independent. | Jace Wayland

chapter 16: beneath the floor.

<Y/n's Pov>

Y/n's Loft, Midtown Manhattan

Wednesday, 12:32 p.m

Jace insisted we go up the fire escape because he had it in his head that there would be people waiting for us but I rolled my eyes.

"If we found you, so can other people. Including Valentine's men." Was his reason.

"How did you find me? By the way, it's not exactly the most obvious destination. A small loft above the market. How did you do it? Is there a rune or something?" There was a small pause of silence.

"Magnus helped us, I gave him that little book of yours and he found you with it. Warlocks can track people." Jace explained, "Have you spoken to him?"

"Not since yesterday, I think he's just giving me a bit of space." I hadn't given the toll the shadow world had put on mine and Magnus's friendship a lot of thought. I wasn't mad at him, Jace had explained to me the basic concept of the Accords that bound the shadow world. I understood why Magnus didn't tell me he was a warlock. Because he wasn't allowed to.

"Are you mad at him?" Jace and his questions would be the death of me.

"No... I'm just still trying to wrap my head around it." He shut up after that.

We reached the top of the fire escape and Jace put his hand on my arm,

"Let me go first." I shrugged him off,

"Yeah sure- i need a big strong Shadowhunter to save me." Sarcasm dripped from my lips.

"I'm not saying that, though i'm flattered you think i'm big and strong." I rolled my eyes, "I'm saying we don't know what's waiting in there, it could be an ambush." I thought about it and decided it wasn't worth arguing about.

"Sure- okay."

"And here." Jace took something from his belt and pressed something cold into my hand. I looked down and saw a blade, it was just a bit smaller than the length of my forearm and it's edge looked razor sharp.

"You don't think it's a little much?" I teased but he didn't smile this time.

"We can never be too careful, stay close okay?" And after a short nod he crawled in through the window. He held out a hand for me to take which i did once i had crawled through, to steady self and my face went slack.

The pace was destroyed.

I didn't have much in the first place but my mattress had been shredded, my cabinet broken to panels of wood and the small ceramic sink was in pieces, they had shattered the basin. My book had been ripped and lay in heads of scrambled paper on the floor. I reached for the cabinet and saw the still intact bottle of liquor I got from Magnus the other night and slipped it in my bag then turned to face more of the room.

"No." I breathed and Jace stepped further into the room with a small black device outstretched. He told me it was called a sensor and that it detected demonic activity but I dropped to my knees, running my hands over my ruined treasures. "Fuck. Fuck!" I swore, anger swimming in my chest.

"Are you alright Y/n?" Jace said from behind me, no longer holding his sensor but he crouched beside me, "Is there anything you want to bring back?" His words were kind but I remembered the thing I had really wished to retrieve. I shot to my feet and returned to the window, kneeling beside it.

I put down the dagger Jace gave me and ran my hand over the wood and felt for a slight dent, I hooked my nail in and pulled, lifting the panel of the floorboard. I threw it away and a sense of relief warmed my chest. I stood and Jace took a step towards me.

"What is it?" He asked and I opened my palm.

"It was my mothers, I err- I took it off her body when she died." His eyes trailed from the silver up to my face.

"It's your family ring, look." He slid his own ring off of his finger, "All shadow hunter's have a family ring, this is the Cartwright's, you see that?" He pointed to the small symbol pressed into the silver, "it's the Cartwright family emblem. May I?" I looked up at him and processed what he said before nodding, he took the metal from my hands and stood behind me.

I moved my hair and he slid the chain around my neck and fastened the clasp but he made no movement to face me again, I didn't turn either.

I felt his soft, careful fingers caress my shoulder and my eyes widened, my scar, my shirt had slipped down my shoulder and he had seen my scar.

I spun and he still had his hand raised but there was something different in his eyes when he looked at me. Something that resembled curiosity and empathy. As if he understood.