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Chapter Three ✷ ANOTHER CURSED WITH THE TRAGEDY OF LINEAGE
Roman went ahead of everyone, not bothering to wait for them as he marched through the foyer of the Institute, heading for the Ops Center. He was pleased to see his food untouched, immediately grabbing the glass of juice. He ignored Isabelle occupying the nearby desk as he chugged it in record time, the sweet cold refreshment doing wonders for his nerves.
"You okay?" The girl asked, her eyes trained on Roman from above her monitor. He could only numbly nod in response. He didn't even feel like finishing his sandwich anymore. He grabbed the edge of his tank top, wiping the filthy blood off his dagger before putting it back in its sheath.
"Why is there a mundane in the Institute?" He heard Alec's voice, drawing his attention back to reality. He sensed the man coming closer to him. "And you're okay with this?" Alec's tone was laced with disapproval, his scowl directed at Roman.
"Ask Jace. Mundane just showed up out of nowhere." He mumbled absentmindedly.
"Are you out of your mind?" Alec turned to Jace. "Mundanes aren't allowed in the Institute."
"It's his new job to recruit every lost or troubled mundane he can find." Roman quipped, his dry tone earning a chuckle from Isabelle.
"Hey, the Law allows us to offer sanctuary to mundanes in certain circumstances." Jace replied, the look on his face portraying clear pride at his response. He silently thanked Hodge for reminding him of that last night.
"So you decided to bring another mundie here? Hodge is going to kill you." Isabelle remarked, eyes squinted in distaste.
Jace sighed. "A Circle member followed him to get to Clary."
"I think they're the ones who took my mom." Clary added. Roman bit down on the inside of his cheek.
"The Circle member...he said something else." Roman immediately shot Jace a glare at his words. He knew it needed to be said but he didn't want to acknowledge it. "He said that...Valentine Morgenstern," Jace grimaced. "He's still alive."
A shocked laugh left Isabelle's lips at what Jace said before it died down, the humor on her face crumbling when she noticed the grimness surrounding Roman like a dark cloud had settled on his hunched shoulders. She shared a look with her brother, the same surprise mirrored on his face. "Wait, what? "
"What exactly is a Circle member and why are they trying to kill us?" Simon asked, eyes darting around for answers.
"All we know is...a long time ago the Circle led a revolt." Jace explained to him. "A lot of Shadowhunters got killed...including my father." His voice dropped to a low mutter as Roman looked down at his shoes.
