𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 ━━ ISABELLE LIGHTWOOD

39

AFTER WHAT HAPPENED earlier, both Kade and Isabelle decided to rest for a while, tired after their encounter.

Isabelle woke up an hour later and stared at Kade's sleeping figure. She slowly entangled herself from him without waking him up, got dressed and left to help Jace rescue Meliorn. She decided not to tell him anything as she knew that he would support her thus risk his own reputation. She didn't want to tarnish his while trying to save her friend so she decided that he was better off not knowing about what they were about to do.

Kade had lost track of time as he slept. When he woke up after another hour, he frowned when he didn't find Isabelle on the bed beside him. He then glanced at the time and let out a string of curses, his mind going to the thousands of possibilities what his girlfriend went to do.

He quickly got up and got dressed before leaving his room, going to look for the younger Lightwood. He reached the main room where he saw a few guards looking rather beaten up and Alec along with Lydia— they all looked distraught.

"Alec?" Kade approached them, his brows furrowed, "what happened?"

Alec made sure nobody was listening before he spoke, "we were ambushed. The seelie escaped."

"What?" Kade narrowed his eyes, "you don't think..."

"Jace," Alec breathed out, "we fought. He took him away and I— I let him."

"It's okay," Kade sighed, "did anyone see them? Was Isabelle with them?"

"I hope not," Alec muttered just as Isabelle walked inside the institute. Kade and Alec were quick to rush over to her as Alec questioned, "where the hell have you been?"

"Where I needed to be," Isabelle replied, "away from you and your fiancée."

"Jace and Clary are on the run," Alec informed, "I can’t protect you if you don’t tell me the truth."

"I don’t need protecting," the younger Lightwood said, "at least my friend's alive."

"This is stupid," Kade muttered earning an apologetic look from Isabelle, "I'm sorry. I should've told you."

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" He bit his tongue to contain the bitterness in his tone.

"Kade, I—" Isabelle cut herself off, realising that he was mad, "— I'm sorry. I couldn't just leave him like that. He's my friend. If I had told you, you would've wanted to help but if something had gone wrong then your name would've been tarnished as well. I couldn't let that happen, I'm sorry."

"Just…" Alec sighed, "just tell me this, is there any way that Raj could have seen anything incriminating?" The three shadowhunters glanced at Raj who was talking to Lydia.

"I don't know," Isabelle muttered, fear lacing her tone at the thought of what could happen if anyone were to find out about what she did, "I'm not sure."

"This is bad," Kade muttered as his eyes caught sight of Lydia walking up to them while Raj went to stand beside Isabelle.

"I'm sorry," Lydia said to the two boys, looking at Isabelle while Alec asked despite already knowing the answer to that, "for what?"

"Isabelle Lightwood, by order of the Clave, you are under arrest for high treason," Lydia announced and Alec was quick to ask, "what? On what grounds?"

"Only a handful of people knew about the Meliorn op," Lydia informed to which Raj add, "and rumours has it she’s sleeping with him."

"Shut the fuck up," Kade gritted his teeth at the guy who visibly shivered in fear, muttering a small, 'sorry' which made Isabelle fight a smirk at the fear in this voice.

"You know what, Lydia?" The younger Lightwood spoke up, "you’re no better than Valentine. But at least he had the guts to tell Downworlders to their faces he wanted them all dead. You hide behind the Law."

"I don’t hide behind it, Isabelle. I simply follow it," Lydia corrected, "because it guards against one very important thing. Shadowhunters fighting other Shadowhunters."

Raj placed a hand on Isabelle's arms as she handed him her stele. Kade walked up to them and slapped Raj's hand away, "hands off."

"But I have to—" Raj was cut off by a glare from Kade and decided to keep his hands off and mouth shut. He knew better than to mess with him.

"If she’s convicted, she’ll be stripped of her runes and banished. I can’t let that—" Alec was interrupted by Isabelle, "don’t. It’s not your fight."

"Kade, you have to let Raj take her away," Lydia said to him, "she committed high treason. She needs to face the consequences."

"Where's your proof?"

"Raj said he saw her," Lydia quipped, nodding in said Shadowhunter's direction.

"Is that so?" Kade raised his brows at him, "you saw her? Like her, completely? Her face? Or you're just saying that ‘cause you think it's her?"

"I—" Raj cut himself off, "— I know it's her. I was there, I'm a witness."

"Whatever, she's not going anywhere." Kade grabbed Isabelle's hand in his, "if she's needed for questioning or any shit, she'll be in my room." He then dragged her away and they all stood there and watched, neither of them daring to say anything.