.
It happened very fast after that. Maia got tired of waiting for an answer that would never come and probably anger her more if it did. She turned back to her wolf form and pounced on Luke, fangs flashing in the distant light of the moon. Luke went down with a yell, claws and fangs bursting out in order to defend himself.
Alec startled, eager to help Maia, to get his own answers, but he stopped himself. This was a fight for leadership, no one else had nothing to do with it, especially not a shadowhunter. It would only put Maia in a difficult position if Alec were to help her.
Clary had no such qualms, reaching for her seraph blade. It lit up brightly as soon as she muttered the name of an angel. Alec stared in horror. Closing his eyes would not spare him, so Alec stared.
"Maia!" Magnus called out the werewolf's name in warning.
The strangled sound echoed in the dark alley. A siren wailed in the distance as the wolf scrambled away from Luke. Maia was not fast enough though. Clary stabbed the smaller wolf and Maia yelped in pain but did not relent, jaws snapping at the redhead's wrist. The pack lurched forward, cutting off Clary's path as she made to attack again.
Luke struggled beneath Maia in her wolf form, unable to reach the seraph blade protruding from her side. She pinned him down and Alec looked away as she bit down on his neck.
The arrow he had been holding onto flew past the werewolves, embedding itself deep into Clary's shoulder. It sent her tumbling backwards before she attacked Maia again but probably saved Clary's life, else the pack would have ripped into the redhead in retaliation.
Jonathan stood still, gaping at the blood soaking the pavement. Maia stood up and stepped away from the body of the previous Alpha, his neck torn apart. Her eyes flashed yellow as she pulled the blade out and pressed her hands to the wound on her side, covered in blood as she assessed the pack. The wolves bared their necks, submission to a new Alpha if Alec had ever seen it.
"Jonathan! Call mom!" Clary shrieked.
She stood up, shaking, and fumbled with the arrow sticking out of her shoulder. Alec finally snapped out of his trance, tearing his eyes away from Maia. It did not register at first, why Clary and Jonathan would want to call their missing mother. A desperate instinct maybe, Alec thought distantly, nocking another arrow.
The redhead ducked and disappeared in the side street she had come from. Jonathan hurried after her with his phone glued to his ear, seraph blade swinging in his other hand.
Magnus' magic flashed but Jonathan and Clary had already run away. Alec was desperate to know what had happened to his family too and side-stepped Magnus' magic with a distressed cry and spun on his heels, frantic.
"My family, I need— Magnus," he begged.
Angel, Alec hoped they were alive. He did not care about his secret anymore, intended to tell his siblings anyway. How they learned about it did not matter as long as his siblings were safe.
"The Institute. We need to check on my siblings, get there before Clary and Jonathan if my family is alive, tell them what happened," Alec urged.
Magnus complied instantly, snapping his fingers to summon a portal. It shimmered in the dark alley, blue sparks that somehow did not reach Luke's body. Alec was grateful for the tight control Magnus kept on his magic, because the sight was gruesome.
"Do you want us to give chase?" Maia wiped blood off her mouth.
"No thank you dear. Take care of your pack, you've earned it. We appreciate that you didn't tear Alec to pieces straight away," Magnus replied.
Magnus gestured at Maia's wound, offering to heal her but she declined, bearing the evidence of her newly gained leadership with pride. Alec nodded in agreement, hovering near the portal with his mind running as he tried to process what had happened. Or more exactly, what happened next. Where were Clary and Jonathan going? What about Alec's family? What would Clary…
She had kissed Jace, he remembered suddenly. Surely she would have made sure nothing happened to the boy she liked? But Clary had expressed her dislike towards Isabelle a few times… The parabatai bond remained still, strained too thin to let Jace's feelings through and Alec clenched his teeth. He would have felt it, if something had happened to Jace and the blond would never have let anything happen to Isabelle and Max. They had to be alright.
Alec needed to get to them. There was the slightest possibility... And if they were safe and sound, while Alec trusted his family not to turn against him without proof… well with one of his arrows protruding from her shoulder, Clary might have just what she needed. It would mess with Jace's head and all of Alec's secrets would not work in his favor. Only his parents knew about him.
He rushed through the portal, reappearing in front of the Institute. Alec ran to the front steps, pushing the door open. The nave bathed in the cold glow of witchlight, rows of benches leading to the elevator. Magnus hurried after him, footsteps echoing loudly in the old church. Alec looked around, tugging nervously at his sleeveless hoodie. Nothing looked out of place, maybe...
The gilded, birdcage-like gates rattled and opened, letting Isabelle and Jace out.
Isabelle's whip uncoiled at the sight of Alec and Magnus but she stilled upon recognizing her brother, while Jace lowered the seraph blade he carried. The parabatai bond felt sour now that they were close, taut like never before as the blond seemed to hold onto his end just like Alec usually did to limit the amount of information that went back and forth between them.
Alec's shoulders sagged, a sigh of relief escaping his lips, "You're safe."
"Alec? What's wrong? Who's that? What do you mean? Clary said..." Jace muttered, glancing between his parabatai and Magnus.
Footsteps echoed in the nave before either of them could speak.
Magnus turned around, hands carefully lowered even as sparks of magic flashed like lightning at his fingertips. The man who entered the Institute was formidable, with a wide chest and muscular arms. The warlock had never forgotten those sharp features and triangular face, a pointed chin always raised to look down on downworlders.
Few had seen Valentine and lived to tell the tale.
The High Warlock of Brooklyn had. He had seen slice a warlock's child throat and Magnus would never allow himself to forget. If only Magnus could remember the child's face, rather than the glint of the blade pressed against the boy's throat. The warlock child's magic had been bright yellow and he had looked so small…
But Magnus had not even seen the kid's face. Yet, he could not forget. How could he allow himself the relief of removing his memories when Magnus had failed the warlock child? As High Warlock, Magnus was meant to protect the boy. The only thing left to do was to avenge the warlock child.
Magnus wanted Valentine's runes to finally disappear — like they should have, had he been punished. The warlock's child death would not go unpunished if Magnus had his way. Valentine's runes would be eaten away by demon venom not unlike what he had the werewolf child go through, Magnus contemplated with magic flaring up his wrists. Jace gasped before the warlock could attack.
"F— Father," the blond choked.
His grip on the seraph blade loosened and Isabelle took a step forward, standing protectively in front of Jace with Alec. They looked at a loss for what to do or say apart from that. Magnus found himself confused, because nobody had ever heard of a third child. Was it even possible?
Valentine had yet to speak, frozen in place not unlike Jace. There was no recognition on the man's face, short platinum hair shining in the glow of witchlight like a halo. Clary and Jonathan barged in at that moment, out of breath with blood leaking down Clary's body. She held onto Jonathan's seraph blade and the young man, who kept glancing at the arrow protruding from his sister's shoulder, did not look like he missed the weapon.
Alec's grip on his bow tightened as Jace glanced between Valentine and his children, taking in the meaning of the scene. Isabelle bit her lower lip before shifting closer to her brother. She looked warily at Magnus, her intimidating figure the string to Alec's bow-like, hunched stature.
"What happened?" she asked Alec.
"The New York pack cornered Magnus and me, they've been hunting me for a while now because I'm… different. Clary and Jonathan were with them," her brother trailed off.
Magnus frowned. Luke had been hunting Alec down for fear that the shadowhunter would join Valentine and Clary had obviously helped the late Alpha. What was she doing with her father now? Magnus had no idea but from the look on Isabelle's face, she had even more questions than him. She glanced between Alec and the warlock again, seemingly deciding that clarifying the nature of their relationship could wait.
"Why would they hunt you? What do you mean, different?"
"Valentine experimented with angel blood. Mother drank some when she was pregnant with me."
Alec hesitated, glancing at Magnus. The warlock nodded, encouraging, and the shadowhunter drew the If I Could Fly runes on his wrists. The glamour covering Alec's wings disappeared, revealing the thin, black membrane. Isabelle gaped and Jace frowned, looking between Alec and Valentine.
"I saw it in my dreams," Jace cut in. "Maryse drank from that cup… and my mother too… and you're dead! I saw you die!"
He pointed his seraph blade at Valentine, taking a step forward to stand between his siblings with more conviction than Magnus had expected. Alec startled, eyes narrowed as though he had just understood something.
"They're not dreams, they're visions. You said you saw Clary kill Valentine though-" Alec mumbled.
"That would have been me," Valentine interrupted.
Except a glamour peeled away from him, revealing a tall woman instead.
"I killed him when he came to find us and I made sure Clary and Jonathan would have to stay at the Institute to keep an eye on the experiment."
Jocelyn was willowy, with curly hair darker than her children's. Clary and Jonathan shuffled closer to her, relaxing slightly in the presence of their mother.
"Can't say I'm sorry about Valentine's death," Magnus said airily. "Did you send Luke after Alec too? How do you feel, knowing you got him killed? You don't care I bet, werewolves are beneath you like the rest of the Downworld, right?"
"Of course I sent Luke after the experiment. When Valentine closed in on New York and sent demons to swarm the city, it was only a question of time before he found either Maryse's spawn or me," Jocelyn sneered.
Jonathan startled and his eyes filled with tears. He seemed to take his cue from Clary though, as she did not display any emotion regarding Luke's death. The eldest of Jocelyn's children squared his shoulders and raised his chin defiantly but his eyes remained red and puffy.
"Why?" Alec blurted out.
"If I bring your head and Valentine's to the Clave they should be lenient. I have to protect my children. I didn't know about you," she shrugged, nodding at Jace. "But that's just one more bargaining chip, three heads to leave the three of us alone. Sounds fair."
Jonathan paled at that but Clary's grip on her seraph blade tightened. She had stopped bleeding.
"No," Jonathan whimpered. "No. When we came home that night, after going to Pandemonium and the flat was in shambles, I thought you were protecting us. But this is wrong Mom, you can't kill people. Luke… Luke was like our father!"
The young man was shaking, his strawberry blond hair drenched in blood and sweat. He had what looked like dried blood on his hands too. He was probably tall but cowering like this, with his dark eyes flicking frantically from his mother to his sister, Jonathan turned into a child. He was not a soldier, not like Alec and his siblings and Magnus did not know who he pitied more in that moment.
"The Lightwoods have been nothing but welcoming since we moved in. I don't think we're in danger anymore, Mom," Jonathan repeated.
"Shut up!" Clary cut in.
She pointed the seraph blade towards her brother and he stumbled back.
Magnus flinched with the crack of Isabelle's whip. It wrapped around Clary's wrist, disarming her with a sharp tug. The warlock's magic flared, a circle of fire expending from his hands to cut off any escape this time. Jace and Alec moved as one when Jocelyn unsheathed her own weapon.
They charged, blades clashing. It echoed throughout the nave and the parabatai danced around each other, pushing Jocelyn back. Alec's wings flicked open as he batted the woman's blade away and Jace worked around the thin, black membrane like he had never known anything else in his life, falling into synchronization born from years of training together and angelic magic.
Isabelle cornered Clary in swift moves, dragging the redhead to her knees and holding her there. The whip wrapped tightly around Clary's arms and legs, barely enough to hurt and Isabelle kept a wary eye on Jonathan as though she expected him to come to his sister's aid.
Magnus snapped his fingers to keep Jonathan in place, just in case, but he stood frozen in the heat of the battle.
Jocelyn made a mad dash for the exit and the warlock fueled the fire burning around them before she reached the door. Jace hurried after her, aiming at her legs and Alec pounced, wings straining to carry him above Jocelyn, enough to swoop down on the woman and knock her out.
She fell without a sound.