Jace searched all around him in the alleyway, but Imogen was nowhere to be seen. His heart plummeted into the depths of his stomach. He dashed back to the club.
"Jace, let's go!" Clary called after him. "Jace!"
Jace ignored her. He burst through the door into empty darkness. He groped around, searching for the light switch. Jace found the light switch and threw it up, not caring about discretion.
"Imogen!" Jace shouted. No answer. Jace frantically searched the club. To his horror, it was empty. Then he spotted in the corner an open door. The door led to the stairwell that led to the apartment above the club. Without a further thought, Jace sprinted up the stairs three at a time. Once he reached the flat above the club, he found the door standing wide open. He cautiously stepped into the apartment and found the place completely turned upside-down. As far as Jace knew, none of them had gone up the stairs. Who had been through here? Imogen, maybe? But why?
Not only had the apartment been ransacked, it was apparent that there had been a fight. Broken glass and splintered wood littered the dirty carpet. Flecks of blood dotted the walls, the carpet, and pieces of furniture. Jace couldn't tell if the blood was human or demon.
"Imogen?" Jace called again. Glass crunched under his boots as he walked through the apartment. Jace glanced down to see where he was stepping, and something dark caught his eye – blood. A trail of it. He followed the trail through the apartment and up the stairs, heart pounding and mind racing. He prayed with all his heart as he walked that the blood wasn't Imogen's. When he reached the end of the trail at the back of the top floor of the apartment, the sliding door that led to the balcony stood ajar. There were smears of blood on the door frame and on the handle of the sliding door. Jace stepped out onto the balcony and looked around. There was nothing. He looked down at the alleyway below. He saw Isabelle supported on Clary's shoulders. Alec looked up and spotted Jace, then dashed into the club. But no Imogen. Then Jace looked up. Above the ledge of the balcony, there was fire escape ladder that led to the roof of the building. Jace climbed up onto the ledge of the balcony and pulled himself up on the ladder. His right hand slipped on something wet and he lost his footing on the ledge. His left hand tightened on the rung of the ladder to keep himself from falling three stories. Jace took a deep breath to focus himself and continued climbing the ladder. When he reached the top, he hoisted himself over the low wall onto the roof of the building.
"Imogen?" Jace called as he scanned the roof. Then he saw a dark figure sprawled across the roof. His lips trembled as he screamed at the top of his lungs. "IMOGEN!!" He raced to her, crumbling to his knees beside her. Her hair was slick with blood and sweat. Blood streaked her face. She was covered with horrible bite marks and long, deep, jagged gashes. Her clothes were ripped saturated with blood. Jace pushed her hair off her dirty face and bent his head down, his ear hovering just above her face. She was breathing, but barely. Her breaths were shallow and strained. Her face was as pale as the full moon above. Her body was cold and shook from loss of blood and demon poisoning. She didn't look like she'd last more than another couple hours. Jace was on the verge of tears as he yanked off his jacket and wrapped the unconscious girl with it.
"Jace!" Alec called as he hauled himself onto the roof.
Jace rushed over to Alec with Imogen dangling limply in his arms. "We need to get her to Magnus."
"We need to get back to the Institute," Alec argued. "Then I'll call Magnus to come."
"She won't last that long!" Jace cried. "Call Magnus now!"
Alec sighed, then took out his cell phone and dialed the warlock, Magnus Bane. "Hey, Magnus, it's me… No, I need a favor. It's demon poison… No, no, she's a Shadowhunter." Alec paused for a long time, listening to Magnus. Then he looked up at Jace. "Do you know what kind of demon did this?"
Jace shook his head. "Um, a ravener, I guess, maybe something else."
"We don't know, probably a ravener," Alec said into the phone to Magnus. "Alright, we'll be there soon." Alec hung up the phone, then looked up at Jace again. "How are we going to get her down from the roof?"
"We jump," Jace said.
"Are you insane?!"
Jace clutched Imogen tightly to his chest with one arm and grabbed Alec by the arm with his free hand. Then he launched himself over the low wall. The three Shadowhunters plummeted down three stories toward the alleyway bellow, Alec screaming the whole way down. Seconds later, Jace landed softly, perfectly on the asphalt. Alec collapsed the second his feet touched the ground.
"I forgot…you could…do that," he gasped, completely winded. "Next time… warn me…before you do that."
"I did," Jace said. "Where are Isabelle and Clary?"
"They're headed back to the Institute," Alec said, slowly getting to his feet. "Come on, it isn't too far to Magnus's."
Jace cradled Imogen in his arms and followed Alec to the home of the infamous warlock. When they reached the door of Magnus's house after a twenty-minute walk, Alec rang the doorbell and waited. No answer. He rang the doorbell again. Jace growled impatiently when Magnus didn't answer the second time. Jace lashed out with his foot and struck the doorknob with his combat boot. The door banged open.
"Jace!" Alec cried in dismay.
Jace ignored him and stormed into the house.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Jace Wayland?!" Magnus demanded as he flew down the stairs.
"You didn't answer the door, you good for nothing son of a–"
"We're really sorry, Magnus," Alec interrupted. "It's an emergency."
Magnus stared at the unconscious girl in Jace's arms. "Fine, bring her upstairs. My room."
Jace hurried up the stairs after Magnus and followed him into the three-hundred-year-old warlock's bedroom. He laid Imogen down on the bed and stood back as Magnus began to examine her. Magnus removed Jace's jacket from the girl and began inspecting the bite marks and gashes.
"Pretty girl," Magnus muttered to himself as he turned her face. Then he pulled up her shirt.
Jace grabbed Magnus's arm and yanked him away from the bed. He shoved the warlock hard into the wall and pinned him by the throat. "Don't touch her like that," Jace growled menacingly.
"I need to remove her clothes to reach the worst of the wounds," Magnus responded calmly. "Alec, why don't you remove your dear friend from the room so I can work?"
"Jace, let's go," Alec said sternly.
"I'm not going anywhere," Jace declared defiantly.
"What's the problem?" Magnus teased. "Is she your girl, Jace Wayland?"
Jace raised his fist to punch Magnus, but Alec rushed forward and put Jace into an arm lock.
"Let me go!" Jace bellowed, straining against Alec.
"Jace, stop it!" Alec yelled at him. He dragged Jace out of the room as Magnus approached the bedside and resumed undressing the unconscious Shadowhunter.
"You bastard!" Jace shouted at Magnus as Alec dragged him from the room. "I'm going to kill you!"
Alec dragged Jace into the next room and shut the door.
"How can you leave her in there with that…that creep?" Jace demanded angrily.
"She'll be fine," Alec replied. "I trust Magnus completely."
Jace flew at Alec, grabbing him roughly by the front of his shirt. "Trust him?! You trust him?! Why, are you sleeping with him?!"
Alec's face flushed deep red, from embarrassment or anger, Jace didn't know. All he knew was the pain that struck his temple, knocking him to the floor. Alec stormed from the room and slammed the door shut. Jace went after him, but the door wouldn't budge. Alec must have Marked the outside of the door, sealing Jace in. Jace beat on the door with his fists and screaming at Alec, but no reply came. Jace spat out every curse he knew before letting himself fall into an armchair. It wasn't until then that he realized just how exhausted he was. He fought the hazy feeling in his brain. He had to stay awake for Imogen, to make sure she'd be alright. The more he resisted, the more exhausted he became. His eyelids drooped shut and sleep claimed him.