"You're crazy. You're fucking crazy." Jace mumbled, staring at me.

His golden eyes were full of disbelief and anger, but I could also recognize disappointment. I wasn't sure if it was because he believed I would help them or because I had chosen Jonathan in his place to be my parabatai.

But, I didn't care what he thought, what any of them thought. I didn't have to explain myself to them. I had known what I was doing when I had accepted Jonathan as a parabatai. He hadn't let me down. They had no right to judge me.

"He beat me in a fight." I said matter-of-factly. "He did what I had asked."

"But, he's Valentine's son!" Isabelle yelled.

I remained calm.

"She is Valentine's daughter." I pointed at Clarissa, who stood with her mouth wide open, like she couldn't believe any of this was actually happening. "I don't judge people by their parents' mistakes. Just by their own."

"He murdered my brother!" Isabelle screamed again. "Do you know everything he did back in Idris?! Did he tell you?! He almost killed Jace!"

Her last sentence was news to me, but I didn't show it. I knew Jonathan had killed Isabelle's and Alec's brother. I knew he had killed other people. I knew what he had in his blood.

I obviously remained quiet for too long, because Jace spoke again before I could answer.

"He has enough mistakes of his own. He's a murderer, with demons' blood running through his veins. I don't know what he told you, Sam, but you can't trust him. He'll stab you in the back the first time he has a chance."

"I have had multiple chances to do that." I heard Jonathan's voice behind my back. "With all my "stabbing in the back", as you've put it, she's a medical miracle to be alive."

I couldn't help it; a small smile appeared on my lips. They noticed it and frowned even more.

"Please, Sam." Jace tried one more time.

I shook my head, ignoring the request in his eyes.

"Believe it or not, Jonathan saved my life more than once. I trust him. And he trusts me. We are parabatai." my voice was firm, letting them know they would have to get through me to get to Jonathan. And it wasn't very encouraging thought for them, we all knew it.

I grabbed two Seraph blades from my gear.

"Ariel." I whispered. "Seraphiel."

The blades shone like sparks the second I said names of the angels.

It was my two blades against two in Jace's hands, one in Clarissa's, bow and arrows in Alec's and a whip in Isabelle's.

A bad proportion, but I've been through worse. I smiled. And isn't it weird they gave Clarissa only one blade? Is she such a poor Shadowhunter or they don't trust her either? I looked at Jonathan, expecting Seraph blades in his hands, firm expression on his face and readiness for a battle. But, he didn't even move, but stared at his sister and her friends. His hands were still in his pockets and he had an expression of boredom on his face.

"What are you doing?" I asked in confusion.

His eyes didn't even glance at my direction. They were still fixed on the New Yorkers.

"Have you asked yourselves why I showed myself to you now, even though I could have avoided it?" his voice was quiet, but everybody could hear it.

"I don't know and I don't care!" Isabelle shouted and started to run towards us.

I raised my hands, my Seraph blades waiting for her, but Alec grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her back.

"Wait, Isabelle." I heard Jace's voice.

"Why should I?!" while she was trying to rouse out of Alec's hands, her gaze turned towards Jace. "I don't care what he has to say or why he showed up! He killed Max! You promised he would pay for that and now you're stopping me from killing him!"

Compassion filled my chest. That girl was saturated with sorrow and anger. She missed her brother and therefore she wanted to avenge him. But her anger wasn't directed only towards Jonathan, she directed a part of it towards herself. I saw it in expression on her face, tears on her cheeks, almost wild movements as she tried to free herself from her brother's hands. She thought that if she had been stronger, she could have saved her brother. She partly blamed herself for Max's death.

Even though there was still danger, I lowered my hands.

"Isabelle, please." Clarissa went closer to her and gently touched Isabelle's shoulder with her hand.

Isabelle's rousing calmed down a bit, but she still gasped.

Alec's gaze left Isabelle and was directed at Jonathan. So was Jace's.

"It's a move I'd never expect from you." Jace's voice was sharp, but he didn't come any closer to us. "You do nothing unless you have a good reason for it. Valentine taught you that. Let's hear why you're here. If we're not satisfied, we can still kill you."

"I'm glad someone here is reasonable." Jonathan ignored Jace's threat like it had never been said. "The reason is that I have a question for you."

"A question?" masks of anger and hatred broke on their faces for a moment, but soon came back. Alec was the one who had spoken.

"Yes." Jonathan nodded. "Have you seen Amelia or Thomas since you came back?"

I didn't understand why Jonathan was asking them that. Amelia and Thomas had nothing to do with the current argument. New Yorkers obviously didn't understand the purpose of Jonathan's question either. Their gazes wandered among them and then they looked back at Jonathan.

"We haven't." Clarissa was the first one to recover from confusion. "We went inside the Institute to find you, but nobody was there. So we waited for you outside."

Jonathan's face frowned as he studied his sister's face.

"And now is half past ten."

"What does the time have to do with anything?" Isabelle finally calmed down enough to ask a question in normal voice.

Jonathan's eyes turned towards her for a second and then he looked at me.

"Amelia told me we'd all have to be back in the Institute by quarter past ten."

She told that to us, too. I realised what he wanted to say. And if somebody isn't here at the time, then ...

"By the Angel." I breathed. My eyes widened as my gaze went from Jonathan to New Yorkers. "I'm sorry, but your revenge on Jonathan will have to wait. Unless you don't want more dead around you."

"You can't ..." Alec started, but I interrupted him.

"Damn it, you don't know Amelia and Thomas like we do. If she's not where she needs to be in time, that means she's lying somewhere half-dead." I started to run, with Jonathan at my heels.

A second later I remembered I had left Jonathan's back unprotected. If any of them had a bit of skill of throwing knives, it was the best chance to get rid of Jonathan with one hit.

How could I forget that? I turned around, already expecting him to call my name for help or even falling with a knife in his back.

But, instead of both of those scenarios, I saw New Yorkers hurrying up to catch up with us. Jonathan noticed my expression and smirked.

"They think they are better than us, Sam. They don't stab people in the back, not even when it's their worst enemy."

"But, you said they would kill you the moment they saw you." I whispered, not wanting them to hear us.

Even though we were running, he somehow shrugged his shoulders.

"I thought they would." his gaze didn't leave my face. "But, I believe your presence stopped them."

I looked at him in disbelief.

"Why? They didn't know you were my parabatai until I told them. They had had enough time to do it."

"Not because you're my parabatai." Jonathan shook his head. "They didn't count on anybody to be close by. This revenge-thing is something between me and them. And you distracted them just by the fact you were there, that they weren't alone with me in the final combat."

His words didn't make any sense to me.

"If they want the revenge so badly, they shouldn't have been distracted by my presence. I wouldn't be."

"Revenge is a dish best served cold." Jonathan said. "You've seen Isabelle. She can't think rationally about the revenge, can't plan it. And neither can rest of them. They can't kill anyone in cold blood, not even to avenge one of their own. They don't have it within themselves."

I felt my hands shivering, my pulse increasing. And it wasn't because of running.

Do I have it within myself? I wondered in fear, an emotion that was strange to me. At least, it had been before I met Jonathan. I could finally recognize my emotions related to him as fear. Fear from being let down, fear from betrayal, fear from being abandoned. Fear from losing myself. I just said I wouldn't be distracted by anyone in seeking for revenge. Would I kill someone's parabatai just because he or she stood in my way?

"We'll deal with you later." Jace's voice interrupted my thoughts and I was even grateful to him. He was addressing Jonathan. "Now we'll see what kind of parabatai you are. I wonder why Sam defends you so fiercely."

Jonathan grinned in Jace's direction, his smile as easy-going as usual.

"I'll do my best not to disappoint you."

Jace frowned, but said nothing. I met his eyes for a second and then turned my gaze towards the road in front of me. I could still see their picture in my mind and the question they had asked me: If Jonathan is a monster and you knew it and you accepted him nevertheless, what does that make you?