The only light that shun in the room was from Alec's lamp, the only sound being our quiet moans, euphoria and ecstasy threaded in our tones.

My nails dug into Alec's back, my teeth gently biting down on Alec's bottom lip, as he was on top of me, his sheets covering our lower halves.

Alec let out a moan of my name, kissing down my neck, before connecting his lips with mine again.

Our bodies were pressed together, my hands slowly trailing up his back and into his hair, gently pulling it.

A last sound of his name leaves my mouth, our panting uneven, as he fell beside me.

"Alec." I stare at his ceiling, my head resting on his shoulder, breathing heavily, his blanket covering my bare body, along with his.

Alec looks at me, "What?"

"We screwed up." My hand rests on the soft fabric of his blanket.

His eyebrows furrow, "How so?"

"Because you're in love with Jace." I prop myself onto my elbow, turning slightly onto my side so I can look at him, my now messy hair flipping lightly to the side at my sudden movement, using the blanket to cover my chest.

"I am not having this conversation with you again." Alec shook his head, running a hand through his messy hair, shooting me a look.

"Why?" Sarcasm starts to drip through my tone, "Because the last time I brought it up, we ended up having sex?"

"You know- I kinda liked it." Alec's fingertips trail down my arm, his eyes trailing from my collarbone to my eyes.

"Kinda?" I choke out in a joke, "I've known you for a little over a week and I've already slept with you. You should honestly feel special."

"You should feel special-" Alec's voice fell quiet, "You were the first."

"The first?" My eyebrows furrow, looking at him, but then realization falls over me after taking note of the look on his face, "I was your- wait- no way-"

"You were." He admits, staring at his hand that was trailing down my arm.

"Someone as good looking as you- has been a virgin this entire time." I said, "That's an absolute shocker."

"You think I'm good looking?" He looks up at me.

"Giving it up to the girl you despise." I change the subject instantly, "Nice going, Alec."

Alec shot me another look, "There's a fine line between despise and strongly dislike."

"My bad- you gave it up to the girl you strongly dislike-" I correct myself, "Let's not forget how much you've been going on about not trusting me."

"Well- this doesn't change how I feel about you and how I'm going to express it-" Alec rolls his eyes, referring to how he's treated me, "But- I've never really had time for any of this-"

I cut him off, "Because you're utterly and irrevocably in love with Jace?"

"Because I've always been focused on rules, missions, and training." Alec stares at me.

"That explains how much of a buzzkill you are." I shrug, "Plus- with what just happened- you're basically experimenting-"

Alec rolls his eyes, his hand gently grasping my forearm, pulling me into him, "Well- right now, I know I really liked doing this."

"Doing what?" I question, only to be cut off when he softly presses his lips into mine.

I kiss back for a while, until he pulls away, staring into my eyes.

Alec breaks the silence after a few seconds, "What do you think?"

"I think you just experimented and you're totally into Jace." I sat up.

"Zee." Alec began to roll his eyes.

"I'm serious, Alec." I held the blanket to my chest, "Tell me what you think."

"I think- it was in the moment, and in that moment I wasn't thinking and I liked that." Alec honestly spoke, "That's all I know right now."

I fall back into the bed, my head resting on his bicep, "I don't know, Alec."

He exhales deeply, "I don't know either."

I didn't know why I let any of it happen. He despised me for being close with Jace and I knew I felt nothing towards Alec.

It was lust.

Clary's voice filled my ears from outside the door and in the halls, "Zee?"

My eyes widen, Alec and I instantly jumping up, scattering for our clothes. I grab the first shirt I find, throwing it over my head.

I take in the scent of the skirt, realizing that it was Alec's.

I start to take it off, Alec throwing on a different shirt, "Keep it on- I can't find your shirt anyway-"

Clary's voice fades, Alec slipping on the rest of his clothes as did I.

I reach up, fixing his hair, then look at him, "We never speak of this."

"Agreed." Alec nods, leaving the room, as I followed right behind him.

"And he spoke to you?" Jace's voice fills my ears, making Alec and I stop right in our tracks, my eyes landing on Jace holding Clary's necklace, Clary behind him.

"He said my name." Clary told him, "He said- your mother for the Cup."

"Who said that?" Alec and I say in unison, staring at Jace and Clary.

"Valentine." Jace turns, looking at Alec and I, his eyebrows furrowing.

Clary looks at me, "Where have you been? I wanted to tell you about this first but you weren't in your room so I assumed you were with Jace-"

"You assumed I was with Jace?" I run a hand through my hair.

She continued with questions, "And why are you with Alec?"

Alec answers for the both of us before I could speak, "We met up in the hall."

"Is that his shirt?" Jace's eyebrows furrow, stepping to the side to take a better look at it from where he stood.

My mouth drops, Clary quickly speaking up, "No- it's mine."

I looked at her, my mouth shutting.

Clary exchanged a look, signaling that she was going to cover up for me even if she didn't know the full story, "It's mine."

"Okay- my shirt isn't what matters right now." I run a hand through my messy hair.

Alec changes the subject, "Valentine said that to you?"

"He's with my mother." Clary told us.

"And he can speak to you through that necklace?" Alec walks in, as I followed him, "Here, in the Institute?"

"It's like when I saw Dot." Clary explains, placing her hands on her hips.

"It's a Portal shard." Jace stared at the necklace, "That's why your mother made sure you had it."

"All I know is what I saw-" Clary turns towards me, "Mom's alive. She's unconscious, but alive."

"Where are they?" I question, holding my palm out for Jace, Jace placing the necklace into my hand.

"I don't know." She honestly told him.

"But you said you saw them." Alec pushed, "Were there any identifying characteristics? Equipment, weapons, photographs?"

"I don't remember." Clary shot out, "It was awful."

I looked at him, "Alec-"

"Alec, lighten up." Jace sides with me.

"I'm trying to get something we can use out of this." Alec shot us both a look, "Clary, what did you see, exactly?"

"Valentine has my mother." She spat, "That's what I saw."

"Emotions are nothing but a distraction." Alec stares at the two of us, "You're ruled by them. We're taught to control them."

I scoff, "And how is that working out for ya?"

"It is my job to protect the Institute." Alec stares at me, "If Valentine can see in, that's a door I have to shut. Now, let me take a look at that thing."

My eyes broke away from the necklace, and to Alec's held out palm for it. I looked at Jace, as he gave me a small nod in approval.

I oblige, handing Alec the necklace.

"Now, it's in the proper hands." Alec held the necklace, leaving the room, catching us all off guard.

"Hey!" Clary chases after him.

I sigh deeply through my nose, following them "Alec where are you going?"

"To put this somewhere safe." Alec continued to walk, "Where no one could be tempted to use it."

"Alec-" I quicken my pace into a jog, due to being too short to match his steps.

"We should use it." Jace comes by Alec, "Alec, we should use it to get to Valentine."

"If I were Valentine, I'd make you think that you could rescue Jocelyn." Alec walks up the steps and into the training room, Jace, Clary and I hot on his trail, "And then I'd lure Clary to me and leverage her life for the Cup- knowing the little one would come right after her, using her to lure me to the Cup."

"My name isn't little one." I stared down after him once we came to a stop, as he traced a rune on the tiled ground, a box coming up in a long form, Alec drawing another rune to open it, "And I think we should go with what Jace says. We saved Simon from the vampires that way."

"Yeah- I like Jace's idea." Clary sides with me.

"Yeah vampires." Alec looks at me, "Bored, decadent, self-involved vampires."

I roll my eyes, placing my hands onto my hips.

"Valentine is a real threat." Alec places the necklace in, waving his stele over the rune, the tile going back to how it normally was, as he stood up, stepping closer to me, towering over me, his eyes connected with him, his voice low, sending chills down my body, "He can't be handled by four-and-a-half Shadowhunters."

"Five." My arms drop to my side as frustration filled within me already, keeping my ground.

Alec was close, his voice low and filled with a tone that showed he didn't care, "Whatever."

"Really? We're back to this again?" I slightly glare, "It hasn't even been five minutes yet."

Alec brings his face closer to mine, staring at me dead in the eye, "Leave it there."

He walks past me, leaving me completely filled with anger and confusion.

-

"There you are." Isabelle's voice catches my attention, as she walks over to me and sits on the bench next to me, "Are you okay?"

I look up from my boots and at her, a strand of my straight hair falling from behind my ear and to it's normal place.

It was the next morning, and I was dressed in Alec's shirt, one that was emerald green, loosely tucked into my black ripped jeans, parts of my legs exposed due to how many rips were in them, black heeled ankle boots on my feet, and my hair straight as usual, a black leather jacket in my hand.

I had sat alone for a while, thinking about everything that had happened with Alec; frustrated.

"Well- there's so many reasons for me to be pissed with Alec- but the only one that's seems to stand out the most is that Clary saw Jocelyn. Then he-" I began to tell her.

She cut me off, nodding, "I heard. And believe me, there have been many times where I wanted to kill Alec."

"Look, I know my brother can be a real pain in the ass but he means well." Isabelle spoke after my silence, "That necklace is very dangerous."

"I'd go after Jocelyn alone if I have to." I told her honestly, "There's nothing I wouldn't do for this family. If that necklace is dangerous- I'll take the risk on my own."

"The problem is, you're not on your own, Zee." Isabelle grabs my free hand, "You're part of us now."

"I'm still getting used to that idea, I guess." I looked away and at my hands, sighing deeply.

"What else did he do?" Isabelle questions.

"It's not something he did, it's something we both did-" I place my leather jacket next to me, pursing my lips tight.

"What- did you guys hook up together or something?" Isabelle asks, her eyebrows furrowing.

I look at her at a loss of words.

"Oh my god-" A smile breaks out onto her lips, her eyes wide, "No way- you guys had sex-"

I bury my face into my hands, "Yeah- Alec and I slept together-"

"You and Alec slept together?" Clary's voice fills my ears, my head snapping up, landing on her at the end of the hall.

I close my eyes, whispering to myself, "Oh no-"

"I knew it-" Clary comes over by us, "I knew something was going on between you two-"

"There is nothing going on-" I open my eyes, beginning to say, only for Clary pick up my jacket and sit in it's place, placing it on her lap.

"It's about time Alec found someone he's interested in-" Isabelle smiles, grabbing my hand once more in excitement.

"You slept with Alec." Clary repeats to herself, the thought sinking in, "What happened?"

"I went to talk to him and he- kissed me-" I stammer, "One thing lead to another and-"

"That's why you weren't with Jace- or in your room last night." Clary claps her hands together as she pieced it together one by one, "Because you were screwing Alec in his!"

"Shh-" I shush her, "I can't control myself around a guy I find attractive-"

"You slept with a guy who has had it for you since you got here-" Clary looks at me, "That's a plot twist."

"So, where does this lead for you and Alec?" Isabelle gushes, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"No where-" I shook my head instantly, "Alec and I can't happen-"

"Well, why not?" Clary questions.

"Well- first of all, I don't feel anything towards Alec- like that." I began.

Clary cuts me off, "Oh yeah? Was that the case when you were in his bed last night?"

"I swear, I could kill you-" I looked at her.

Clary wraps a arm around my waist, smiling, "Do go on."

I roll my eyes playfully, "Second of all- he's head over heels for Jace."

Clary and Isabelle look at each other, and then at me.

"I'm not the only one who sees it- right?" I look between them.

Isabelle shook her head, "It's been clear to me for years."

"I can see it too." Clary nods her head.

I look at Isabelle, "Well- I mean, I get Jace is straight and all, but what if there was a chance they could happen? Is that not allowed or something?"

Isabelle shook her head once more, "Jace and Alec are parabatai. Parabatai are completely forbidden from falling in love with each other. It's something they're never allowed to do. Because falling out of love will risk the bond that is supposed to remain forever. If the Clave ever found out, they'd be punished to death. But- some have been stripped of their runes and casted into the world of mundanes."

"Oh my god-" I look down, sympathy filling within me, "This sucks for Alec more than I thought."

Clary nods, "Yeah-"

I clear my throat, changing the subject, "I wish I knew what to do- about the whole Jocelyn thing. All of this, it's so new to me."

"You'll get the hang of it, I promise." Clary rubs my back, "You're doing so good so far."

"Says you-" I nudge her, "You're doing so well that it seems that you've been a Shadowhunter your whole life."

She weakly smiles, "It'll seem like that for you too."

"In my opinion, you both are doing great." Isabelle, smiles, getting up, reaching for my hand, as I held onto Clary's, "Walk with me. Tell me everything about Jocelyn."

I got up, pulling Clary along with me, grabbing Isabelle's hand, walking down the hall with her.

-

"So, Alec blew right by you and did what he wanted." Isabelle took from what Clary and I told her, "I'd be angry, too."

"He took the only way I had to see my mother." Clary crosses her arms, "Plus, he kept asking what Valentine's room looked like."

"He was interested in Valentine's style?" Isabelle smirks, "Fascinating."

"No, he thought she might have seen something that could help us find him." I corrected her, placing a hand on my hip.

"And did you?" Isabelle looks at Clary.

"I didn't see anything there, but I think I might know another way." Clary looks at us.

"Isabelle." A woman walks through the doors and towards us, "Dressed to impress, I see. And you've been playing with the family heirlooms."

"I'm- Zee Young." I clear my throat, introducing myself, "This is my sister- Clary Fray."

"Clary Fairchild." She corrected me, then eyes me, "You look just like your mother. We know all about you in Idris."

"Uh- Idris?" I repeat.

"The Shadowhunter homeland." Isabelle answers to my confusion, "If you think the Institute is well-hidden, wait until you see that place."

She looks at the woman, "How's Max? We all miss him."

She looks at Clary and I, "Little brother. Cute but clingy. Kinda Simon-ish."

"Robert's picking him up at the Mumbai Institute." The woman questioned, "Where's Jace? We have a situation that has to be handled now."

The woman pushes past Isabelle and I, walking towards the training room.

Isabelle, Clary and I follow, Isabelle quietly speaking, "Well, that's my mom."

"Is your mom always like that?" Clary quietly questioned as we stepped onto the training room floor, "She didn't even hug you."

"Shadowhunters aren't big huggers." Isabelle lightly shrugs.

I was barely paying attention to the conversation, my eyes glued to Jace, watching his every move as he moved swiftly with his blade, practicing some moves.

Jace notices Isabelle's mother, "Maryse-"

"Hey." Jace smiles, walking over to her, giving her a hug, "It's great to see you. How's everyone in Idris? Where's, uh- where's Max?"

"No Max." Isabelle walks over, Clary and I following her, "Just Mom with her hair on fire."

"Mother." Alec walks over, sharing a hug with her, "Welcome back. We didn't expect you."

"You should be prepared, whether you expect me or not." Maryse pulls away from him.

"I am." Alec nods, "We are."

"We'll talk about the Institute later." Maryse dismisses, "Right now, we have a bigger problem."

"The Seelies have stopped communicating with the Clave and won't explain why." Maryse walks around us in a circle, "My guess is they're still upset we asked them to send scouts to look for Valentine, but no one in their realm will talk."

"I have Seelie friends." Isabelle spoke up from beside me, as I was stood between her and Jace.

"Yes, I know about your friends." Maryse looks at her, "Isabelle, we stay separate from the Downworld for good reasons. The wrong move, the wrong word- do you think there is such a thing as harmless rebellion? Who knows what offends these creatures? Maybe you told him them something they shouldn't know. Maybe you trod on one of their ridiculous customs without knowing it."

"Wait, wait." Jace stops her, "I don't understand. You're laying all this on Izzy for having a friend in the Downworld?"

"When someone upsets the natural order, everything falls apart." Maryse sets down straight to us.

"Natural order? What are you saying?" Clary questions.

"I can help." Isabelle spoke up once more despite what her mother said, "I know how to talk to Seelies."

"She's right." Alec stood up for her, "She can visit with Meliorn and see what he knows. I could go with her if you want."

"I'd rather Jace goes along this time." Maryse spoke, then points at Clary, "And you."

"Alec, you stay with the Young girl." Maryse orders then looks at me, "I want her under control. She's caused enough trouble already."

"You have got to be kidding me-" I mutter to myself due to being stuck with Alec, then look up at her, "It wasn't my intention to stir up any trouble. And in my defense, I wasn't even aware and didn't become a Shadowhunter until a few days ago."

"And what an exciting few days it has been." Maryse stared at me, "The Clave counts on us Lightwoods to maintain order here."

"You don't need to tell me that." Alec exclaims, "If the mission is important to the Clave, I would prefer to be the one who goes with Isabelle."

"You're all so eager to do what you would prefer." Maryse began to get demanding, " It's time to face the truth. Life is not about what you want to do, it's about what must be done."

"I have given you your assignments, now carry them out." Maryse points at Isabelle, Jace and Clary, "The three of you, with me, now."

Jace sighs, following Maryse, along with Isabelle and Clary.

I huff in defeat, walking over to Alec, "What did you do to piss off your mom?"

"I'd guess, for a start all the unsanctioned missions on your behalf didn't go over that big with the Clave." Alec said to me, then walked away.

-

[ alec's pov ]

"You're the acting head of this Institute. If there's a diplomatic mission, you should go." Jace comes up with a reason as I walked with him, "Let's switch assignments."

"Nope." I denied, "This time I'm actually gonna obey orders, and babysit your girlfriend.

"Zee? She's more like my responsibility." Jace says as we come to a stop, looking up at me, "Hey, you'll keep an eye on her, right?"

He continues due to my silence, "What is wrong with you?"

I debate to myself whether or not I should tell him about what Zee and I had done.

"I, uh-" I trail off, "You have every right to be mad at me."

"What did you do?" Jace questioned, a smile forming on his lips, "Throw my leather jacket in the washing machine again?"

"This isn't a joke." My facial expression was completely serious, causing him to stop with the jokes and listen.

Looking away, I spoke, "At Magnus's. The demon image of you."

"That?" Jace asks, looking at me, "You love me- so? I love you, too, Alec."

"Come on, man. We're parabatai. We're brothers." Jace lets out a soft laugh, "We've spent almost our whole lives together. How could we not love each other? This is what's been bothering you? Seriously?"

"Yeah. You're right. That's true." I nervously laugh. "I just thought you'd think that-"

"What?" Jace asks, then continues after my silence, "Whatever, okay-"

I look down at my feet, swallowing hard.

"That's not all, is it?" Jace already knew there was something else, "What is it?"

I clear my throat, my eyes slowly connecting with his, "Last night- the reason Zee wasn't in her room, was because she was with me."

Jace's eyes squint in suspicion, "Where are you going with this?"

"Jace, we uh-" I swallow, "We slept together."

"What?" Jace gapes at me, his facial expression changing, "You two hooked up?"

"Yeah- yeah we did." I quietly said, "You have every right to be mad at me-"

"Let me get this straight." Jace stops me, "For the past week and a half, you've been repetitively pushing on about how we can't trust her because she's Valentine's daughter- how she came out of nowhere- and how I shouldn't be helping her- when- you were planning on sleeping with her all along?"

"What happened wasn't planned." I told him straight out, "It shouldn't have happened- but it did."

He shook his head, looking away, "Unbelievable."

"I'm sorry." I apologized, "I know you-"

He stops me right there, covering up how he really felt about it, "My responsibility. If you want to follow Mom's orders tonight, that's great."

I sigh deeply, looking down, "Look, you have every right to be mad at me."

"I am." Jace barely shrugs, then looks at me, "But please, just do me one favor- swear to me you won't take your eyes off of Zee."

Jace stammers, "I- I can't believe I even asked you that. You won't let me down."

He gives me a hug, then pats my shoulder, biting the inside of his cheek, looking away, dropping his hand, walking away from me.

-

[ zee's pov ]

I was seated on the bench in the training room, alone.

I stared at the many times that were on the ground, defeat filling within me.

I had no idea what to do, or how to feel.

I was stuck at the Institute with Alec the entire time. Although, I didn't have Alec, I just wasn't in the mood to take crap from him all day, even if it was different last night.

Alec walks into the training room, coming behind me, looking down at me, "My shirt?"

I looked back at him, rolling my eyes, "Shut it."

He pathetically laughs, walking over to the stand of training weapons, "Get up."

I exhale, obeying, as he tossed me a bo staff, grabbing one of his own.

"For what it's worth, I think your mom was too tough on you." I caught the bo staff, looking up at him.

"Mothers are like that." Alec mutters, walking over to me.

"Well- I don't think mine was." I shrug, "I know Jocelyn's isn't."

Alec shot me a look, staying silent.

I sigh dramatically, "Go ahead- I'm giving you a free pass to knock me on my ass. It'll make you feel better."

"Don't make me say you're right about something." The corner of Alec's mouth turns up but barely.

"You'd be surprised about how many things I've been right about." I held a tight grip on the bo staff, positioning myself, "Even if some people don't want to admit it."

Alec rolls his eyes, knowing what I was implying, "Plant your feet wide."

I do as he says, my eyes on the staff.

"I told Jace." Alec mentions, my eyes shifting back towards him, "-about what happened between us."

"I think it's funny how we both agreed not to speak of it- but we ended up telling people." I pathetically laugh, Alec swinging at me, as I quickly block with my staff, but barely.

"He wasn't all too happy about it." Alec looked at me after I used the staff to defend myself.

"I couldn't say the same for Clary and Izzy." I step away, readjusting my grip on my staff, "Why would he care to begin with?"

"I'm pretty sure he has a thing for you." Alec's eyebrows furrow as he says this, swinging at me once more, as I quickly duck.

"I'm pretty sure you're bluffing." I stood back up, only for him to grab onto me and pressing my back up against his chest, his bo staff against my neck.

"Never let your guard down, not even for a second." Alec instructs, "Kicking shins and kneeling isn't going to keep you alive. You need to train."

"Well- isn't that what I'm doing right now?" I looked up at him, "Training?"

Alec lets go of me, repositioning himself as do I.

"Why did you let your mom say all those things about Izzy?" I changed the subject, swinging at him, as he instantly blocked it out of reflex.

"Don't step into the strike." Alec taught, "Step through it."

"Izzy was out of bounds. The law is hard but it's the law. Even I forget that sometimes." Alec told me, standing straight.

"So, you're just gonna let her send Jace out instead of you?" I question.

He swings twice, as a grunt leaves my lips, as I struggled to block his swings, only being able to block the second, both of us leaned closer to each other.

"If I screw up, I expect to be punished." Alec's voice was low, "I'm supposed to be a leader."

"You know what a leader does, Alec?" I push him off with my staff, "Makes decisions."

"You need to find Valentine and stop him." I told him, "I need to find Valentine and help save Jocelyn."

Alec doesn't reply, as we sparred with our staffs, Alec's staff keeping mine held to the ground after a few hits.

I grunt, kicking his staff out of his hands, swinging for his head, as he fell into one knee, ducking, turning his body, grabbing the staff, standing up and flipping me forward, onto my back.

I looked up at him, letting out a grunt, "Ow."

"You need to work on your defense." Alec helps me up, "What do you think? Do you think we haven't been trying to find Jocelyn?"

"Don't you think I know that?" I raise an eyebrow, I repeat his words from earlier, "Considering all the unsanctioned missions you've gone on- on my behalf. But- I know you can color outside the lines. You're just not letting yourself think that way."

"Oh, yeah? What's the big thought I'm not thinking?" Alec hands me my staff, picking up his own.

"We can still find Valentine- even without the necklace." I held the staff, "I might know a way."

"What way?" Alec questions.

"There's a box." I began, "Jocelyn didn't think I knew about it. But she opened it once a year and cried."

"'Cause?" Alec asks.

"It belonged to our father." My arm rests on the end of my staff, "Or well- at the time, Clary's. Had his initials, JC, on top."

"But, your father's Valentine." Alec points out, "Why JC?"

"Because all these years, she's told Clary his name was Jonathan Clark." I spoke, "That was a lie. But whatever was in that box meant a lot to her. Maybe there's something inside that could help us track him."

"Where can we find the box?" Alec asks, standing up straight.

"I think it's still back at the loft." I stepped back, "We should go get it."

"Absolutely not. Not without permission." Alec immediately declined, his phone ringing, cutting the conversation off, as he took his phone out, looking at it, holding his finger up to me, "Just-"

He walks away from me, answering the phone, "Hello?"

I stare at him, slowly backing away, as he spoke on the phone, setting my staff down very quietly, backing down the stairs, then quickly making my way into my room.

I grab my bag, slipping on my leather jacket, grabbing my phone and stele, then heading right for the doors and outside.

-

I look around, this being the first time in a while I've roamed these streets in the daylight since I have become a Shadowhunter; even if it was with an invisibility rune.

My phone rings in my bag, my footsteps coming to a halt, people around me checking their phones to see if it was ringing.

I huff, looking for my phone in my bag, only to gasp loudly when Alec's voice is close to my ear, "Why'd you run out?"

"Great- you found me." I face him, giving him a crooked smile, then continuing to look for my phone.

"And what's the point of an Invisibility rune if you don't silence your phone?" Alec rolls his eyes, "That was childish, sneaking out like that-"

"Shut it-" I finally grab out my phone.

"Make me-" He challenged.

"No-" I roll my eyes, looking at the caller id, answering instantly, "Simon-"

"Zee- hey." Simon exhales.

"Are you dead yet?" I stupidly ask, "Did a demon try to kill you yet? Are you calling me from the heavens?"

"Zee-" Simon huffs, "You know that thing when you think you're catching a cold, but you never actually get sick?"

"You called me to tell me you think you're getting sick?" My eyebrows furrow, walking away from Alec, "Um, can we talk later? Things got so insane-"

Alec follows me, standing in front of me again, causing me to roll my eyes, focusing on Simon, "Insane, how? Are you okay?"

"Physically- I'm fine. Emotionally- not sure." I told him, "I killed a demon and lost all my memories forever, so-"

"You killed a what?" Simon blurts out, "Okay, Zee, where are you?"

"I'm at the Brooklyn Academy." I answered, "I'm on my way to-"

"Hang up." Alec stops me, "That's it, we have to go. Right now."

I ignore him, "I'm on my way to the loft."

"Come on-" Alec grabs my arm, starting to pull me.

I pull back, breaking away from his grasp, "There's something there that I think could help me find Jocelyn."

"Are you crazy? That's way too dangerous." Simon instantly said, "You think nobody's watching that place?"

"I'm fine." I assured him, only for Alec to scoop me up, and start to walk in the direction he came in, "I'm with- Alec!"

"And those words are supposed to make me feel better how?" Simon asks, "Yeah, I'm coming to help."

"What? Simon- no- Alec, put me down! Simon, hang on-" I place myself onto mute, kicking my legs, pointing at Alec, "Simon's heading towards the loft, now we need to go-"

"You think I care about your mundane friend?" Alec questions, coming to a stop.

"Well- I care about my mundane friend-" I cross my arms, "Put me down, Alec."

Alec rolls his eyes, setting me down.

I unmute myself, "No, Simon, you've been through enough already."

"So have you." He shot right back at me, "Meet me at the old shortcut. You know the one."

He hung up, a huff leaving my lips as I placed my phone back in my back.

Alec looks around, "Mundanes. Look at them. Running around like ants."

I roll my eyes, as he grabs my arm, pulling me in the direction I came from, "Let's go."

"This isn't the way to the loft-" I pull back.

"Damn right it's not, we're going back to the Institute." Alec told me straight forward.

"Alec, no-" I pulled my arm away, "You can go back to the Institute if you want to. I'm going to the loft and meeting up with Simon. Could possibly get killed in the process- but that's fine. If you want to tag along, you're welcome to. But I'm going."

I start to back away from him, a huff in annoyance leaving his lips, following me, coming to my side.

I look at him, "Why do you always look so miserable?"

"I don't." Alec dismisses.

"You do." I said right back, "Listen- it must be hard being in love with Jace- especially since he's straight and the whole parabatai curse-"

"Excuse me?" Alec stops and looks at me.

"What?" I halt, looking at him, "I don't understand, what's the big deal? Love is love- no matter what gender."

"We're parabatai." Alec steps closer to me.

"No matter how many times you try to put it out there that you're not in love with Jace, it's not going to convince me." I shook my head, "Alec, just say it, you'll feel better. You're in love with Jace."

"I'm not having this conversation with you again." Alec shook his head, "This same conversation is what lead to us hooking up."

"As if I'd let that happen again-" I walked away from him, Alec following right behind me, as I stepped onto a bench to level his height, looking right at him.

Alec pathetically laughs, looking right at me, "You didn't seem to have a problem when it was happening."

"Because it was-" I huff through my nose, "You're unbelievable."

Alec eyes me, laughing once more, "Look at you- standing on a bench to meet my height."

"It's not my fault that you tower over me like a giraffe." I shot at him, my hands at my sides, slowly balling into fists.

Alec rolls his eyes, "Well, it isn't exactly my fault you're the size of a dwarf."

I shook my head, "That's not the point- the point is you're in love with Jace and you don't wanna admit it."

"Forget it." Alec holds my gaze, "You know what? You're in love with Jace."

"Okay-" I laugh softly, "The middle school comeback? Nice."

Alec rolls his eyes once more, shooting me a look.

I roll my eyes right back at him, starting to step off the bench, only for my heel stopping me in the opening of the bench, sending me falling forward.

Alec was quick and caught me, his arms around my waist, our chests pressed together, my hands gripping his jacket, my feet not touching the ground.

He slowly puts me down, his eyes leering into mine, my palms now flat on his chest.

Alec's eyes glance at my lips, his hand holding my face.

He inhales deeply, his eyes connecting with mine once more.

He presses his lips into mine, one hand holding my face, the other going to the back of my head, gently gripping my hair.

I try to resist, but I kiss back, gripping his collar.

He pulls away, but barely, rubbing our noses together. He bites his bottom lip, slowly opening his eyes, lifting his head and looking at me.

"Simon-" I manage to muster out, "He's probably at the short cut by now-"

"The mundane can wait." Alec connects our lips once more, catching me off guard.

-

"Alec- we need to stop-" I walked in the direction of the short cut.

Alec follows closely behind me, "I know."

"We need to make a vow that this won't happen again-" I continued.

Alec rolls his eyes, "That's stupid."

"I honestly feel nothing for you in that way-" I stop in my steps, looking at him.

"Well- I'm glad the feelings mutual." Alec came to a stop in front of me.

"Is that so?" I run a hand through my hair, "Is that why you keep kissing me?"

"You wanna play that game?" Alec steps closer to me, "Why do you keep kissing back?"

"I've had more success in my sex life in the past few days than I have in the past 18 years." I sarcastically said, placing my hands on my hips.

"I highly doubt that." Alec shot me a look.

"Alec." I stomp my foot in frustration, "This isn't going to happen."

"Glad we're on the same page." Alec kept his hands at his sides.

"This needs to come to an end now-" I press my palms together.

"Do you ever shut up?" Alec thought out loud, looking down at me.

I hum in response, "Well- you've done a really good job at shutting me up recently."

Alec shook his head in disbelief, "Why didn't I listen to Jace- why didn't I just switch assignments-"

"Because you follow the rules." I roll my eyes, crossing my arms.

Alec crosses his arms also, "I told him I'd keep an eye on his little girlfriend."

"Oh yeah? All you've been doing is kissing her!" I blurt out, then point at him, "And I'm not his girlfriend."

"Hey- you can't this all on me." Alec fought back, "It takes two. If anything, we like kissing each other-"

I go silent, staring at him, my hands balled into fists at my sides.

"Whatever, little one." Alec starts to walk back in the direction we were heading.

"That's not my name!" I follow him.

"I know." Alec softly laughs, fixing his sleeve, continuing to walk.

I open my mouth to talk, only to shut it right away, my eyes landing on Simon.

"Simon-" I ran over to him, engulfing him into a hug, "Hey- thanks for being here."

"You don't need to do this alone." Simon held me tight then pulled away, "It's not who we are."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" I step back, "You've been through a lot-"

"Yeah, it's just a cold." Simon nods, "Not the end of the world."

"The world's been ending for a thousand years." Alec cuts in, "Ah, you get used to it. Now, we need to move."

"The loft is just across the alley." I point.

"All right, well, we have to be careful." Alec looks at me, "There are eyes all over this place and everybody in the Shadow World's looking for you."

Simon stops him, "I mean, I guarantee you, no one's gonna find this shortcut. You might know the Shadow World, but trust me I know Brooklyn."

"Come on." Simon nods towards us, running to the wall, jumping right over it.

I gape in surprise, confusion falling over me, but regardless, Alec and I follow.

"When did you become so-" I trail off, climbing up the fire escape right after Simon, "-athletic?"

Simon laughs lightly as we walked up the steps, "You've gotten a lot better at this."

"Barely- but thanks." I reach the top.

"Climbing a fire escape excites mundanes." Alec mutters from behind me, "I'll never understand these people."

I pursed my lips, holding back a laugh, rolling my eyes.

Alec shot me a look, pursing his lips.

I walk down the steps, reaching the platform, "This looks a lot different-"

"These are runes and wards of protection cast by a warlock." Alec said from behind me, taking noticing of all the drawings.

"Dot." I exhale, looking around.

"Some of these have been here for years." Alec stood right behind me.

"The only difference is now I can actually see them." I run a hand through my hair.

"Yo, Zee-" Simon calls, "What are all these tags?"

"You can see the runes?" I question, looking back at Alec, then at Simon.

"Yeah, kind of hard to miss." Simon crosses his arms.

"For a Shadowhunter." Alec cuts in, "They should be invisible to most mundanes. When did you get the Sight?"

"I don't know." Simon honestly said, "But whoever drew these should take some lessons from Zee. Their, uh, work is pretty sloppy."

"Thanks for that." I shrug, leaving Alec's side.

I walk over to the door, trying to open it a few times, it not budging, "Alec-"

"Here, let me try." Simon gently pushes me to the side by Alec, pulling once, basically breaking it away from the frame.

I stare with wide eyes, not knowing what to say, Alec's eyebrows furrowing in confusion instantly, the both of us exchanging looks in suspicion.

"After you." Simon gestures toward me.

I clear my throat, walking right in.

Simon stops Alec from following me and comes right behind me, Alex rolling his eyes and following us in.

"Holy crap, Zee." Simon looked around as we walked into Jocelyn's room, "Who torched your loft? Yeah, I can see this, too."

I stay silent, looking around.

"Hey-" Simon came to my side, "You okay?"

"There's nothing left of me here." I looked around, "Absolutely nothing. Nothing about Clary either."

"Of course, there isn't." Alec walks over to me when I walk away from Simon, "Jocelyn was trying to erase any trace that you existed. So that you couldn't be tracked. She was protecting you."

"Let's see how well that worked." I place my hands on my hips.

Alec looks at me, "You're alive, aren't you?"

I exhale deeply, shooting him a look.

"These floorboards-" Simon catches our attention, "They sound different in these two spots. Can't you hear it? There's something under here."

Simon bends down, moving things out of the way and somehow gets a tile out, "Another score for Brooklyn."

"Hey, out of the way." Alec stops him, making him move, getting on one knee, digging his arm down the hole.

"You're welcome." Simon mutters.

"There's something down here." Alec pulls the box out, "Is this the box you remember?"

"Yeah-" I took it from him, looking at the design on the box.

"There's more-" Alec felt around, pulling out a photo album that looked oddly familiar, then grabbing out the last thing that was hidden, a small box with my name scribbled in the corner.

I swallow, putting down the box and grabbing the things from him, opening the photo album, my eyes landing on a picture. It was my mother and I.

I shook my head, closing the album, shoving it in my back along with the small box, grabbing the other box, standing up, "I don't have time for that right now-"

"Well, let's open it." Simon nudges on.

I open the box, only to see things I wouldn't expect, "I don't know what any of this is."

The sound of something crashing catches our attention, Alec speaking up, "There's someone here."

Alec walks to the door, pointing at me, "Get what you need. Do not move until I get back. We've been here too long."

He leaves Simon and I alone, as I quickly shove the box in my bag along with everything else.

But then suddenly, Alaric and some other guy came in, pulling us out, hand cuffing us, knocking my bag onto the ground.

"Let go." I try to fight him off, knowing that either he was talking us to the police station, or Luke, "Seriously, Alaric- let go!"

He shoves us into the police car, driving off, my eyes glued to Alec who ran to the end of the alley, watching us drive away.

-

[ alec's pov ]

I throw something on the ground, placing around in the loft, fidgeting with my hands, after I had texted Jace.

Jace walks in, followed by Izzy and Clary, "Where is she? Where's Zee?"

I weakly respond, "She's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Isabelle questions instantly.

Clary presses, "Where is my sister?"

"She and Simon got arrested when I was securing the fire escape." I told him, "I got distracted."

Jace's jaw clenches, "The mundane was here?"

"Simon?" Isabelle exhales, "He's gone, too?

"It was an unmarked car." I quietly said, "I don't know where they took her."

Jace's frustration got the best of him, "What did you do, Alec?"

He turns, knocking something over, walking out of the room, Isabelle grabbing Zee's bag, Clary following.

-

[ zee's pov ]

"Where are we?" I ask after being pulled out of the car, "This isn't the police station-"

"Just cooperate and everything will be fine." Alaric mutters to me, pulling Simon and I towards the Jade Wolf.

"We didn't do anything wrong." Simon stammers.

"Be quiet or you're gonna make this worse for yourself." The man told him, pulling him.

"Alaric, who is this guy?" I question.

"Luke's calling." Alaric pulls out his phone.

"Ignore it." The man told him, "That's an order."

"Are you guys with Luke?" I question further, "Did he send you?"

"None of your business." He pulls us into the restaurant.

-

[ alec's pov ]

"Damn it." Jace huffs, looking at me after trying to track Zee down with one of her drawings, as we stood at Simon's shortcut, "She's not showing up. We need to parabatai track."

I walked over to him, as he used his stele to draw the rune on my palm, as we held onto each other's hands right.

"Alec, concentrate." Jace told me, sighing deeply, trying again after nothing showed up, Jace getting frustrated by the minute, "Alec!"

"I'm doing it." I pulled away from him, "She's not showing up."

"Just like I thought." Isabelle walks over to us, "She wasn't arrested."

Jace turns towards me, "It was your job to look after her."

"I did my best, Jace." I told him.

Jace's raises his voice in anger, "Then maybe your mother was right, and your best is just isn't good enough."

"Jace!" Isabelle instantly yelled.

"Hey!" I raise my voice also, "Are you so blinded by your feelings for Zee, you've lost sight of us?"

Jace went silent, the expression on his face remaining.

I continued, "Zee snuck out. I went after her to protect her. I did nothing you haven't done a thousand times before."

"Yes, you did." Jace stepped closer, "You lost her."

Clary cuts in, "Enough, both of you."

-

[ zee's pov ]

"Why do I keep getting kidnapped?" Simon questions, as we were shoved into seats.

"Not to be self-centered, but I think it's me they're after." I mutter, looking at Alaric as he and the man sat down, "Okay, what is going on?"

Alaric stayed silent, as I continued, "If you've arrested us, this sure as hell doesn't look like the police station."

"We're just having a little conversation, that's all." The man looked at me, "I would've fetched your sister- but she wasn't with you."

"Do you always handcuff people you wanna talk to? I bet this guy has one of the scariest online profiles ever." Simon whispers to me.

"This guy's funny." The man points, "I like funny."

Alaric looks at me, "Look, I know you're scared of Luke. He's trying to find you, I can keep you safe. You just need to tell us where the Mortal Cup is."

"Oh my god-" I dramatically drop my hands onto the table, the cuffs clinking against it, "Everyone things I have this stupid Cup- but I have no idea where it is."

"Think, Zee." Alaric pushes, "I'm trying to give you a chance."

"Unfortunately, I can't help you." I spat at him, "If I only found out I'm a Shadowhunter a little while ago, I damn well don't know where the Cup is."

"Playtime's over." The man began, waving for someone to come over.

"Theo, just let me talk some sense into them." Alaric started.

"No, we did it your way." Theo stops him, "Now, we're gonna try it my way."

"What?" I question, the man grabbing Simon, pulling him up, "What're you doing-"

"Don't move." Theo demands, "Tell us where the Cup is or your funny friend dies."

My eyes widen, "I promise you, I swear to you, I don't know where this Cup is-"

"That's too bad." Theo carelessly shrugs, "Get rid of him-"

The man pulls Simon away and behind two doors, "Stop- no- wait- don't hurt him!"

-

I stare at the ground, now in the center, still cuffed, in a chair.

Theo walks over after coming through the doors, the words slipping out of my mouth instantly, "Please, tell me if Simon's okay."

"He's alive for now." Theo shrugs, "But if you don't tell us where the Cup is we're gonna introduce Gretel here to your friend."

My head turns, taking notice of the werewolf nearing me, "She's one of our fiercest warriors. She'll rip him to shreds."

"You're werewolves." I whisper, looking back at Theo.

"Obviously." He sits on the table, "And your friend is dog meat if you don't give us the Cup."

I swallow, blinking hard, refusing to beg or cry, looking up at him, "Okay- fine, you win. I'll tell you where the Cup is- just let Simon go."

"I'm listening." Theo crosses his arms.

I made something up quick, "It's in the loft where you found me. There's a loose floorboard in the bedroom. Jocelyn didn't know I knew, but she hid it there."

Theo orders, "Bring me the Cup."

The man leaves, then Theo looks at me dead in the eye, "If you're lying I'm not just gonna kill your friend I'm gonna make you watch as Gretel rips him to shreds."

-

[ alec's pov ]

"Whoever took Clary and Simon must be holding them over a body of water." Jace spoke, "That's why our Tracking rune won't work."

Zee's phone starts to ring in her bag, Isabelle looking at it, "Zee left her phone in her backpack."

Clary grabs it instantly, answering the call, Jace speaking, "Hello?"

"Oh, I thought I'd never utter these words, but thank god- it's you." Simon's voice fills the line after she puts it on speaker, "It's me, Simon."

"Simon?" Clary quickly spoke, "Where are you?"

Jace swallows, "Where's Zee?"

"I don't know-" Simon musters out, "Some Chinese restaurant, I think? This cop Alaric arrested us, but it was a total fake-out-"

"Alaric took you?" Clary's eyes went slightly wide.

"Him and his buddy, they took us- to their hangout and then they told Zee that they'll kill her if they don't find the Cup." Simon rambles, breathing heavily.

Jace's expression changes, "Just calm down, all right? Tell us what you see."

"Okay." Simon said, shuffling following after him, "Uh, we're definitely on a pier. There's a ton of water. Uh, I see lockers and I'm in some sort of torture chamber. There's claw marks all over the wall."

Isabelle looks up, "Werewolves."

I nod, "That's possible."

"Okay, Simon, you need to get more specific." Jace pushes, "Tell us what you see. Help us find you."

"There's nothing else that can help- wait, hold on!" Simon pauses, "I'm at the Jade Wolf Chinese Restaurant on the pier at Greene St. And they have really inexpensive cocktails- just hurry, just hurry."

"You need to create a diversion." Jace told him, "Stall them."

"How? All I have are clothes and a lighter." Simon spoke through the line.

"Start a fire, Simon." Jace told him, pulling out his phone.

"That never works!" Simon shot back, "Have you ever seen an action movie?"

"We're on our way." Jace ends the call.

-

[ zee's pov ]

"What's taking them so long?" Theo checks his watch. Suddenly the fire alarm goes off, a fire extinguisher agent blowing into the restaurant.

"It's a fire-" Theo yells, "Find it! I'll take care of the girl."

He grabs my arm, pulling me, as I pull back, "Let me go-"

Before I could do anything else, his first came in contact with my cheek, the metal of his ring cutting open my cheek slightly, my eyes screwing shut, as he forcefully pulled me outside, leading me somewhere, throwing me in, "Get in there. Keep your mouth shut!"

He locks me in complete darkness, as I let out a small whimper, forcing myself to my feet, a witch light in my hands, something I had brought with me just in case.

I grab my stele out of my pocket, slowly walking over to the door, drawing a rune onto the wall, only to jump back, a fire erupting where I drew the rune, dropping the witch light and stele, falling onto my ass.

I gape at the fire, scoffing is disbelief.

The door suddenly opens, revealing Luke, "I finally found you, Zee."

"You stay away from me!" I instantly shout, getting up, grabbing my stele and witch light, backing away.

"Zee- don't be afraid." Luke held his hands out, "I traced Alaric's car to the pier when he didn't return my calls. I'm here to help you."

"Oh, yeah? I heard what you said at the precinct. You just want the Cup- you're just like them." I raise my voice, holding the stele in front of me as if it would help me defend myself.

"Those were Valentine's people." Luke explained, stepping closer, "I lied to them to protect you."

"Don't come any closer." I warned, "You want the Mortal Cup, just like everyone else."

"You know you can't cast spells with that thing?" Luke was now in front of me, only a few feet away from me.

"That's disappointing-" I muster out, but kept my ground, Luke takes a step closer to me as I let out another shout, "Luke- I'm serious, stay back!"

Luke unexpectedly comes right in front of me, taking my stele, unlocking my handcuffs, "You need more training. And we gotta go, now!"

I stammer, "What?"

Luke grabs me, throwing me over his shoulder, walking out, "Luke! Put me down- where are you taking me?-"

"Someplace safe." Luke walked, "After I make sure you're safe, I'm gonna get your sister. These people aren't messing around. They will kill you."

"Alec!" Jace's voice catches me off guard, him and Alec from the corner.

"Got her-" Alec stood in front of Luke.

"Put her down!" Jace instantly said, kicking Luke behind the knee, causing me to fall to his knees and drop me, Alec catching me quickly.

I let out a gasp in surprise at their sudden save, my hands on Alec's arms, as he puts me down.

Jace punches Luke, knocking him to the ground.

"You okay?" Jace turns to me immediately.

"I-" I took a deep breath, running a hand through my hair, "Simon- we gotta find Simon-"

"Your cheek-" Jace's eyes land on my slightly bruised cheek, blood slowly oozing from the Cup.

"It's fine-" I stare at Luke, guilt filling within me.

"Come on-" Jace grabs my arm, pulling me away, following Alec, as we ran to the the front of Jade Wolf, meeting up with Clary, Simon and Isabelle.

"Simon-" I jump into his arms, hugging him as tight as I could, "I thought they killed you-"

"I'm pretty alive-" Simon held me tight, as I quickly pull away, Clary engulfing me into a hug.

"Thank God you're okay, I was so worried-" Clary tightens her grip on me.

"I'm fine-" I pull away, putting a strand of my hair behind my ear.

Jace spoke up, "I hate to break up this little reunion, but we got a bunch of werewolves trying to kill us so maybe we should get going-"

"Wait, wait, the box." I stop him, "My backpack- I left it at the loft."

"No, we've got it." Alec told me, "I didn't screw up everything."

"Don't say that- you didn't screw up anything-" I looked at him, giving him a look of reassurance.

"Let's get out of here, then." Simon began to move.

"Wait, Simon!" Isabelle stops him, as I quickly turn, my eyes widening at the sight, "Whatever you do, do not make any fast moves."

"This can't be good." Jace mutters, pulling out his seraph blade, guarding me, Isabelle, Alec and Clary circling around us, holding their weapons ready.

"We're surrounded." Alec spoke, the entire pack of werewolves around us, "Everyone, stay together."

"Believe me, I'm not going anywhere." Simon comments, breathing heavy.

Suddenly, the front door opens of the Jade Wolf, a bigger wolf walking out, Jace's eyes widening, "Everyone, get back, that's the alpha leader."

The alpha started to make its way to us, a howl coming from behind us, another wolf stopping him doing so, catching us all of guard, Jace suddenly keeping me close.

"He's challenging the alpha." Alec spoke, keeping his bow ready, as we watched the two wolves go at each other.

"He's helping us!" Clary cuts in.

"Or cutting in line to kill us." Simon adds in.

And then, a light flashes in front of us behind the crates, Theo on the ground, completely dead, Isabelle speaking as we moved closer, "The alpha's dead."

The wolf that challenged the alpha came from behind the crates, panting, flashing green before turning into it's original form, Luke stood in front of me.

"Luke-" I exhale, his clothes ripped up, blood dripping down his chest, as I tried to go over to him, Jace keeping me in my place.

The wolves around us start to howl, and turn back into their normal human bodies, then bow in front of Luke.

I look around, "I've watched a lot of movies- but- not about werewolves- what's happening?"

Jace looks at me, "When a werewolf kills the alpha leader, he becomes the new alpha. Your friend Luke's the leader of the pack now."

"Zee-" Luke calls out, "Clary-"

I went to take a step towards him, Jace keeping a hold on my arm, holding me back, "No."

I looked at him, giving him a weak smile, placing my hand on his shoulder, "It's okay."

Jace hesitantly lets go of me, as Clary steps in front with me.

"I promised your mother I'd always protect you." Luke told me, then looked at Clary, "I promised Jocelyn too-"

He gives us a weak smile, only to start to drop, my eyes widening instantly, Clary and I running, catching him, "Luke!"

Simon came over to us instantly, putting a hand on Clary's back.

Tears of worry and fear start to fill my eyes, "Luke-"

"Hey-" Alec stops Jace from coming over to me, "We need to get Zee back to the Institute and stay out of Downworlder business."

"Why don't you stay out of it?" Jace's voice was clipped and filled with annoyance and frustration, "I'm going to help Zee."

"We have to report back to our mother." Alec stops him.

"You and Isabelle can do that." Jace snipped, "I'll be fine on my own."

Jace walks over to me, slowly pulling me away from Luke, Simon taking my place.

"His wounds are deep." Jace held my arms, "Only a warlock's magic can cure an alpha's bite."

I nod quickly, swallowing, a tear slipping my eye, "We have to get him to Magnus-"

"Hey, that's exactly what we're gonna do." Jace wipes away the tear, holding my face, "I'm not going to leave your side."

"Zee, we gotta go." Simon calls out, Clary sniffling.

"We have to get him to his car." Jace nods towards me, Jace taking Simon's place.

"Here, I'll drive." Simon runs towards the car, "I'm the only one with a mundane license."

"I have a license too-" I ran after him, sniffling.

"Zee-" Simon opens the car door, looking at me, "You're too upset to drive right now."

I open my mouth, "I-"

"With the amount of speeding tickets you've gotten since you've had your license- combined with this state of you- there's no way in hell I'm letting you drive." Simon got in the car, starting it.

I huff, opening the back door, helping Clary and Jace get Luke in the back, Jace getting in the passenger seat, Clary and I getting in the back with Luke.

"Luke- I'm so sorry-" I couldn't help but let out a sob, "I never should have doubted you-"

"We never should have lied to you." Luke weakly told me, looking between Clary and I, "To the both of you."

"Luke, hey! It's okay. It's gonna all be okay." Clary tried to comfort, trying to hold back her own tears.

"We're getting you help-" I let Luke rest his head on my shoulder, "Just- hang on- please. I can't have anyone else die because of me."

authors note:

ok bro, i did my research on the parabatai curse, so it's pretty much kinda reworded

also ah are alec and zee a ship or nah

they made out again too omllll , i need to keep in mind that this is a jace book

jace still has her heart tho, frfrfr