Magnus laid Alec across one of his couches, covering him in a soft blanket. He crouched down beside him and grasped Alec's hand in his own, squeezing tight.
"Why do you always have to go for the more dangerous route? The route that is paved with pain and death?" Magnus whispered with tear-filled eyes. "I want to keep you safe, but you're so stubborn you won't listen to me. Alexander, I need you."
Magnus, as a last ditch effort, bent down and kissed Alec. Hoping, maybe, this could be fixed with a Snow White kiss. When Magnus backed away, nothing had changed. He wiped away the tears as he got Clary's call. He opened a portal for them as Clary made it through, then Jace and Izzy, but no one else followed.
"Where's Carly?" Clary asked, frantically looking around.
"I thought she was behind you," Isabelle said, looking toward Jace.
Jace shrugged. "I thought she was too."
"Carly will make it through, but right now, Alec needs you," Magnus said as he pulled Jace into the other room, Clary and Isabelle close behind.
Jace allowed Magnus to lead him. When he saw Alec, everything in his body froze. With one quick movement, he was by Alec's side. "What happened?"
"He was trying to find you. He used a seeing stone and got trapped between his mind and yours. The only way to get him out is for both of you to hold the stone and think of one another. Something that connects you both," Magnus explained as he handed Jace the stone.
Jace put it in between their hands and clasped it tight as he started to say the parabatai motto, "Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go. And where thou lodgest…"
Suddenly, Alec started shaking, and the stone fell to the ground. Jace looked back over to Alec, who was now gasping for air.
"What's happening?" Isabelle asked as Jace squeezed Alec's hand harder.
"He's slipping," Magnus murmured, a tear falling down his cheek.
Alec's gasping was getting worse, so Jace picked up the stone, put it between their hands, and continued, "Thy people will be my people, thy God will be my God. When thou diest, I will die. And there will I be buried. The Angel do so to me."
Alec's body shuddered as he took one last deep breath. His lungs deflated, and his body slumped against the couch. A single tear fell from Jace's eye as he pulled Alec into a hug, "And more also If aught but death part thee and me … please don't leave me, Alec."
Jace put his head on Alec's shoulder as he began to sob. The others broke into tears as their hope dwindled. They hugged for almost a minute when Jace could hear a weak and quiet voice, "If aught but death part thee and me."
Jace moved back and noticed Alec's eyes fluttering open. He smiled and pulled Alec into another hug as they cried into each other's shoulders. Relief spread across the room as Magnus' door slammed open, and a man ran through. Magnus went into defense mode, and so did Clary, but Isabelle and Jace recognized the face.
"Ethan?" Isabelle asked, not sure if what she was seeing was really real.
"It's me, Izzy. I'm here..."
Isabelle's smile widened as she ran into Ethan's arms. He spun her around as they squeezed each other to the point where both of them couldn't breathe. Then they pulled away as he stroked her cheek. Of course, Alec was weak, but he also worried for his sister.
"Who is that?" Alec asked, confused and a bit pissed.
"I'd also like to know," Clary muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"His name is Ethan, and he's my boyfriend. He got taken a few weeks ago by Valentine, and I thought I'd never see him again," Isabelle explained, smiling up at Ethan as he smiled down at her.
"Wait, you have a boyfriend?!" Alec and Clary said at the same time. Clary was happy for Izzy, but Alec was pissed that Isabelle never told him.
"Don't be angry at Izzy, Alec. Ethan's actually a really good guy. He's the one who put a loophole in Valentine's plan and healed Carly when she was injured," Jace explained, getting to his feet and nodding toward Ethan.
"Wait, what happened to Carly?" Alec asked with confusion.
"My mom shot her with an arrow," Clary said with disgust.
"Jocelyn shot her own daughter?" Alec exclaimed, surprised and kind of angry. He wasn't good friends with me, but that doesn't mean he wanted to see me get hurt, especially by family.
"Yes, she did, but that is part of the reason why I'm here," Ethan said as everyone turned toward him.
"What do you mean?" Magnus asked as he poured himself a martini.
Ethan sighed. "As you guys went through the portal, Carly waited back so she could bring me through. When we were about to go, Valentine captured me in a chokehold and was going to kill me. So, Carly took my place and pushed me through the portal. I didn't know where your apartment was, exactly, so I ended up a block away. Once I found out where I was, I came here as soon as I could."
"So, she's stuck there with him?" Clary asked, depressed that she failed half of her mission. She wanted Jace and her sister back, not just one of them.
"Before I left, she winked at me. I haven't known her long, but I think that means she found another way off the boat. Meaning…" Ethan began.
"She's somewhere on land," Clary muttered, finishing Ethan's sentence.
"I'll start a tracking spell right away."
After hitting the water, I swam to shore. Luckily, when I was a kid, I took swimming lessons, so I knew what to do. Once out of the freezing water, I made my way into town to find a phone. I weaved through the streets until I found a bar, The Rusty Spork.
I went through the double french doors as everyone in the establishment turned in my direction. Every pair of eyes were on me as I made my way up to the bar. Behind it was a cute twenty-something guy, and I asked him for help.
"Does your bar have a phone?" I asked as the man looked up from cleaning his glass.
"In the corner," The bartender said, pointing to the far back corner of the bar.
I nodded and headed toward the payphone, snatching a few quarters from one of the tables. I'd never used a payphone before, so I had to wing it. I put the money in, dialed Simon's number, and waited for an answer.
"Hello?" Simon asked, a bit confused on why an unknown number was calling him.
"Simon, it's me," I said.
"Carly? I thought you were with Valentine and, you know, injured." Simon said, the worry clear in his voice.
"A warlock healed me, and I escaped. Jace is with everyone else at Magnus', but I'm across town with no transportation. I'm at a bar called The Rusty Spork near 7th street," I said, noticing that everyone at the bar had gone back to their own business.
"I'll be there soon, should I call Luke?" Simon asked as I heard the closing of a door and some loud footsteps on his side of the line.
"No, I'll go see him after everything is dealt with. The Institute is looking for me, and so are Valentine's men. I need you to get here as fast as you can," I whispered.
"No need to worry. Super Vampire Simon is on the way!" Simon joked.
"Can't wait," I said with a giggle as I hung up the phone.
I made my way back through the bar and out the front door. What I did not realize was that the bartender had followed. I made my way into the alley to hide until Simon arrived when the bartender appeared in front of me.
"May I help you?" I asked in a rude tone.
"My name is Frederick, and you killed my sister. Remember Maria?" Frederick said as he bared his fangs.
"You want revenge, don't you?" I asked, getting into my battle stance. I didn't have my shadow blade, but that didn't mean I couldn't fight.
"Of course, little girl," Frederick snarled at me.
"For one, I'm 17, so I'm not little, and second, you picked the wrong girl to fight."
Frederick ran at me with all his speed. I dodged his move, kicking him straight in the ass. He turned back, clawing at my face as I quickly swerved past his hands. Then I took my knee and shoved it up at his junk, causing him to fall.
I gave him a smile as I roundhouse kicked the side of his head. He fell onto his back as I headed for the street. Frederick healed quickly and came up behind me, pinning me to the wall.
"Can't you just stay down?" I asked, struggling against his grip.
"It's not in my genes, Honey," Frederick pointed out, nearing my neck.
"No foreplay? I asked.
He lifted his head back up to look at me, "Foreplay?"
"You know, make a speech or something? Like I'm Inigo Montoya, you killed my sister, prepare to die kind of thing," I said with a big smile.
"You think this a joke? You killed my sister, the only family I had left. So don't mind me for getting to the point of murdering you," Frederick snapped.
"Your sister was a terrible person. She turned vampires and fed on the innocent. She had it coming," I said, not very confident in what I was saying. Yes, she was a terrible person, but that doesn't give me the right to kill her. I just didn't want to sound weak in front of this pompous dick.
"Goodbye, shadowhunter."
Frederick's teeth scraped against my throat. He was about to penetrate my flesh when he suddenly stopped. I turned my head to look at him as he backed away, exploding into ash. I looked up from the dust to find Raphael with a shadow blade in his hand.
"Be more prepared next time," Raphael said, tossing me the blade as he hid his hand behind his back. Any downworlder or demon who took hold of a shadow blade would have their skin start to sizzle.
"Why did you come to my rescue, Raphael?" I asked.
"Because I know what it's like to be an outsider," Raphael said with a knowing look.
"I'm not like you..."
Raphael laughed under his breath. He stepped forward, looking me up and down. "You're more like me than you think. With all that demon blood coursing through your veins, I'm surprised you're not growing horns."
"How do you know about that?" I asked, confused at his knowledge of this.
"Because I know everything," Raphael admitted, appearing inches from my face. "And I could smell it on you. I've always sensed something off about you and now I know."
"Great…" I said, backing up a bit.
"I bet it's gotten worse after that warlock healed you," Raphael egged, noticing the surprise on my face as he explained. "I'm the vampire king of Brooklyn, keeping tabs on everything is something I like to do. I'm right, aren't I?"
"Yeah, so what?" I asked.
"I think the magic that healed you activated the demon blood in your system. Like the key to a locked box. I know what happens, and it's only gonna get worse from here," Raphael explained.
"Why tell me any of this? Why save my life?" I asked.
"Because having allies is always a good thing," Raphael replied.
"I'm not your ally, and I'll never ask for help from you," I snapped back.
"Oh, I think you might. When you're desperate, I might be your only option."
Suddenly, someone else entered the alleyway. Raphael and I turned to find Simon running toward us. When I looked back to where Raphael stood, he was gone. I stared down the alley as Simon ran to my side.
"Why were you talking Raphael? Did he hurt you?" Simon asked, turning me so I'd look him in the eyes. His were filled with worry.
"He saved my life, actually," I said as Simon followed my gaze to look at the pile of ash on the concrete as it blew away in the wind.
"Why'd he save you? I thought he hated shadowhunters," Simon said.
"I thought he did too, but he said that he wanted allies. For what, I do not know. But that's not important. Let's just get to Magnus' apartment," I said as we walked up to the street. Once in front of the bar, I noticed Simon's van wasn't in sight. "Where's your car?"
"Well, I didn't know if you were in danger, and I'm much faster than my car getting through traffic. So I ran," Simon meekly admitted.
"How are we going to get back?" I asked.
"I can carry you," Simon suggested, awkwardly looking down at his feet.
"Are you sure you have the strength, Super Vampire Simon?" I said with a giggle.
"Just shut up and come here."
Simon bent down, putting one of his arms under my knees and the other behind my back. He lifted me up bridal style as I put my arms around his neck. We began walking as I thanked him. "Thank you for coming."
"No problem. I'm just surprised you didn't call Clary or one of the macho shadowhunters to come to pick you up," Simon admitted as we turned the corner and continued down the uneven sidewalk.
"I needed a friend, and you're one of the only friends I have. I know them, and we talk, but we're not close. Besides, none of them would understand what's going on with me, well, except Jace," I said, looking away from Simon's worried glance.
"You mean the demon blood?" Simon asked as he continued to explain. "Jocelyn told me and Clary."
"Of course she did," I said as anger rose up in me. What gave her the right to give out my biggest secret? Telling people before I was ready. This, and getting shot by her, made me hate her more and more.
"Carly, having demon blood in your veins doesn't make you evil. Jocelyn had no right to tell us and no good reason to shoot you. She was wrong," Simon said.
Our eyes met as I questioned him with uncertainty. "How are you so sure?"
"Because I believe that evil isn't born, it's made. And in front of me, I don't see a villain. I see a kind, shy, misunderstood girl who just wants to fit in," Simon said with complete honesty.
"I don't know if everyone would agree with you," I said, blushing.
"It doesn't matter what others think of you. You are you. You decide your future. Even if you have darkness in you, that doesn't make you a monster, okay?" Simon said, turning my face so we'd look into each other's eyes.
"I hope you're right," I said, giving him a half-ass smile. I wanted to believe him, but I wasn't so sure.
Magnus collected his ingredients and cast the spell on one of my favorite t-shirts. Then Clary took hold of the shirt as everyone followed her out the door, except Alec and Magnus. After the door closed, Magnus went to sit by Alec on the couch.
"How are you feeling?" Magnus asked with worry.
"I've been better," Alec muttered.
"I bet," Magnus said as the room filled with awkward silence.
Alec broke the silence quickly. "I felt you by my side when I was unconscious, thank you. The pain was bearable with you there."
"I couldn't let you go before we had our first date," Magnus said with a smile.
"Once I'm feeling 100%, I'll take you up on that offer," Alec said, smiling back.
Meanwhile, the others were heading down to find me. They went out the front doors of the apartment building and walked around the corner to find Simon and I walking toward them. By this time, he had put me down, and we were walking side by side.
"Carly!" Clary yelled, running over to me for a hug. I stayed pretty stiff as she squeezed me tight.
"I see you got through safely," I said, ignoring Clary as I looked over to Ethan.
"I landed a block away, but I'm in one piece," Ethan said with a smile as he looked down at Izzy, who looked right back up at him.
"What were you thinking? You could've gotten killed!" Clary exclaimed, finally getting my attention.
"I could have, yeah. But Ethan needed to get back, and if I died, would it have affected you?" I asked as a hurt look spread across Clary's face.
As she tried to respond, shadowhunters from the Institute were suddenly surrounding us, "Carly Fray and Jace Wayland, you have been put under arrest by orders of Victor Aldertree. Come with us peacefully, and we will not harm your friends."
I looked over at Jace, and he nodded. We knew there was no way we were getting out of this, so we silently agreed, "You promise."
"They'll lock you up," Isabelle whispered.
"It's better than you guys getting hurt," Jace said, looking over to Clary.
"And I deserve what's coming to me," I said as the hunters put my hands and Jace's hands behind our backs and handcuffed us.
"This isn't right," Ethan muttered as we were taken to a black van.
Two shadowhunters opened the back, and two others pushed us inside. They slammed the doors as everyone got in. One of them started it up as they disappeared around the corner.
"We have to break them out," Simon said as everyone turned toward him.
"We can't. The City of Bones is well protected, almost as secure as the prison in Idris. Besides, any downworlder who enters will die the minute they step inside, and if we go against the monks, It'll be over for us even sooner. We have to be smart about this," Isabelle said as everyone looked in the direction the car had gone.
