CHAPTER FOUR

"Clary, no need to go back in there, just get dressed here." Sebastian told her, as if it was as simple as that.

Not wanting to argue with him, Clary backed herself into a corner and held the towel under her arm, then slid the cotton underwear up her legs, making sure that her body was still covered as much as it could be. She could feel his eyes on him, and it made her feel sick. She managed to get the leggings up, then tried to squeeze herself into the shirt while keeping her towel over her. Suddenly, she felt he piece of fabric being ripped away from her, exposing her entire torso. Clary yanked the shirt over her head, then reeled her arm back and let her fist collide with Sebastian's stomach.

"What's your problem?!" Clary exclaimed. Sebastian was angry, she could see it in his eyes. Without replying to her, he simply grabbed her arm and began to drag her out of the room and across the house. "If this is you trying to 'make amends', it's not working!" She drilled into him, trying to pull her arm away. He pushed the metal door open and swung Clary into the room. She swore that her feet unintentionally left the ground for a moment, but she managed to balance herself upright.

"What did you do?!" Clary heard Jace scream, but she was too focused on how quickly Sebastian was coming towards her to remember what he said. Sebastian had shoved Clary towards her respective wall, hard enough for her to crash into the cold concrete. He grabbed her arms and lifted them over her head, then Clary felt the familiar cold metal pressed against her skin. She was standings as tall as she could but felt as though she was barely touching the ground.

"Sebastian, I can't." Clary said, her green eyes meeting his black ones. She hoped that he took pity on her, but she could already tell that she would have no luck with that. "They're too tall."

His fingers reached out and grabbed her chin, holding her face still so they could maintain eye contact. "You're doing just fine, Clarissa." He told her with venom in his voice.

When he walked away, Clary looked down at her toes, trying to find a comfortable standing position. There was no happy medium for her, she was going to be uncomfortable either way.

"What happened?" Jace had asked timidly.

She was almost too scared to look at him, but she knew that Jace loved her despite anything that could happen with Sebastian. "He wouldn't let me change in the bathroom." She whispered, her voice sounding sadder than she intended to. Seeing how angry Jace got, she continued on, trying to help change the mood. "I tried to change under the towel, but he pulled it away. And then I punched him. He didn't like that."

She could tell that Jace was proud of her.

They stayed quiet for a while. Clary was too busy focusing on standing up to talk. After an hour, she was beginning to get exhausted.

"Jace," Clary muttered, feeling her body drenched in cold sweat.

"Clary, just hold on, okay? He's gotta come back doon, he can't just leave you." Jace whispered, trying to spark some hope in Clary.

"It hurts so bad." Clary whined, throwing her head back, trying to find some release. Her calves were burning, and her eyes felt like they had a thin layer of sandpaper over them.

"Sebastian!" Jace began screaming. He couldn't stand to watch Clary suffer anymore. He continued screaming for the man that was supposed to love his girlfriend.

"Jace," Clary whined again, his voice ringing in her ears.

It took minutes of Jace screaming for Sebastian to finally open the door. He grimaced at his pale sister, then turned to Jace, who was standing slanted, the chain around his wrist not allowing him to stand completely straight.

"Yes, brother?" Sebastian inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Please, Clary." Jace begged. Clary was able to see Sebastian glance over at her again. She wondered what he was thinking. Did he enjoy making Jace's skin squirm?

Either way, he took his time walking towards Clary. Once her arms were released, Clary's knees buckled under her. The only thing keeping her up was Sebastian's arms.

"Next time, you won't stop me." He whispered into her ear, then lowered her onto the blanket bed she had been sleeping on. That was not a recommendation, it was a command, and Clary knew it.

As soon as he left, Clary let herself sob herself into an exhausted sleep.

When Clary woke up, Jace was still awake. She must have not slept for long. Clary sat up and reached around to rub her aching wrists, then looked up at her loving boyfriend. He was gawking at her in surprise.

"What?" Clary asked, then looked down at herself. She realized that both of her hands were in her lap as opposed to being attached to the wall. She jumped up from her spot quickly, then looked at the wall. Sebastian must have forgotten to chain her back up, or maybe he took pity on her and let her be loose for a while. Either way, Clary was able to move.

She turned back towards Jace, then rushed to his side, looking at the chain hooked on his arm.

"Clary, its no use, I've been pulling at it for days." Jace sighed. "Just… come here." His voice was soft.

Clary listened to him and let herself crawl into his lap. They hadn't touched since the first day they had arrived at the house, when Clary came down from her shower. Sebastian hadn't allowed it.

Feeling a pit in her stomach, Clary leaned in to press a kiss to Jace's lips. He gladly returned the kiss and allowed the small girl to deepen their embrace.

When Clary parted her lips to press her tongue against Jace's, he leaned back and looked into her eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked quietly.

"Have sex with me." Clary whispered bluntly, her hands pressing on either side of Jace's face.

"Clary," Jace whispered back, looking at her pitifully. They had yet to share that intimacy yet, due to the fact that every time they had gotten close enough, Clary kept feeling Sebastian's hands on her.

"Please, don't let him be the one." She begged Jace, pressing her face against his neck, too embarrassed to look into his eyes. She knew that Sebastian wanted her, and it was only a matter of time before he had her.

Jace's free arm reached around to hold Clary close to him, squeezing her waist tightly. "He's not going to do anything to you." He whispered, earning a soft sob from Clary.

"You can't promise that." She replied, her body beginning to shake with sobs. "Please, I want it to be you."

"It will be me, Clary, just not when you're not ready and not in a cellar." Jace murmured into Clary's hair while she cried into his neck.

"Please," She whispered again. She wondered how many women had begged Jace Herondale to sleep with them. She also wondered if he turned down any of them. "Please." Her voice was soft as she begged her boyfriend, making her just another one of the women that she found herself envying at that moment.

With a soft sigh, Jace gave Clary's hip a squeeze, then nudged her face out of the crook of his neck so he could press his lips to hers. She wondered if she could taste her tears as they kissed. Clary steadied her breathing while they kissed, focusing only on Jace. Her body pressed against his, close enough to feel the heat of him through their clothes.

Jace's hand burned her skin where it touched. She felt his trail up her torso, running his fingers over her ribs. "Stop me," Jace seemed to beg into Clary's lips. She muttered an uh-uh, denying him, then felt his hand cup her breast in his hand. His skin was rough and callous over her tender nipple, but she didn't mind. She was glad that it was Jace's hand and not Sebastian's.

Clary could feel Jace's arousal between her legs, pressing through his jeans and into her leggings. She had never seen that much of his body, but she had grown the courage to touch it one night. It wasn't unfamiliar to her.

"I love you, Clary." Jace reminded her while his hand trailed across her body to her back, then down the back of her leggings. She felt Jace's hand slide from her chest across her body, then slide into the back of her leggings. He squeezed the fleshiest part of her butt, earning a gasp from the ginger's lips.

"I love you, J-" Clary whispered against his lips, but was unable to finish his name before her body was pulled back. She wasn't even able to gasp.

Sebastian stood over them, his chest heaving in anger, with a seraph blade drawn and touching Jace's chest.

"No!" Clary screamed, scrambling to her feet.

"I leave you alone for two hours." He growled, his evil eyes staring at Clary. "Two hours, and you jump on him? What kind of slut are you, Clarissa? I expected so much from you."

"Sebastian, stop." Jace warned him, not daring to move, just in case his brother got too angry and decided to use his blade.

Clary was frozen, her arms crossed over her chest to hide her hardened nipples. She didn't take her eyes off of Sebastian, too afraid that if she looked to Jace, Sebastian would absolutely lose it and do something as rash as cutting Jace's throat. The three of them were paralyzed where they stood, none of them daring to be the first to move.

Despite the stillness in the room, Sebastian began to smirk. He had been thinking the entire time, Clary assumed. In one quick motion, Sebastian lowered his blade, then spun on his heel, lifting the opposite knee up to collide with Jace's jaw.

"No!" Clary gasped, rushing towards them. Sebastian simply shoved her back, causing the unprepared girl to lose her footing and slide across the floor. Sebastian kept going, attacking Jace while he was unable to fight back. Clary continued fighting with Sebastian, her fists pounding on his back and neck before he could toss her away.

This continued for a few agonizing minutes until Sebastian pushed Clary back too hard, causing her to fall back and hit her head against the ground. Her vision went black, but she could still hear Jace calling out for her. She let herself rest.