Evangeline Rosewell has too much love to give. Fortunately, the three people she loves the most are exactly the same way.
( THE INFERNAL DEVICES TRILOGY )
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CHAPTER TWO OUROBOROS
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Evangeline, true to her words to Jessamine, spent the rest of the day resting. She knew the night would be long, as the patrol she was now assigned to with Jem and Will would last from dusk to dawn. As dusk neared, Evangeline called on Sophie to help her out of her dress, and then she was sliding into the breathable leather of Shadowhunter gear. It was sized to her precise measurements, the cloth clinging to her legs and arms. Gear was supposed to be tight but comfortable, not allowing for any loose fabric; loose clothes were reckless, something an enemy could grab hold of. As Evangeline sat in front of her vanity and allowed Sophie to fold her long hair into a braid down her back, Evangeline got to work etching runes onto her skin. No doubt Will and Jem were off somewhere drawing on each other, but alas, Evangeline had no parabatai to draw runes for her. That was left for her to do alone.
She drew them on her skin like she was marking them off from a list. A hearing rune on the side of her neck, a strength rune on the inside of one wrist and a speed rune on the inside of the other, a rune for night vision on the other side of her neck, and finally, an iratze to ease the cramps and lower back pain that had come upon her halfway through the day. It was just her luck that she could have her monthly the very day she was due for an all-night patrol. Sighing softly, she lowered her stele—it had been her mother's—back onto the vanity table and cast Sophie a curious look through the mirror. Sophie was finished braiding her hair, a simple French braid straight down her back, and now she was tucking in stray locks. A smile pulled at Evangeline's mouth.
"No need to make it perfect," she said gently, twisting on the cushioned mini piano bench that served as her vanity chair to beam up at Sophie brightly. "If we happen to run into trouble tonight, my hair will be the least of anyone's worries." Sophie wrinkled her nose, and then she was dropping her hands and stepping away. Evangeline twisted back around, turning her head and running a hand over the braid to pat it into place. Sophie had braided her hair tight, tying it off at the end with a thin ribbon, triple-knotted. She'd likely have to take a knife to it to undo it later, but Evangeline was satisfied with it for now. Standing from the seat, Evangeline smiled at Sophie brightly. "Well, Sophie, if all ends well, I will see you in a few hours. If all ends badly, please give me a lovely eulogy." A horrified look developed on Sophie's face, a gasp rasping up her throat.
"Evangeline!" Sophie said in a scolding tone. Evangeline giggled as she twisted around her, reaching for the extra stele Evangeline left on her nightstand. She never carried her mother's old stele out on patrols, too afraid she would lose one of the few things she had left of her mother. The Rosewell estate in Portland Place was locked up until Evangeline turned eighteen, along with her family's money and her mother's and father's things left to rot inside to collect dust. Shaking her head, she attached the stele to her belt, then spun around the room, finding her various daggers she had hidden around it. One was under a hat, another under a shawl on her window seat, and another left under her full-body mirror. She strapped them all to her body, one by one, as Sophie followed her around. "You shouldn't say such things! And you should let me clean in here. It is such a mess." Sophie bent to pick up the shawl Evangeline had casually thrown over her shoulder, letting it flutter to the ground. Evangeline stepped on it smoothly, keeping it on the floor. Sophie tugged at it a few times, then sighed through her nose and straightened, her hands going to her hips.
