A/N: Some Kellan, as promised, and a little bit of Savannah, as well.
Kellan awoke slowly, a splitting headache making it hard to gather his thoughts. Opening his eyes just a crack, he was disorientated for a moment, before he realised he was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. Instantly on edge, his hand moved to his side, only to find that his sword and poison darts were gone, and that he was in unfamiliar clothes. He could feel something tied around his arm, and he soon realised it was a bandage covering the cut that was there. Hearing whispering somewhere towards the end of the bed, he tried to keep still, pretending to still be asleep. It was hard, when he felt like his heart was hammering in his chest, in panic.
Listening carefully, he tried to make out their voices, tilting his head just slightly, in an attempt to see them. He recognised the girl quickly – the one who had stopped him and Aspen in the Towns, claiming to be his sister. While the boy was unfamiliar, he did recognise him from his dreams, and he looked close to Kellan's own age.
"We need to do an iratze," the girl whispered, gesturing towards him. He remembered that she'd said her name was Grace, the last time they'd met. "He has a few injuries, thanks to your demon hunt, not just the one on his head."
The boy seemed to hesitate. "We don't know how a Rune will affect a member of the Hunt," he pointed out. "What if it hurts him?"
"You know Shadowhunter blood is dominant," she replied, and Kellan squeezed his eyes shut when they looked his way. Trying to keep his breathing even, he waited until they continued whispering, before tilting his head slightly, to look for the doorway. He found it, thankfully, noticing it closed, although he doubted they would have locked themselves in. It would just be a matter of getting to the door and getting out before they were able to stop him.
They'd lowered their voices further, and he found it hard to make out what they were saying anymore. In any case, he knew what he needed to do. Inhaling, he pulled the sheets off himself, and sprung to his feet, flinching at the pounding of his head. The girl made a startled sound, and he ran towards the door, hoping that he'd caught them by surprise enough. He could feel something strange on his wrist, but he ignored it, too focused on his goal.
Reaching the door, he tugged it open, moving to step out of the room. Only, he couldn't seem to move forward. It was as if there was some kind of invisible barrier, and he finally looked down at his wrist, noting the bracelet which was biting into his arm, and sending some kind of current up it. He could sense the magic surrounding it, although he grasped at it anyway, with his other hand. No matter how hard he tried, he found that he could not remove it. Breathing hard, he tried again to step outside, but all he could feel was his arm pressing up against the barrier. Making a sound in frustration, he gritted his teeth, knowing it was useless when the magic prevented him from leaving.
"Kellan-…" the girl said, tentatively, and he heard her take a step towards him. "We're just trying to help you. I promise that we don't mean you any harm… But we can't let you leave. It's for your own good."
Raising a hand to his head, he felt a gash there, remembering that he'd been hit on the head. Lowering his hand again, his gaze flickered to the boy briefly. He looked at Kellan like he'd seen a ghost, and Kellan couldn't help but notice that his eyes seemed a little damp.
When Kellan didn't say anything, she continued. "I'm Grace, your sister, and this is Zach, your brother."
The girl continued closer, in a tentative manner, as if she was approaching a scared animal. He supposed that he was a bit like one, acting purely on instinct. When she was close, she reached out her arms, as if to hug him, but he flinched, pulling away. "Don't touch me," he said, backing away from her. He'd said it more harshly than he'd meant to, and he saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes, although she didn't move forward again.
"Grace-…" the boy – Zach – said, a hint of a warning in his tone. "Just give him some time."
Feeling trapped, Kellan walked to the other side of the room, near the window, and when he glanced out, he found a normal looking street outside. He was in a room in the Institute somewhere, he gathered, and it looked like they were high up in the building. Resting his back against the wall, he slid to the ground. "What am I doing here?" he asked quietly, glancing over at them hesitantly.
"We're rescuing you from the Hunt," Grace said, looking nervous as she watched him. "It's taking a bit to find out how to sever the connection, but I'll get there soon. I just need you to hang on."
"We're sorry we had to do it like that… but we didn't think we'd be able to get you to drink a sleeping potion," the Shadowhunter boy added. He caught Zach looking at the graze on his head, and he realised that Zach had a similar one, on his own. Scanning him, he realised quickly that Zach also had the remnants of a cut on his arm, as well as a red mark on his neck. Just like the injuries that Kellan had received before he'd left the Hunt to get help. If they had the exact same injuries then… he didn't doubt that they'd been linked, with some kind of dark magic likely involved. That would explain how they found him so easily.
Kellan ignored their words, sighing, although he felt anxious, more than anything. "This is reckless – you will only get yourselves into trouble. The Hunt will not give up its members so easily," he warned, urging them to reconsider. "If you let me go now, I will not lay any blame on you."
"We're willing to risk our lives to save you," Grace said, raising her chin. He couldn't help but think of how incredibly brave and fearless she was for her age. "We're not scared of the Hunt."
"You should be. The Hunt will come for me," he said, keeping any emotion from his voice. "And they will not be happy. They are not ones to show mercy. I do not need you to save me."
Zach moved to step beside Grace. "We will risk it, Kellan," he said, and Kellan tried to push down the odd feeling when his name was said. It was a reminder that they knew a Kellan that he didn't.
Kellan shook his head, hissing slightly under his breath. They didn't seem to understand the dangers for themselves and the Institute, and he didn't wish any harm on them, despite everything. Aspen had made it clear that the Hunt would come for him.
He looked up when Grace drew something out of her pocket - it was not a knife, but a long silver stick, almost like a pen. "We need to draw an irate for your injuries."
"No Runes," Kellan said adamantly, tensing.
Grace seemed to look at Zach for help, but he shook his head. "You know the Rune will hurt... It is not something we can force on him," Zach warned her.
Grace swallowed, before tucking it away again. "We'll make sure to bring you food and drinks. We want your stay here to be as pleasant as possible," she assured him. "If you need anything else – new books or something like that, then just let us know."
Kellan didn't reply, his gaze flicking around the room. It was mostly bare, with a bed, a bedside table, some books and a bathroom that connected to it. He supposed they didn't want to leave behind much that he could use as a weapon. He did not want to hurt them, however, so he did not attempt to.
They seemed to stare at him for a moment longer, before Zach glanced over at Grace. "We should... let him have some time," he suggested.
"Okay..." She swallowed, although she looked hesitant to leave. "I'm working on some things, but I promise everything will be sorted out soon."
Kellan wondered whether promises were as important to Shadowhunters, as they were to faeries. He met her gaze but he remained silent, watching as they finally started to the door.
Zach glanced back at him, his hand pausing on the door handle. "It's good to have you back, Kellan," he said, before they walked out into the hall, closing the door behind them.
Once Blake had left the hotel room, Savannah closed the door, before starting back through the room. The glasses still filled with a bit of scotch were the only evidence of his visit. She reached down to pick them both up, before placing them on the cabinet. Feeling tired after a long day, she resisted the urge to yawn, passing by a mirror and glancing at her hair in it, before she made her way to the bed. The thin strap of her nightgown had started to slide down her shoulder, and she pushed it back up into place. Pulling the sheets open, she got under them, laying down and pulling a pillow under her head.
Staring at the ceiling, with her hair splayed out around her head, Savannah pondered over the events of the evening. It had been an unusual night, although she had been pleased with the outcome. It was rare for someone to turn down sleeping with her, especially in such a room, and when she was wearing such an outfit. He had kissed her though, and for him, that was certainly an achievement. She hoped that he wouldn't hate her too much, in the morning. He'd had a good night, she was sure, but he was stubborn, and not too attuned to his own feelings and desires.
It had been an unusual night for her, as well. It was rare that she would drink in front of others, liking her thoughts to remain sharp. She was using them after all, not the other way around. She had devised the game for Blake, to help him open up, like many other games she had created for others in the past. Only, she didn't normally give so much of herself away. But Blake was honest, and it felt wrong to not be the same back. As if he might pull away as soon as he caught her in a lie.
Usually she would pretend to drink, perhaps, but not much more than that. Normally she would push past boundaries, too. If someone was a little hesitant, then she would convince them, especially when they were in such a state. She did not normally pause, and accept anything less.
Blake was an oddity, and she was not entirely sure why she kept coming back to him. Usually, she would have given up, moving on to someone a little more obliging and useful.
She told herself she was just trying to get information on the Unseelie… but she had hardly gleaned anything, nor had she particularly tried to. Besides, the Shadowhunters had no current quarrels or issues with the Unseelie. They were quite literally a world apart.
She told herself that he was just an exotic fantasy. She had always found faeries attractive after all, and getting close with a faerie from the Courts was rare. But somehow, that didn't feel quite right, either.
She was… intrigued by him, in a way that not many guys had intrigued her before. While she'd had fun with others, it was only for the night or a brief time, before she soon forgot about them, or discarded them. For some reason that she couldn't quite figure out, Blake was different. There was an underlying sexual chemistry, or attraction between them, and she knew that he felt it too, even if he tried to hide it.
She decided, eventually, to simply put it down to the fact that he had turned her down. She had always liked the chase, and the act of persuasion and seduction. Perhaps once they finally went further, she would get over it. It was easier to think that way.
Raising her hand to her lips, she smiled, glancing over where the glasses were. He hadn't been too bad at kissing at all, and she had enjoyed it as well. It was pleasing to see that he found her attractive, even if it took a drink to make him act on anything.
Dropping her hand back to her side, she closed her eyes after a moment, knowing she had a big day of work the next day. There would be no sleeping in or lounging around in the morning.