Chapter 5: Curious Thoughts and Strange Creatures

"Curiosity is natural to the soul of man and interesting objects have a powerful influence in our affections." -Daniel Boone

The bed felt very cold on Rose's skin as she twisted and turned her body. The lace of her nightgown made her skin feel bare. She shivered even more as a familiar freezing lonely feeling came through her. The blankets ,wrapped around her like a cocoon, weren't enough. The cold of the night seemed to pass through the thick smooth fabrics wrapping her body. She kept shivering and shaking, while her long claws rubbed against her pea-like skin, trying to gain more warmth.

Loneliness. The feeling she felt right now…. and felt every night. Ever since, her husband came back home from a party with a broken look in his eyes and a trembling frown on his lips, he would always leave. She heard from his soft whispers that a boy killed Nicholas, his long time friend. She remember giving him a warm embrace as he cried a few silent tears, but she got this feeling that those tears weren't only from his friend's death.

The sadness in his eyes weren't just sadness and mourning….instead she also saw a despairing broken look. A look that she saw every year….on one certain day.

Her eyes grew unlocked as an idea came in her mind. It was a dark one. She shook her head because of her inner guilt and thought. 'He'll be back after two hours….like always.'

But even with her assuring thoughts, Magnus couldn't get off of her head. A memory flashed in her mind when that certain day would come. Her love would ignore her affections, and stay silent. He would only stay in his closet as sobs could be heard from him. When he would finally come out, his face a held a despairing broken look….like the look he had when his friend died.

She never really was allowed to come near that certain closest and she respected that. After all she has privacies of her own but her curiosity was starting to get the better of her. She took a deep breath while her emotions started to boil and sat up in a sitting position. The blankets draped around her waist as she stared at the ivory door. The door was placed at the right side of the foot of her bed. It was Magnus' while hers was at the left.

She gave a guilty sigh. Her emotions got the best of her. Her curiosity was starting to boil. 'What he doesn't know won't hurt him.'

Her long graceful back arched away from the clean sheets. Her feet touched the carpet-like ground making her skin slightly itch from the roughness of the texture. She stood up and strolled to the closet. It only took a few steps to reach that door. About 10 steps she counted.

Hesitance came in her fingers as she reached the golden doorknob making her hand shake. Her hands felt wet from her nervous sweats but she managed to turned the knob and open the door.

A long hallway appeared behind the door with racks of clothing as it's walls. Accessories and shoes were place in organised shelves. Light shined all over that room and the floor felt soft on her toes.

'To think my husband has a bigger closet than me.' She thought disappointed.

There was nothing really suspicious as she dived deeper in the hallway. She could only see her husband's flamboyant fashion sense. But once the female warlock reached the dead end of her love's closet, something grabbed her mind. A rather small ivory chest with sapphires was place on a small black table.

She scanned her eyes closer to that box, analysing if there was lock. But unexpectedly there was no lock, only a sapphire gold handle. Her shaky hands came closer to that handle….the 'lock' of the chest. Small trembles and whimpers escaped her lips as her hand touched the smooth surface. Maybe she shouldn't do this…she shook her head and concentrated. This was a way to help her husband because if she knew what was giving him troubles and nightmares, she'll know how to address it.

The chest opened slowly making creaks as Rose raise the handle. Inside the chest were small photographs and letters, there was even a blue scarf inside, a gold locket, and a….

Shadowhunter heirloom ring. A Lightwood one in particular.

How on earth did he get this ring especially a Shadowhunter one? The gold ring in her hands dropped back into the chest as she analysed the notes and the photos. The photos had pictures of a blue-eyed boy. Sometimes just the boy and sometimes with her husband in an affectionate way.

'Perhaps this boy was a past lover.' Rose thought.

The photographs didn't really give much clues but the notes caught her eye. It had small inky hand writing. She read the first phrase and realised the notes were more like letters that always starts with…..

Dear Magnus…..

Almost all of the notes started with that particular phrase except one note that read.

Dear Alec…

The sound of the cane hitting against the snow-covered was quiet soft and yet intense, like it's user held an intense secret no one was allowed to know. Magnus sighed and wrapped his fingers around the cane even tighter. The familiar feeling of Jem's cane in his hands gave him a certain familiar sad feeling.

The feeling was a mixture of guilt and sorrow. Memories started to flash in his mind related to the jade dragon cane. Will's happy eyes. Jem smiling peacefully when he died beside his wife. Tessa's sad smile when she gave Magnus the cane, the day before she killed herself. Warm tears started to flood his cheeks at those flashes but he shook his head and tried to distract himself.

Gravestones were a good distraction. The stone was grey and withering as the words 'Rest In Peace' was engraved on it. The snow made the grave slightly blurred but Magnus could still see symbols engraved it. The block of stone was place directly on the ground along with other graves lined up beside it.

Shamefully, Magnus was yet again back in the San Francisco cemetery. The familiar stone paths and tall trees were still clear in Magnus' eyes. He dropped his cane on a nearby bench and sat on it. His gaze fell down on his glove-covered hands, staring at the blue wool warming his fingers. This was the ninth night he stayed on this bench, waiting….hoping.

The moon reminded him of his many nights, he had been waiting….or at least hoping that Alec would come back. It was stupid that he still wanted to see the monster who killed his friend. A dark creature, he created. A monster so heartless and cruel.

Perhaps seeing Alec alive again made him happy and yet sad. Happy that he could still see the shadowhunter alive and here, but sad because he didn't see his angel….only a coldhearted demon that replaced his lover. Maybe-

Rustle

Magnus snapped his eyes open. A sound of moving stems and leaves entered his ears. He looked around alert. From the graves to the forest-like park, he didn't see anything suspicious till his eyes landed on a particular bush leading to the forest parts of the city. The bush was poison ivy because of it's pointed leaves and strange structure. The plant was wide yet low. It was just a few feet ways from Magnus' bench.

Eyes were glowing through the bushes leaves. They looked curious and hungry. He could hear hunger growls and doubtful purrs coming from those eyes. Magnus gave a disapointed sigh, it's not like he was afraid of a bunch of animals; it's just that he didn't want his wife to question, when he would come home with blood staining his clothes. He stood up and stretch his arm to grab Jem's cane.

But before his fingers could touch the cane, a louder rustle came. He titled his body, completely forgetting the cane, and face a rather strange creature shaking of the remaining off leaves on it's body. The creature obviously came from the growling hungry hiding eyes staring at the warlock but this one was much braver and fiercer. Unlike its companion, who were hiding and doubting, this one was very eager to eat Magnus.

Surprisingly, the creature was quite humanoid. It stood in all fours with long bony limbs. It's skin was stretchy and flabby because of it's lack of fat and flash. Sharp teeth came out of it's big mouth. Large pointy ears were connected to it's ugly goblin-like face, and its eyes were like an endless black abyss showing a glowing red….pentagram.

Like Alec's.

Magnus ,too stunned by his sudden realisation, didn't notice the creature charge at him, with it's teeth barring out of it's mouth ready to kill Magnus. The creature's growl made Magnus snapped out of his shock state and start to make blue flames appear out of his fingers. But his magic was too slow, and the creature's teeth was already an inch near his face. The moment looked slow in Magnus' eyes; so slow that he could see the saliva dripping out of the creature's lip. His near-death moments always made time look slow and he gulped knowing the creature would bite his face.

Till a cane impaled the creature's head to the ground, making it's blood and bones splatter on the snow making the crimson look brighter. The blunt end of the cane was pulled out slowly from the middle of the creature's head as Magnus could still see the strings of blood falling off the cane's wood.

"Blood always does look beautiful on the winter days…" A mocking voice said. "….and my…my….what a trusting person you are Magnus.."

Magnus raised his head away from the creature's corpse and saw Alec holding the now red cane, Magnus left on the bench. Alec looked quite satisfied with the corpse on the ground as he twirled the cane playfully. The blood soaking his skin and clothes made him look more like the monster he really is.

"You should know better than to trust strange creatures…" Alec giggled as Magnus only stared at him horrified for what he has done to Jem's cane. "..Oh wait you already do.."

Hungry excited howls started to come from the bushes as Magnus tried to give a strong brave look towards his ex-lover.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Instruments

Authors Notes: Thank you guys for your support. I have good news. It is almost my summer break so I can update my chapters faster. Hopefully you guys liked this chapter and please review on what you think