It was one thing knowing that Simon was going to drink Jonathan's blood and raise him from the dead. It was another to watch it. She couldn't call it disgust and she couldn't call it fear. She didn't have a name for what she felt, but she knew she didn't like it.
She turned to the only person she could: Jace.
He stood like a good little soldier. Back straight, shoulders square, eyes faced at whatever lay ahead. He looked so familiar, so like himself, even though she knew he wasn't there anymore. She felt more like she was looking at a portrait of him.
"You never stood a chance." She breathed. "Between Valentine and me, you never had a chance." It had been as easy as snapping the neck of a baby bird. The ruin of Jace Wayland had not taken much on her part. Just two lies and a couple of smiles. A kiss here or there. "Maybe if I had left you alone…" She murmured. "Maybe without my poison, you would have been okay."
When he looked back at her, she thought she could see the person he had been. Who he was before Lilith had ripped him away. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." Even his voice was distant.
Maybe…maybe she could snap him out of it.
She took a step towards him. He stiffened. She glanced behind her. Lilith was preoccupied watching Simon. "Oh, baby." She took another slow step. He watched her walk towards him, never moving, his eyes fixated on her. When she finally reached him, she placed her hands on his jaw line. "Jace, I was the worst thing that could have happened to you." She told him. "If it weren't for me, you never would have been at Lake Lyn. You wouldn't have died, and we wouldn't be here right now, you wouldn't be like this. If only I hadn't made you love me…"
He put his hand on top of hers. His skin was cold. "Falling in love with you was the easiest thing I've ever done." He said blankly. "I'm protecting you. That's what she said. This is to protect you."
"She lied, Jace. This isn't going to keep me safe." She held his face firmly. Maybe if she held him hard enough, her reasoning would flow through him. "Bringing Jonathan back won't protect me. He's going to hurt me, like he always has. Don't you remember?" Her eyes searched his, trying, hoping to find some piece of him. "He tried to kill me, Jace. He tried to kill us. What makes you think he won't do the same once he's back?"
He shook his head, saying no softly. "He loves you, she told me that. She bound you to him, just like I am bound to him. Bound to you. We're all tethered, a family."
What a sick version of a family. She guessed demons weren't really up to par with what constituted a family. For Lilith, it was apparently herself, a psycho demon Shadowhunter, his lying demon Shadowhunter twin sister, and a brainwashed Shadowhunter with angel's blood.
From beneath his shirt, she saw the Mark. Blood red, glowering at her. Taunting her. That rune, whatever it was, it tethered him to Jonathan. If she got rid of it, maybe he couldn't come back. Maybe Simon wouldn't have to die.
"Jace?" He blinked, humming in response. "You love me, don't you?" She loosened her hold on his face.
"More than anything."
She smiled, tears burning her eyes. "Do you remember when we said that our love was stronger than death? Hell or high water, we agreed." He nodded sluggishly. "If it's stronger than death, it's stronger than anything. Even Lilith." She spoke this quietly. He blinked again. No response. "You want to protect me, don't you? That's why we're here?"
"I have to keep you safe. No matter what."
She nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I know. I have to keep you safe too." He seemed to register these words, but he said nothing. "Do you trust me?" She whispered, leaning forward.
She could feel the erratic movement of his heart against her chest.
"With my life."
She could feel the sting of several hot tears falling. "Good." She pulled him closer, the ends of his hair tickling her face. Instinctively, his head ducked down and his lips brushed over hers. She felt him react the way he always did when they kissed. He tried to get as close as possible, there was always too much space between them. His hands found places to sit on her waist.
She let him deepen the kiss, her only thought on that Mark on his chest. It was easy this time to not get lost in him. It wasn't Jace. Not anymore. Not yet. Her hand trailed down from his jaw to his neck. His shoulder and bicep. She made sure to squeeze lightly with feigned interest. His eyes were closed but hers were wide open.
She slipped her hand into the pocket of his jacket, so light he didn't notice. Her hand closed around the hilt of the dagger, slowly drawing it out. She pulled away from him and he made a small noise in protest. Just as his eyes opened, she drew the dagger up. He didn't even have time to register it before she brought it down.
The blade sliced over his chest, cutting right through the dark red rune. He made a pained noise as blood spurted outward. He stumbled back, grabbing onto his chest. Blood flowed over his hand. He stared back at her in horror.
She heard Lilith scream. She gripped the knife tight, staring back at the Greater Demon. Simon had stood up, staring her down. She could see a thin trail of dark blood going down his chin.
"Grab her!" Lilith shouted. "Grab her now, Jace!"
He stood still, staring between the two of them. Simon made a choking noise and doubled over. His knees hit the floor. Lilith ran to him. "He needs your blood!" She told Simon. "You have his and now he needs yours!"
Simon threw up on the floor, thick black blood spewing from his mouth. Poison, she thought, our blood is poison to him.
Lilith made a move to kick him, but something shoved her back. She shrieked out. When she regained her balance, her eyes landed on Eliza. "You impudent girl." She snarled. "I gave you life and then gave it again and this is how you repay me? Maybe your father was right to dispose of you."
The words should have hurt her, but she had become immune to things like that a long time ago.
She scoffed. "Maybe he was. And you're right, he was a fool. But you were the fool who brought me back."
Lilith's eyebrows shot up. "Jace, I am ordering you to seize Eliza's weapon." Jace stared back at her. "You cannot disobey me, Jace Herondale."
She wouldn't fight Jace. She couldn't fight Jace. She could hurt him, more than she already had. She knew that she would, and she could not do it.
Eliza looked at Jonathan's coffin. At Simon. At Clary. At Lilith. If Lilith succeeded, Jonathan would come back. She refused to be a part of that, a part of that world. And she knew, if he came back, she would be bound to him, as Lilith had intended.
She knew that the only thing stronger than Lilith's hold over Jace was his love for her. Lilith had driven him to the brink with nightmares of him hurting her. She had promised that she would help him protect her.
She tossed the knife to his feet. At its clamor, he met her gaze. "Kill me. Or kill Lilith." She instructed him. "You don't have a choice, though, do you?" You never did.
He kept her gaze as he bent over and retrieved the knife, turning it over between his fingers. "No." He replied. "I don't."
She braced herself. Lilith's hold was so strong on him, her claws dug in so deep. She had left him no other choice. Hopefully, hurting her would bring him around and he'd ensure Jonathan never came back.
"Jace, I am ordering you to-." Lilith's words were cut short.
Jace had thrown the dagger. Eliza felt it sear past her face and heard it sink into something. Lilith's chest.
The Greater Demon stumbled backwards, gathered herself, and flung the knife to the ground. It was melting away, burned by the ichor.
"What have you done?" Lilith screamed at Eliza. Her eyes shifted, long black forms coming from them. Snakes, Eliza realized. Snake eyes. She took several steps forward, her eyes growing longer.
Jace was in front of Eliza, his arm extended to hold her behind him. He drew a seraph blade from his belt, the light of it illuminated his face and the blood on his chest. He hissed out a name, "Michael," and the seraph blade seemed to burn brighter than ten thousand suns.
Lilith laughed, a high-pitched and cold sound that echoed through the room. "I knew him. The cavalry's captain." She took another step towards them. "He slew Sammael, my lover." Eliza grimaced. "Your angels, your saviors, are never slow to slay those who disobey."
"Who knew you were the poster child for free will?" Jace's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Let us go. The four of us: Eliza, me, Simon, and Clary. You can't control me and this little family reunion you've staged isn't going to happen."
Her face lit with anger. She ringed her mouth, a black liquid coming from it. It landed on the floor, stretching into a snake. Jace brought his boot down on it as it came closer. He pushed Eliza to the side and lunged at Lilith. She vanished, his seraph blade slicing through air. She reformed behind him and when he turned toward her, she shoved him back with her hand.
He flew back, his body slamming into the wall across the room. Michael had flown from his grasp. There were cracks in the wall where he had landed so forcefully against it. Lilith marched over to him and picked him up by the front of his shirt, putting him on his feet.
"You're going to watch me when I kill you. You'll see my face as I take your life, what you robbed my son of when you shoved a knife in his back."
"You can try to kill me." Jace wiped the sleeve of his shirt against his face, smearing it with blood.
Lilith grinned at him, her black teeth glittering. Too preoccupied to notice Eliza inching towards the discarded seraph blade. Too encapsulated in her anger with Jace to see Eliza pick it up.
"I am a Greater Demon. You may be the best Shadowhunter of this time, but you cannot defeat me." She snarled.
Eliza was holding the seraph blade so hard her knuckles were going white. Jace grinned. "I'm not the best Shadowhunter. She is." He lifted a hand, pointing behind Lilith.
The demon turned to see Eliza holding the seraph blade. "Get your disgusting hands off my boyfriend, bitch." She swung the blade, feeling it hit against Lilith's shoulder. She let go of Jace and he stumbled backwards.
She stepped back as Lilith lunged at her. The demon righted herself and extended her hands. Black smoke emitted from them. The smoke solidified, forming two thick shadowlike forms with glowering red eyes. The smoke had taken the form of two large dogs, growling and snuffing against the floor.
"Shit." Eliza muttered.
Her eyes met Jace's. "Hellhounds." He said, just as one of them leapt for him.
She didn't have time to react before the other was pouncing on her. She felt the floor meet her back, Michael flying from her hand, and pain shot up in her. One of the paws was on her chest, the other on the ground next to her head. "Hold her!" Lilith shouted.
Eliza turned her head, seeing Jace wrangled with the other hellhound.
She struggled under the weight of the dog. It was applying too much pressure to her chest. Her hand found her thigh and she felt it there- a small Marked dagger strapped under her dress. Thank God for paranoia, she told herself. She turned it under the fabric of her dress and jerked her hand, ripping the fabric. She fumbled, getting the dagger out.
"Go to Hell." She hissed, forcing the dagger up. It stuck in the hound's chest and it reared back. She scrambled out from under it, yanking out the dagger. It looked up, snarling at her. It lunged for her and she stood still. Just as it came over her, she bent back, knife up. She felt the knife slice through the belly of the dog.
The hound vanished in the air, leaving only the putrid scent of demon behind. She turned the dagger in her hand, looking back. Jace was staring at her, a seraph blade in his grip.
Without thinking, she ran to him. He hung the blade on his belt and his hands were on her neck. "You have to go." They both said.
"Lizzie, please." He begged quietly. "Get out of here."
She shook her head. "She's my demon blood donor. You have to go." He said he wouldn't leave her. "And what makes you think I'd leave you?" She asked softly.
He closed his eyes, resigning over to her. When he opened them, she could see that it was still him. He was still Jace. "Hell and high water?"
She nodded. "I think this is the Hell part. We've done the high water thing too. On Valentine's ship." She added with a wry smile.
His hands fell and he took out his seraph blade. He took her hand with his other, lacing their fingers together.
Lilith was standing over the glass coffin, Simon in her clutches. Jonathan still floated inside, the water tinged a dark color.
"Hey! Demon bitch, I have a serious bone to pick with you." Eliza shouted. Lilith whipped around, releasing Simon. "You brainwashed my boyfriend, tried to kill him, kidnapped my friend and my sister. And now you're trying to raise my bastard brother from the dead."
Lilith no longer seemed amused by the taunting.
"You said I couldn't take you," Jace told her, "but the two of us…I think we have a hell of a shot."
Lilith went. She came for them, her hands reaching out for both of them. They moved in harmony, each jutting to the side. Jace slashed with his seraph blade and Eliza with her knife. Jace's hit landed on her shoulder, Eliza's on the side. Lilith screeched in pain. By the time she refocused, they each had moved back several feet. She chose Jace, whirling after him like smoke. He nodded to Eliza.
She ran to Simon, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Hey, look at me." She whispered. His eyes were unfocused, his face a sick white color. Too much of Jonathan's demon blood had sickened him. "You're going to be okay. I promise. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Simon."
She heard something break and looked back behind Simon. Lilith and Jace were standing apart. Several small black snakes were on the ground. Lilith held two pieces of metal in her hands. "Michael never was very strong." She clicked her tongue.
One half of the seraph blade turned dust in her hands. The other, the longer piece that contained the hilt and a piece of blade, went dim.
Jace looked worn. His shirt hung on him with sweat and blood. His shoulders were too tense, his hands curled into fists. "What's next?" Jace asked her. "You shacked up with Sammael. Michael killed him. Are you going to tell me that Gabriel is your hair stylist?"
Eliza tightened her grip on Simon's shoulders. Her mouth was clamped shut, her lips a dark line. Jace's snark reached unfathomable limits when he was faced with certain death. He hid his fear behind biting words and cool posture.
"You could never have children of your own. You were cursed to bear a thousand infants, none living. Or was it two thousand?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. "I never was good with the numbers."
"Tread carefully, Shadowhunter." Lilith's voice was abysmally dark.
Jace raised an eyebrow. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?"
Eliza released Simon. She let him fall against the coffin. No, she thought, you can't. You can't die. I won't let you. I'd kill a thousand men just to bring you back. Don't make me do that.
"But you can't. We both know that." Jace went on. "If I die, you can't bring Jonathan back. Can you?" He pointed to the coffin. "I'm his tether. Without me, he's lost." He looked past her, his eyes landing on Eliza. "You won't kill me, but Eliza will."
Her hand twitched. She shook her head.
Lilith turned, looking between them. "She will not." She decided. "She loves you too much to destroy you."
I already have destroyed him. I did that a long time ago, she thought.
Jace said she was wrong. "She loves me, but she hates Jonathan more. She'll do whatever it takes to keep him from coming back."
It was too much to ask. She wouldn't do it. She couldn't.
She took the dagger from the strap on her thigh, turning it over in her hands. "It's okay, Lizzie." His voice was soft. It was assuring in the way she didn't need it to be. "It's for the best."
She looked at him. Beautiful Jace Herondale. An angel among men. There were so many strings tied to him. He was so privy to the affairs and desires of others. He had never stood a chance.
"She won't do it." Lilith repeated. "I saw what happened that night at Lake Lyn. I saw Valentine turn his sword against the both of you. I heard her scream and cry over your body. I saw in her head before I gave her another chance of life. The future she desired for the two of you." Lilith smiled cruelly. "It is a love stronger than the binds of life, anyone can see it. She won't kill you."
Jace looked at her, the knife in her hand.
"Lizzie."
"I can't." She said quietly. "I'm sorry." Her eyes cut and she launched the knife. It stuck itself into Lilith's shoulder. "Run!" She screamed at Jace. "GO!"
Something lashed out at her, burning into her skin. It felt like wire sinking into her skin. Shocked and in pain, she screamed out, grabbing onto her wrist. Lilith had a silver whip-like wire extended from her hand.
"You ungrateful little bitch." Lilith growled. The whip lashed again, hitting Eliza on the neck. "I have done everything for you! Given you life, twice. I put a love for your brother in you. I am trying to bring him back for you and this is the thanks I get?"
Eliza steeled herself. Valentine had whipped her over and over again. That whip had been infernal, tipped with demon blades at the end. "You can't do anything my father hasn't already done." Eliza said through gritted teeth. "You can't kill me. You won't."
Lilith grinned. "Don't be so sure. You've proven to be useless. Getting rid of you now will be for the best." The whip curled around her throat. Her hands clawed at it and she remembered a time not so long ago when it had been Jonathan choking her like this. Maybe Lilith had given him more than blood. "Yes, I think I will take care of the problem you have become."
Her gaze met Jace's. His mouth was open, hair matted to his face in sweat. I'm sorry, she mouthed, I love you.
She sank down to her knees, too tired to fight anymore. The whip snatched back, and she took what would be her last breath. She closed her eyes.
She heard the whistle of the whip in the air, but it never burnt against her skin. She opened her eyes. Simon was standing in front of her. Lilith was staring back at them, her eyes wide. Eliza did not see the whip.
"Sevenfold." Simon stated clearly.
Lilith burst into light. Eliza could only see a bright column of white fire where Lilith had once stood. Then, grains of salt rained from the ceiling, hitting the floor lightly.
Lilith was gone.
Someone's hands were around her throat. She stiffened, waiting to realize that the fingers were soft and meant no harm.
"Liz, wake up."
The fingers danced, inching along a sorely sensitive area. Pain flared if they pressed down too hard.
"Lizzie. Can you open your eyes?"
She did. She saw three people staring over her. Clary was huddled to Simon's side, Jace across from them. None of them looked very well. Jace looked the worst. His face was beaten, bruised, and bloody. His bottom lip was swollen, a long cut ran down his cheek. His white shirt had been soaked in blood from where she had cut him.
"What happened?" Her voice was hoarse. It hurt too much to talk.
"You passed out. Probably from the pain." Jace told her. His eyes darkened. "Do you know how stupid you are? Just giving your life up like that. She would have killed you if Simon didn't step in."
She pushed herself up into sitting position. "Do not start with me on that, Mr. Here-Liz-Stab-Me." She cautiously felt around her neck. There was a thin and scraggly cut from where Jace had slid his knife against her throat. Cutting through it was a welted line warm with dotted blood from Lilith's wired whip. "Someone give me a stele." She held her hand out.
She looked between Jace and Clary. Clary turned to Jace, who in turn looked away. Eliza cut her eyes, asking what was going on. Jace sighed, looking back at her. "Lilith made me toss yours and Clary's steles. So, you wouldn't be able to use them against her. Against me."
Eliza took a deep breath. "Okay then." She got herself to her feet. "It's time to get out of this hellhole."
She didn't wait to see if they followed her. She grabbed her dagger where it had been discarded on the floor. The blade was black with blood. She crossed the room to the elevator, slamming her hand against the button. The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
Two people exploded from the elevator and Eliza raised the dagger.
"Hey! Watch that thing!" Isabelle shouted, her hands up.
Eliza staggered back, blinking several times. Alec and Isabelle were standing in front of them. Isabelle's party dress was torn and spotted with blood. Alec didn't look much better. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" Alec asked them.
"We could probably ask you the same question." Jace replied coolly.
Isabelle's stance shifted. A piece of her hair fell from its already failed updo. "We came to look for Simon." She said in a small voice. "We didn't know you were here."
"Really?" Simon asked.
Alec rolled his eyes. "Jace, what the hell happened?" He had his adult voice in gear. He was the oldest of them all, being the only technical adult of the group.
Jace looked back at him, his eyes unnervingly solid. "You have your stele, don't you?" He answered with a question.
"Yeah." Alec nodded. He got it out. "Oh, right. You do look bad. Here." He leaned forward to try and start on several healing runes but Jace stepped back.
"Not me. I need you to heal Eliza." His voice cracked on her name. They stared back at each other. Friends, brothers, parabatai. "Alec, please, for me." On that, he turned away from them and walked over to the glass doors leading to the terrace.
Alec took her carefully by the arm and led her to a quieter part of the room, leaving Isabelle, Simon, and Clary alone. "Is he okay?" He asked quietly, starting to draw over a past healing rune.
"I don't think so." She murmured, glancing back at him. He was staring at his reflection in the doors. For once, she didn't think he was checking himself out. Alec asked who had beaten them up so badly. "Trust me, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Alec's mouth twisted. He started a newer iratze on the back of her arm. "You can tell me what Jace did then, what he thinks was so awful."
Their eyes locked. He finished the rune but didn't step back. "It's bad, Alec." She whispered. "It's really bad and I don't know how to help him."
His face softened and he nodded, not saying anything. He looked her over, giving her a satisfied look. "You'll be okay. Physically, anyway. Mentally…you might want to look into a therapist."
She shoved him playfully and they rejoined the others. Jace, however, remained at his post by the glass doors.
"Simon said he was summoned here. I know it was by Lilith." Isabelle said. "But how did the three of you get here?"
Clary and Eliza shared a look. "Jace kind of…brought us here." Clary mumbled.
Eliza's jaw locked. "That demon bitch was controlling him. She made him kidnap us and bring us here."
"She possessed him?" Isabelle gasped. Possession didn't go around a lot anymore.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Jace move. He had turned back towards them. He drew his shirt aside, showing off the Mark that Lilith had emblazoned on him. It was sliced through with a deep gash. "With this." His voice was blank.
Alec asked where Lilith was. He said that the only for sure way to break a connection like that was to kill the demon. Proudly, Clary said that Simon had killed her. Isabelle explained that when Simon disappeared from the party, they went to look for him and found a card that had one of Lilith's other names on it. While Clary and Eliza explained what happened, Alec went to send a fire message to Clave requested immediate backup.
Isabelle went ballistic when they said that Jonathan was outside on the terrace, not quite dead.
"Oh, hell no. Not quite dead isn't good enough for me." She flared. "I'm going to cut him into a million pieces and then set him on fire."
She started out towards the terrace, but Eliza grabbed her and pushed her back. "No." She growled at Izzy. Everyone looked at her. "The ritual that Lilith was trying to perform, she didn't complete it, but she accomplished some of it. She's Marked the both of them, tethered them to one another. She couldn't kill Jace, because then Jonathan couldn't come back. If you hurt Jonathan, you hurt Jace."
Izzy's eyes flashed. Clary covered her mouth, shaking her head. "We can't just let him live!" Izzy shouted.
"You have my full permission to continue killing him." Jace chimed in, still not sounding like himself.
"Shut up." Alec told him. "Iz, be rational. Once the Clave gets here, they'll send him down to the Silent Brothers. They can break the connection between him and Jace. After that, he can die. We aren't the only ones who lost something because of him. He's a murderer and he's the son of Valentine." He explained, hugging her to his side.
Eliza arched an eyebrow. "Oh, well, if the qualification for a town square hanging is being the child of Valentine, sign me up."
He rolled his eyes, saying she knew what he meant. Isabelle drew back from him. "I'm going downstairs. Knowing I'm this close to that bastard makes me sick. Plus, we need to find Maia and Jordan."
Eliza looked at Alec. He gave her a stiff nod. She crossed the room, putting a cautious hand on Jace's shoulder. "Hey, come on. Let's get you fixed up." She murmured.
He shook his head. "I'll stay here and wait for the Clave. It's all my fault anyway."
"I'll stay with you. You shouldn't be alone."
He didn't look back at her. "I need to be alone."
She drew her hand back but didn't make a move to leave. She stared back at his reflection, muddled in the glass. "Too bad. Wanting to be alone and needing to be alone are two very different things. And you definitely don't need to be alone." She turned back to the group and gave Alec a confirming nod.
He pressed the button to the elevator. It dinged, the doors opened, they got in, and disappeared for their descent.
She took a step forward and slipped her hand into Jace's. He stiffened, every part of him tensing up. She roped their fingers together, squeezing his hand gently.
He ripped away from her as if she had electrocuted him. He pulled his arms closer to his body and shouldered through the doors out to the terrace.
She watched him through the glass, kneeling down on the steps, his head bent in observance. Was he praying? Jace didn't pray. He didn't even believe.
Was he so desperate to be away from her that he was willing to fake pray?
Suddenly angry, she pushed through the doors. The tiles of the floor were cold against her bare feet. She reminded herself to later ask about the whereabouts of her shoes. "Fake praying is so not going to work-."
He stood up and she cut her words off. He held something small and glittering in his hand. His Morgenstern ring hung from its chain in his hand. Her shoulders relaxed. "I didn't want to forget it." He said as. A gust of wind blew over them. "That sounds stupid, doesn't it?"
She shook her head. "It isn't. It's your ring and it means a lot to you." She took a cautious step towards him, waiting to see if he would back away or stay still. "Jace, I know you think that you're at fault for all of this, but you aren't." She said slowly. "What you did wasn't you. Lilith was possessing you."
Jace looked away from her, his gaze resting on the glass coffin where her brother resided. "I hurt you, Liz. I promised you that I would never hurt you and then I did. I lied to you and I held a knife to your throat and I cut you."
She took another step. He stayed put. "Because you were forced to do it. I don't blame you, not for any of it." Another step. "I forgive you. You need to forgive yourself." She finally reached him. Close enough to touch, but he felt worlds away. He told her he didn't think he could. She grabbed his hand, curling both of hers around it. "You are capable of so much forgiveness, Jace. Trust me. I never thought you would forgive me for the things I did, the lies I told. But you did. If you can forgive me for that, you can forgive yourself for this."
She squeezed his hand, causing him to look her in the eye. His eyes flickered down, finding the place where he had cut her. It had healed. They continued down, resting on her chest. The fabric had torn, revealing a stark white rune over her heart. His brow furrowed. He shook her hands off his and inspected her right hand.
"Did you get married?" He asked dully. "Without me?"
She wanted to smile but couldn't find it in herself to do so. "Lilith's doing." She told her. "Her own way of tethering me to Jonathan. Some sick and twisted twin thing she was working." His jaw was locked tightly in frustration. "You know good and well that any wedding of mine is going to have you right next to me." She said.
He examined the rune on her hand, a frown on his face. "We've got to get the Silent Brothers to get these off you."
She laughed quietly, nodding in agreement. "Speaking of, well, kind of. We have to schedule a date." He cocked an eyebrow, asking what for. "Well, my original dress for tonight, it needs to be worn. It was kind of…special."
"What are you talking about? Did it light up or something?"
Her cheeks went warm. "No, it didn't do anything special. It just…" she groaned, "I was kind of planning on tonight being…you know, our…our first…"
His eyes lit with understanding. "Liz, oh, God. I'm sorry." He pulled her closer. "You didn't have to get a special dress or anything. And you certainly didn't have to feel rushed about anything like that."
She pulled him down, pressing a soft kiss against his mouth. "I know."
Down below on the street, she heard tires screeching. She backed away from him and they moved over to the edge of the terrace. Several black cars had pulled up to the building, along with a familiar beat-up old truck. From way up, she spotted Luke, Jocelyn, and Maryse.
"The Clave's here." Jace observed. "Finally."
Eliza looked back over at the coffin. Her nose wrinkled as her mouth curled in disgust. "We should go downstairs." She told Jace. "If I'm not downstairs, my mom will come up here and she'll see-." She cut herself off. "She shouldn't have to see him."
Jace shook his head. "Go on. I'll stay here and wait for the others to come up." He took her hand opening it up. He dropped the Morgenstern ring in her hand. "You should have it. You're a Morgenstern, the last real Morgenstern."
She turned it over between her fingers. She slipped the chain over her head and around her neck. "I'll come back as soon as possible." A light breeze blew his golden curls against his forehead. "Wait for me?"
He smiled down at her. "Always." He pushed her hair back behind her ears. He kissed her forehead, his lips cool against her skin. "See you soon."
An uneasy feeling filled her stomach, but she pushed it out of thought. How could anything bad happen now? She touched his cheek and turned, heading back for the apartment and the world below.
She found her family- what a weird thing to say!- down on the main level of the building. Clary and Luke were hugging. Simon was next to them. Jocelyn stood next to them, her eyes surveying the room expectantly. Her eyes widened when they landed on Eliza.
Eliza found herself running to her mother, Jocelyn's arms folding around her. "Mom." She whispered, wrapping her own arms around her mother.
"I was so worried when I didn't see you with Clary." Jocelyn told her. She pulled away, inspecting her. "God, look at you. Are you all right? What happened?" Her eyes flitted down to her chest, widening even further at the sight of the Commitment rune over her heart. She took her hand, glowering at the Wedded Union rune. "Eliza Seraphine, what in the name of the Angel-?"
She snatched her hand back. "It isn't what you think, I promise." It was worse, a million times worse.
There was no way she could tell her mom about Jonathan. Or Lilith. Jocelyn would lose her mind. She'd never let Clary or Eliza out of her sight again.
"We can talk about it later." She told her. "I just realized that I never told you that I love you."
Jocelyn's green eyes shifted. "You never needed to, Eliza." She looked between Clary and Eliza. "I love the two of you more than anything or anyone else. You know that, don't you?" Eliza said yes quietly. She had never doubted for one second that Jocelyn loved her children. Jocelyn looked past her. "Where's Jace?"
"Shit!" Eliza said without thinking. Both Jocelyn and Luke raised their eyebrows. "I left him upstairs. I'll be right back."
Jocelyn started to say something, but Eliza didn't give her the time. She darted back to the elevators, slamming her hand against the button. It took what seemed like hours for the elevator to arrive. She practically leapt inside and hit the top-most button.
Her leg bounced, hands shaking at her side. She didn't know what he could possibly get himself in to in only a few minutes.
It felt like years before the elevator dinged.
She walked through the empty apartment, making her way to the terrace garden. Jace was standing at the coffin. She could hear his voice, a low mutter of words she didn't understand. The liquid inside the coffin had turned a dark red, the color of blood.
A noise escaped her throat as the boy in the coffin sat up, his eyes open. She saw them join hands, a trail of blood running down their arms.
"No." She whispered. "Oh, God, no."
Simultaneously, they both looked back at her. Jace's gold eyes. Jonathan's black ones. They both smiled.