Jonathan was sleeping beside her when Clary woke. She slipped from the bed carefully to avoid waking him before she headed into the kitchen and froze in the doorway. Kesi was humming to herself as bavon sizzled in the pan on the stove. There was a plate of toast and butter sitting bedside it. Clary watched her open the cabinet beside the stove and grab a few spices from the shelf absent-mindedly. She seemed to know her way around the place, and Clary got the distinct impression that the warlock had been here before. Pushing away the unpleasant mental image of the warlock pawing at a grinning Jonathan, Clary cleared her throat. Kesi jumped before turning a smile back at Clary.

"Morning," she sing-songed as she started flipping the strips of bacon. "There's coffee in the pot if you want it. Creamer's in the fridge."

"I know where the creamer is," Clary grumbled and loudly rooted around a cabinet for a coffee mug. Kesi glanced at her with a knowing smirk and went back to cooking without a response.

By the time her bacon was done Jonathan had woken up. He padded barefoot into the room, wearing only his loose cotton work out pants and yawned as he leaned up against the counter. Without a word, Kesi tossed a few strips of bacon onto a plate with eggs she'd already scrambled and sat it on the counter beside him. Jonathan smiled sleepily and nibbled at a strip while Kesi fixed another plate for herself. She didn't make one for Clary, not that she wanted it anyway.

"I have conditions." Clary spoke to Jonathan without preamble, but they both knew what she was talking about. He paused only a moment, his black eyes locking with hers before he nodded.

"You really plan to do this?" She clarified to another silent nod. "Then I need you to promise that you'll let me help you."

Jonathan lips curled into a smile as he watched her. "You want to be more involved?"

"Is that a problem?"

He shook his head. "I didn't expect it. It's...good. I'd like that."

"You have to keep me in the loop. No lying. No keeping me in the dark when you think I won't like something you're doing."

He chuckled at that, winking at Kesi when she brought him a mug of coffee. The action rankled Clary but she ignored it. There were more important things than their flirting.

"I will keep you informed," Jonathan agreed after a sip of coffee. He tilted his head to the side as he watched her and grinned a little wider. "Anything else?"

"My friends," she said slowly watching his smile melt away. "When this is over, I need to know that they will be safe."

"The friends who abandoned you?"

"I don't care if you like them Jonathan. I just need you to promise me that you will let them live."

"And if they try to kill you again?" He didn't like this stipulation, but Clary wasn't going to back down. They might not be her family anymore, but she needed to know they would be safe after everything settled. No matter what had happened between them, she still loved them. She couldn't help herself.

"Promise me they will be safe Jonathan."

He let out a slow breath, looking down into his coffee a moment before his dark gaze rose back up to meet her.

"I will not kill them."

"And you won't let anyone else do it either." She knew better than to leave it at that. He could easily have them hunted down. She wasn't going to leave him any wiggle room. Jonathan's jaw ticked before he nodded.

"They will be spared."

Happy to have won, Clary snatched a piece of his bacon and munched it with a smile. "Good. Now tell me what we need to do next."

Jonathan continued to watch her. His expression was more serious than she would have thought after she had agreed to help.

"Are you really prepared to do this Clary?" He asked it softly, but his tone was hard. "I'm going to kill him. You understand that right?"

"Why would that matter?" She frowned.

"Because despite what he's done to you, he is still your father, and you can be incredibly sentimental."

Clary plucked a bit of egg from his plate and tossed it at him with a frown. "I'm not going to get in your way, if that's what you think. Valentine is a monster. He should die. It's the least he could do for all the pain he's caused."

Jonathan swatted away the egg chunk and arched a brow at her.

"And me? What do I deserve?"

Clary felt herself flush, glancing down at his plate self consciously. "That's different."

Jonathan smirked at that. "Is that so?"

"Shut up. I'm not going to sit here and stroke your ego. Obviously I don't want you to die."

"Aww," Kesi chimed in with a grin over the rim of her mug. "You're blushing."

Clary shot her a glare, but Jonathan spoke up before she could say anything.

"Kesi and I have to speak with Lillith today. It shouldn't take long. Will you wait here until we're back?"

"Why can't I come with you?"

Jonathan shook his head resolutely. "I don't want you anywhere near her. She owes me, but I'd rather you not deal with her if you don't have to."

"Will it be dangerous?"

"No," he smiled at her show of worry for him. "She wouldn't hurt me."

Clary sighed and gave him a short nod. "Fine, I'll wait here. What else do we have to do?"

Jonathan finished his breakfast and Kesi was there to grab the plate without being asked. She hummed softly to herself as she washed it in the sink, completely at home here. Again. Clary found herself irritated by the warlock's comfort in the apartment, and the way she seemed so in sinc with Jonathan and his needs.

"We need allies." Jonathan sighed, pulling her attention back to him. "There are Shadowhunters in Valentine's army that will follow me when the time comes, but that isn't enough. The Seelie queen will help us as well, but only if she thinks we'll win. For that we need more fighters on our side."

"Where will we find them?"

"Downworlders hate Valentine. He's been systematically eradicating them for more than a year now. If anyone would want him dead, it will be them."

"But they sort of hate you too."

Jonathan smirked over his coffee mug. "Yes. That has been the hitch in finding any willing to fight for me."

"So," Clary looked thoughtfully down at the counter. "How do we change that?"

"We offer them freedom when this is all over. If they will fight to put down Valentine's army for good, then I will let them rule themselves when it's all over. Freedom is a strong motivation after they've endured hiding for so long."

"What about the other Shadowhunters?" Clary nibbled on her lip. "What happens to them?"

Jonathan simply shrugged. "Those that pledge their loyalty will live."

"You'll kill them?" Her face fell and he looked at her evenly.

"This is a rebellion Clary. Collateral damage is unavoidable." When she only nodded, he reached up to tuck the hair back behind her ear, his fingers lingering at her throat. "I'll spare all that I can Clary. I still need an army when this is finished."

She let herself lean into his touch, feeling that little tingle of excitement that seemed to spark in her with the barest touch of his long fingers. Jonathan grinned, stroking her cheek a moment until Kesi spoke up from her perch atop the counter.

"The vampires are the most promising at the moment. They tend to turn with the tide, just like the fairies. If they think they can self police after Jonathan has taken power, they will follow him into battle. Even the clan in New York could be swayed with a few simple promises."

Clary cut her a look before her gaze moved back to Jonathan. He seemed lost in thought so she turned and kissed the palm that rested on her cheek, smiling back at him when his dark eyes snapped up to her. His own smile was warm, dancing with wicked promise.

"Guess you need to make with the campaigning. Kissing hands. Shaking babies."

Kesi snorted a laugh beside them and Jonathan grinned. "I know where a clan has holed up in northern France. We can go tonight after sunset."

"You want me to come along?" She asked, a little surprised. He wrapped an arm around her lower back and tugged her gently up against him, kissing her cheek.

"You said you wanted to be involved." He spoke between tickling kisses across her neck and face that made her giggle. "Plus you're the one that nags me for not having backup."

"Ok," she laughed swatting him away. She was briefly aware of the way Kesi was watching them in open curiosity, but Jonathan easily distracted her from it with more teasing. He pitched her backside on her way out of the kitchen. She jumped, making a soft sound of surprise that tumbled into more laughter.

"I'm going to take a shower," she grinned at him as she playfully smacked his hand. Jonathan chuckled softly and watched her practically skipping down the hall.

There was a ball of excited energy thrumming in her chest. They were going to get rid of Valentine once and for all. The idea of it was almost too much. It made her want to dance in place as she started the shower. Obviously his being her father made it a little difficult to imagine killing him, but a part of her was savagely smiling inside. Jonathan would likely strike the final blow, sparring her the trouble and awkwardness of patricide. After that, they would be free. The world could return to some semblance of normalcy again. The downworlders could come out of hiding. Isabelle and the others would be safe. The last part, more than anything else, gave her more joy than she could have anticipated. Throughout her shower, Clary simply couldn't stop smiling.

xXx

"So I couldn't help but notice that you've won the red head over." Kesi glanced up at him and she traced a pentagram into the concrete floor between them. They had chosen an empty warehouse on the outside of a Russian town. Far from prying eyes and sheilded from the sun. Jonathan looked down at her from his place against the wall and arched a brow.

"Which is important to you why?"

Kesi shrugged. "It's what you wanted. I'm happy for you. I mean that shit took forever. You were a major drag every time she pushed you away."

"She's stubborn."

"So I've heard." Kesi tilted her head to inspect her work and thickened one of the curving edges with her black chalk. "I've also noticed that she really doesn't like me."

Jonathan chuckled at that, pushing off of the wall to look over her summoning circle. "Well you did help me brand her."

"That was mostly you!" Kesi frowned. "And she forgave you in like two seconds. How is that fair?"

"I give her plenty of orgasms. Kinda helps grease the wheels of forgiveness."

Kesi snorted at that, brushing the chalk from her fingers onto her pants and standing. "So what? Should I seduce her too?"

Jonathan smirked, looking over her beautiful face a moment in question. She wasn't usually one to care whether or not she was liked. The crazy little warlock didn't seem to care about much of anything that didn't give her some form of pleasure. A hedonistic little minx, that one, something he enjoyed about her. Other than the great ass and a mouth that made blow jobs into an art form.

"What does it matter if she likes you or not?" He asked to her heavy sigh. She was staring down at the pentagram like it had called her an ugly name.

"Because if I'm going to be around her, it would be less awkward if she didn't spend all of it glaring me down. That girl can really sell the hate with her eyes."

"It's jealousy, Kesi. Ignore it. I think it's kind of adorable."

The warlock shot him a narrowed look, crossing her arms. "That's because you are a narcissist. Women fighting over you is all just hilarious ego stroking for you."

"Fighting?" He laughed and reached out to stroke a thumb across her lower lip, teasing her a bit. He couldn't help himself. She was right. "Will there be oils of some kind involved? Perhaps tiny, little bikinis?"

Kesi scoffed, but she didn't pull away from his touch. "You're sister is too much of a prude for that, honey. You really should teach her to loosen up."

Jonathan sighed, letting his hand fall away and pretending not to notice how she deflated a bit because of it. "I'm doing my best here. She doesn't exactly make it easy."

"Maybe we find a way to help her along," Kesi suggested with a wicked smile that made her pale, green eyes glimmer with mischief. He arched a brow in response.

"Suggestions?"

"I'll think of something."

He liked the sound of that. Turning to the pentagram, Jonathan took a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Nope. But here we go."

Lillith appeared inside the circle of black chalk with all the fanfair Jonathan had come to expect from the stronger demons. She emerged as a thick, roiling cloud of black smoke then slowly took the form of a slender, shapely woman in a gauzy, red dress that did little to cover her nudity. He might have asked why she always seemed to be in some stage of undress, but frankly he didn't want to know. She smiled when she saw him, slow and predatory and the writhing tentacles that should have been her eyes seemed to undulate faster in her pleasure.

"My son," she murmured silkily. "It has been a while." Her face turned briefly to Kesi before she dismissed her. The young warlock didn't seem to mind. "Have you considered my suggestion? Will you strike down the nephilim that stands in your way?"

Jonathan nodded soberingly. "I'm ready to kill Valentine. I'm tired of being the threat he levels on his enemies to maintain his power."

"Of course you are, my darling boy. You are destined for so much more than the scraps he tosses you."

"The nephilim are my biggest challenge. Even if I kill him, there are those among them that would turn on me, simply for what I am." He scowled at the pavement a moment. "They fear me."

"Of course they do, sweet boy. They know you are more powerful than any of them can dream of becoming. But why should nephilim dictate your future? You are hardly one of them. My son," she smiled but the expression was harsh and sharp as knives. "Stronger than your so called brethren, faster, and oh so clever. Why then have you not seen the answer that lies right in front of you?"

"And what is that?"

"You cannot force yourself to be more like them, but why should you? You are simply better. Perhaps the nephilim should be more like you."

"Right." Jonathan ran his fingers back through his hair with a harsh, sarcastic laugh. "So you want me to start a new race? Go forth and multiply? I'm not saying I wouldn't have fun trying, but even I can't have enough children for that. Even if I planned to pull a Gangis Khan, it doesn't exactly help me now."

Lillith laughed, the sound was like a bell ringing in an abandoned church in the middle of nowhere. It was eery and wrong.

"Though I would never begrudge you the delights of procreation, I think there are other ways, more expedient ways..."

"Such as?" He was really getting tired of the guessing games. His mother had a nasty habit of dragging things out.

"Think Jonathan. How were the nephilim created in the beginning?"

"They drank from the mortal cup after that imperious angel bled into it."

She nodded slowly. "As I bled for you."

"That hardly..." His words trailed off as her words sunk in. Valentine had given him Lillith's blood to make him what he was. A Shadowhunter child became something closer to a demon, and stronger than his fellow nephilim in the process. He looked back up at the writhing black tentacles that should have been her eyes, and her growing smile told him she could tell he understood.

"The mortal cup would never work with your blood," he spoke slowly, his thoughts buzzing with promise. Lillith tilted her head, tapping a finger against the side of her mouth.

"True. The cup is of the angels."

"So we would need a different cup. Something aligned to the infernal realm."

"An infernal cup?" Lillith hummed pleasantly. "Yes, I do enjoy the sound of that. But how to make one?"

Jonathan grinned, his thoughts on the iron city that had fallen to Valentine so long ago. The sisters within who held all the adamas that remained in their world. Such a precious thing, and all stored safely away should Valentine ever need more weapons.

"You will need to give me time." He was hardly paying attention to her anymore. His mind was cluttered with possibilities, plans, the best places to strike unseen.

"Luckily for you, my dearest son, I have time in abundance. Do you?"

His eyes snapped back up to her. "I will get it done."

"Of that," she cooed. "I have no doubt. Such a determined boy. So capable, and yet still vulnerable to all the plights of mortal men. Even the mightiest warrior can be felled by a keen sword. It would be such a pity if you fell before you had completed your task."

"I'm aware of that."

"But what if you were not so vulnerable?" She grinned again her fingers shifting restlessly at her side as if she were itching to use them. "What if I could shield you?"

"That," he smirked, stepping closer to her circle. "Would be incredibly convenient."

xXx

"Let me stab you." Kesi grinned, bouncing backwards on her toes as they moved down an alleyway into the street. Jonathan shot her a frown.

"No."

"Come oooon!" She pushed cheerfully. "She said you would be invulnerable. I want to see how it works." She poked at his chest. "It'll be awesome. You know you're curious."

"You're not stabbing me Kesidorma. I still feel pain."

She waved it off with a scoff and rolled her eyes. "You like pain."

"Well I don't like being stabbed."

"How do you know," she teased. "It's not like you've been stabbed before."

To that he arched a brow. "Yes. Actually I have. It was unpleasant."

"Who stabbed you?" She frowned.

"Valentine. He wanted to teach me to ignore pain in a fight."

Kesi scowled at the unpleasant thought before she turned and fell into step beside him. "That guy is the biggest fuckface."

"Don't worry, I'll return the favor."

She smiled back at him, wrapping her arm around his. They walked to silence down the street, passed the grey, concrete buildings of the utilitarian Russian town. Everything in this place seemed lifeless and corporate. He supposed not many architects got the chance to spread their wings in such an oppressive government. The town was depressing. Jonathan was lost in thought. If he'd been paying more attention, he would have noticed Kesi carefully sliding one of his throwing knives out of its sheath. He didn't realize what she was doing until the little bitch tugged it free and and buried it to the hilt in his chest.

Jonathan cursed, staring down at the protruding handle of the blade in shock. He blinked, grabbing it shakily and tugged it free with a wet sound. Pain tightened his muscles, setting his jaw in a hard, furious line. They both watched in silence as the wound knit itself closed and disappeared as if it was never there. When he turned his angry black eyes up to Kesi she was watching the place she'd stabbed him in fascination. Her lips parted in a surprised, little o and she looked up at him with a grin he did not return. She must have seen the fury in his expression, because she took a step back and held up her hands.

"Ok, so that was rude, I'll admit, but fucking cool."

Jonathan twirled the knife in his hand so the blade was angled toward the ground and pitched forward. Kesi was already running. She shrieked as he chased her into an alley way, but the sound was playful, half laughter.

"Jonathan!" She cried, looking back at him over her shoulder. "Take a breath!"

"Come here," he growled, reaching out to snatch the back of her jacket up in his fist. She yelped when he jerked her back offnher feet and swung her at the wall. Kesi spun to face him, flinching when he stepped up in front of her and smacked his palm against the bricks beside her head pointedly.

"I can tell you're upset..." she began gently, but she was still smiling.

"What gave it away?" He asked sarcastically, his knife settling across her throat. She tipped back her head to avoid it with a soft, sharp inhale, her eyes growing a little widder.

"You've got that grumpy face." She didn't seem nearly as intimidated as he wanted her to be. It was annoying.

"You just stabbed me Kesidorma. How did you think I would react?"

"This is pretty much it," she shrugged, glancing down towards the knife before her pale eyes raised back up to lock on his. Her mouth curled into a flirtatious smile, her voice became soft and husky. "Are you going to punish me now?"

Jonathan couldn't help himself. He laughed and all in an instant, his rage dissipated. How could he stay mad at this ridiculous creature? Her heart was nearly as dark as his. Her teasing dangerous, as his could be. It was hard to stay mad when she looked so excited by the idea.

"I think you might enjoy it too much," he sighed and slipped his blade back into the sheath across his chest. "Not much of a punishment, then, is it?"

She grinned, running her hands up along his chest and splaying her fingers across his pecs. "No harm in trying. Come on demon boy. Teach me a lesson."

He growled softly, the sound rumbling up through his chest and making her shiver. She didn't wait for his acceptance. Kesi was impatient on her best days. She leaned forward to kiss him, and Jonathan allowed it with a smirk. She shivered again when he nipped her lip and moved his teeth to the side of her neck, biting down hard enough to make her gasp. Her fingers clenched against his shirt and she let out a soft, shaking exhale as he sucked at the bruise he'd just made. She was humming with pleasure when someone to their left cleared their throat loudly to get their attention. He was really getting tired of people interrupting him in the middle of teasing his favorite girls. His eyes cut to the intruder and he stood straight.

The man at the mouth of the alley looked between them a moment. He was young, probably in his early teens, and thin as a rail. His face was drawn and gaunt, with deep purple circles like bruises beneath his eyes. Jonathan let his eyes wandered curiously down the thin boy's frame, and he wasn't surprised by the multitude of old puncture marks that decorated nearly every bit of his pale, exposed skin. This was a ghoul. A living servant to vampires.

"Forgive the interruption," he said in heavily accented English. "You are the son of Valentine, are you not?"

"Who's asking?" Jonathan responded in a clipped tone, pushing off the wall and away from the frozen warlock watching them both.

The ghoul smiled thinly and gave a tiny bow. "My name is Ulric. I came at the behest of my master, Raphael. He has heard that you are gathering allies. He wishes to speak with you about this."

"Raphael," Jonathan frowned. "The leader of the New York clan? What are you doing in Russia?"

"Raphael was here to meet with the local leader. My former master."

"Former why?" Kesi asked curiously. The ghoul gave her a thin smile.

"I was a gift, to sweeten a business deal." He turned back to Jonathan. "We know you have contacted the clan in Amiens, to negotiate for their assistance in overthrowing Valentine. Raphael wishes to offer the same support, should the terms be amenable."

"Huh," Jonathan glanced at Kesi with a smirk she returned just as excitedly. "That's pretty convenient."

"If you would follow me, I will take you to him now."

"By all means," Jonathan grinned. "Lead the way."

Jonathan followed the ghoul a few paces back, fingering his teleportation ring idly as they went. If this was a trap, or Valentine's attempt to get him back home, he would be ready to blink back to the apartment before anything unfortunate happened. He couldn't be harmed now, but Kesi was still vulnerable and he needed the pretty, little witch to further his cause. He wasn't going to leave her behind to be killed, or worse taken for information. She knew far too much.

The two story, concrete building they arrived at looked nearly identical to the several they had passed on the way. The only discernable difference was the Russian sign painted into the concrete above the door, marking it as a grocery store. The fence that surrounded it and the many warnings not to trespass made it clear it hadn't been open in quite some time. As the ghoul fiddled with a large padlock on the door, Jonathan slipped one of his daggers free and passed it subtly to Kesi. She took it with a small smile and slid it up into her long sleeve.

The room beyond was dark, lit only by candles placed about the room on table tops and counters. The majority of the interior had been hollowed out to make room for the occupants. There was a broken elevator against the far wall, its door halfway open. Jonathan was willing to bet wherever the stairs were, they had been destroyed on the lower level. It wasn't as if the vampires needed them. The whole place was eerily quiet, too still, as if the promise of death hung in the air as surely as the creatures hiding somewhere inside. He couldn't hear them moving, which meant they were either sleeping, or laying in wait.

"A moment please," Ulric bowed again moving toward a door at the far end of the room. "I will fetch my master."

Jonathan nodded and watched him disappear into the darkness beyond the door while Kesi meandered around the open room.

"They really play into their stereotypes don't they?" She said, poking at a torn plastic package stamped in Russian.

Jonathan grinned. "Wouldn't you?"

"I think I'd be less Dracula, and more Selene from Underworld."

"Hmm," he chuckled. "I'd appreciate the latex body suit."

She grinned at him just as the door opened and a familiar, deceptively young looking man stepped into the room.

"It is a difficult look to pull off," Raphael smiled amicably. "But then, so too are capes."

"You're supposed to be in New York," Jonathan eyed him closely as he moved toward them. "Keeping the vampires there in line."

"And you are supposed to be in Alicante, terrorizing those that would question your father."

Jonathan shrugged. "I needed a break."

"Ah yes," Raphael nodded once, watching him with a tiny smile. "Senseless slaughter is tiring work."

"It's not senseless," Jonathan smirked. "People tend to respond favorably to your requests when they think you'll kill their family."

"And you would do so with a smile."

Jonathan shrugged. "Only when it's fun."

Raphael didn't respond to that. His face was carefully blank as he turned his dark eyes on Kesi.

"You are the warlock he keeps in his pocket. The one who spirited away Clarissa Fairchild before her father could get his hands on her."

"Morganstern," Jonathan corrected sharply. "Her name is Clarissa Morganstern."

Raphael looked back at him, but he couldn't tell what he was thinking. Even his voice was neutral as he nodded. "Of course. My mistake."

"You wanted to talk to me," Jonathan held out his arms. "Here I am. Can we get down to business?"

"Yes." Raphael moved to the only bit of furniture in the open room, sliding down into a chair beside a small, round table. "I am told you gather allies to overthrow your father."

Jonathan joined him at the table, sinking into the chair on the opposite side. Kesi followed but remained standing beside him.

"Told by who exactly? It's not exactly a rumor I want spreading just yet."

"Do not worry, son of Valentine. It is only whispered within the Seelie court. The queen believed I might be of assistance."

"She's a helpful one."

"And a powerful ally to have taken to your side." Raphael tilted his head curiously and tapped the table. "One does wonder how you managed to sway her."

"She likes flattery," he grinned at Raphael's stoic expression.

"And handsome, young men, I hear."

To that Jonathan laughed softly. "I use what God gave me."

"God," Raphael replied cooly. "I believe your charms come from another place, but then, the devil was said to be God's most beautiful angel. No matter. I have asked you here to listen to your offer. An offer I'm told you have made to a handful of others. Some which have not survived the refusal. I trust you will remain civil should I refuse."

Jonathan grinned darkly, leaning back in his chair. He held the vampire's eyes without flinching.

"I suppose that depends on how rudely you refuse it."

"I see." Raphael nodded once and tapped the table. "Very well. What is your offer?"

Jonathan went through the motions of a quick explanation of what he needed. If the vampires would agree to fight with him when the time came, he would make sure they were compensated appropriately. In the mean time, he would provide information on the whereabouts of several Shadowhunter hubs under his father's control. He wanted them to pick off the outskirts of his father's network while he gathered forces for the eventual attack. Raphael listened in stoney silence, interrupting only to clarify a point here and there. When Jonathan was done, the vampire turned his eyes away in thought for a long, silent moment. When he turned back to Jonathan, he gave him a short, decisive nod.

"Very well. I agree."

"This was...much easier than I expected." Jonathan's mouth ticked at the corner as if he might smile, but he shook his head. "Say. You wouldn't be planning on a bit of betrayal here, would ya?"

Raphael didn't flinch at the threat in his otherwise jovial tone. He stared Jonathan in the eyes and gave the slightest of shrugs, as if he could barely be bothered with the effort. He was beginning to realize that the older creatures of this world had a certain dismissive quality he found grating. He thought of Valentine for only a moment, a flash of his cool expression, but the vampire distracted him by speaking.

"I am not a fool, nor will I ignore an opportunity to destroy an enemy after all of this...unpleasantness." He turned his eyes down to the table between them, but it wasn't a submissive gesture. He looked like he was solving a complicated math equation on the wood with his eyes. When they lifted back to Jonathan, he flashed a smile, but he was disappointed not to see any fangs.

"We will give it a trial run. A test of faith on both sides. You will provide the location to a nest of your father's soldiers and we will, and correct me if I'm wrong here, try not to kill them all?"

"Not if you don't have to." Jonathan still felt a little thrown that the vampire would so readily agree to joining his plan. "That's sort of the part where I come in. I need them."

"Because you can force them to fight for you." Raphael sounded doubtful.

"I can." Jonathan knew he sounded a little cocky, and his smile was not helping matters but the vampire at least was listening.

"How?" He asked simply, frowning when Jonathan smirked and pointed a finger at him.

"That would ruin the surprise," he winked.

Raphael gave him a long calculating look, unblinking, in a way that didn't unnerve Jonathan, but certainly seemed bizarre.

"Then I suppose we will see if this works for us both, or perhaps we will feast on your comrades. Either way, it is a chance for something beneficial."

"You know, I'd been told you were a decently civil guy. Not quick to kill and all that."

"The apocalypse has made survivors of us all. Besides, they will have had it coming should things turn deadly."

"Probably," Jonathan shrugged. "I haven't given it much thought."

He didn't notice that Raphael drifted away into thought. He wasn't looking at him anymore, he was grinning at Kesi. If he was looking, he would have seen an expression that was almost sad.

"No. I suppose you wouldn't."

"Kesi will get word to you when the time comes. I'll send you coordinates to one of Valentine's little safehouses. There should be at least a dozen Shadowhunters staying there."

"I will send word of this offer to the clan in Amiens. You will know their answer by the end of tomorrow night. With that, I suppose our business here is concluded. We will be in touch, young Morganstern."

"That we will, old vampire." Jonathan winked at him as he stood and wrapped an arm around Kesi's waist. "Until then." He grinned and activated his ring, teleporting them out of the dismal Russian town and back to the apartment where he couldn't wait to give Clary the good news.