15

Poison

The next day had come as fast as the day before had disappeared. Leigh-Ann had yet to have a peaceful dream at all. She'd debated whether or not to draw runes for suppressing nightmares, but reconsidered it, thinking that maybe one of those dreams would have an explanation for everything.

She arose from her bed, stretching and yawning and scratched Sadie behind her ears. She was about to throw off the sheets when she noticed an envelope in her lap. She ripped it open and began reading:

Leigh-Ann Grace,

Your sensibility of not coming with me will cost you. I'm watching your Shadowhunter friends; especially Jace. If you do not come with me…well…you shouldn't have to guess what would happen to him if you didn't.

Noon; the abandoned bank; be there; and don't bring anyone with you.

JCM

Her lips curled over her teeth and she let out a vicious snarl and dropped the note to the floor.

Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, she thought. She jumped up and went and wrenched open her wardrobe. She took out the tight blue dress Isabelle had made her try on and turned out that she liked it. The silver heals that they had acquired she also slipped onto her feet. She slipped her seraph blade and stele into a slot that she wrapped around her thigh and concealed it with her dress. On her other leg, she concealed two more blades. She went to the bathroom and put her hair up into a tight bun.

Sadie barked at her and she looked back. "Stay here and protect them Sadie," she commanded.

She went to her bedroom door and opened it only to find that Jace was preparing to knock.

"Whoa," he said, examining her up and down. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Do you need something?" she asked, exasperated.

"Where are you going?"

"Out; now move." She began pushing her way passed him when he caught her wrist.

"Leigh-Ann, I can't just let you leave on your own."

"Well, I'm going on my own, so deal with it." She tried again, but he stopped her.

"Where are you going?" he repeated.

Her temper began to peak. "MOVE, Jace."

"Not until you tell-"he cut off as she twisted his arm and threw him over her shoulder.

"Stop digging into my business." She stepped over him and her shoes clinked upon the floor as her strides led her down the hallway to the elevator.

"Leigh-Ann, wait!" Jace called but she didn't even look back. When she stepped into the elevator, she saw Jace running toward it.

"Don't bother following me, Jace," she called to him. "I don't leave traces of myself."

The cage of the elevator shut just as he had reached it.

"No, Leigh-Ann! Wait! Don't go out on your own!"

"Stop wasting your breath," she hissed as the elevator jerked upward. A lock of her hair had escaped her intricate bun and she began twirling it with a finger before tucking it behind her ear. When the elevator stopped at the top, she stepped out and took off in the morning light.

"The abandoned bank, huh?" she muttered when she got there. "What are you up to, bastard?"

She walked up the stone steps impatiently just as the sun touched the middle of the sky. She kicked the doors to the bank opened and walked in with her hand at her hips.

"So, you came, did you?" Jonathan emerged from the shadows.

"Why would I miss a chance to kill you?"

"Oh, you won't be killing me, Miss Taylor." Her eyes moved with his movements and she had a mere second to stop his hand from coming to her throat. She twisted it and took him to the ground. His free hand caught her leg and pulled her down with him, though she didn't release his wrist and bent it backward, hearing a crack.

Jonathan screamed in agony. She tried standing but the hand he'd caught her leg with was still attached to her. She tried wrenching free, but his grip tightened to where she could feel the bone cracking in the outside. She bit her lip to suppress a scream and she felt blood trickle down her chin. She pulled and kicked. She finally aimed a kick at his face and he screamed again, releasing her.

She shuffled quickly to her feet, drawing her Seraph Blade, Gabriel, and holding toward him.

"You really are a little Devil, aren't you, Princess?" he hissed through gritted teeth. A nerve went off in her head; the angry nerve. She did her best to push it into the back of her mind and ignore that he called her that.

"My spot in Heaven awaits and you're in the way," she merely stated.

"That spot in Heaven is for you, Princess, but you won't sit in that spot. No. I don't think that even you want to be a…princess."

A growl rumbled in her throat.

Stop it. Ignore it, you idiot.

"You're not going to stop me."

"Oh, I am." He stood up quickly.

"Leigh-Ann!" she looked toward the door, completely distracted.

"Leigh-Ann, look out!" Jace yelled. His body collided with hers and they fell to the ground together.

"Jace, what are you doing here?!" she yelled at him.

"You said you didn't leave traces. Well, you did." His hand was next to her face holding a piece of paper.

"Jace, you shouldn't have followed me!"

"I…have…to protect…you…" His breathing was shortening.

"Jace…Jace, what's wrong?"

"I…" He rolled over onto his side. She sat up quickly looking down at him. A needle was sticking out of his shoulder. She yanked it out.

"Jace, look at me!" she yelled. Her hands came to his face. He had begun convulsing.

"It's poison. I told you I'd hurt him, but you didn't listen," Jonathan mocked.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed, darting toward him in a flash and taking him to the ground. "Her blade gleamed in his face. But all he did was smirk.

"What the hell will it do to him? TELL ME NOW!"

"He did exactly what I wanted him to do which is protecting you. Now it will kill him."

"NO! It can't! He won't die!"

"Oh, he will, sweet Leigh-Ann."

"AH!" She was bringing the blade down to his chest when she heard a faint call.