"You said no?" Jace's voice was filled with nothing but shock, except it was soon followed with the tone of disapproval. "Are you completely out of your mind? Zee, you must be crazy!"

"I'm not crazy!" I shot back as him, walking faster down the alleyway he and I had taken to find more demons to kill. "Or at least, the no part wasn't crazy."

"What does that mean?" Jace kept up with me. "What did you do?"

"I portalled him." I pursed my lips, my tone dropping to a mutter. "I portalled him back to the apartment and stayed in Iz's last night."

Jace's eyes widen. "Zee!"

"I panicked!" I bursted, looking at him with wide, defensive eyes. "He proposed and the next thing I knew, I was sending him through a portal!"

Jace's expression remained cemented on his face. "He asked you to marry him, not to commit murder-"

"I would've been more open to plotting someone's murder if he had asked me that." I jeered, holding my kindjals tightly. "It doesn't even matter-"

"How can you even- of course it matters!" Jace reached his free hand out to push my head. "You're avoiding him- I thought you loved him- why on earth would you say no?"

I dodged his second attempt to push my head while he spoke. "I did him a favor-"

"A favor?" Jace looked like his eyes could pop out of their sockets any moment. "What the hell does that mean?"

"He's twenty three- no one wants to be tied down that early." I lied through my teeth and turned the corner at the sound of screaming children. "Jace!"

"That's the cheapest excuse I have ever heard." Jace ran around the back of the Drevak demon. "What's the real reason?"

"Jace, we're in the process of killing a demon-" I flipped my kindjals in my hands and swung for the demon when it lunged toward me. "Now is not the time-"

"Of course now's the time!" argued Jace as he pierced his blade into the demon from behind. "Why did you say no?"

I ignored him. "Hold him up!"

Jace gripped the blade's handle and pulled the demon off its feet and in the air while my eyes started to glow. "Why did you say no to him?"

I ignored him again, holding one palm towards the demon, letting my sun rune sear onto my skin and pure sunlight to shoot right towards the demon, killing it.

"The demon's dead." Jace was immediately on my tail when I turned and walked away. "Why did you say no to him?"

"Jace, just drop it-" I was growing frustrated with his repetition of the question, putting my kindjals in their sheaths and walking back down the alley.

"Zee!" Jace grabbed my arm and stopped me from walking. "Just tell me! You can tell me anything- what's the real reason you said no to Alec?"

"Because I'm terrified he's going to regret it!" I heard myself shout at him when I spun to face him. "I'm positive he's going to regret it- so, I'm saving him from making the biggest mistake of his life."

Jace stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"Look at him. He's Alec Lightwood- Head of the New York Institute, the guy that united Shadowhunters and Downworlders- the man who keeps surpassing expectations every day and showing everyone what an amazing leader he is- he does what's right- all he's ever been is honest, and kind- he's unbelievably forgiving and loyal- he's perfect! I mean- it's like Raziel took precious time with him to make him a literal masterpiece! He can do no absolutely wrong-" I threw my arms out wide; exasperated. "Then look at me. I'm Zee Morgenstern- I'm the daughter of probably one of the worst people to have ever walked on this earth, and I was trained to be just like him! I've murdered over a hundred people- and among those people were, funnily enough- have been my own father and brother themselves- I was never loyal to one side, I stuck to the side that benefited me the most- I've been nothing but disloyal and deceitful, I've been contemptible, inconsiderate and have done too many things that I regret- I more than anyone should not be the person that fills the spot that is Alec Lightwood's wife."

Jace stared at me, completely speechless when I dropped my arms to my sides, trying to catch my breath from the mouthful of words that just left my lips in a series of shouts.

"Zee-" Jace took a step towards me after he let the words I expressed sink in. "You're the only person that should be filling that spot. You deserve a happy ending- especially after how hard you've worked for it-"

"He deserves so much better than me- than who I am." I was shaking my head and oddly enough, I felt my eyes water slightly. "I don't want him to look back in ten years or so and realize that he shouldn't have went down this road. That he shouldn't have pursued me- that this wasn't the life that he wanted. I'm not worth all the trouble- all the regret-"

"You're a good person." Jace grabbed my arms and stared down at me. "You're pure- you're just as good as he is- you surpass expectations just like he does- you defeated both Valentine and Jonathan- you sent Lilith back to hell-"

"That doesn't define me- what defines me is the pain I've caused Alec." I clenched my fists at my sides, guilt and regret burning in my chest. "I took away Alec's memories- I made him forget. Just so that- I- could be strong enough to defeat my father. I tried to off myself in front of all of you- in front of Alec, and then I had the nerve to argue with him about it when I first woke up. And all because I- wanted to be put out of my misery. I am not a good person, I am not pure- all I've ever done is hurt him and he doesn't deserve someone like that."

"And he's still here!" Jace argued, exhaling deeply. "Zee, he loves you more than anything- he loves you for the mistakes you've made- all your flaws- if hurting him is what you're worried about, that's exactly what you're doing now! You said no- you're pushing him away- you're avoiding him- you're running."

"Yeah, I am." I seethed through my teeth, pulling from his hold. "Just leave it be-"

Jace took a step. "Zee-"

"Look, Jace- I don't want to talk about this anymore." I huffed and shook my head, blinking away my tears. "I'll meet you at the Institute later- I have something I need to do-"

"Where are you going?" Jace questioned after me. "Let me come with you-"

"No- I have to go on my own." I backed away from him. "I'll tell you later."

-

"Who would you like to commune with, my dear?" The old woman exclaimed when I walked into her shop, holding her palms out and feeling out the air. "A long-lost relative? A fallen friend-"

"Asmodeus." I leaned back against the door and crossed my arms. "Prince of Edom."

"I'm sorry-" She froze. "I don't understand-"

"Drop the act." I pushed myself up to a standing stance. "I know you're a warlock and your power to channel spirits is real- so, are you gonna help me or am I just wasting my time?"

"Channeling demon royalty, that's quite a request." She did quit the act and sat down at the table in the center of the room. "It'll cost extra."

"Whatever." I tossed the bag of coins on the surface, then sat down across from her.

"Very well." She took the small bag and set it aside. "I will try to channel Asmodeus- but, he will only come if he desires it."

I stare blankly. "Go nuts."

Then, she closed her eyes and recited chant of a spell, her voice becoming deeper and more demonic with every word that left her lips.

It wasn't long before Asmodeus himself was seated before me, the reflection of the old woman in the mirror beside her seat.

Asmodeus stared at me for a few moments before he addressed me. "Zee Lillian Morgenstern."

"You know who I am?" I sat up and folded my hands on the table. "I've got to say- I'm flattered."

"Of course I know who you are." Asmodeus inhaled. "Clever idea, calling on me this way."

My voice was monotone. "I'm not in the mood to chase another Greater Demon throughout New York again."

"And how is my son?" He asked.

"Miserable." I was straightforward. "You took the one thing that made him feel special- that made him whole, how could a father do that to his own child? So, naturally- I'm here to make you give back what you stole from him-"

"What I stole?" Asmodeus scoffed in surprise. "My son gave me his powers willingly to correct your mistake. How pathetic."

"It's not pathetic." I snipped at him. "It was a selfless act. And if I had to make the same decision for him- I would."

"An act he already regrets." He leaned back in his seat. "Immortals aren't meant to grow wrinkled and grey- in time, Magnus will come to resent you, until the bitter end."

"I know- it's why I'm here." I swallowed hard at the thought and exhaled. "Look, I'll do anything- just- give him his magic and his immortality back."

"Fine- I'll restore both, but- only under one condition." Asmodeus clicked his tongue. "End your relationship."

My heart stopped. "What?"

"You are the source of all his suffering." Asmodeus sat up. "You make him vulnerable, weak- with you, he'll never reach his full potential."

My voice dropped and went quiet. "Magnus would never agree to it."

"Don't give him the choice." Asmodeus shot back at me. "In fact, Magnus can never know about our little arrangement, or else the deal is off- break his heart to save his life."

-

"I ran some tests on Jonathan's blood. The heavenly fire serum caused a reaction that purged all of its demonic essence." Isabelle showed us the vials when we were all gathered in the armory after she had called for us.

Alec stood across from me, his gaze on the table. "So, injecting Jonathan will burn away all his demon blood?"

"And his demonic connection with Zee." Isabelle looked at me with a smile. "We've finally found a way to separate you from your brother."

"So, once we remove the Twinning rune, he won't have any influence over you." Jace put a hand on my back and rubbed it comfortingly. "He won't be able to hurt you-"

I looked straight at Isabelle, my voice low. "What will the injection do to him?"

"It will hurt- a lot." Isabelle admitted. "You'll feel it, too- but, only until the connection breaks. After that, both of you will be fine."

"Let's do it?" Clary looked at me.

"Yeah." I stepped back. "Let's-"

Then, an all too familiar voice filled our ears from behind us. "Kiddo?"

I spun on my heel immediately and before I could process, especially to everyone's shock, rushed over to him and threw my arms around him. "Luke!"

"Hey-" Luke hugged me back tightly, just as surprised at the gesture but happy to indulge. "I missed you too-"

"How the hell did you get out of prison?" I pulled away, staring up at him with slight wide eyes. "I thought it'd be a while before we saw you again-"

"The Praetor Lupus pulled some serious strings- I'll tell you the whole story later." Luke put his hand on my shoulder. "Right now, I'm just here to support my daughter."

Something about his words was unbelievably comforting to me.

"Great." I weakly smiled at him and nodded once. "Let's get this rune off me."

-

"They're trying to tear us apart, little sister." Jonathan's broken voice sounded the room when I sat down in the seat across from him, getting ready to finally be free of him.

I rolled up my sleeves. "I know."

"Well, you can still stop it." Jonathan kept his gaze burning on me as he was being restrained to his seat. "You don't need to do this-"

"I want to do this." My eyes flickered toward him. "I'm really looking forward to being free of you, Jonathan. Do you remember our last chat?"

"Zee, you're making a terrible mistake." Jonathan's voice cracked when he realized there was no getting through to me. "None of these people care about you the way that I care about you-"

"Enough!" Luke interjected with an angry tone. "Alec, gag him."

"No, no, no!" Jonathan was shouting in panic when Alec gagged him, muffling his screams. "Zee, please! Please stop this- don't let them do this!"

"Hey." My heart leaped out of my chest when I felt Alec's presence next to me, putting some of my hair behind my ear. "I love you."

My gaze burned into his, completely ignoring Jonathan's pleas and focused on Alec's first words to me directly ever since our last encounter. "I love you too."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna leave your side." Alec grabbed my hand in his and squeezed his gently, his voice low. "Just look at me."

"Okay." My voice fell to a whisper, my heart aching at the look on his face.

He was hurting, I could see it.

And yet, even after my stunt, he spoke to me. He tells me he loves me. He holds my hand. Assures me everything would be okay.

Jace put his hand on his shoulder, taking up the spot on my other side. "Zee, are you ready?"

"Yes." I held Alec's hand tight. "Do it."

"Zee, no!" Jonathan's muffled scream sounded through the gag around his face, right as Isabelle punctured the needle into his rune and injected the Heavenly Fire.

Then, all I could feel was burning.

The rune ignited on both of our skins, an unbearable blaze becoming impossible to ignore; apparent and fierce. It wasn't long til toughing it out was no longer an option and I couldn't help but scream and screw my eyes shut at the excruciating and agonizing pain I felt.

Clary's voice was the first I could make out through my own screams. "What's happening to her?"

"She's burning up-" Alec held my hand tight and felt my forehead, my grip on his hand so tight that our hands were trembling. "It's okay- it'll be over soon-"

"Izzy, please, you gotta stop this!" Jace was panicked. "It's hurting her-"

Isabelle had a look of pain on her face. "I can't."

"Just a little bit longer, kiddo." Luke assured me.

Another scream left my lips, my eyes snapping open at the next wave of pain, meeting Jonathan's right as they focused. His eyes focused on mine as if he were waiting for me to look at him, disappearing into a black fog that covered them completely but maintaining eye contact with me regardless.

Then the pain stopped.

"It didn't work." Jace sighed quietly after taking a look at my rune when the screaming finally stopped. His arm reached around my shoulder and cradled my head into his side comfortingly. "I'm sorry-"

"The formula must be too weak." Isabelle covered her face for a moment with a sigh. After a few moments, she dropped her hands. "I have another idea."

Clary looks up. "You do?"

"Each vial of serum contains nanoparticles of Glorious." Isabelle nodded. "I can separate the particles out and use them to create a new, more potent formula."

Alec kept his hold on my hand, using his thumb to caress it. "How long will that take?"

Isabelle sighed. "At least a few hours."

-

"I just don't understand, why on earth would you say no to him?" Clary pressed, walking alongside Isabelle and I on the hunt. "You guys love each other so much-"

"Alright, enough- I already had this conversation with your boyfriend, okay?" I shot at her, rubbing my temples; amazed how practically everyone knew about Alec's proposal. "Besides, I have more important things to worry about."

"It kills me that you have to be connected to Jonathan for another second." Isabelle looked down with a sigh. "I promise I'm going to perfect a better serum-"

"Don't rush." I shockingly heard myself saying. "Honestly, I've reached a point where I don't mind being tied to him anymore."

"Really?" Isabelle stopped in her tracks and looked at me. "After everything that monster has done to you?"

"Monster?" I felt my blood boil at her words. "Jonathan is not a monster."

Clary stopped too. "What?"

"He's a victim." I had my fists clenched at my sides. "He was rejected by my parents- he was sent to Edom to be tortured and mutilated by Lilith- it's not his fault he's the way he is now."

"A victim?" Clary seemed shocked at my words. "Zee-"

"This isn't you talking." Isabelle stared at my ignited rune and reached for my arm. "It's the rune- just calm down-"

Before Isabelle could touch my arm, I took a step towards her and caught her neck in my hand; my grip tight. "Don't touch me."

"Zee!" Alec's voice tore through the air, his hands gripping onto my arms and ripping me away from Isabelle. Within seconds, I was facing his expression that was filled with nothing but concern and shock, forcing me to focus on him. "Snap out of it- just focus on me-"

I was turning my face away and trying to get back to Isabelle. "You-"

"No- hey!" Alec grabbed my jaw and snapped my gaze back to him, staring intently into my eyes. "Look at me-"

Moments later, I felt the anger I once felt towards Isabelle vanish and be replaced with a heavy pant of realization and guilt for what I had just done.

The influence was growing stronger.

"Iz." I looked at her, pulling away from Alec and hugging onto her tightly. "I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay- don't worry." Isabelle held onto me, resting her cheek on my shoulder. "We're going to get this rune off you, I promise-"

-

"Oh- biscuit!" Magnus smiled when he answered the door at the Maryse's new bookshop. "I thought you were Maryse."

"Sorry-" I mumbled and slowly walked into the shop. "Where is Maryse?"

"She retired for the night." Magnus shut the door behind me. "She left me the keys so I can keep working- and you know I'm a perfectionist."

"The shop looks great." I quietly complimented and skimmed the room, looking at the shelves. "There's so many books-"

"I know- there's quite a few I put aside that I figured you might like- when I read the summaries, they seemed your style-" Magnus gestured to a pile on the table. "Maryse said you could have as many as you'd like-"

His words were like knives to my heart. "Oh- thank you, Magnus- that's sweet of you."

"Are you okay? You seem stressed-" Magnus noticed my energy, his eyes falling onto my rune when I faced him. "Oh, biscuit- I'm sorry-"

"That's not- no, uh-" I shook my head and waved it off. "Look, uhm- I came here to talk to you."

Magnus' eyebrows furrowed. "What about?"

"I, uhm-" For once, I could barely find the right words. "I don't think- I can be friends with you anymore."

"What?" Magnus went stiff at my words.

"I've just- been under a lot of stress recently, I've had so much going on- and-" I swallowed hard and looked down at the ground. "Being around you- being friends with you- it's been making it worse."

"I- I'm sorry-" The drop in Magnus' tone made me feel like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. "What is it? I'll work on it-"

"But you can't- just- work on it." I forced myself to look at him, holding my ground. "You lost your magic to correct my mistake. You gave up your magic so that I could have my best friend- and now, you're miserable. You were willing to die just so you can flick your wrist and have a new outfit on in seconds- Magnus, I can't be around you anymore, I can't handle that stress."

"This isn't you- you wouldn't do this." Magnus was walking toward me, rushing to see if my rune had been ignited. "You're not this selfish-"

Magnus' expression dropped further when he noticed the rune was normal.

"It is me." I stared up at him, ignoring the pain I felt in my chest. "I'm being honest with you for once. Would you rather me lie right to your face? To tell you that I'm- content with watching you crumble before me? That I could handle- another burden- on my shoulders-" I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

"No, no, no- please- you don't mean this." Magnus put his hands on my shoulders. "Please, I've lost everything. I've lost my home, my job, my powers- I can't lose you, too- please, you're my family- we're family-"

"You are not my family." I raised my voice with the words I knew would sting and seal the deal. "Downworlder."

Magnus' hands dropped, tears welling up in his eyes as he took a step back. "Zee?"

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm doing this for you. I wanted to say. I wanted to hug him as tightly as I could and promise him that I meant none of it. That I was doing this so he could feel whole again.

But, instead, I shouldered past him and left the shop without another word.

He'll recover.

Hopefully.

-

"You never told me where you went-" Jace said, walking further into the building he, Clary and I were searching. "Earlier-?"

"Oh." I rolled my shoulders at the sudden soreness I felt, holding my kindjals tightly in my hands. "Forget it."

Jace dropped his guard. "Zee."

I huffed lightly and looked at him. "I got Magnus his magic back. I had to make a deal with someone-"

"Who exactly did you make a deal with?" Clary's attention was now caught in our conversation.

I paused, looking between them slowly. "Asmodeus-"

"You what?" Jace's eyes widened. "You made a deal with the Prince of Hell? What did he want?-"

"I had to agree to cut ties with Magnus." I told them, "If I didn't agree to it, he wouldn't restore his immortality and magic- then, Magnus would be miserable."

"You can't-" Clary shook her head at me. "Zee, Magnus would never agree to that-"

"Well, he doesn't know." I looked at her. "And I already did it so don't waste your breath trying to convince me not to. Now- those are Drevak eggs- so, the queen must be nearby- let's make this quick-"

My words earned a sigh from both Clary and Jace before they obeyed and returned to their previous stances, walking further into the room.

Then, abruptly, a demon fell from the roof and between us, knocking Clary through the wall.

"Clary!" Jace shouted in panic and swung his seraph blade, killing the demon the moment it came in contact with his blade.

"Go after her." I flipped my kindjals in my hands when the Queen entered the room. "I've got her-"

Jace obliged, leaving me with the Queen, who snarled loudly at me, a gust of her atrocious breath hitting my face. I grimaced and leaned back slightly. "God, you're ugly-"

Then, an arrow flew over my head and landed in the Queen's shoulder, making her stagger back and shriek in pain.

I turned to look back. "You're late."

"Better late than never, right?" Alec pulled a few more arrows out of his quiver, two demons landing right behind him and surrounding us.

When they both launched for us, I fell to one knee and slashed my kindjals through the two demons that went for Alec, whereas he shot his arrows at the Queen who went for my head.

"Nice shot." I flipped my kindjals and put them into my sheaths, opening and closing my fists at the feeling of soreness and aching for some odd reason.

"Right." Alec pursed his lips and dropped his arms to his sides, watching me silently.

I looked at him, remaining silent.

"Can we talk?" Alec broke the silence before it brewed any longer between us. "Or- are you going to send me through another portal?"

"Alec-" I closed my eyes for a moment. "I didn't- mean to do that- that was completely on impulse- I'm sorry-"

"Look, we don't need to dissect it and talk about every aspect." Alec took a step towards me. "I just- I want to know why you said no. Is it me? Am I not— enough?"

"Alec, that's not-" My sentence came to a very abrupt halt when the ground beneath us rumbled and the walls around us shook. Dust and small pebbles fell off corners of the ceiling, and the sound of muffled screaming from the surface floor overtook the sudden silence in the room.

"Did you guys feel that-?" Jace suddenly ran into the room, followed by a dusty Clary, who looked just as alarmed at he did, especially when a second wave hit.

"What the hell is that?" I looked at Alec, my eyes slightly wide. "We just killed the Queen-"

"I don't know-" Alec began making his way back where we came from when both his and I's phone rang at the time time.

Alec's expression was confused when he answered his phone. "Catarina?"

"Iz?-" I answered mine right as we made it to the street. I could barely make out her rushed words at the sound of the alarm blaring through the line mixed with the car alarms and screaming people. "What did you just say-?"

"Zee, the demons- they were a diversion!" Isabelle's words were a full panicked shout. "Jonathan's escaped-"

My heart started to race. "He what?"

I was sore and in pain because of Jonathan fighting his way out of the Institute, not because I had been on the hunt all night.

"This way!" Jace pointed towards the main street everyone was running away from, sounds of shattering glass and explosions becoming louder and louder as we followed him right towards the danger.

"There was a breach in the wards- someone broke Jonathan out, but- that's not the worst part!" Isabelle was rushed. "I checked the grid- there's this huge- cyclone of some sort right by you guys- and Catarina said that it's-"

"Oh, I see it-" My eyes were wide when we slowly came to a stop at the end of the street, pulling the phone from my ear, no longer processing what she was saying. A black mist was spinning in the middle of the road, sections of it reaching and causing destruction all throughout the street as it slowly made its way down it and closer to us.

But, it wasn't just any cyclone.

It was dark magic.

Clary's eyes were just as wide, the four of us completely alarmed at the sight of the dark magic. "What the hell is that?"

"And how do we stop it?" Jace asked right after.

"Guys-" Alec was pulling his phone from his ear and putting it on speaker for us to hear.

Catarina's voice sounded from the phone. "It's a piece of very old dark magic- once the spell's been cast, it can't be stopped-"

What kind of warlock would cast this?

"Catarina, what exactly is the purpose of the spell?" I couldn't keep my gaze away from the magic. "How the hell do we stop it?"

"The spell is pure darkness- it's meant to snuff out all the light- the purpose of this spell is to resurface any and every negative feeling someone has felt- ever- to make them relive their darkness moments again and again until they give into the darkness- this- this spell is meant to completely ruin someone." Catarina was stuttering over her words. "The only way to stop it is to tether it to a person and let it run its course on them."

"What?" Clary looked down at the phone, sharing the same expression as all of us when we processed her words; knowing that one of us had to make the sacrifice. "Catarina, there must be some other way to stop it-"

"There isn't-" Catarina replied immediately, her words sending a cold chill through my blood.

This could not be a coincidence.

My fist gripped the handle of one of my kindjals tightly, pulling it out of it's sheath and now heading right towards the cyclone of magic.

"Zee!" I heard Alec's loud shout, grabbing my arm and jerking me back to face him. "What're you doing?-"

"You heard Catarina, the only way to stop this is to tether it to a person- the only way to contain this is to let it run its course on someone!" I shouted back at him, looking back at the mist. "Listen, this can't be a coincidence- Jonathan escaped- someone broke him out- and now, this spell- it has to be me!"

"No!" Alec tightened his grip on my arm and grabbed my other arm as well to keep my grounded. "This will send you over the edge, Zee- we'll lose you again- I'll lose you-"

"I know." My voice cracked. "I'm sorry-"

"Zee, you can't do this-" Jace said, stood next to Clary, where they both looked frightened looking at me. "If you do this, you won't be able to fight the rune influence-"

"I know." I repeated, feeling tears start to well up in my eyes, my head snapping back towards Alec. "You made me good once- I need you to do it again, okay? You need to do it again-"

"Zee, you're always rushing to make the big sacrifice-" Alec's eyes began to water at the sight of mine and the severity of the situation. "You're always making these big decisions on your own- you're always running from me- why is it you always do this-"

My voice lowered. "It isn't you."

"Isn't it?" A tear fell from his eye and it was then I realized he wasn't only talking about this.

"I'm sorry I'm always running-" My voice dropped to a tone that only he could hear. "The only reason I said no to you was because I felt like I wasn't enough for you- that you deserved better than me- I thought you were making a mistake- one that you'd regret-"

"You're so stupid-" Alec grabbed my face in both his hands. "So, so stupid-"

I stammer. "Alec-"

"It's you I want. It's you I will always want. It's you who I will forever want. There is nothing you could do to me that could ever change that. There is nothing anyone could ever do that would change that- no one else is suffice." Alec was pouring his heart out, his voice was shaking. "What you don't get is I don't care if you say I deserve better because I want you. I have never, ever, in my entire life regretted a moment with you. And I can guarantee that I never will."

I stared at him, at a complete loss of words. Tears were falling from the eyes and I could hear the cyclone getting closer, and could feel the wind starting to rip through our hair to signal we were running out of time.

"It's shocking how I can still leave you speechless." Alec used his thumbs to wipe my tears, his voice breaking. "How can you still doubt me?"

"Okay." I breathed, my heart racing at the words that left my mouth. "I'll marry you."

Light struck in Alec's glossy eyes. "You will?"

"Yes. I will- I'll marry you-" I could barely get out my sentence before his arms were around my waist and my body folded into his, connecting our lips.

One of his hands was in my hair, the other seeming to be rummaging through his pocket. Then, I felt him slip a ring on my finger.

Another explosion broke me away from the kiss, looking back at the mist that was a few feet away from us.

I looked at Alec, feeling him lean his forehead against mine. "I love you-"

"I love you-" Alec was reluctant to let me go, and once he did, Jace and Clary were immediately in protest as to why he was letting me do this.

I didn't let them protest any further, ignoring their shouts for me to stop before I turned and pierced my kindjal right into the magic, watching as the blackness circled around my arm and made its way upwards. Slowly, it surrounded me, engulfing me completely.

The spell was worse than I expected.

It pierced through me repeatedly, keeping me completely blind from seeing the outside world.

"You're pathetic!" Valentine's voice rang through my head. "You're a solider. A machine- you're not meant to love, you're not capable of love. All that matters is duty. Remorse should not exist in your world. Emotions cloud your judgment."

"You helped one of my test subjects escape?" His voice was angry. "Have you learned nothing? You foolish girl- why must you be so disappointing?"

"Kill her." His voice taunted. "She's not meant for this world. That before you is a filthy Downworlder. She is not your equal. She is a demon. Kill her."

"You are a Morgenstern, you must act like one!" His tone was terrifying. "I wouldn't have to go to such drastic measures to put you in line if you would just play the part."

Play the part.

Suddenly, the black magic erupted into a black mist, fading away from around me and revealing the outside world to me once more.

Alec, Clary and Jace stood frozen, staring at me. My eyes went completely black, mirroring Jonathan's and that's when we all knew.

Alec was the first to make eye contact with me.

I smirked.

Oh was it good to be back.

authors note:

i am actually sorta proud of this chapter. took me about seven hours to write too

the last scene is inspired by ouat !!! i hope it makes sense, i spent weeks trying to figure it out so that i could write something different so i came up with that

zee portalling alec away. imagine how funny that would be to witness-

but, agh, magnus and zee- my heart is fucking broken. i wanted to cry writing that scene

zace in this chapter >>>

zee and luke !!! zee and izzy !!! agh, literally just everything in this chapter, even a bit of zee and clary

but more importantly, zee and alec !!! bet you guys were mad at me at the beginning of the chapter for her saying no, but- I redeemed myself in the end

but, :(. valentine causing her the most pain with her training and disobedience in the years she spent hostage with him. makes me sad

but, thank you so much for 106k !!!

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