Cynthia spent that night in Jonathan's bed, not caring what anyone in the house thought of her. She felt hurt to a level she couldn't feel anything. Jonathan just lay there with the girl curled up next to him, occasionally resting her cheek atop his chest, her hands loosely holding his own.

"So your father burnt the place to the ground?" he asked her, smoothing Cynthia's honey colored hair back. She nodded, staring at the wall with blank eyes. With her voice a whisper, she replied "She thinks I'm dead. I just… I don't know where my father is." A light frown creased her face as she glanced up, her midnight eyes wide and staring. "Do you think he's dead?"

"I don't think so" Jonathan replied coolly, twirling a strand of the girls' hair around a finger. "I suspect he's been locked up in the Gard. Or the Silent City." He snorted "Seems too good for him."

There was something in his tone that made Cynthia frown and sit up, gazing at him with narrowed eyes. "Are you," she started slowly, "planning to find him?"

"What would your reply to that be? If that was the case?"

"No. Stay away from him. Him and my mother." Cynthia swallowed hard, adding in a mutter with her throat clenched shut. "I'm not getting involved. This is my past… and it's staying exactly there."

"He deserves death for what he did to you." Jonathan started with his tone dark, deadly. "But then, if he hadn't, we never would have met." He shrugged and pushed the girl away, telling her, "Well, I have to go. All day long as well. Don't miss me too much." As Jonathan buckled his sword to his hips, he paused to snort out in her direction.

"If you want amusement, just jump back into Jace's bed."

Cynthia glared as he went to walk out, but then he stopped and turned on his heels, staring directly at her with a lock of dark hair hanging in his equally as dark eyes. "Come here" he ordered. A pause and Cynthia got to her feet and stepped forwards until they were face to face. He'd always been tall, but she'd never realized just how tall. He dwarfed her. Jonathan raised a hand and traced a finger along her jaw line until he reached the curve of her neck, not faltering once as he leaned forwards and allowed his lips to brush her own. His voice was low and breathless as he told her "Demon's don't 'love,' they want. Maybe what I feel is love, maybe it isn't. But what I do know is…" he trailed off and as Cynthia was about to ask what he knew, Jonathan crashed his lips to her own, utterly cutting her off with her eyes flying wide. It had been the last thing she had expected. His hands skimmed up her arms as he kissed her with a hard, bruising pressure. It was only when he had her chin held in a single hand, grip unfaltering that he broke it off, pulling away to tell her in a low growl with his eyes like black fire.

"But what I do know, is that you are mine. If you touch that boy again, or he touches you, I will kill him where he stands."

At his words, Cynthia arched a brow, breathing out as she pulled her face from his iron grip. "Your jealousy is showing."

"Why would I be jealous when I know I have no competition? Hmm?"

Cynthia narrowed her eyes and raised a hand, pressing it flat to his toned chest as she pushed him backwards until his back was pressed against the door. A pause and she told him with a light laugh, lips barely touching his own "It was fun with Jace last night. And if this is the reaction I get for having a little mess around, I'll be sorely tempted to do it again."

Jonathan snorted, a smirk about his lips "This new you, Cyn. The darker you. I like it. You're so much more fun."

With a wide smile, Cynthia just leaned up and pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek, whispering out against his skin. "Too much fun for you. Run along little demon boy, you're boring me now." Cynthia took a step back and arched a brow. Jonathan, with his expression blank, just yanked the door open and left without a word.

As soon as he was gone, Cynthia sighed and found herself sinking down onto the edge of the bed, running a hand through her tangled honey hair, dark eyes sad.

She didn't want to be the monster she was sure she was turning into.

-LightInYourNightmare-

Cynthia watched Jace carefully all day long. She only saw him a few times around the house. The rest of the day she spent wandering around Alicante some more.

With her sketchbook in hand, Cynthia set up a place overlooking the Gard, drawing the city. It was quiet and peaceful, something she loved.

Something she knew wouldn't last by tomorrow. She was sure.

By the time the sun had started to set. Cynthia lay back upon the grass, staring up at the sky with her eyes scanning the heavens. The stars were coming out. Twilight.

It was also when she heard trudging footsteps. She didn't bother looking up, for she knew who it would be.

"Cyn?"

"Yes Jace?" she turned her head to stare at him, but when she caught sight of his bandaged hand, she frowned and sat up. "What have you done?"

A pause and he shrugged "Put it through a window."

"Jace."

"Spare the lecture. Alec already beat you." He sat down with a thump next to Cynthia and raised his good hand, frowning lightly as he turned her head to face him. "What's on your mind? You're troubled."

I think I'm turning into some kind of demon, Jace. Like Jonathan. Or something worse. I'm scared. No, terrified. And I also know that the time is coming that you'll know just who I am. Who my father is. Who… my lover is. And you will hate me. And that my dear, will kill me. Because I love you. I always have, and I always will. No matter what I turn into, there will always be a part of me that belongs to you, Jace Herondale.

Cynthia didn't bother talking, or thinking about Jonathan's warnings as she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Jace's own, kissing him softly and tenderly for a moment. As she pulled away, Jace cocked a brow and asked "What was that?"

Silence and Cynthia gave up. This was it. The last time she would allow herself to love the boy with the golden hair. This was their goodbye. She shouldn't have came with Jonathan to Alicante.

"Just shut up and kiss me" Cynthia breathed out, her eyes fixed upon his own. Jace's face was expressionless, but then he captured her lips to his own in a hungry, hurried kiss. With a low moan of satisfaction, Cynthia wound her hands into the front of his shirt and pushed him backwards onto the floor, kissing him back as hard as possible with her hands tight in his clothes. The memories from the previous night flared up and she found herself pressing her stomach to his own, losing herself in the boy as much as possible.

"By the Angel-" Cynthia moaned against his lips as he flipped them over, lips hot and heavy against her own. Her hands shot up under the back of his shirt to bury her nails into his back.

They kissed passionately until the sun fully set and they had to use their hands to guide their bodies. Cynthia was the one to break it, lying flat on her back upon the grass, eyes staring upwards with her heart racing against her chest. There was a long silence and Jace just went quietly "that was goodbye, wasn't it?"

"You know me so well." Cynthia muttered, turning onto her side and gazing at him. She raised a hand and set it to his cheek, thumb tracing his bottom lip. "Yes. Yes it was."

Jace sighed, taking her hand into his own and bringing it to his lips, murmuring out against it "It's for the best."

He had no idea.

"It is Jace. And I just-" she bit her bottom lip before continuing. "I want you to know that I love you. Both as best friend and just… everything. No matter what happens. Okay? Just please remember that. I love you. I love you so much."

Jace was frowning by now, but before he could say anything, Cynthia scrambled to her feet and walked off through the gathering darkness.

Cynthia was running by the time she reached the city, wiping away the stray tears that threatened to spill over.

It was as something swooped overhead that she stopped dead, looking up at the midnight sky. Something was soaring down towards her. With a snarl, Cynthia went for her sword, but then recognized it. Hugin.

Instead of unsheathing her sword, she held her arm out for the raven. It fluttered down and settled himself upon her arm. There was a little note attached to his leg.

Cynthia strolled over to the nearest witchlight streetlamp and carefully took the note from the ravens leg, untying the string. He ruffled his feathers afterwards, making no sound as Cynthia stroked them with a hand as she read the note in her other. Two words

Come home.

Hugin took off now and Cynthia watched him until he vanished into the night.

Great. Just great.

Cynthia grumbled to herself and returned to the Penhallows where Jonathan was back, frowning as she walked right into his room, saying "I'm leaving."

"Why? The fun is about to begin."

Cynthia paused. "Excuse me?"

Jonathan shrugged at her from his place on the bed "Bringing the wards down. Why do you think I'm here?"

"Spying?"

"And war. The war is beginning." He smirked broadly, his dark eyes shining. Cynthia snorted, her eyes narrowed "So that's why dad wants me home. He doesn't want me involved."

Jonathan closed his eyes at that, nodding. "He adores you Cyn. Never raised a hand to you. At times, I think he wishes you were his blood daughter and not me."

"Jonathan-"

"Stop calling me that." He snapped suddenly, getting to his feet. "It's Sebastian here. Dumb bitch, do you want to give me away?"

"Seb." She empathized, rolling her eyes. Silence and Cynthia told him "I said Goodbye to Jace. I hope you're happy."

"I'm very happy. Now, get back to the valley. Valentine is right- you do need to go back. Everything is in place here, and you will only mess things up somehow. Get out of the city before I take down the wards. The demons will not distinguish you from normal Shadowhunters."

Cynthia felt the words "will you be okay?" escape her before she could stop herself. That seemed to take Jonathan aback. After a pause, he took a step forwards and placed his hands atop her shoulders, telling her gently "Stop being a sentimental fool and just go. Now. Ride like hell. Don't take anything with you. Go."

With a sigh, Cynthia crashed her lips to his own for a moment, mumbling out against them "be careful. If anyone's going to kill you, it's going to be me."

"The same holds true for you." Jonathan frowned lightly, as if something had suddenly come to mind. Cynthia frowned too, but then froze as he spoke in such a curious voice it shocked her

"I- I love you."

"Don't say things you do not mean and-" but the rest of her words were stopped dead as he kissed her. She noticed something. Where all his other kisses were hard and hot, this one was gentle and relatively sweet. Cynthia hadn't thought it possible that he could be this gentle.

"Go." He whispered and Cynthia found herself listening to him instantly.

Through all that shadow, there was a sliver of light. There had to be.