Alec had been planning Max's party for days and decided it was going to happen at Magnus'. Shadowhunters needed to get in good relations with downworlders and this may move things along. The only problem was his mother wasn't too keen on the idea.

"Mother, we are having Max's party at Magnus', and that is final," Alec said with crossed arms.

"Events like these should not be held at a downworlder's home," Maryse sneered.

"Are you mad because it's at a downworlder's or mad because it's at Magnus'?" Alec asked in the same sassy tone.

"I just think that the Institute is the better option. Having the party around people Max is comfortable with," Maryse said, avoiding the question.

"We are having it at Magnus' and if you don't want to come to your own son's party, that's on you." Alec said as he headed for the door, turning back to say one last thing, "It starts at 7, so bring something nice."

His mother scowled as he left the room with a big smile on his face. Alec made his way to Magnus' so he could set up for the party but by the time he got there, everything was already perfect. Alec opened the doors to streamers, food, and beautiful music.

"What do you think?" Magnus asked.

"It's beautiful," Alec said with wonder in his eyes.

"Magic can do some amazing things."

Alec pulled Magnus into a hug. Magnus, letting himself be vulnerable for only a moment, dug his face into Alec's shoulder as Alec did the same. He pulled away to make another smug comment when Alec leaned down and kissed him. Their lips molded perfectly together as they kissed. This kiss continued for almost a minute, leaving them both out of breath.

Magnus adjusted Alec's collar as he looked up at him. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to say thank you and…" Alec said, giving Magnus another kiss. "To ask what the other day with Carly was about."

Magnus raised a brow. "So you kissed me to get information?"

"No..." Alec said, slightly shaking his head. "The kiss was genuine and so was the thank you. I'm just curious about what happened with Carly is all."

"When she's ready to tell you, all of you, she will. Now, go get your tux and your party face on," Magnus said, pushing Alec out the door for the second time.

"I'll see you soon," Alec said as he made his way into the hallway.

"I'll see you very soon, Alexander," Magnus said, closing his doors with a big thud.


When I finally decided to get out of bed, it was almost one in the afternoon. I fixed up the dead rat I call my hair and threw on some jeans and a fuzzy sweatshirt. I made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth when my phone started ringing. I walked over to my nightstand and was surprised to see Simon on the caller I.D.

I cleared my throat and accepted the call. "Simon?"

"I just called to apologize for last night," Simon said in a worried tone.

"Simon, can we talk? Max is having the celebration for his first rune at Magnus' tonight, could you meet me there?" I offered, hoping he'd agree to talk.

There was a long pause of silence on the other end of the line. It went on for what felt like centuries. When I went to check if he was even still on the call, he spoke. "Um, sure. I can … meet you there."

"Awesome," I said, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll see you at seven and wear something nice."

"Hey, I dress nice," Simon said with a small laugh.

"Band t-shirts and jeans don't count. Wear a tux, like one James Bond would wear," I said, laughing as well.

"I promise as long you dress up too," Simon insisted.

"Well, of course, Mr. Bond."

I ended the call and set my phone back on the nightstand. I searched through my closet for anything I could wear to the party, but I had nothing; I wasn't the party type. I snuck out of the room and made my way to Isabelle's, knowing she could help. I knocked on the door, and to my luck, she was in her room. I heard footsteps from inside, and Isabelle came to the door with a surprised expression.

"Carly, I didn't know you were back. Did Magnus heal your hand?" Isabelle asked with worry and tension. She wanted to care for me, but another part of her told her to stay as far from me as possible. As if by instinct.

"No, but I'll be fine in a few days," I said, hiding my hand in my pocket. "Max's party is tonight, and I have nothing to wear."

Isabelle's face lit up. "You've come to the right place."

She opened the door wide enough for me to slide through. I had never been in Isabelle's room before, but it was exactly what I expected. The room was more clothes than actual room. Piles of shirts, racks of dresses, and containers of shoes. She escorted me to the front of three body-size mirrors.

"So what are you thinking?" Isabelle asked, searching the racks she had for her dresses.

"Something with long sleeves. I get cold easily, and don't want to be cold at the party," I said.

It was the first excuse I could think of. It wasn't the best but Isabelle believed me or humored me at least. She pulled out three beautiful long-sleeved dresses from the rack and showed them to me.

The first one was almost completely leather and had a very low neckline. The second had a higher neckline but only went barely over my butt. The third was the one. It went to the floor and was a beautiful shade of red. It had a renaissance kind of neckline, revealing my shoulders, and the sleeves went a little past my wrists.

"The third one," I said, pointing to the soft gown.

"It's so simple," Isabelle looked down at the dress. "I could get you something with beads or a v-neck style or leather straps!"

"No, this is the one," I said, taking the dress into the bathroom to get changed. Once fully clothed and arm hidden, I left the bathroom so Isabelle could see. Her face lit up with excitement as she took me over to the mirrors once again.

"You were right. You look magnificent. When the night is over, you can keep it,"

I turned in surprise. "I can't take this."

"But you will. You look much better in it than I ever did. Besides, I'm more of a leather type of girl. Now go get ready, the party is in a few hours, and you don't want to be late." Isabelle smiled.

"Thank you, Isablle. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me," I admitted.

"No problem, I always help a girl out. See you tonight," Isabelle said as I exited her room, closing the door behind me.

When I returned to the confines of my room, I finished getting ready. I sat down on my bed all glamified and pulled my sleeve up to look at my veins. They hadn't grown since last night, but that didn't mean they wouldn't. I put my game face on and hid my arm once again. No one needed to know about this, not tonight. Tonight I was going to enjoy myself and get things straightened out with Simon. No demon blood or Valentine. Just Max's party.


Back at Valentine's ship, he and his men were getting ready. They armored up and waited for further instructions. Valentine left his men and went into the conference room on the ship. Inside he met with a witch and her daughter. Both, of course, were taken against their will.

"Let her go. I'll do what you want, if you let her go," Iris said as she held her daughter. They weren't blood, but she cared for the girl with all her heart.

"I don't think I can do that. You see, I'm not here for you. Madzie is the one I want. You're only here, so she behaves," Valentine said with a dark grin.

"Please don't hurt her. She's all I have," Iris begged on the brink of tears.

"As long as she does as she's told, then no harm will come to either of you," Valentine said as he kneeled before them, Madzie hugging her mother tighter. "I've heard you're quite the dark magic user."

"You've heard correctly. I'm very skilled in the craft, so much so I could bring back the dead," Iris admitted.

Valentine smiled. "There's a party happening at Magnus Bane's tonight, and I need you to cause a little mischief so I can grab one of his spellbooks for a special something I'm cooking up."

"I know exactly what you need. Just please don't hurt her while I'm gone," Iris said, worried and excited at the same.

"Not a hair on her head will be moved, but if you fail, my kindness could and will fade," Valentine said as he grabbed ahold of Iris' arm and pulled her out of the room. Madzie tried to run after them, but one of Valentine's goons held her back.


I had lost track of time and arrived at Magnus' a few minutes late. After readjusting my hair for the millionth time, I got the courage to knock on Magnus' front door. A doorman opened the door and offered to take my jacket. I accepted and walked through as a few other shadowhunters noticed. They looked a little surprised I could clean up so nice since I usually wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt. After taking a few steps inside, I noticed Simon standing on the balcony, so that is where I headed next.

The door to the balcony was already open, so I walked up beside him. "Sorry, I'm late."

"No big deal, I was just thinking," Simon muttered, turning his attention to me as he noticed my dress. His eyes became wide with amazement. "You look … amazing."

"You don't look half bad yourself," I said as I blushed.

We both turned to look off the balcony. Silence fell upon us as we looked at the people walking below. Simon wiggled his tie a bit and started the conversation back up.

"So about last night…"

"Simon."

"No, let me get this out before I have another anxiety attack about it," Simon said as he continued. "I have been friends with you and Clary for a long time. Clary has and will always be my best friend, but you … ever since I met you, I saw the beauty you hide."

"Simon, I…" I said, not being able to finish my sentence.

"You always hide away your beauty because you believe if someone loves you, you'll hurt them. Sometimes feelings change, and when that happens, a friendship has to evolve with it. I'm in love with you. I have been since I first saw you. I know that this could complicate things, or maybe you don't feel the same way, but…" Simon said as I stepped forward, took his face in my hands, and kissed him. Our lips danced the waltz as his hands slid down my waist. This time I was the first to back away.

"So we just did that…" Simon said with glazed-over eyes.

I smiled. "Yeah, we did."

"That was kind of weird," Simon whispered.

"But a good type of weird," I said we kissed again.

When we kissed, I looked through the open door of the balcony and saw Clary standing there, staring. When she noticed me look, she smiled and even gave me a thumbs up. Simon and I separated, so he saw Clary too.

"Does that mean I have permission?" Simon asked, laughing.

"I think it does," I said, grabbing Simon's hand and walking back inside.

I asked him to go get us some punch as Clary approached me. "So, you and Simon?"

"I thought you'd be angry that I kissed your best friend," I said truthfully.

"Why would I be angry? You finally found someone, you finally opened yourself up. Just don't steal him from me completely, alright?" Clary said as we both looked over at Simon filling two cups with punch.

"I wo...mhm," I groaned as my arm started to burn once again.

Clary noticed my discomfort and became worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Tell Simon I went to the bathroom, I'll be right back," I said as I scurried across the room.

I went into the bathroom and locked the door behind me. After I knew no one could see me, I lifted my sleeve and noticed the veins had grown again. This time it had grown to my elbow. Much farther than yesterday. I covered my arm back up and left the bathroom to find Magnus. Luckily, he was in his bedroom grabbing something when I found him.

"Magnus, it's grown," I said as Magnus turned around, knowing exactly what I meant. He locked his bedroom doors and lifted my sleeve. The worry in his eyes was even more intense than the day before.

"It's moving faster than I thought," Magnus mumbled.

"Have you found anything to fix it?" I asked.

"No, not permanently. A long time ago, Clave members tested the effects of demon blood and how to cure it. Turning the infected into a werewolf made it even worse. Using magic after infection could hold back the effects, but it would eventually fail. Fairy blood just caused excruciating pain because fairy blood is pure while demon blood is far from it.

"The only thing that lasted for the most amount of time was when they turned the test subject into a vampire. But after a month, the effects would come back. They discovered if the vampire would kill at least once a month, then the effects would be almost non-existent. I'll try to find a safer option, but I don't know if I'll have enough time," Magnus explained.

"So, what do I do?" I asked as the realization hit me that I might not have much time left as myself. That I would go dark, and there was no plausible way to stop it.

"Tell them," Magnus said plainly.

I shook my head. "I can't…"

"There might not be a way to save you, Carly. Being blindsided by that fact would be awful. You have to tell them," Magnus said as he rubbed my shoulder, leading me back to the party. I was determined to tell Simon when Jace backed into me; with a scared and sad expression.

"Jace, are you okay?" I asked.

"No, Maryse just attacked me in the other room," Jace admitted.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"I don't know. She said that I was a monster and she should never have taken me in. That I was a freak for being Valentine's son. She said the world would be better off without me. Luckily, I knocked her out before she could get a good hit in," Jace explained.

"None of that is true, Jace. Don't believe what she said, okay? She was probably still mad at Alec for having the party here and wanted to take her anger out," I said as he relaxed a bit.

"I hope you're right," Jace said as he left to go find Alec, to tell him of what his mother just did.

Once Jace had vanished, I noticed Simon on the other side of the room. I made my way over and sat beside him. "I'm sorry for taking so long, I had a bit of a stomach ache."

Simon's face twisted in disgust. "You're a monster."

"Simon…"

"You're worse than me, and I'm a vampire. You're a tainted freak. Your mom shouldn't have missed your black heart. Maybe then the world would be a better place," Simon sneered.

"Why are you saying these things? I thought…" I said as I got teary-eyed.

"I lied. I only kissed you to see what it was like to kiss a freak. You're nothing, Carly. You're a monster, and monsters deserve to be executed," Simon said as he stomped across the room.

I got up from the table and made my way to the door with tear-filled eyes. Magnus noticed me crying and followed. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving. A monster like me doesn't deserve friends," I said as he moved in front of me.

"Who told you that?" Magnus asked.

"Simon, he … snapped at me. Calling me a freak, and a monster who deserves to be executed. Even though, minutes before, he said he loved me," I said as tears rolled down my cheeks.

Magnus put his hands on my shoulders. "Were his eyes glazed over, dull even?"

"Why is that important?" I asked.

"Just tell me," Magnus said.

"I think so, but I wasn't paying attention to his eyes. Why does it matter?" I asked as Magnus straightened up.

"It's a trick. Someone's put a spell on all of you. Jace fought Maryse, Isabelle fought Alec, and you fought Simon. Someone has hexed the party," Magnus said, making the realization.

"How is that possible?" I thought aloud as Magnus went to the middle of the room.

"Everyone, the party must end here. Someone has hexed this event, and if you don't leave now, things will get much worse. EVERYONE OUT!" Magnus yelled as he caught everyone's attention.

Most were annoyed while some were worried. Everyone grabbed their things and left. Except for Simon, Clary, Alec, Jace, Magnus, Izzy, the passed-out Maryse, and myself. When everyone was out, I noticed Alec on the ledge of the balcony with Clary yelling at him.

"Alexander!" Magnus yelled, running for the balcony. I ran after him as Alec slid closer to the edge.

"Alec, get down from there," Clary said in a reassuring voice.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"I don't know. I started talking to him, and he freaked out. He went up to the balcony and keeps getting closer to the edge," Clary admitted.

"Alexander, look at me. Don't believe anything Clary says, you are fine," Magnus said.

"She blames me for Jocelyn's death. I'm sorry," Alec said as he jumped off the edge.

Izzy ran out to the balcony as Magnus quickly used his magic to catch Alec 10 ft down. Magnus lifted Alec back up and set him down on the balcony floor.

"Someone explain to me what the hell is going on?" Clary said, crossing her arms.

"Someone hexed you to make you believe your loved ones truly believe your worst fears. But I have a feeling this witch didn't just want to mess with us," Magnus said as everyone followed him to the other room, except Alec and Izzy, who stayed on the balcony. We went into his bedroom and inside a magically hidden safe was nothing, it was empty.

Magnus' stomach dropped. "Oh, no."

"What was in there?" Jace asked.

"A spellbook that has the darkest black magic spells ever created," Magnus said as he ran out of the room to find Iris in his living room. He twisted his hands around and trapped her in a ring of fire.

"Hello, to you to Magnus. Long time," Iris said.

"Why'd you take my spellbook, Iris? Why mess with my friends?" Magnus asked.

"I had no choice. Valentine has Madzie. If I didn't, he'd hurt her, and I wasn't going to let that happen," Iris explained as the rest of the group entered the room with Alec and Izzy close behind.

"I am sending you to Idris for the punishment of the crimes you've committed these last few centuries," Magnus announced.

"Do as you wish, but please save Madzie. She's only 6, and she doesn't know better. She will follow orders if she thinks I am alright. Please," Iris begged.

"I will do my best. Goodbye, Iris," Magnus said as he threw her through a portal. It closed as everyone relaxed.

"What spell does Valentine need from that book?" Alec asked.

"One that could trap an angel," Magnus said.

"Why would he need an angel?" I asked.

"The only way to activate the sword is with angel blood. With pure angel blood, the effects of the soul sword will be even stronger," Magnus admitted.

"So, all we have to do is find Madzie, the sword, and the book before he can activate them," Jace said.

"Let's hope we're fast enough," Magnus mumbled as everyone headed out. After only Alec remained, Magnus spoke. "Alexander."

"Magnus, I'm fine," Alec insisted.

"You almost killed yourself tonight. You're not okay. If you feel anything like you did tonight, tell me. I'll be here for you."" Magnus said.

"Of course."

Meanwhile, Simon and I had made it out onto the sidewalk. I knew that it wasn't him talking earlier, but it still hurt. I didn't know what to feel, and I was just about to walk away when he grabbed my hand.

"I have a feeling I know what you heard when we were hexed. None of that is true. I don't know exactly what I said, but I know it was a lie," Simon said.

I shrugged. "Sounded, very truthful to me."

"That was your mind tricking you. Nothing more. I love you, Carly. And I am so glad I went to the party with you. Don't ever forget that." Simon said, leaning forward and kissing me.

The minute his lips touched mine, my whole body relaxed, and everything that just happened faded away. When he pulled back, I was smiling, "I won't, I promise."

We held hands and walked toward the warehouse Simon called home. I had to tell him, tell all of them about what was happening to me, but I just couldn't. With everything that was going on, they didn't need to worry about me. No one did.


"Did you get the book?" Valentine's second in command asked. He was built like a truck and could pummel anyone that got in his way.

"The witch portalled it to me about an hour ago, but no word from her. My guess is she got caught because she wouldn't have run off with Madzie in my custody." Valentine said, looking over at the sleeping girl on his right.

"So, what's our next mission?" The second in command asked.

"It's time to catch us an angel."