Hey guys! Ok, just for the record, I really hate the last chapter. Ugh! It was short, plus nothing very eventful or noteworthy happened, so I had to add fluff around it, plus I did the second half around 1am and I just really wanted to finish it and get to the this chapter, which is waaaaaay better, so it was pretty much a bitch to write. Oh, and sorry for the super long author's notes on every chapter *wince*, I just like to clarify all the stuff with you guys. One more thing, then I swear we are done. I was planning on doing updates on Thursdays, but my coach just moved practice to Thursday nights (Go Hellcats!) since the rink is booked every other night for the year. Agh! I will just have to hop around with when I update for a while until I can settle into a routine, so sorry about that. Now, to quote The Dark Knight (awesome movie, btw, gotta love batman) Here….We….GO!
Chapter 4: Ravener
Jace looked pleased by the chapter title; he grinned and rubbed his hands together saying, "Ah Ha! At last we learn how the great Clarissa defeated the famous-" he glanced slyly at Alec and made quotation marks in the air, "-and 'suicidal' Ravener demon!"
I smirked at Jace, then leaned around him and Alec to mock whisper to Isabelle, "Hey Izzy! Jace thinks I'm great."
She laughed and tossed her hair for the trillionth time, "Not the biggest compliment, Hun. He also thinks grievous wounds are great. Now, when Isabelle thinks you're great, you can brag."
Alec interrupted Jace's comeback and said deadpan, "When Isabelle stops talking about herself in third person, maybe she could let Alec read the chapter."
"She's done now." said Isabelle snidely. Alec just let out a dramatic sigh and started reading. The chapter started out with me still running back to my apartment after slapping/clawing Jace in an alleyway. I described it as like swimming as fast as I could through boiling soup.
Magnus arched an eyebrow. I wish he'd stop doing that. "How exactly do you know how that particular sensation feels?" he asked me. I ignored him and gestured for Alec to continue. Oh sure, he'd politely stop for Magnus- Wait. Alec. Magnus. Got it.
Next, Alec read about me attempting to use Jace's sensor for a phone. When I said it wasn't a phone, I thought I heard Jace mutter under his breath, "I told her…" With great force of will, I restrained myself from saying something.
Alec then read about how I had seen the lights on in the apartment and attempted to convince myself it was okay. I stared at my lap; fists clenched, and ignored the sympathetic glances the others were giving me. Alec then read about how I had gone up the stairs to the apartment and been blocked by Madame Dorothea, sitting in an armchair in front of her apartment. "Wait," Alec said, his brow furrowed, "Isn't she the one whose body was possessed by Abbadon?" He paused, then his brow furrowed further, "And why exactly is she sitting in an armchair in front of her apartment?"
"The one and only and I have absolutely no idea," said Jace offhandedly. Alec nodded thoughtfully, then continued reading. He read about how Madame Dorothea had started complaining to me about the "awful racket" my mom had been making upstairs. My fists were clenched so tight by now that my knuckles were white. Then she complained about how the skylight needed washing. "Tell her to try shooting an arrow through it, works wonders!" said Isabelle cheerfully.
Magnus looked at us all, then rolled his eyes upwards, "Do I even want to know?" he asked the ceiling.
"Don't worry, Magnus, I'm sure you'll hear all about it," said Alec, grimacing slightly at the memory. He turned back to the book and continued reading. He read how I had finally gotten away from Madame Dorothea and found the apartment door unlocked. Then, I went inside.
I could vividly remember the feelings of panic and helplessness that had assaulted me as I had entered the apartment. My nails were slicing into my palms. That's when I surprised even myself by blindly reaching under the table and grabbing Jace's hand so tightly that he inhaled softly before squeezing back. I could breathe now.
Alec read how the apartment had been ripped to pieces. Furniture smashed, cushions slashed, and worst of all; Jocelyn's precious paintings, ripped to shreds.
Alec kept reading, shooting apologetic glances my way every so often. He read how I had screamed for my mom and begun to question why all the appliances were still in the apartment if we had been robbed. Isabelle shot me an approving look.
Alec's voice quiet voice continued to spill my every thought on one of the worst nights of my life. That's when the me in the book heard a noise. The present me crinkled my nose and let go of Jace's hand with relief, knowing what was coming next. Though I do hate Raveners. Jace massaged his hand and shot me a look that (to me) said Jesus woman, just cut off my blood supply.
The shadowhunters sat up, looking interested in the coming proceedings. Alec's voice was slightly more animated as he read how I had first seen the Ravener demon. I described it as a cross between an alligator and a centipede. Isabelle giggled, "Oh, we must tell a Ravener it looks like a cross between an alligator and a centipede sometime!" She slumped over, shoulders shaking with laughter, "It would be priceless!" We all stared her until Alec cleared his throat and continued reading while his sister got a grip.
Alec read how I had shrieked and dodged the Ravener. I tried to run down the hallway, but it had leaped in front of me. I gave a vivid description of the disgusting mouth and how it had wanted to eat my flesh and blood. "Cute," muttered Isabelle.
I described how I had passed beyond terror into an icy stillness and Jace nodded approvingly. "It's the shadowhunter blood, keeps you thinking and not panicking in a fight." Well. That was interesting.
The Ravener had ignored the picture I had flung at it and informed me that it wanted to crunch my bones, suck my marrow, and drink my veins. "Lovely," said Isabelle. My back had just hit the wall when I felt the sensor go off in my pocket. "Oh, now it goes off," Isabelle snorted, "That thing is a piece of crap, Jace. Why hadn't you replaced it yet?"
Jace shrugged, "Had better things to do," he said, then grinned unexpectedly, making my heart twist for a single instant, "Besides, I don't need a sensor to kill demons. I just carried it to keep Hodge from getting his panties in a twist."
Isabelle made a face, "Thank you for that mental picture, Jace."
Jace just laughed. Alec let out a long-suffering sigh and continued reading from where Isabelle and Jace had interrupted him. He read how I had grabbed the sensor just as the demon hurtled into me, then struggled to get out from under it with blood scented breath in my face. The demon had continued with its monologue about my blood and eating me, until it finally decided it would be worth it to eat me, since "Valentine had said nothing about a girl". Good to know I had parental love.
Just then, my hand had come free and I had struck out at the demon wanting noting more than to smash it, to blind it. Magnus looked at me curiously, "Why did you want to blind it?"
I shrugged self-consciously, "I don't know, I just wanted it to hurt. Blindness was the best I could without weapons." Everyone at the table blinked at me, looking faintly astonished. Then Isabelle spoke up, "That was actually a pretty good plan, Clary."
I smiled at her, "Thanks Iz." Alec let out yet another sigh. Apparently the Lightwoods had habits: hair flipping and sighing. It could be worse. After Alec let loose his Olympic worthy sigh, he continued reading. He read how I had jammed the sensor down its throat as it lunged for me. It swallowed the sensor, then, to my shock, it had fallen off me and started spasming uncontrollably while black fluids poured from it's mouth. I had leapt up and booked it for the door. I was almost there when the Ravener released a stinger in it's death throes. It hit me in the back of the head. Everyone at the table winced.
Jace looked at Alec smugly, "Suicidal, eh?" he asked. Alec had the good grace to look at me in embarrassment. I smiled at him. I had no idea if Jace knew Alec had only claimed that because Jace had paid attention to me instead of him. Because Alec was in love with him. I had my doubts if he was still, but he had definitely been in love with him then. I wouldn't be the one to inform Jace, or anyone else. It was Alec's secret.
Alec ducked his head back to the book and kept reading. It started when I had woken up lying in grass near my apartment. Jace had been kneeling beside me, tearing strips of cloth. He warned me not to move, so of course I moved- and nearly passed out again from the pain. The present Jace shook his head, "Never listens," he said.
Alec gave a sigh to rival his Olympic medalist sigh, then read about how I had proceeded to ignore Jace further by attempted to sit up. All it got me was gagging and Jace informing me he was taking me to the Institute. Then he gently put salve on the back of my neck. I blushed the tiniest bit in present time. I could remember how intimate it had felt, having someone take care of me like that.
Alec continued reading. He read how I had asked Jace why the demon hadn't looked like the one in Pandemonium. I had told him that it wanted to eat me. He replied that it didn't, I had killed it. The salve had dulled the pain and I was able to sit up without puking. Jace and I spotted the police and Jace informed me that they were probably demons. He then pulled me to my feet, at least until I almost fell over. Then he wrapped an arm around my back and asked if I could walk. In my whacked-out state, I had been thinking about how Jace smelled. Like blood and dirt and metal. Hopefully the others just thought he had a strong scent and I wasn't looking for it. Or was quite that close to Jace and noticing things like his scent while that close.
Thankfully Isabelle spoke up then, "Eu de Jace." she said, her nose wrinkled. Jace flipped her the bird. She did impressive hair flip and stuck her tongue out at him. Alec gave a smaller, amused sigh before he continued reading. I decided it was only worth a bronze medal. He read how we had spotted a demon disguised as a cop. Jace asked if we could go through the alleyway. When I attempted to tell him how it was bricked up, I started coughing up blood. I got more sympathetic winces.
Magnus shook his head, "Clary is having an exceptionally bad night." he said. Understatement of the year. Alec gave a sigh closer to silver medal stuff and kept reading. He read how Jace had grabbed my wrist as I fell and drawn a rune on me. Isabelle and Alec both looked vaguely disapproving, though they had accepted Jace's action long ago.
That's when I had fainted. I fell into Jace after saying his name and he easily caught me. I had thought to myself that maybe he caught fainting girls every day. Jace smirked, "No, I just have a natural talent for that sort of thing." I ignored him.
I had thought I was safe in this chapter until, of course, the last sentence, where I thought that the bottom had dropped out of everything and even Jace's arms weren't enough to keep me from falling. Cringe.
I had a feeling it would only get worse.
Whew! Again, sorry for the short chapter, but in my opinion its better than the last one. The next chapter will be nice and long, its something like 30 pages. So…..updating may take a bit longer than usual. Anyhoo, hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. Oh! And please review! I love to get the reader's opinion on everything