Scars of her Blood • Shadowhunters

Chapter 3: Traitor to the Family

Celia's phone vibrated on the table. When she walked over and looked at the screen, it turned out to be Álvaro, so Celia glanced apologizing at Izzy:

"That's work..."

Izzy nodded and left the room without hesitation. She knew that Celia was not in a position where Izzy could listen in on a call from her boss.

Celia answered the phone and Álvaro went straight to the point:

"Celia. What's up with that thing you forwarded to me? Did something get lost or is that seriously all they sent?"

"No, that's as specific and polite as it gets. As usual...", the Clave frequently asked the Hybrid forces all over the world to support them with certain missions or in situations they lost control over, "they probably just want all of us on standby, to send our people into the fights they know they can't win..."

Álvaro scuffed:

"That's not even exaggerated."

"So what do we answer?"

"Same as always: that we are happy to help defend the world against all those evil monsters and that we will be ready to go whenever they need us."

Celia could clearly hear the irony in his voice and grinned:

"Great!"

She was about to say goodbye, when he started talking once more:

"Celia? Are you doing okay? Benicio said you weren't feeling too good in the last few hours..."

Celia looked down on her hands. Of course Benicio had told him. It's almost like he thinks I'm some little kid that needs a parent to come and safe it when it has a scratch.

"Celia?"

She sighed:

"Yes, I am fine... I collapsed, like an hour ago, but I have blood stashed here as well as in my apartment, I will survive. Stop worrying about me!"

"Celia, after what you have been through, you shouldn't even be out and about right now. When I was in your shoes, I ..."

Celia cut him off mid-sentence:

"Yours was a totally different situation!", she immediately regretted raising her voice. Álvaro had always looked out for her, always believed in her choices, especially when the rest of the Council had called her an idiot. But he didn't seem to be insulted:

"I know... Just take care of yourself."

Álvaro ended the call without another word. Celia starred at the phone for a while. Maybe I should go home... Then she shook her head. No. Her chances of getting killed in Mexico were about the same at the moment as here in New York. Also, her friends here needed her. Otherwise, Izzy wouldn't have called me.

As if on cue, someone knocked on the door and a second later Izzy stuck her head in:

"Clary has new information about her mother, from something like a vision."

Celia rolled her eyes, but nodded, and put her phone into her pocket and followed Izzy into the command center.

She sat down next to Alec at the table. Jace walked in only seconds after them and propped his hands on the backrest of her chair. Normally, Celia would not have let anyone do that, but since it was Jace, she did not feel as uncomfortable with it.

"So you saw the High Warlock of Brooklyn...", Jace started. Celia snorted:

"I have to interrupt my work now because the wannabe Shadowhunter is hallucinating?"