Jace's POV

"Well, hello to you too, Izzy." Jace kept hold of Clary's hand, and kept her slightly behind himself, wanting to shield her in case Izzy was going to unleash her wraith upon them both.

Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest, trying her hardest not to break her austere appearance when she caught sight of their conjoined hands, fighting back a squeal of delight that threatened to break her serious façade and instead a subtle smile was slightly tugging at the corner of her mouth as her gaze flitted up to meet Clary's. "Do you mind if I speak to Jace alone?"

Clary gave his hand a gentle squeeze before she released her hold on it, offering him a reassuring smile when she noticed that he was looking rather concerned over his sister's request for her. "It's okay, Jace. Come see me after." She leaned up to place a kiss against his cheek before she turned her attention back on Isabelle as she was starting to walk away from them. "I'm in dire need of some girl time, and I know just the way to make it up to you if you're up for a little fun." She murmured just low enough for Isabelle to hear, and was rewarded with a delighted laugh, making her immediately feel better since she thought Isabelle wasn't going to forgive her for leaving without telling her.

Jace arched a brow in a puzzled manner when both ladies had appeared to have had a silent exchange amongst one another. He waited until Clary was out of hearing range before he let out a sigh. "Alright, get on it with."

Isabelle tsked at him as she beckoned him to follow her off towards the kitchen then proceeded to take a seat at the table, waiting patiently as he went about taking a seat in front of her. "Both you, and Clary owe me big time. I made sure mom didn't suspect anything when she came home for a brief visit, and I disposed of the note that Clary had left as well. She assumes that you both were out on a mission." Isabelle titled her head to the side, her ebony hues narrowing into slits as she met his gaze. "And thanks for not warning us that you were going off to who knows where. What if something had happened to you? We wouldn't have been able to get a hold of you or Clary to even know if you were alright."

Jace refrained from sighing once again as he listened to her mini rant before he flashed her one of his signature smirks. "There was no need to worry about my safety, Izzy. I can take care of myself, but I appreciate you going out of your way to make sure that mom didn't find out. I don't think I could handle whatever lecture I was sure I was going to receive when I came back home." He reached out to pat her hand gently. It was as close to a loving gesture as he could manage, but he knew that it was enough for his sister because she smiled at him.

Isabelle toyed with her bracelet as she quirked a brow whilst a mischievous smile played at her lips, her ebony hues sparkling with amusement. "So… How long have you both been an item?"

Jace shrugged his shoulder in a nonchalant manner, trying to play this off as if it wasn't a big deal, but on the inside he was the happiest he has ever been for the longest time. "Just recently."

Isabelle smirked as she then went on to twirl a strand of her hair in an absent-minded manner. "I didn't think I would ever see the day that a girl would ever get you to settle down."

Jace's eyes widened slightly at how she worded what she had just said, making him clear his throat. "Whoa. Calm down, Izzy. There will be no wedding bells ringing as of now."

Isabelle scoffed as she continued to play with her hair. "Oh, please. I can already see the subtle change in you since she's been here. You've never paid too much attention to the past "girlfriends" you've had, but it's different with her. You might not see how you've changed, but I have. The new change suits you though. I guess what I'm saying is that… It makes me so happy that you finally have someone else other than family that is making you happy. So don't ruin it!" Her last words came out with a threatening lilt to them, but she was merely messing around with him.

~~

Jace had been left feeling a little confused as to what his sister could have meant by there being a little change in him. He didn't feel any different.

He pushed aside his thoughts as soon as he reached Clary's bedroom door, knocking on it in a tentative manner. "Clary? Can I come in?" He frowned slightly when there wasn't a response and against his better judgement he found himself opening her door slowly, peeking his head in and his gaze immediately fell on Clary's sleeping form.

He entered the room fully to close the distance between them, trying not to laugh at the fact that she fell asleep in what looked like an uncomfortable position. He carefully tugged what looked like a sketchbook out from under her hold along with her pencil, placing it against the nearby desk before he went on to remove her shoes, and just when he was about to cover her with a throw blanket she moved in her sleep whilst mumbling something under her breath. He didn't think anything of it as he went on to cover her up until he saw a look of distress upon her face, making him sit down on the edge of the bed before he began to shake her awake gently.

Clary's POV

Clary opened her eyes warily before she sat upright quickly when she saw she wasn't alone whilst trying to calm her breathing after her little scare in her dream. "Jace?" She murmured in a drowsy state.

Jace stifled the urge to laugh as he reached out to caress her cheek, thinking that she looked so cute right now. "Hey sleepyhead. I didn't mean to wake you, but you were having a bad dream. Are you alright now?"

Clary elicited a soft yawn, smiling as she leaned into his soothing touch. "No, it's okay. I must have just dozed off while I was drawing. I didn't realize that I was that tired." She tried not to grimace when he mentioned her bad dream. She wanted to forgot what she had just dreamt, so instead she turned her face to place a kiss against the palm of his hand. "I'm okay now. Thank you for waking me up when you did."

Jace shifted closer to pull her against him in a gentle way, resting his cheek against the top of her head as his hand rubbed up and down against her arm. "You should go back to sleep if you're still tired. I should have figured that you would've felt a little drained after you made us a portal earlier."

Clary pulled back to look at him, almost frowning when she knew that he would leave her so she could sleep, making her shake her head in defiance. "I want you to stay with me. Will you?"

Jace leaned down to place a gentle kiss against the corner of her mouth, trying to hide the slight flush that threatened to cover his face at the mere thought of inappropriate things that flowed through his mind if he decided to stay here with her. He wanted to take things slow with her, but if he stayed he didn't know if he could behave. " I don't know if that's a good idea."

Clary choked back a laugh as a look of amusement showed in her features when she heard the slight waver in his tone. "Are you worried that you won't be able to keep your hands off of me?" A hint of a prurient smirk curved her lips as she awaited his answer as that mere thought had enticed her.

Jace snorted in response to her words, trying to play it cool. "More like the other way around. I've seen the way you look at me."

Clary gasped as she placed a hand against her chest as she was going to feign her own innocence. "Are you insinuating that I gawk over you so much and that fact would make me pounce on you in the middle of the night to take advantage of you?"

Jace kept a blank expression as he shrugged in a casual manner, trying to fight back a laugh in response to her innocent act. "It could be a possibility. If you want to prove whether it's correct or wrong then I suppose I will stay with you tonight. That's if you're up to the little challenge?"

Clary kept her prurient smirk upon her lips as she held his gaze. "I'm down to play. I hope you're not too much of a sore loser when this is all over and it's you who has lost." She got up from the bed and sauntered over towards her dresser to grab her pajamas before she immediately headed over towards her bathroom, pausing in the doorway to look over at him. "I'm going to shower real quick, and when I'm done I better see you on that bed."

Jace was left feeling rather stunned before he chuckled softly at how playful she was being. "We will discuss what the winner receives when I'm back." He retorted to her just before she closed the bathroom door. He got up from the bed and exited the room to go next door to get ready for what was to come. "What have you gotten yourself into?" He mused aloud before he too went to take a shower, but with some much needed cold water.

Clary had just finished showering and went through her nightly routine before she opened the bathroom door and nearly stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Jace stepping into her room wearing nothing but his boxers.

Jace smirked slyly as he watched Clary check him out, knowing that his idea of coming in her room how he had was going to help him win this little game they were about to play. "Are you alright? You look as if you're about to faint."

Clary blinked in confusion before she heard what he had said, making her take a moment to compose herself before she rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I'm fine. I've seen way better in the past." She mumbled her last words in a teasing manner, knowing he would have heard her. She went on to placing her towel over the back of a chair to dry before she removed her hair band from her wrist to quickly place her hair in a neat bun. As she turned around to face Jace again she noticed that he was practically gawking over her, making her try to think back as to what she had decided to wear. She didn't think that there was anything wrong with her current attire until it dawned on her that she was wearing a white tank top with short shorts. That was what she normally wore except her skin had still been a little damp after her shower so her top may have become a tiny bit more transparent. She inwardly smirked to herself as she sauntered over towards Jace, purposely brushing against him as she went over towards her bed to pull back the blankets before she got into bed. "Make sure to shut off the light before you get into bed."

Jace was taken aback by her actions and words and quickly obliged by her request. He made sure that the door was closed before he shut the light off and padded off towards the bed. He proceeded to get under the covers, trying to get comfortable before he rested his hands behind his head, not trusting himself to not let his hands wander over her after he had just seen what she chose to wear to sleep in. "Goodnight, Clary, and good luck with keeping those dainty hands of yours to yourself." He murmured in a husky tone.

Clary elicited a subtle laugh when she noticed that he made sure to not let himself to get too close to her. She wasn't having that. She scooted closer to him to snuggle against his side before teasingly trailing a finger against his bare chest. "Oh, I'm not worried about myself... Goodnight, Jace." She managed to say sleepily as she was suddenly overcome with a yawning fit.

He froze in shock when he felt the heat of her body against himself before he relaxed as to not let her know how much her simple touch was affecting him. Instead he wordlessly pulled her closer to him, keeping his arm around her before he placed a gentle kiss against the top of her head. He shut his eyes to attempt to fall asleep.

And to both of their surprise they both drifted off to sleep a moment later in each other's embrace.

~~

A soft noise escaped her lips as she had started to wake up because she had started to feel so feverish during her sleep. It took her a moment to realize why that was until she opened her eyes and found herself peering up at Jace whom was sleeping so peacefully. She smiled as she noticed that this was the first time that he actually seemed so relaxed and without a trace of worry in his expression. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and caress his face, but what stopped her was when she realized that she was practically draped over him.

Some time during the night she had settled further against his chest whilst her leg was draped over his side. She knew she had to move as carefully as she could before he woke up and would point out to her that she had lost their little game. Just as she was thinking about moving apart from him, he had moved in his sleep, making her bite down on her lip to not make a sound as she gently started to remove her leg from his side until his hand grasped her thigh, making her gasp aloud as she met his now fervid gaze. "Good morning." She squeaked.

"Morning, Clary." His tone came out rather roughly as he slowly woke up a little more until he was smirking down at her when he realized what kind of position they were currently in. "I suppose that I won after all."

Clary pouted in a defeated manner. "Yes, you did. Now what do you want as your reward?" She inwardly prayed that he wouldn't be like Jonathan and make her do whatever he asked for days on end.

Jace pretended to ponder over what to ask for before he grinned. "I want a kiss."

Clary arched a perfectly shaped brow in a questioning manner. "A kiss? That's what you really want? You could have asked for anything you wanted and that's what you chose?"

Jace's grin widened as a mischievous glint shone in his golden hues since he was going to mess with her a bit. "I didn't say where I wanted the kiss to be…"

Clary made herself gasp and widened her eyes as she feigned innocence once again. "Jace… What kind of girl do you think I am… I would never do such a thing."

He raised his hands up in the air in a defenseless manner, fighting back a laugh. "Whoa. That's not what I meant… But if you insist on doing that. I guess I'll just have to sit back and relax to let you go about giving me that reward." His last words came out with a seductive lilt to them as he went upon even winking at her, thinking that she would be able to see that he was clearly joking.

Clary rolled her eyes in a playful manner before smacking his chest gently. "Tsk tsk. Don't even try to lie. I suppose a deal is a deal." She proceeded to push him onto his back before she straddled him and placed her hands onto his chest, wanting to just tease him furthermore.

Jace stilled from beneath her, hesitating briefly before he gripped her waist to hold her still. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going to kiss you." Clary was having too much fun with teasing him. She leaned down to place a gentle kiss against his lips before she started to trail kisses down along his jawline, trying to choke back a noise that threatened to spill from her lips when his fingers gripped her waist a little more tightly.

Jace was momentarily at a loss for words until he sprang upright in bed at the mere sound of the door slamming open, causing Clary to fall off of him and land beside him on the bed.

"By the angel! Don't you both know how to use locks!?" Isabelle covered her eyes with her hand and tried to block the mental image out of her mind. "Put some clothes on and meet us in the library." She shut the door behind her as she stormed down the hallway, shaking her head in disbelief as she went off to find Alec.

"Well duty calls!" Clary announced as she pecked his cheek before she crawled over him to get dressed, hoping he didn't see the faint blush that was still showing on her face from when Isabelle had walked in on them.

Jace smacked her ass gently when she crawled over him before he too got out of bed. "I'll see you in a bit."

Clary waved a dismissive hand at him before she went about picking out what she was going to wear today, waiting until the door closed before she got undressed. She chose to wear black skinny jeans, cropped band t-shirt, and boots.

After she was dressed she went onto going through with her bathroom routine before she put her hair into a high ponytail, leaving some loose strands of curls to help frame her face before she went about putting on a subtle makeup look.

Once she was satisfied with her look she opened the chest that rested near her bed to retrieve some weapons to bring with her then grabbed her stele off of her dresser. She placed some runes upon herself as best as she could, adding a finishing touch of a slight glamour to hide her marks from the eyes of the mundanes before she slipped on a cropped leather jacket and proceeded to exit her bedroom.

As she neared the entrance of the library she heard hushed voices coming from it, making her clear her throat as to allow the people inside to know that she was now present. She entered the room and was immediately under the stare of three individuals. "What are our choices today?" She said casually as she walked over towards the desk where Alec was perched against it.

Alec spared her a brief glance, silently wondering just what Jace saw in her before he pointed down to some locations that were written on a piece of paper. "My mother sent us some locations that she wanted us to have a look at. Do you want first pick?"

Clary tried to keep a blank expression when Alec out of all people was talking to her. Since she got here she noticed that he didn't really pay her any attention so of course she felt a little iffy about his current offer, but instead she shrugged and looked down at the multiple locations that were listed in neat handwriting. She immediately brightened up when one particular location had caught her attention. "I'll take this one." She pointed to the location she had chosen, sparing it one last glance to memorize it before she took out her phone and had begun to type up and send a message. She was too excited at the mere thought of getting a chance to meet up with her friend to overthink her next move when she was suddenly at Jace's side and proceeded to lean up on her tiptoes to peck his cheek gently. "I'll see you later." She didn't bother to wait for his reply when she felt her phone buzz in her hand, making her grin as she read the message as she all but ran out of the room, leaving Jace to answer some questions from his siblings.

~~

Not much time had passed after Clary had investigated the area she had chosen. She hadn't found anything strange about it or discovered any foul play there as it was rumored to have, but she promised herself to come check on it again later after her visit with Simon.

The mere mention of her best friend had her smiling as she was now walking over towards the front porch whilst texting him that she was outside. She was more than eager to see him because her dream she had of him last night had left her feeling worried about him. She knew deep down that he was okay, but what happened to him in her dream that had nearly given her a panic attack up until Jace had woken her up and managed to help her forget about what she had seen.

Not even a full minute had passed when she saw Simon running down the steps to meet her. She squealed when he had picked her up, making her wrap her arms around his neck and cling onto him as he spun her around. "Simon! I've missed you so much!"

Isabelle's POV

She was pretending to examine her already pristine-like nails as she spoke in a humorless tone. "Well that was interesting."

Alec was trying to hide a grimace when he had seen the loving display of affection just a moment ago. "Indeed it was. So, when were you going to tell us about you and the Morgenstern being an item?"

Jace crossed his arms over his chest, trying to seem unfazed by Clary's weird behavior as he was now under Alec's scrutiny. "Her name is Clary. And I don't see why I would have to say anything about it since you never tell us where you sneak off to go out at odd hours of the day. Don't even try to deny it."

Isabelle's eyes widened in shock when she heard what Jace said, making her prepare herself to get in the middle of them if it looked like the situation was going to get out of hand. She didn't understand why they were both so uptight today. "Whoa ladies. Settle down. It's far too early for this kind of hostility."

Both Alec and Jace turned to glare at her, making her sigh as she shook her head and stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "First off, you have no right to go after Alec like you just did, Jace. And then proceed on to take your frustrations out on him just because you got upset right after your girlfriend left." She held up a finger when it looked like they were going to interrupt her. "Secondly… You need to accept Clary already, Alec. She's going to be here for a while longer, and apparently more since our dear Jace is now involved with her. So suck it up, and stop with the groveling before Jace and I gang up on you, and pester you over the fact that you've been all secretive lately. Now are you both ready to deal with the real serious matter at the moment?"

Alec and Jace stayed silent as their sister had put them in their places, and they wordlessly went on to pick their locations that they were going to set off to check out.

Isabelle bid her goodbye to Alec, but stayed where she was currently standing when she saw Jace hesitating in the doorway, knowing he was contemplating over something, making her pinch the bridge of her nose in irritation. "Jace… Can you just tell me what's bothering you already before you give me a migraine."

Jace ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a frustrated sigh. "Are you up to see what Clary is up to? It's going to bother me until I know why she was too eager for the location she chose."

Isabelle knew this was a bad idea but of course her curiosity had won over, and she found herself smirking deviously at the thought of partaking in something that didn't end with her outfit possibly getting all messy. "Lead the way."

Jace's POV

It didn't take them too long to catch up to where Clary had been, and once she was finished with looking over the area she was supposed to they had begun to follow her as stealthily as they could manage.

Everything seemed all fine and dandy up until Clary was picked up off the ground by a tall… Well everyone was taller than her, but nonetheless a tall and strange looking guy, whom was now holding his woman in his arms, making Jace's jaw clench.

It wasn't until he felt someone gripping his arm harshly did he notice that he was already moving out from under their cover area, turning to look over to meet Isabelle's skeptical gaze. "Let go, Izzy. I'm just going to have a little talk with her real quick."

Isabelle rolled her eyes, clearly not buying what he was saying, which made her scoff. "Yeah, right. You look like you're about to go off and murder someone. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation about why they seem to be so close to one a—" She stopped mid-word when she saw the guy place Clary down and proceeded to grab hold of her hand. "Uhh… I'm still hopeful that this is just all innocent."

Jace was nearly seething by this point. He had never in his life had been jealous. This was a new feeling for him, and he didn't like it one bit. "Oh, I'm going to find out what that so-called explanation is. Let's go, Izzy." He retorted in an almost venomous tone as they proceeded to stay hidden as they followed Clary and her companion.

Clary's POV

She kept hold of Simon's hand as they caught up on what each other had been up to since their last little visit with one another along their way to Java Jones.

Clary was so ecstatic to be able to spend time with Simon, and her current mission was the perfect excuse to get to surprise him with a visit.

It should have come as no surprise as he even had brought up the idea of visiting the comic book store since he had promised to get her one particular comic that she had been dying to read, which she gladly obliged to.

She allowed Simon to lead the way inside the café, letting go of his hand to momentarily go and find them a seat whilst he went to place their orders. She had just sat down when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw she got a text from Jace, which made her smile.

"Did you find anything interesting on your assignment? I hope you are arlight. I miss you." -J

"No, I didn't find anything. It was a dead end, but I'm going to check the site again later. I miss you too. Can't wait to see you soon. :)" -C

She had just replied when a mug was being placed in front of her, making her grin as she looked up to see Simon taking a seat beside her. "Thanks, Simon. You're the best!" She picked up the mug to carefully take a small sip of its contents before her gaze landed on the treat that Simon had also picked up. "Oh, yum! Is that the cranberry-pistachio biscotti?"

Simon chuckled in response to how excited she had gotten over the simplest things. "Yes, it is. I didn't get you one though. Sorry." He took a sip of his drink to hide his smile when he saw her pout over what he said.

"Simon Lewis… You better share that with me or else you're going to be dealing with one hangry friend." She tried to say in a threatening manner, but almost lost her composure when she saw the frantic look upon his features.

He quickly pushed the treat towards her almost too hastily upon hearing her words. "A hangry Fray is not one I want to see. You can have half of it."

Clary elicited a jovial laugh as she took a piece of the biscotti before plopping it into her mouth. "The taste of victory is so good." She said teasingly before she took another sip of her drink.

Time seemed to have flown by and before Clary knew it they were already entering the comic book store. She peered around the store as she took in the subtle changes in it whilst Simon was trailing behind her.

Luck seemed to be in her favor today since she was able to snag the last copy they had of the comic she had been wanting. She was skimming through it as they walked out of the store until Simon nudged her in time for her to step out of the way before she tripped over something, but that wasn't the only thing she noticed in that moment. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw both Jace and Isabelle just waiting casually beside a building that was a few doors down from where she had just been.

"What's wrong, Clary?" Simon asked in a worried tone as he stroked her arm to make her look at him.

Clary bit down on her lip as she spared Simon a glance whilst trying to decide on how to go about her next move. "Um… By any chance… Do you see the two people in front of us?"

Simon's eyes widened in shock momentarily as he thought she was referring to some kind of threat which made him start to move her behind him. "No, I don't. Where are they?"

Clary almost rolled her eyes and had to hold back a laugh when Simon out of all people was trying to protect her. She let out a sigh as she made sure her voice was loud enough for their guests to hear. "Can you both remove your glamour so I can introduce you to my friend."

Simon was looking at Clary as if she were insane until it dawned on him that she must be referring to her fellow companions from the institute. He kept quiet as he followed after Clary when she was apparently closing the distance between themselves and their current company.

Clary watched as both Jace and Isabelle had unveiled themselves for Simon to see them before she motioned for them to follow her to a more secure location. As soon as they were out of the view of the mundanes, Clary turned her attention directly onto Jace. "Were you following me the entire time or was this by coincidence?" She knew the truth already since there was no way they could have run into one another since the other locations weren't close to where she was, but she wanted to see how he would answer.

Jace merely shrugged as if unfazed by her question as he tried not to glare at the mundane standing beside her. "I followed you."

Clary crossed her arms over her chest as she arched a brow since she was clearly puzzled as to why he decided to follow her in the first place. "Why did you feel the need to follow me?"

Isabelle was feeling a little awkward at the moment so she turned her attention on the guy standing beside Clary, and to her shock she actually thought he was pretty cute… In a weird and geeky sort of way. When he caught her gaze she winked at him, and had to stop herself from laughing when she saw him flush a shade of scarlet.

"I just wanted to check on you to make sure you would be fine since you were acting all strange before you left. What I didn't expect was for you to be throwing yourself at this mundie." He motioned towards her so-called friend.

Clary felt a tinge of anger flare up in her in response to how Jace referred to Simon, making her place her hand against his arm. "His name is Simon. He's been my best friend for ages, and I wanted to surprise him today after my mission since I haven't been able to see him recently."

Simon winced slightly when he noticed that Clary was starting to get angry which caused her to grip his arm harshly, making him clear his throat as he turned his attention onto her. "I think I should let you deal with this more privately."

A frown was tugging at the corner of her mouth when she heard what Simon said, but she knew it was a good idea. She saw something flash along his features that she couldn't quite place, but she ignored the stares from the others as she gave him a brief hug before letting him go. "Message me when you get home please. Love you."

"I will. And I love you too." He stammered out before he leaned down to place a kiss against her cheek and all but rushed away to head home.

Isabelle shifted her weight onto her other foot before she too cleared her throat. "I'll let you guys have your moment." She waved at them before she left them, smiling to herself at the thought of keeping the mundie some company came into her mind.

Clary reluctantly met Jace's gaze after they were now left alone, and it wasn't until then that a moment of clarity hit her, making her smile in an amused manner. "Jace are you jealous?"

"What? No, I am not. Why would you even think that?" Jace unclenched his hands at his sides as he leaned his back against the building of the wall behind him.

Clary refrained from laughing when she saw through his façade, making her shake her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner. You didn't have to act so rude to Simon. He's my best friend. That's it, Jace." As she spoke she broke the distance between themselves until she was merely inches away from him.

Jace eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her walk towards him whilst he listened to what she had to say. It should have eased his mind, and made him feel stupid for even being jealous because of that mundane, but it bothered him with the fact of how her "friend" was looking at her. His thoughts were pushed aside when she was within arms reach, and before he knew what he was doing he had already pulled her against him. His lips sought out for hers, capturing her in a fervid kiss.

Clary didn't have time to even gasp aloud when she was suddenly in his embrace before his lips crashed down against hers. A soft noise emitted from her lips as she returned his fervid kiss whilst her fingers had found their way into his hair.

His hands tightened against her waist when he heard the sound that escaped her lips, making him teasingly bite down on her lower lip before he brazenly spun her around so now she was pressed against the wall.

Clary nearly moaned at the feel of him biting down on her lip in a harsh manner before her back was suddenly pressed against the wall. She tugged on his hair in a playful manner as he proceeded to lift her off the ground, making her wrap her legs around his waist, not caring with who could possibly see them. In this moment it was just them, and that's all she cared about.

Jace's fingers of one hand trailed against the exposed skin of her stomach before he reluctantly broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. "We need to stop." He retorted in a husky manner.

Clary broke out in goosebumps when she felt his fingers caress her bare skin before he broke their kiss, giving her time to try and catch her breath. "I'm sorry." She mumbled in a hushed tone.

He gently placed her back down onto her feet, brushing his fingers against her cheek as his gaze skimmed along her features. "Why are you apologizing? I should be the one doing that." He gently placed a kiss against her lips to silence her when she was about to speak. He knew he had to hurry to say what he had to before he wouldn't be able to muster up the courage to do so later. "I'm sorry for acting how I did earlier. I should have known that you out of all people are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. I can't think properly as I should when I'm around you. It's new to me to feel certain ways because before you came along I only cared about my family and my duty as a shadowhunter, but once you came into my life it's as if you awoken some part of me that I thought I lost so long ago after I lost both of my parents." He leaned down to bury his face against her neck as he rested both of hands flat against the wall on either side of her to not allow her to see the emotions that were clearly being shown in his features when he had poured his feelings out to her so bluntly.

Clary blinked in surprise when she heard every word he had said, making her feel the urge to comfort him, and keep him from harm when he was allowing himself to be left so vulnerable. She gently pulled him away from her to meet his gaze. "I completely understand what you're feeling as well. I didn't care about anything except what was taught to me, but meeting you opened my eyes to possibilities that I didn't know that were right in front of me. You make me want things that I never thought I wanted, and I'm forever grateful for that. Can we get past this? I promise that next time when I decide to go off on another little adventure that I'll bring you along with me."

Jace found himself bewildered by her confession to him. It made him adore her even more. He couldn't help but smirk at the mere mention of another possible adventure, making his golden hues shine with excitement. "What do you have in mind for the next adventure for us to do together?"

Clary shrugged in a nonchalant manner as she fought back a grin. "Oh, nothing special. Just to introduce you to my mom. It's no big deal… I think it's actually time for us to head back home don't you think?" She nearly laughed when she saw the look of shock upon his features before she grabbed hold of his hand and started to lead him back towards the institute with her.

"Wait… Did you just say what I think you just did?" Jace retorted almost in a distraught tone.

Now Clary had to laugh at how he sounded, making her give his hand a gentle squeeze as she was about to tease him furthermore. "There's a slight possibility that you might leave the encounter with a minor injury, but that's nothing a iratze can't fix up. You'll be fine."

"Clary…" He stammered her name out as he looked over at her, trying to see if she was being serious as they continued their walk back to the institute.

Don't forget to leave a comment. I hope this chapter was enjoyable. The next chapter will start to unveil some interesting things that are in the works. I'm sure by now you can guess what is going to happen throughout this story, and I hope I give this story justice when it's time to end it. An update shall be posted soon.