17
Alec
She blinked, taken aback. "Excuse me?"
"You're. Lying," he repeated.
Leigh-Ann could not figure out a way to respond to this. "I…how dare you accuse me-"
"Jace felt dead in my heart. He'd never die against Dravak demons. What the hell happened to him?"
She looked to her right, trying to avoid eye contact, but he was more demanding than she'd ever expected him to be; Alec who looked like a gentle boy who wouldn't hurt a fly and only kill when he absolutely had to. His hand came to her chin and he pulled her face to look at his.
"Tell me what happened to him."
I see it now, she thought. He used to be in love with him.
She looked down. "He did nearly die, but I saved him."
"How did he almost die?"
"Poison…"
"But how did he get poisoned? What were you two doing?"
"I can't tell you. I don't trust you."
"And we should trust you?" He pulled his hand away from her. "You nearly got my best friend, my parabatai, killed, and you want to say you can't trust me?"
"You'll report me to the Council."
"Maybe I should do it anyway. Maybe a night in the Silent City would do you good."
She hissed at him. "Go ahead and send me there. I've spent my nights amongst the Silent City."
"When did you do that?"
Her mouth came to her hand. Why did I just say that?
"It's none of your business."
"Jace IS my business."
She looked away again. "I'll tell you everything if you don't report me to Council. If you do, I'll take the Silent City any day."
She looked back at him. He looked as though he were pondering what she had said before nodding. "Walk with me," he told her. She walked beside him down the hallway.
She explained everything from the incident in the night her Aunt died to the day's earlier event.
"And…I saved him…with what is called an Angel Kiss…" she blushed at that thought once more.
"So you're an Angel, then?"
Leigh-Ann nodded.
"What'd you mean when you said that you had spent your nights in the Silent City?"
Her lips formed into a thin line. "I don't even know why I said that…I don't remember ever being in the Silent City."
"You have no memory of it?"
"Just like I don't have memory of the battle that I destroyed a thousand demons in and that no one will explain to me why I shouldn't know that."
She looked over at him. His face had set hard. "How'd you find that out?"
"Your sister," she replied. "She doesn't recall ever being told not to tell me."
"…" He had fallen silent.
"Why couldn't I know?"
"I can't tell you. It's not my place."
"…" She sighed at that comment and turned away from him. They'd walked into the library and she was in awe. This had been the first time she'd been in there.
"You seem surprised."
"No. I just miss the pages of books."
"You like to read?"
"Oh yes; very much."
He nodded. "I do, too, and so does Jace. Isabelle, though, despises reading."
"Could I ask you a question?"
"It depends on the question."
"I'll ask anyway, then. You and Magnus are together, aren't you?"
He froze in step and turned on her, face going red. She stopped with him. "How do you know that?"
"Well, when we went to see him, Jace let it slip…"
"Do you have a problem with it?" His voice was beginning to grow angry.
"Well, of course not. I just wanted to know if you were happy with him is all."
"Oh… Well… I mean no one has ever asked that before."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"No, I know what you meant and it means a great deal to me that someone actually cares strictly of the happiness."
She couldn't help but smile at him. "You love him, don't you?"
"Yes…Yes I do." Alec's lips were forming into a smile. She put a hand on his shoulder.
"That's good. And if any other Shadowhunter gave you trouble about it, always remember that an Angel approved of it."
He let out a laugh. "An Angel approved?"
"Yes." She giggled. "You two seem right for each other and I wish you both a long and happy life."
"Thank you… That means a great deal, Leigh-Ann Grace."
She smiled. "Please, Alec. Call me Leigh-Ann."