The Uneasy Heart

Chapter 14

Val's POV

When I woke up the next morning, I laid in bed and stared at the ceiling for an hour before my door opened and Lucy walked in turning on my light. I winced at the sudden brightness before I looked at Lucy.

"Up." She said. I sighed but nonetheless complied and got up. I sat in front of the vanity so she could do my hair since I would've left it down. "Perfect." She said. I looked in the mirror and smiled. She had pulled my hair up into a bun and left some pieces framing my face. "Now go get dressed. I'll let you do your own makeup." I nod and she left my room, most likely to make sure Izzy and Jace were up too. I walked over to my closet and pulled out the dress from my last shopping trip with Lucy and Izzy before Clary showed up. It was a one shoulder black dress with pockets, that stopped just above my knees in the front and fell to my ankles in the back. I quickly slipped it on before I grabbed a pair of gold heels and pulled them on. I moved back over to my vanity and quickly did my makeup before there was a knock on my door. "It's open!" I shout.

"You haven't worn that one yet?" Izzy asked.

"Couldn't exactly wear it on missions." I tell her. "I'm ready." I add as I stand up. We go down and greet the guests before the wedding officially starts. I sit with Lucy and Magnus with Elijah on the other side of me. I listen to the few conversations around me before Brother Jeremiah hits his scepter on the ground gaining everyone's attention.

"Attention. The ceremony is about to commence." Jeremiah's voice rings out through our heads. We all turn toward the door and I smirk when Izzy starts walking down the aisle with the pillow that holds the cuff Lydia will give Alec as well as the ceremonial stele. Then Lydia appears walking down the aisle.

"Wow." I hear Simon whisper.

Alec takes Lydia's hand and helps her up to the small dias. Lydia looks around the room for a moment before she stops and looks at me. Lydia takes the silver cuff bracelet from Izzy's cushion and puts it on Alec's wrist. Alec takes the necklace from Jace's cushion and places it around Lydia's neck.

"It is time for Alec Lightwood and Lydia Branwell to mark each other with the Wedded Union rune. A rune on the hand, a rune on the heart. A union is born." Jeremiah says.

I glance at Lucy as I feel a sharp pain in my arm. A pain that hadn't been felt since my memories were repressed. "I can't do this." I whisper to Lucy as I wrap my hand around my arm where the pain was located. I knew she could hear the small whimper of pain in my voice.

"Go." She whispered. I got up and tried to make a hasty exit without screaming as the pain seemed to increase.

"Alec, what are you doing?" I heard Maryse ask her son as I was halfway down the aisle. I froze and slowly turned around still keeping my hand pressed up against my arm.

"Enough." Alec told his mother before he walked over to me.

"Alec, what're you doing?" I ask him.

"Picking you." He whispers before he pulls me against him and kisses me.

We pull away after another kiss and then look around the room. I catch the glare Maryse throws at me and unknowingly start to rub my arm as she and Robert walk past us and leave the room. Izzy and Lucy walk up to us with knowing smiles.

"We're so proud of you Alec." Izzy says. Lucy throws me a concerned glance and points to my arm. I looked down at it and shrugged confused as to why the pain appeared in the first place. Simon walked over to us and started talking about some mundane movie that we reminded him of.

"Who invited the vampire?" Alec asked.

"Seriously?" Simon shot back.

"My visit tonight wasn't all for Lucy. We need to speak privately." I heard Magnus say to Clary and Jace before he came over to us and repeated it before kissing the side of Lucy's head. We quickly leave the area we were in and head for the table in the center of the Ops room. Magnus uses his magic to teleport some items in front of us.

"I pulled every item of magical importance from Ragnor's belongings. But I can't determine which will lead to the Book of the White." Magnus explained. I look through the items and stop when I notice a torn bookmark. I pick it up and look at it.

"I remember this." I tell Magnus. "I don't know how but I swear I've seen it before, back when I was a child. I think before Jocelyn left Idris."

"In the alternate dimension you showed me a book of spells." Clary said as she grabbed it out of my hand and I glared at her. "This was in it. It must've been the Book of the White."

"If that's the case, we can use the bookmark to track the owner of the book." Alec said as he wrapped an arm around my waist to keep me from most likely punching Clary.

"Warlock tracking is stronger." Magnus told Jace smugly. "Well there's good news and bad news. The good news is I know the owner. The bad? It's Camille."

"Camille?" Clary questioned.

"Looks like Raphael has her locked up in the basement of the Hotel Dumort." Magnus replied.

"Well after I punched her, there's no way she'll help me." Clary states.

"She won't have a choice." Jace tells her. "Trust me."

The others start leaving to have a few hours to themselves leaving Alec and I alone.

"I'm so glad we got away from that crowd and all those people. So intense." Alec said.

I smiled. "You certainly know how to make a statement." He was about to pull me in for another kiss when I heard footsteps approaching us. "Hold that thought." I told him before we both turned to the door to see both his parents. I move out of his reach, and leave him standing in front of his parents while standing a few feet behind him.

"What have you done, Alec? To us? This family?" Maryse asked him.

"This isn't about you." Alec tells his mother.

"Of course it is. You are either being selfish or naïve. This wedding was your plan from the start. And now you have humiliated us in front of the most respected members of the Clave. I don't even recognize you anymore." Maryse said.

"I'm the same person I've always been." Alec replied.

Maryse looked at me standing behind him. "And all for Valentine's daughter." She walks away as soon as the words leave her mouth. I look to the ground and once again find myself rubbing my arm.

"Just give her time." I heard Robert say.

"And you?" Alec questioned. I look up from the ground.

"How long has this been going on? Are you two in love?" Robert asked, looking between us.

"Love? What? No. No, it's... it's, uh, it's sort of a different... It's not---" Alec stuttered over his words.

"It's all very new." I tell Robert, saving Alec from stuttering more.

"Right. I better go check on Mom." Robert said before he turned and walked away.

"You know what I just realized?" I asked him. He turned to look at me. "We still haven't gone on our first date yet."

"Yeah, you're right. You wanna... I don't know, get a drink sometime?"

"I would love that." I tell him.

"Great."