𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓲 𝓵𝓲𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾?| 𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓬 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝔀𝓸𝓸𝓭

Chapter Four

(sotc is burning pile by mother mother. happy reading!)

The first thing that struck Ness when she woke was the smell.

She was used to lots of smells in the mornings- pine and primroses, deer and wood, and the smell of the first morning dew on the soft grass that you can only get at a certain time of the morning. This smell was different.

The bedroom smelled like washing powder and candle wax, and stagnant air, and it smelled like Shadowhunter, too. Ness hadn't been lying when she'd said they smelled. It was a sort of warm smell, like toast and cinnamon, and something else that she couldn't quite name.

Ness sat up, and leaned back on her hands, stretching her neck back like a cat and for the first time noticing how warm the room was. Seelies were often cold creatures, so Ness was surprised at how warm and comfortable she felt.

Tap, tap went the door. 

Ah. That was why she'd woken up.

Ness rubbed her forehead groggily, perhaps trying to jolt her brain into action, but the door swung open before it could. Alec's dark, bed ruffled head appeared around the door. His gold flecked eyes surveyed the room, before resting on Ness. His dark brows lifted when he saw how sleepy she looked, and he chuckled softly to himself.

Gone was the girl that had snapped at him, the flirt who had so much attitude that it spilt over into the room, seeping into everyone around her. Gone was the smart-aleck Seelie, whose love language consisted of yawns and excessive eye rolls, and in her place was someone who looked totally different.

In the pinkish morning light, she looked softer and kinder, and more approachable and less harsh. Her sarcastic pout was replaced with a half-smile, and her cheeks were flushed with sleep, reminding Alec of a rose in the summer. She looked up at him, arching her thin brows in an unasked question that he understood.

"We need to get going" he explained, running a hand through his dark hair. Ness nodded as she yawned, her hand moving up to cover her mouth. She tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear and ran her tongue over her top teeth thoughtfully, as if trying to figure out what to say.

"Where are we going? To summon this demon?" she asked curiously. Alec shrugged.

"Nowhere important" he said casually, but it was too quickly to be natural. Ness pushed her lips together.

"Protocol?" she asked, sarcastic now. Alec sighed.

"I'd tell you if I could" he offered lamely. She shook her head, unimpressed.

"Is it because I'm a Downworlder?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Or do you just not like me very much?" she added, with a half-smile that wasn't really a smile, but rather a defence to hide the fact that she was bothered, because Ness liked to know things, and feel liked, and right now she wasn't getting the satisfaction of either. Alec leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms, because he did want to tell her, but the Institute came first, certainly over this Downworlder girl that he barely knew. He wasn't going to start breaking rules just for a pretty face.

"It's not personal" he said, shrugging. "Whether or not I like you doesn't factor. It's the rules, and I'm Head of the Insititute, so I am the rules" he continued. Ness allowed herself to smile slightly and she eyed him for a moment before responding.

"I hate rules" she replied mildly, flicking her electric eyes over him. Alec held her gaze for a minute, narrowing his brown eyes at the dig, hers wide with anticipation for his response. Ness loved a challenge, and Alec Lightwood was more challenging than anyone she'd ever met before.