Chapter 3- Time to Heal

My back was both numb and on fire. The pain told me I was alive and while I was grateful for that, the little men with the tiny jackhammers in my head were making me wish I was otherwise. There was softness under my front and it wasn't cold, so I was obviously out of the snow, and the fight. I wondered if the blonde boy had saved me.

I opened my eyes and turned my head. It was an effort and a discontent sound from my throat alerted everyone to my consciousness.

"She's awake," a girl said.

I didn't like my disadvantage, so I pushed up and into a sitting position, bobbing and shaking as I tried to settle. The dizziness blinded me and I felt my body fall to the side. Strong arms caught me and embarrassed I tried to move out of them but they held me in place.

"Easy, Red," the voice I recognized from the fight said.

"Clary," I answered. "Clary Fray."

"Great, we have a name, now we can get rid of her," the girl spoke again, her voice somewhere between bored and annoyed. My eyes were starting to gain focus again and I spotted the girl on the other side of the room.

She was stunning, long black hair, and skin that looked like it had been airbrushed. She wore a long velvet dress in a midnight blue, combat boots and a whip tied like a fashion accessory around her waist. And I was sitting in her gorgeous, albeit somewhat conceited boyfriend's arms on the couch, no wonder she sounded annoyed.

"Isabelle," the boy chided.

"Whatever," she said with a flick of her neck and left the room.

Feeling slightly more stable, I started to move out of his arms, they were becoming entirely too comforting to be in them any longer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make trouble with your girlfriend."

His laugh came crisp and clear, beautiful, like the rest of him. "Isabelle is my sister, why, were you jealous?"

"Right, cause conceited ass is totally my type," I shot back, my heart beating faster while I tried to pull off the lie. He was gorgeous and he had saved my life, I was entitled to a little crush.

"Oh come on, I thought I was your angel," he teased.

"Low blow. I was poisoned and hallucinating and possibly dying."

"It was a Croucher Demon, non life-threatening," he stated. "But don't worry, I won't let one girl calling me angel go to my head. But you've got to be at least the twentieth."

I rolled my eyes. "Wow, so do you have a name or should I just address your ego when I speak?"

"I like you, Red…"

"Clary."

"I like you, Red. And you can call me Jace. Although I much prefer when the ladies moan it."

I looked at him, and he was completely serious. This was a guy who got who he wanted, when he wanted them and probably in whatever position he wanted. It was the type of guy you just had to screw with.

"Jace," I purred low and throaty. "Oh, Jace…" His eyes widened and he licked his lips, leaning in. I let out another little moan before continuing. "Can you show me to the bathroom, I have to pee."

His eyes hardened and I giggled.

Jace led me through a series of ornate hallways and past several large wooden doors. It was obvious that I was in no mere house, but a large mansion. I wondered if it housed a Shadowhunter community like the one I lived in in Australia. When he dropped me off at the door he smirked.

"Would you like me to wait here so you don't get lost on your way back?"

"I think I can manage," I shot back.

I closed the door without looking back at him. After using the facilities, I walked to the mirror and turned on the water, splashing my face. Turning, I lifted up my tank, it was ripped in the back where the claws had gone through. There was a bandage wrapped around my torso, I slowly unwound it to reveal my back. There were three lines where the claw sunk into my body, but they were faint. I could still see the scar from the Iratze rune traced on my skin. I was healing well. I spun back around and looked at my reflection. I was pale, but that was to be expected after being poisoned, but what I didn't recognize is the look in my eyes. They were ablaze, sharp and focused. I had made it through my first fight. I should have been celebrating with my family.

My family.

"Shit," I hissed.

I rushed back out of the bathroom, and tore off down the hall. It was after the first turn that I started to get confused and slowed down. Nothing looked right, or was it that everything looked the same. I couldn't tell which way I had come or even if I was heading in the right direction anymore. Panic flooded me as I thought about mom and Luke coming home to find I was gone. They were going to be pissed, and Aaron…well standing up the first guy to ask me out in years was probably not a good move for my social life.

With the added adrenaline came a rush of pain. While my cuts were healed they seemed to pulse still as the blood rushed through me. I stopped for a moment and took a look around. There was one door that looked right so I headed toward it and opened it up. I walked in and sighed, it was a bedroom. I was about to turn and leave when I noticed the window, it was the first one I had seen in the place.

The room was basic, white walls, white bedding and no personal effects. I didn't feel like I was trespassing on anyone's private space because there was nothing private about it. I walked over to the window and looked out. The ground was covered in snow. With the American accents I didn't really expect to be anywhere near home, but the confirmation was still disheartening. I sighed as I spun back around, screeching when I saw Jace was standing at the door.

"If you wanted to be invited into my room, Red, all you had to do was ask." His tone was cheeky but the look in his eyes told me he was actually uncomfortable with having me in there.

"This is your room?" I asked surprised as I looked around again, trying to see anything that would suggest it was more than a guest bedroom. "Where is all your stuff?"

He pointed to the bed, and then the closet. "Bed, clothes," he stated slowly, like I was a child. I looked at the bed when he mentioned it and the quickly away. I could picture him lying there sleeping and that was adding to my nervousness.

I rolled my eyes and the silence in the room became heavy. The more I fidgeted the more it seemed that Jace stayed still. He was like a statue, watching me curiously in my discomfort.

"Come on, Red, this can't be the first time you've been in a guy's room before."

I could feel the heat rising to my face and I willed him not to notice but the way his eyes widened, showing off more of the unusual gold color, I knew it was just a matter of moments before the teasing started. But instead of saying anything, he took a step closer to me. His body moved fluidly, like a jungle cat and I nibbled on my bottom lip as I wondered what he was doing.

He stood so close to me I could feel the heat coming off his body. I looked at him and he smirked down at me. My heart was thumping so wildly I didn't know how to contain it.

"How long was I out?" I asked, wanting to diffuse the situation.

"About twelve hours," he said, his voice smooth like honey as it rolled over me.

"I…uh…should call my family," I answered dreamily. My head tilting back, my face presented up to his.

"Isabelle is handling it. She will let them know you are back from battle." His hand reached out and landed on my hip. The warmth of it burned right through me and my body flushed with desire. He brought his face closer to mine, so slowly I thought he must be teasing me. He wouldn't kiss me.

"They are going to kill me," I said, whisper soft, rising up a little on my toes to make his journey shorter.

"Why? Shadowhunters get hurt, it happens. They will understand." His face turned slightly and he ran his cheek along the side of mine. I nearly whimpered with need.

"B-But…" I stuttered. "I wasn't supposed to fight. I'm not fully trained."

He pulled back to look at me, his face more serious. "What do you mean? How can you not be trained?" His face registered sheer panic. "How old are you?"

"Easy, Romeo. I'm twenty. It's a long story, but I didn't start training until four years ago."

He studied me for a moment and then licked his lips, bringing his face closer to me again. I felt dizzy from his closeness; the way his breath hit my face.

"You are brave and very stupid, Red."

I was already panting and his lips hadn't touched mine yet. He brought them so close I could feel the energy off them and yet they still didn't touch. I started to sway, and it was a moment too late that I realized that it wasn't him that was making me dizzy. The moment just before his lips touched mine, my eyes closed and everything went black…again.