Chapter 2

Aurea Herondale stood with her arms crossed, frowning at the cat sprawled on the cushion. Just moments ago, the cat had sauntered into the doorway of the New York Institute and planted itself onto her favourite cushion while smirking. Could cats even smirk? She exhaled in irritation.

The cat had an odd way of seeming so sure of itself, like no one else mattered. It had hissed at her when she tried to retrieve her cushion from under its furry butt. That annoyed her greatly. She glared at the cat. It studiously ignored her.

"If you were a demon, I would have cut you in half!" She huffed.

A soft, musical laughter sounded from behind. James Carstairs had entered the room. The man was slender but tall, his dark eyes smiling at her. Following him, a girl who looked no older than eighteen entered. She, too, was tall, her serious storm grey eyes taking in the interior of the room. And this, Aurea deduced, was the warlock who had angel blood. Theresa Gray.

"Don't mind Church, he's always like that," Jem mused, glancing affectionately at his cat. Aurea frowned before speaking, "Oh, I wouldn't have minded. It's just that your cat seems to have taken a liking to my cushion and I'm afraid we've become rivals for its affection."

Tessa laughed, looking bemused. There's some of Will in her after all. She had been anticipating her meeting with her teenage descendant, wondering how she'd grow up to be like. It was certainly obvious that she had inherited Jace's humour. The Herondales, however, no longer had Will's black hair and blue eyes.

"As you probably have guessed, I'm Aurea Herondale," Aurea announced suddenly, with a tinge of an embarrassed smile.

"Yes, it's wonderful to meet you again," Jem replied. He walked towards the cat and picked him up. Church purred. Aurea stared wide eyed. The demon of a cat purred. Jem carried Church away from the cushion and sat him on the ground.

"All done. Your cushion won't receive anymore declarations of love from Church." Jem smiled kindly at her.

"Come on in, Owen. It's no fun standing out there all by yourself," called Jace as he walked into the room.

There was a stark difference between Jem and Jace. While Jem was gentle and lean, Jace was strong and all muscle. The one thing they shared in common was perhaps the way they gazed protectively at their wives.

Owen Carstairs followed Jace in, his eyes roaming around till they landed on her. They widened by a fraction and he smiled warmly at her. She was like what he had imagined, slender and really pretty. Her high cheekbones and sharp nose made her look like a model. Many would have associated her with runways and fashion shows. Instead, she wielded blades and other weapons. He found that she was studying him too.

Resembling both his parents, Owen had a tinge of Asian features and his mother's serious eyes. Running a slender hand through his dark hair, Owen shifted his weight. Aurea realised that he was getting uncomfortable by her stares. She looked away.

"Hello Aurea, I'm Owen Carstairs," He spoke, smiling slightly. Aurea smiled back.

"Nice to meet you again, Owen. I suppose I could become Tour Guide Aurea for the day. Ted and I could show you around New York, if you'd like. What do you say?" Aurea suggested.

At that moment, Ted stuck her head and called out cheerily, "I think I heard my name... Or was that a hedgehog who'd said it? Hello, Mr and Mrs Carstairs. I'm Thaddia Shadowhunter." Aurea groaned. Ever since the hedgehog joke a week before, she had officially been nicknamed hedgehog. It seemed like Ted was never going to let it slide.

Confused, Owen lifted his eyebrows in question. Aurea shrugged.

"We'd love to take you around New York, Owen," Ted grinned genuinely. Seeing as both girls didn't mind, Owen nodded his head. It would probably be fun touring the city with the girls.

"Why does she call you hedgehog?" Owen whispered when Ted was walking in front of them.

"You don't want to know. I'd have to kill you if you found out." Aurea answered seriously, her bangs flooping over her eye. Irritated, she blew it away. Owen kept his hand securely behind his back, resisting the urge to brush her hair away from her face.

"Hedgehog, can we shorten your name? It's a mouthful. I'm suggesting.. Hog? Or Hedgie?" Ted called out.

Owen couldn't help but laugh. Aurea scowled.

"Are you hell bent on making me sound like a guinea pig?"

"It's either Hog or Hedgie. Take your pick, Herondale," Ted called out. Aurea could tell that she was grinning.

"Remind me why she's my parabatai... Do you have a parabatai, Owen?" Aurea probed.

Owen shook his head. Perhaps in the future. He'd heard of parabatai who fought till the end together but also parabatai who had betrayed one another. Owen wanted to be certain of his choice when the time came.

The trio stepped out of the Institute. New York was a bustling city, just like Los Angeles. Owen let the girls lead him forward.

On the other side, a black haired boy wandered around. He was very confused, remembering nothing about his life. There was a dull throbbing on his wrist. Pulling up the long sleeve, it revealed a nasty bite mark, belonging to no vampire, werewolf or demon. Whatever it was, it had torn deep into his flesh. The boy trudged on, each step he took becoming harder than the last.

As he moved forward, he spotted a girl with tresses of golden hair. The wound on his wrist began to burn with pain. There were three of them in total. Bite them. Bite them and you'll no longer feel the pain. Bite them now. A deep voice spoke in his head. Blinded by pain, he lunged for the golden one.