Predator in disguise

Protector

I groaned and rolled over onto my stomach, burying my face in the plush pillow. Everyone had gone to bed hours ago and the entire penthouse was swarmed in darkness, but sleep was eluding me. The bedroom furniture was comfortable enough, but my mind was too occupied dwelling on the unsettling events that had taken place during dinner.

It had been awkward at first with the four of us gathered in the living room. Everyone was more focused on chowing down on Chinese take-out than starting a conversation. The still-present tension between Alec and JC was evident. When JC finally summoned up the guts to ask Alec what we'd been looking at in Magnus's room, Alec answered him curtly. But the silver-haired Shadowhunter was unfazed; he pressed on, asking for every detail and even going so far as to crack a joke now and then. Gradually I began to see the tension in Alec's shoulders ebb, and the frigidity between the two slowly melted away.

I had stayed silent as Magnus joined in the conversation, uneager to draw unwanted attention to myself. Instead I picked at my noodles with my chopsticks, keeping my head down and fading into the background. I caught Alec glancing at me periodically in my peripherals, though the Shadowhunter never said anything to me. I didn't mind. But I also felt JC's cold eyes slither over to me from time to time, as well as Magnus's. I pretended not to notice and forced my body to appear relaxed.

You have every right to be here, I'd thought to myself. Don't let them intimidate you. Alec's accepted you, but they haven't. Not yet. Until they do, keep your guard up. You are not beneath them. You're a Shadowhunter. Fight for acceptance. Fight back.

Not long after our meal Magnus had suggested we turn in early for the night. JC gave a shrug and wandered off to his room without a word. Alec instructed me to follow him to one of the guest bedrooms, but not before Magnus had his boyfriend pressed firmly against his side. I'd followed the two down the hallway, my eyes fixed on the way the warlock's fingers were curled possessively around Alec's hip instead of gently resting there. The message hadn't been lost on me. Magnus was being territorial, asserting his dominance like a true alpha male. I'd rolled my eyes while their backs will still turned.

The darkness in my room grew less intense as the night passed into the early hours of the morning. I'd been tempted to pull the window curtains open and let the city lights flood the room with their illumination, but I'd left them closed thinking they'd only keep me awake instead of comforting me. Evidently, it wouldn't have mattered if I'd opened them anyway.

Suddenly there was a soft clicking noise, so faint I barely heard it. My body stiffened and my hands automatically slid under my pillow out of habit. I cursed inwardly, realizing I hadn't brought the knife I always kept under my pillow. I kept my breathing even and my eyes closed as someone stepped into my room and closed the door behind them. My fingers clenched into fists as I waited for the familiar tingle to crawl up my spine, signalling an unwanted presence hovering over me.

The feeling never came. There was a soft noise, like someone sliding down a wall, and then silence. I remained motionless, my mind whirling and my heart racing.

What the hell is this?

Hours slowly ticked by. Though my eyes were closed, I still hadn't drifted off. My room was as quiet as it had been before someone had snuck in. The stranger still hadn't left, but neither did they move around. I became more and more unnerved as I contemplated the different possibilities: Alec keeping an eye on me because he didn't truly trust me; Magnus waiting for me to wake up so he could threaten me about staying away from Alec; JC watching me sleep with a knife poised in his hand, waiting to strike.

When the first hints of light began to filter through the curtains, I slowly lifted my head to glance over my shoulder. I blinked, confused, as I recognized the familiar features through the fading darkness.