When she woke up, Jace was still in her bed. He was awake, sitting up and nose buried in a book. Manchurian Candidate. He glanced over quickly and then went back to the book. "Morning." She tossed back the duvet and got out of bed. She looked at the clock and grimaced. "What's wrong?" He asked, putting the book down.
"I'm supposed to meet Clary at the hospital in like, an hour and a half." She told him. "I've got to get ready." He stared back at her, not blinking. "That means you should probably…let me?" She said slowly.
He practically vaulted from the bed. "Right. See you later."
"Jace." He was standing in her doorway, back to her. His head moved just a little. "Thank you, for last night." He didn't say anything as he left her room.
She hurried in the shower, going as far as to brush her teeth while face wash soaked. She threw on a pair of jeans, boots, and a grey long sleeve. Just in case, she grabbed a jacket.
"I'm leaving! Be back later!" She shouted as she jogged out of the apartment.
She caught a cab to Beth Israel hospital and it only took thirty-six minutes to get there, traffic and all. Clary was waiting in their mother's room. She was standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed.
"Hi. Sorry. I overslept." Eliza sucked in a breath. Clary turned and waved, saying it was fine. "Luke?" She asked.
"Coffee machine." Clary answered. She pulled one of the metal chairs to the bedside and sat down. Her sister's face was red and her eyes puffy.
"Clary, do you want me to go?" Eliza asked quietly.
Clary's head turned and she said no quickly. "She's your mother too. She would appreciate you being here."
Eliza put her hands behind her back. "I don't know her the way you do. I barely remember her. She's my mother, but she isn't my mom. If you want time with her alone, I can come back some other time."
Clary's face softened. She leaned back in the chair, still holding Jocelyn's pale hand. Eliza started towards the door. "You know, I heard her talking about you one time. A few years ago." Clary said suddenly. Eliza looked back at her, eyebrows raised. Clary nodded. "I got stung by a bee and I had a really bad reaction, so she and Luke took me to the emergency room. I was fine, but I heard her talking to Luke when she thought I was still asleep. She was freaking out about it and she said something about you being allergic to bees and wondered if it was some weird genetic thing we had both gotten. Except, I didn't know it was about you at the time…I thought Eliza was like, a cousin or something."
She smiled, leaning her head against the door frame. "Are you allergic?" She asked wryly. Clary laughed and said no, she wasn't. "There was this time when Jonathan and I were playing in the garden and she was watching us. There was a beehive and he knocked me into it and the bees stung me. That's when we found out I was allergic."
Jonathan had been malicious from the very beginning. She was sure that even in utero, he had probably tried to strangle her or absorb her or something. For him, it had been a fatal competition since the beginning.
Clary's face twisted in confusion. "Jace pushed you into a beehive?"
Jace?
There. For a split second, for just a teeny moment, she had forgotten about the lie Valentine had forced her to weave. Jace was not Jonathan in that moment. In that moment, Jace and Jonathan were not synonymous, they were not both her brother.
But, in reality, in the one she had been forced to live and lie, Jace was Jonathan. Jonathan was Jace. Jace Wayland was Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern and whoever Jace had been before Valentine stole him did not exist.
"We didn't always get along so well." Eliza said uneasily. "It's a twin thing." Clary frowned at her, brows furrowed deeply. Of course, it was hard for her to imagine a time when the two of them hadn't gotten along. She had stumbled into their lives at the peak of their co-existence. Clary didn't know that when they had first met, Jace had despised her. Now, they functioned well enough, but it was nothing like it had been before.
Before Valentine ruined them. Before she had ruined them.
She worked lazily. Her mind was fuzzy, not necessarily full of thoughts, but not entirely blank either. Her wrists flicked without thought, knives being carelessly launched into the target boards. Each one stuck; they always stuck.
At least she had that going for her. Consistent and true to aim.
"Liz?" Isabelle's voice wafted through the training room.
Eliza turned, releasing another knife. She heard it stick to the board and didn't even bother to check if she hit the mark. She knew she did. "Hey."
"What are you doing here? Jace said you went to see your mom."
Eliza shrugged. She went to throw another knife only to realize she didn't have any left. She sighed and went to the target boards. She yanked the knives from the targets and brushed each one off against her shirt. "Oh, yeah." She said. "Clary was there, and she really needed to get some things off her chest and, well, it just felt kind of weird for me to be there. So, I left."
Izzy frowned. She leaned against the weapons table, crossing her arms off her chest. "You felt weird seeing your mom at the hospital? That's not weird, Liz."
She said yeah, it really was. She put the knives back in their sleeve and placed them back in the drawer. "They have this intense and special relationship, Clary and her- our mom. It's like the relationship I always thought I would have had with my mom, well, maybe a little different, I guess. But I was standing there, and Clary was clearly upset, and she just kept staring at Jocelyn with this upset look on her face and I felt it. I really felt it. I was out of place. I didn't belong there. So then, I started thinking and I realized something." Izzy asked what that was. "I don't belong anywhere."
The younger girl's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "That's crazy." She told Eliza. "You belong here at the Institute. You're a Shadowhunter. You're one of us."
She shook her head. "No, I don't, Izzy. I haven't belonged anywhere. Not here. Not with my father and J- not anywhere. It's okay." She said.
"You called her Jocelyn." Izzy said suddenly. "Why'd you call your mom by her name?"
She gave Izzy a melancholy smile. "Because she's not my mom, she's Clary's. For me, she's just another thing Valentine ripped away from me."
She left Izzy in the training room, making her way to the greenhouse. It was dreadfully dull looking. She assumed no one had been watering it since Hodge's abrupt departure from the Institute. She supposed Maryse couldn't be bothered with such a boring task as watering plants.
She took it upon herself to water the contents of the greenhouse. She filled the watering can up with water from the hose.
When she was younger, she had often caught herself wondering what her life would have been like with a mother. Valentine had told her that Jocelyn had purposefully left she and Jonathan behind, she couldn't be bothered to raise two young children. Even as a child, she had found something wrong with that story. It had never settled well with her.
She had laid awake countless nights, imagining Jocelyn Fairchild. To her fantastic child mind, Jocelyn had looked like a warrior queen. She was strong, bright red curls that flew in the wind, covered in Marks, the best of Shadowhunters. The Jocelyn she had thought up was the strongest and bravest of Shadowhunters.
The Jocelyn she had imagined came into her room every night and they had long talks about fighting and demons and the conversation would eventually divulge into hopes and dreams. They would talk until the sun came up sometimes, time escaping them.
Upon first meeting her mother, those old thoughts had resurfaced. And seeing the photo of Clary, her heart had grown thinking of having a sister. Her heart had grown thinking of the family she had always dreamt of.
Until it all came crashing down.
Before she knew it, everything had been watered. In just a few short months, her entire life had turned around. She had originally thought it for the better but then it wasn't. It became the nightmare from hell.
The dream of her mother and Clary had shattered. She would never have that relationship with her mother. She would never be her mother. She would just be Jocelyn. Fifteen years was too long, it couldn't be made up for.
Just another relationship that couldn't be salvaged.
Clary had Simon, she had Luke and her mother. Jace had Alec and Izzy, all of the Lightwoods, really.
She supposed that she had Magnus. And Declan. But Declan wouldn't last forever. She would die, he would get the urge to eat her, there were an array of ways their dalliance could end. Magnus would eventually grow bored with her.
Eliza Morgenstern would be alone. That was, she believed, the way it was always supposed to be. She didn't think she was all right with that idea.
Her phone rang, breaking her rather morbid train of thought. It was Jace. She closed her eyes before answering. "Please tell me you didn't get into another fight in a werewolf den. I'm really not in the mood."
She heard his breathy laughter. "Not exactly. Simon called. There's a situation at Luke's. Figured you'd be up for going. If not, it's fine. I'll just go alone with Magnus and Alec."
She didn't exactly want to go. She didn't want to see Clary and be reminded of the life she had missed out on. The life she had wanted. But her wants didn't get to come before the needs of being a Shadowhunter.
"I'll meet you there." She told him sharply.
"Liz. Are you…are you okay?" He asked, his words cautious and wary.
She found herself wanting to tell him everything. She wanted to cry and yell and complain about everything. She hated her life. She hated her father, she hated Jonathan, she hated everything that she had become. The life she had been forced to live.
The lies, the truth, anything and everything in between. She hated what she had done to Jace, what she had done to them.
Instead, she said "Fine. See you there," and hung up. With one lingering glance at the un-blossomed morning glories, she left the greenhouse, squinting tears from her eyes.
Magnus was hugging her as soon as she got to Luke's. Alec and Jace stood behind them, standing at an awkward distance from each other. Close enough to see the intense bond between them, but far enough that something felt off in their balance. Both of them were dressed in all black, both armed with seraph blades.
Magnus pulled away, holding her at arms' length. He inspected her, eyes scouring over her face. She quietly asked what was with all the affection. "I sensed you were upset. Whatever troubles you, it hurts my poor sensitive heart."
He patted her cheek softly before turning away. She grimaced, deciding against commenting on his odd behavior. Her eyes landed on Jace. He gave a tight-lipped smile but said nothing. He went into the house.
She followed him in, Magnus and Alec tailing her. Maia, the werewolf girl, was sitting on the couch, recoiled from Simon and Clary. Simon had claw marks on his cheek and Clary was wielding a knife, standing on top of the coffee table.
"What the hell is going on?" Eliza asked them.
Maia turned to look at her. "I was attacked by a demon and then I was attacked by her!" She slung a pointed finger at Clary.
"There was an incident and I handled it." Clary said pridefully.
Eliza's gaze moved over to Jace. He was already staring at her. His golden eyes were sharp. His stare shifted to Clary. "Clarissa, do you even know how to use a knife?" He asked her. "Properly, I mean."
Maia snorted. "She stabbed the couch." The werewolf girl looked sick, her cheeks a flaming red but the rest of her skin was pallid.
"She's getting worse." Simon spoke.
Magnus pushed past everyone, pushing up his sleeves. He swished his cloak back as he strutted over to Maia. He leaned over, peering down at her. "I'm Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn. And apparent doctor, though I have attained no medical license." He stood back up and flexed his fingers. Blue sparks moved between his fingers.
"You're shiny." Maia's voice was hoarse. Her eyes were dazed, unfocused as she looked back at Magnus. Magnus' fingers danced, weaving a blue wall around Maia.
Jace asked where Luke was. Simon said he was outside, moving his truck so neighbors wouldn't ask questions.
"No, he isn't." Alec said. They hadn't seen him coming in. Clary asked about his truck. Eliza's mouth felt dry and full of cotton. "It's in the driveway."
Eliza and Jace looked at each other. She swallowed. "What demon? What demon was it?" Magnus asked, his voice slightly muffled through the wall of magic he had woven. Clary said that Luke had said it was a Drevak demon.
"Pack demons." Eliza murmured. Jace said he'd go check outside for Luke. "Not alone." Eliza told him. He stared at her, eyes wide. "I'll come with you."
Clary jumped down from the table. "I want to come." She told them. Jace and Eliza immediately said no. Jace started on towards the door. Clary darted, throwing herself in front of him to block the door.
He stopped, staring down at her. "Clarissa, I will knock you over if I must." The two of them stared at each other. Clary said that Luke was her uncle, she had to go. "If he's yours, then he's ours too. But he isn't blood."
Eliza even flinched. It was cold, cold for Jace. "Clary," Eliza started carefully, "this is time sensitive. We don't have time to Mark you and you don't really have a proper weapon if there are any Drevaks still out there."
Clary moved suddenly, stabbing the knife into the wall with a ferocity that jolted even Eliza. "You've both got seraph blades?" They both said yes. "Give me one."
Eliza couldn't believe the audacity, the ignorance. Before she could say anything, Simon was speaking. "I'll go." His voice was razor wire in the room, sharper than she had ever heard him speak before. Clary tried to object but he wouldn't let her.
"Let's just all go." Jace decided, voice thin. He took one of his seraph blades and handed it to Clary. "I'm tired of arguing and I'm sure Liz has somewhere to be."
They all looked at her. "No. I don't." She glared at him. She motioned for Clary to move and she did. Eliza threw open the door and stepped out into the air.
As soon as she was out in the open, she had her sword out. The driver door to Luke's truck was wide open. "Hear that?" Jace asked. Eliza nodded. "The engine is idle. It's on."
Simon asked how he knew that. "We can hear." Eliza told him. "You should be able to as well. You just have to focus." Jace hopped down the porch stairs, Eliza following him. "I don't like this." She said quietly, glancing back at Clary who was yelling for Luke.
"Me either." He agreed. "What do you think?" He asked. "You think Valentine ordered some Drevaks to kidnap him?"
She shrugged, glancing down at her sword. "Possible, but not very likely. Valentine loathes Luke, he wouldn't go through so much trouble." Would he? Unless he wanted to kill two birds with one stone. Finally kill Luke and get the werewolf blood he needed.
The area lit up. Clary had taken out her witchlight. Jace beckoned her forward and took out his Sensor. He grazed it over the grass, the device beginning to click loudly before he was even finished scanning. "It's heavy activity." He reported. "More than one demon."
Eliza looked back at Clary. "You two should go back inside. Send Alec out." She told her sister. Clary opened her mouth to argue but her head whipped to the side. Her eyes were narrowed, staring at something. Inspecting. "Look!" She pointed across the street.
Eliza turned. Something crept along by the water. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Demon. Before she knew it, she was sprinting down Luke's driveway, Jace calling after her. Light from Clary's witchlight lasered around the area, shining on random spots.
She stopped just on the edge of the waterfront, staring at the scene in front of her. She knew that the crumpled heap on the ground was Luke. Two figures hovered over him. One shifted and she saw the discolor of Luke's face.
"Raum demons." Jace was standing beside her then, his shoulder brushing against hers. "We're in worse than we thought." Simon asked if they were the same kind of demon that had attacked Maia. "Worse. A lot worse." Jace told him. He looked back at Simon and Clary. "Stay back and let me and Liz handle this. Please." He gestured for them to stand back. "Ready?" He asked Eliza, staring back at her.
She spun her sword in her hand. "Always."
He named his seraph blade "Israfiel!" and lunged forward. The light of his seraph blade caught the closest of the two Raum demons and she felt her stomach churn at the unseemly sight. They were uglier than most demons, white and scaly, a black hole of a mouth, eyes that bulged like a frog's, and tentacled arms.
Jace's seraph blade slashed through the air, cutting off the demon's arm and it flew across the air. Eliza took the other, her sword grazing the demon's face. She heard it hiss as the sword touched it. As she looked over, she saw that Jace had forced the other demon to the ground, but they were dancing dangerously close to the river. If he wasn't careful, he was going to get hurt or fall in the water.
Against her better judgement, she moved. She dodged the whip of a tentacle, shearing one off with her sword. The demon made a guttural and high noise, whipping at her with another tentacle. She half-tossed her sword aside and dropped, somersaulting out of the way of the demon. Crouching, she slipped out a knife from her wrist and threw it straight forward.
It claimed its mark, landing in the eye of Jace's demon. She jumped to her feet, dashing forward. She swiped her sword up from the ground and kept running. Jace's demon swung a tentacle at her and she slid to the ground, slashing her sword across the bottom of the demon.
She heard Simon shout for Clary but couldn't tear her focus away from the demon at hand. She heard Clary's scream and turned on instinct. The second demon had knocked Clary to the ground and had wrapped two tentacles around her, one on her arm and the other on her throat.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Something snaked around her own throat, cold, slimy, and scaly.
"Liz!"
She slipped her second knife from the other brace and jammed it into the tentacle of the demon. It went lax, dropping from her throat. She yanked the knife out and tightened her grip on her sword. She forced the sword backward and felt it stick into something.
The demon howled as she yanked the sword out of its body. She saw the light from Clary's seraph blade and heard Clary name it. She watched as the demon fell away in front of Clary, almost tripping backwards to get away. And then, it jumped into the water.
Eliza looked behind her. The other demon was gone. Whether she had successfully killed it or it had run like the other, she wasn't sure. Jace was grabbing her, inspecting her neck. "I'm fine." She assured him. She was fine, she was sure. It hadn't bit her or started to squeeze enough to make her lose any air.
His eyes, bright gold and flecked with honeyed spots, scoured over her face. His mouth was drawn in a tight line. Black ichor dotted his face. "You did good." Was all he said. He backed away from her and went to Clary, asking what happened. Clary said she wasn't sure, and that the demon had just, run away or something. Almost like it was scared of something.
"Luke!" Clary shouted. She took off to him, kneeling at his side. Eliza walked over and leaned down. He wasn't conscious, but at least he was still breathing. His shirt was covered in blood. She got to her knees and drew back the fabric where it was torn across his shoulder. There were several red circles on his shoulder, marks where the Raum demons had latched on and suckled out blood. Blood still oozed from them, mixed in with some sort of gross looking black liquid.
"Magnus is going to have to treat him." She decided. Jace and Simon picked his limp body up, carrying him back to the porch. Magnus was waiting there for them. "The Raum demons got to him. One of them got away." She told the warlock.
They put Luke on the sofa where Maia had once been. Alec said that they moved her to Luke's room after Magnus had healed her. Clary asked Magnus if Luke would be okay. Magnus' fingers sparked blue and he set off to work. "He'll live." He told her. "Nothing I can't handle. Step back and let me work."
Clary fell into the armchair. Jace and Alec moved to the window and were talking quietly. Simon was standing near the kitchen, leaned against the wall.
Jace motioned her over and she went quietly. He asked her to tell Alec what she had seen with the demons. "I don't really know." She admitted. "The one that attacked Clary, when she went to fight back, it just retreated. It ran off and jumped into the river." She told Alec. "They were fighting, but not up to par. It was almost like they were holding back. The other one got a tentacle around my neck, but it didn't choke me or latch to bite. Something isn't right."
Clary's voice drew them away from their conversation. Magnus was telling her that Luke would be all right. "I'm not a doctor. I'm a High Warlock and as such, I have obligations to other clients and to myself. You could find many lesser warlocks who would do your healings for you at much cheaper rates than I."
Clary looked stunned. "Are you charging us? For helping a friend?"
He said yes. "Luke is your friend. Not mine. I am kind, but not enough to always work for free. Did you think I was just doing this to be overly kind or am I truly the only warlock you know?" He asked, taking out a blue cigarette. He lit it.
Jace looked greatly bored, staring back at Magnus with a dull look on his face. "Well, you're the only warlock we know who's dating our friend."
Eliza felt like the wind was knocked out of her. Alec's face had paled. Magnus looked, well, he looked pissed off. Clary and Simon's jaws should have been on the floor. Eliza looked at Alec. She was sure that the only people in the room who knew about Alec being gay were her and Clary. Well, and Magnus but she never would have spoken on it aloud.
"Jace, why would you say that?" Alec's voice shook. She wasn't sure if it was fear or anger or both. She had never heard him speak in such a manner. Jace asked what he was talking about. "That Magnus and I-that we-that I- it isn't true. It's not." Alec forced the words out of his mouth. His words came unevenly and fast paced.
Jace stared back at him, a perplexed look on his face. The corner of his mouth twitched, and she dared him to smile. If he smiled, it would go one of two ways. It could be a good smile, blessing and kind. Or it could be a bad smile, one of those sick and twisted anger filled smiles he loved to wear. "Now, I never said he was dating you, Alec." Jace spoke slowly. "Yet, you knew exactly what I meant."
Alec insisted that they weren't dating. Magnus glared at him, his yellow cat-like eyes furious. "You get that friendly with everyone, then?" Magnus asked lowly.
Alec's blue eyes widened as he looked back at Magnus. Magnus crossed his arms over his chest, a cross expression on his face. Hell was unfolding in Luke's living room. Alec looked back at Jace, shaking his head. "You can't really think that-."
Jace frowned at him. "Alec, you went through ridiculous lengths to hide your relationship with Magnus from everyone, even me. You act like I would be upset if I knew." Alec's face had turned a funny gray color. "Magnus, help me convince him that I don't care."
"Alec." Eliza finally spoke. She hadn't really meant to, but she was afraid of what would happen if she didn't. Alec looked at her, eyes pleading her for help. To do something. Say something. Anything.
"He believes that you wouldn't care about us being together." Magnus said plainly.
Jace looked between Magnus and Alec. He looked at Eliza. Then, his eyes settled on Alec again. "Jace, that's enough." Eliza told him. "Let it go." She warned. She moved, placing herself between Alec and Jace.
"Let what go?" Someone said. Everyone turned their heads. Luke was sitting up on the couch, his face drawn together in pain. Clary darted to the side of the couch.
Eliza put her hand on Alec's wrist. "Alec." She said his name quietly. "Are you all right?"
He blinked a few times, color slowly returning to his face. "I'm not sure." He pushed her hand off his wrist and turned away.
They were staying at Luke's. Magnus had decided he wanted to keep an eye on Luke and Maia, just to be sure. He didn't want to have to travel back.
Clary retired to go to bed after Simon had left. She sensed something had happened between the two of them, but she didn't want to intrude by asking. If Clary wanted to talk, she would. Jace sat at the piano, eyes indulging in the sheet music. Luke was going to let Maia have his room and he was going to sleep on the couch for the night.
After several tries, Eliza caught Magnus' eye. She waved him into the kitchen, and he followed her. "What you did for Alec, it was nice of you." She said quietly. She didn't want anyone to hear, especially not Jace.
"I don't know what you're talking about, little dove." His words were not as strong as he wanted them to be, she was sure. He really did care for Alec, maybe more than Alec cared for him.
They both knew why. It seemed that maybe, after Jace's little stunt, everyone knew why Alec's affection for Magnus seemed so limited. Alec was still in love with Jace.
She empathized with Alec on a level she didn't quite want to. Once you loved Jace, it was hard to stop. He didn't make it easy, loving him, but it wasn't hard either. To be so intimately close to him, to see behind the great walls he built, it was to love him. To love him so fiercely it felt as if your heart were going to break just looking at him.
Jace was not something you could just quit.
She looked at Magnus, the fractured pain behind all of his glitter and magic. It couldn't be pleasant, loving someone who loved another. Was that how Declan felt? Surely not.
As far as he knew, Jace and Eliza were brother and sister. Well, everyone knew that. But Declan didn't know about before Valentine. He didn't know what Eliza had done to Jace. He didn't know that they had loved each other the way brothers and sisters weren't supposed to.
Everyone else thought it had been an act, her grand performance in tricking them into trusting her. Her only way of slipping through Valentine's grasp. An act. A lie.
She would try harder, she decided. She never wanted Declan to feel the way Magnus felt. She liked him, she really liked him. Maybe there wasn't a promising future with him, but that wasn't reason enough to not try to make a good thing work. And Declan, he was a great thing.
"Give him time." She told Magnus. "Just a little more time."
Maybe she needed time, too.
She didn't know what time it was when Jace was stirring her awake. She had fallen asleep at the kitchen table, just wanting to rest her eyes for a few moments.
"Liz. Come on." His voice was insistent. There was somewhere to be.
She rubbed her eyes, looking up at him. "Where?" He didn't say, she just had to go with him. She got up from the table, running her hand through her hair and scratching her scalp.
He led her to the porch, closely the door soundlessly. There was a motorcycle on Luke's front lawn, idling. Just sitting there. It was a nice bike, veiny pipes that roped like vines. Interesting to look at but pleasing to the eye altogether. She followed him down the steps.
Raphael was standing by the bike, eyeing them. He wore a brown leather jacket, face curtained by brown curls. Raphael meant that the bike was a demon energy one. It would only work in the night time.
"I brought you the bike. Just liked you asked." Raphael said to Jace. She stared, bewildered. Jace had asked Raphael for the bike? Had she fallen asleep and woken up in an alternate timeline? "Though," Raphael started, "I cannot imagine why you would want a demon energy motorcycle. I heard you had one already."
Jace nodded thoughtfully, inspecting the bike. "It's inaccessible at the moment."
Raphael smiled. "So, we all three are unwelcome at your Institute then?" Jace asked if the vampires were still being accused of the recent murders. Raphael's face twisted. "I have told them time and time again that we do not drink the blood of warlocks. It is bitter, almost sour." He looked at Eliza. "Much like yours."
Her hand twitched and she forced herself still. "Gee, thanks." She muttered.
Raphael put his hands up. "I mean no insult, you are a beautiful woman, but your blood is vile." He looked back at Jace. Jace asked if he had told Maryse what he had just told them. "Ha. I could not speak with the woman if I so wished it. It seems that all decisions are now made through the Inquisitor." Eliza's lip curled. "It is all very bad."
Jace nodded. "Don't think we're friends. I only kept Simon's incident a secret because I needed your help. Don't forget that you almost killed my sister."
Raphael's eyes sparkled. "Your sister, right." He smiled slyly at them. "My apologies. Declan is not pleased at that incident either."
Jace cleared his throat before she could say anything in response. "There's only a few hours until sunrise. We've got to go and so do you." He told Raphael. Raphael asked if they were giving him a ride home and Jace said no curtly. Jace climbed on the bike and gestured for her to do the same.
She got on, sitting behind him. She sat awkwardly, unsure of where to put her arms. "Are we even for Simon now?" Raphael asked them. Jace said no, they never would be. He started the bike and it revved to life.
She put her arms around his waist and it took off into the night air.
The wind whipped cold against her face, stealing through the thin material of her shirt. Goosebumps rose on her skin and she drew closer to Jace, pressing her face against the middle of his back.
The world seemed dead in the air. Color had drained quickly once night set in. It was all gray and black and navy. The river was below them, water rippling over itself again and again.
She hadn't been on a bike since the night Simon got turned into a rat. The night that had begun his descent into the world of the damned. That night, she had flown her own bike. The free feeling had surprised her, wind whipping her hair back from her face and the feeling of just being in the air. Now, she sat on the back of a bike, clutching to Jace for dear life.
In the distance, she saw a ship. It wasn't large, but it definitely wasn't small either. It was black, nearly impossible to see in the night. She felt the bike shift and start to descend. Was the ship their destination?
The question did not go unanswered long. Jace landed the bike on the deck of the ship gracefully. She peeled her arms away and Jace got off the bike. He helped her off.
"What are we doing here?" She asked him, looking around.
He had a pained expression on his face. "I can't tell you. You just have to trust me. Can you do that?"
She wrung her hands together in front of her. Something about the ship didn't feel right. They weren't supposed to be there. "I can try." She mumbled.
The whole ship was black. Every single thing that could have been colorized was black. Jace started a circuit around the deck and she followed him. Curiosity of their mission consumed her. Why were they there? What could Jace possibly want on a ship?
They stopped at the bow of the ship. Water lapped against the ship; the river spread out before them. Manhattan on one side, Long Island on the other. She pushed her hair behind her ears, a piece immediately falling stray. She would never cut her hair again.
Jace stared out at the water, his face drawn in intent. She frowned, turning away from him. Her eyes found a door carved into the wall of the cabin, nestled between two blacked windows. "There's a door." She told Jace. "Do you want to go see what's inside?"
He stood at her side, not saying anything before stepping forward. He tried the door, but it was locked. He took out his stele and went to work carving Opening runes into the metal. He tried again and the door swung open. It made an awful screeching noise as it did, and she wondered how long it had been shut.
A stairwell loomed in front of them. Jace grabbed her hand and she didn't pull away. Together, they stepped inside. The door slammed shut behind them, darkness encasing them.
Jace cursed and took out his witchlight. The inside of wherever they were was much colder than the deck of the ship had been. The witchlight stone shone in the darkness, granting them light.
Her hand slipped from Jace's as she saw what was in front of them. Jonathan. Pale white hair against pale skin. Silver scars glistened against his skin and black Marks shouted against in contrast. He was smiling and she felt sick to her stomach. She tried to reach for Jace again but she couldn't find his hand.
"Jonathan?" Her voice was barely a whisper, yet it echoed in the room. How was he here? Why was he here? Valentine had Jace, Jonathan wasn't needed. Not yet, anyways. Jonathan meant bad news.
She stepped towards him and the light scattered. Something on the floor caught her eye. She looked down at the mass on the floor. Jace. She looked at Jonathan. Blood covered his hands, splattered across his face and shirt.
Her heart constricted.
She fell to her knees and grabbed Jace's shoulders, turning him over. His white shirt was soaked in blood. Her hands clawed at the material, ripping it away. Blood pumped and pumped from his chest, but she couldn't find the source. "No, no, no." She cried. "Jace, please, no." Her hand traveled to his face, a trail of blood marking his cheek. His eyes were not tawny gold, they were white, opaque and dead.
"You made me do it." Jonathan said. But it wasn't Jonathan's voice. There was something darker to it, something more evil than he ever could have been.
She pressed her forehead against his just as the darkness washed over her.
The soft howl of the wind brought her back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open. Stars scattered across the night sky, twinkling as if they were winking at her.
"Lizzie?" Jace's voice startled her.
She looked over. He was sitting up, looking down at her. Alive. Alive. She sat up. Had it been a dream?
"I told you she would be all right." A voice said.
She froze, her breath catching. Her eyes traveled away from Jace to the man near them. Tall, broad-shouldered, fierce, sitting on a stack of flat boxes.
Valentine.
Her father.