Black || Jace Wayland [1]

| 28. unconditional

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"ASHER!" JACE SPOKE her name urgently and dropped down next to the young Shadowhunter. He flipped her onto her back and cupped her face, patting her cheeks.
The Lightwood siblings mimicked his concern and scanned her body to check for any major injuries.

"Asher." Clary dropped her weapon and leaned over her unconsious body. "Oh, my god." She placed her hands gently on her shoulder and looked up at Magnus. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I dont know." Magnus shrugged. "Does she normally just lay like that without moving?" Clary glared at him in response.

Alec picked up her hand and gripped it tightly. "C'mon, Ash." He whispered, eyes staring at her sleeping face. "Get up."

Isabelle glared at her brother before looking down at her friend. Jace remained hovering over her, hand delicately stroking her hair and eyes frantically looking for signs of life.

When all hope seemed lost, Asher gasped awake.

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Asher felt herself being yanked out of the darkness and back into the world around her. Her eyes shot open in panic and gasped for air. Each breath came in short, desperate bursts, accompanied by the harsh sound of coughing.

The sudden awakening had everyone moving back to give Asher some space.

The demon's tight grip paired with the harsh landing against the floor had her body pulsing with agony. She curled to the side in a fetal position, pressing her cheek against the cool concrete to help distract herself from the pain.

"Motherfucker." Asher wheezed out, eyes screwed shut from the migraine piercing her skull. Isabelle huffed and gingerly press her hand against Asher's back to run soothing circles.  "You almost had us worried there."

"Almost." Asher rasped and started to laugh, which resulted in another coughing fit. She pushed herself up to her knees and waved off any hands that reached out to help. "I'm fine." Her throat felt raw. "Just need a second." She dropped her head and focused on taking deep breaths.

Tears welled in Clary's eyes. "She's okay." She looked to Jace, who sighed out in relief. He moved to give Asher a hug when Clary launched herself at him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "She's okay." She cried.

Asher, still wheezing, inadvertently looked over at their embrace before quickly averting her eyes away. She couldn't help the slight disappointment she felt. In that moment, she thought about Alec's distrust for Clary. Maybe he saw something between her and Jace that Asher was blind to.

The burning sensation from earlier came back and Asher finally figured out what it was: jealousy. But, there's nothing to be jealous about Asher told herself. You and Jace are just friends.

But Asher didn't want to be just friends.

Asher immediately pushed that impulsive thought out of her head. No distractions. She told to herself. Too much is at stake.

The one thing left on Asher's mind was making sure Alec was okay. "Where's Alec?" She questioned, hoarsely, as her eyes darted around for the older Lightwood, finding that he was no longer in the room. Isabelle shared a look with Clary and Jace before saying, "I'm not sure."