CHAPTER 7 – Scars

Joanna was frozen for a moment before she burst into action, scrambling forward, only to trip over a root and go sprawling across the ground. She had to run, had to get away–

But she couldn't just leave Asher. She could hear him fighting, and somehow it seemed wrong to run, even when her whole body was screaming at her to flee. She picked herself up and lunged for the stone Asher had been holding instead. Its light had been fading rapidly, but as soon as she had it in her hand, pressing against her palm, the light flared again. Beams of it sheared the darkness away as it shone through her fingers. She turned toward the noise, holding the stone high, and light flooded over the fight.

Asher rolled on the ground with the demon, fighting to keep it from slashing his face and throat with its claws and teeth. He was quickly gaining the upper hand, moving with more speed than she'd ever seen a human being move. He kicked the demon off of him and it went flying, snarling and scrambling immediately back to its feet and launching itself at Asher. But Asher was ready, and he thrust his blade up right underneath the demon's ribs, spearing it right through mid-jump so the tip of his blade glinted as it poked out of its back. The demon's howl choked off and it crumpled, sifting away into ash before Asher could even pull out the blade.

They both stood there, panting. Asher tossed the bloody blade down and wiped his face. His fingers came away red, and Joanna made a strange sort of strangled whimpering noise before she could stop herself.

"That's what happens when they die," Asher said as he caught his breath. "They return to their home dimensions." Joanna swallowed against the nausea rising in her stomach. Asher turned to her, and she saw the gash running down the side of his face. It was shallow, but it dripped blood with a sickening splat continuously onto the shoulder of his gear.

"I'm fine," he said. "Look. This is what Shadowhunters do when their injured. It's an iratze, a healing rune." He pulled out his stele and traced a rune next to the cut, on his cheek. The Mark faded, and with it the wound closed, leaving nothing but a very small, very faint thin line that looked silvery in the light of the stone. Joanna tried to take deep breaths. She felt light-headed and dizzy and sick. And cold. Very cold.

"Thanks for the light," Asher said, picking up his blade again and tucking it into his belt. "Good quick thinking." When she didn't respond, Asher looked at her closely.

"Shit," he cursed, loping towards her with unconscious grace that she noticed abstractly, muttering something about shock. "Joanna? Joanna, talk to me." It was the first time he'd ever said her name. He reached for her wrist and the stone dropped out of her hand. She blinked as the light disappeared. He cursed again and snatched up the stone, touching her wrist again. Taking her pulse.

"It's real."

His head snapped up at her words, but his voice and touch were gentle.

"Yeah, it's real."

The light from the stone in his hand illuminated them from the bottom up, and she could see the contrasting shadows of the hollows of his cheeks and eyes against his strong jaw line and cheek bones. She reached up dazedly with one hand and he froze as she traced the new scar along the side of his face with a fingertip. She dropped her hand and the spell was broken. Everything moved again.

"C'mon, let's get you back to the Institute," he said softly.

He took her hand and guided her along as she stumbled through the forest and back out onto the path. By the time they were walking along the gravel, her teeth were chattering. Asher glanced at her and picked up the pace.

Her eyes were round and wide, her cheeks pale and damp as she followed him blindly. She was barely aware of walking up the Institute steps and down the aisle between the pews, all the way to her room and into her bathroom. He turned on the water in the shower until it was steaming.

"Joanna?" His voice was still soft. She looked at him. "I need you to take a hot shower, okay? A hot shower and get into bed. I'll bring you something warm to drink."

She nodded. Yes, a hot shower. That sounded very nice right now. Asher let go of her hand, peeling her fingers off. She blinked in surprise. She hadn't been holding onto him that tightly, had she?

He left and she did what he said in a daze; as the hot water rained down on her, she came back to herself.

Oh God. A sob escaped her. Demons. It hit her hard. She was a part of this world. A world where horrible things like that existed, and God knows what else–

She sucked in a shuddering breath and made a promise to herself right there. She would never, ever bring her friends into this. She couldn't do that to them. She stared down at the faint white scar on her arm where the healing rune Asher had drawn on her used to be.

She would protect them, and she would never tell them what she was.