In the Shadows (Shadowhunters, Jace Wayland)

Chapter 1

Lia's POV

"What do you mean you can't pick me up, Ella? You promised!", I let out, walking down the stairs of the University. It was already dark out, I had been in the Art studio pretty late. A cold breeze made me tuck my scarf tighter around my neck.

"I'm sorry, Li. I'll make it up to you, yeah?", her voice sounded through the phone. I huffed, nodding.

"Sure. It's okay, I'll take the bus. See you tomorrow?".

"You will. Love you.", she chirped, hanging up. I looked around the parking lot. Pretty much everyone had gone home already. This was normal. I had a thing for staying late; when the studio was empty I usually did my best work. I took a step towards the exit, tripping over my own feet.

"What-", I looked down at my undone laces. Huffing again, I put my bag down, a set of paint brushes immediately spilling onto the floor, rolling in different directions, and under a nearby car.

"Seriously?", I muttered to myself, quickly fixing my shoes and then going down on all fours, reaching under the car.

"Ah, come on!", I was unnerved, as much as I stretched, my fingers were only almost touching the brushes. A sudden noise made me stop in my tracks. I thought the parking was empty? I could've sworn I was the last one in the building.

A loud banging and a groan made me flinch back, the brushes in my hand. Slowly, I looked over the hood of the car, the sight in front of me making my mouth fall open in shock.

There were two men, fighting, moving so fast I could barely distinguish the limbs. One of them had blond hair that fell in his face, and large tattoos up and down his arms. The shocking thing wasn't the black leather outfit he was wearing, but the glowing sword he was swinging at the other man. The other dude's eyes were flashing in a light blue, giving him a creepy air. In shock, I watched as his mouth opened wide, his skin forming some sort of tentacles. The sharp teeth flickered in the light of the street lamp.

I was speechless. What the hell was that thing?

They had come out of nowhere; my guess was that the blonde guy had driven the other guy out onto the parking. I gasped as the sword pierced through the tentacle-man's body. Quickly I held my hand in front of my mouth, and felt my eyes widen at the sight in front of me. The man had crumbled in what seemed to be glowing ambers and grey ash.

What the hell was going on? Was I going insane?

I didn't have much time to question my mental health, however, seeing that more and more people started filling the parking lot. A tall, dark-haired girl in a clad leather dress joined the blond boy, a silver whip in her hand. Gracefully, she flung her weapon at two men charging towards her, making them crash to the ground. Growls and grunts filled the air, as the fight went on, man after man falling to ashes.

It was only now that I realized how loud my heart was beating and how heavy my breathing was. A sudden whizz through the air made my head snap to the side, only to see what seemed to be another member of the leather-wearing fighter gang join in. The large tattoo on his neck immediately caught my eye. There was something familiar about it. He had dark hair, too, and a large bow, off of which he was firing arrow after arrow at the tentacle men. He hadn't noticed me, cowering behind the car, but I had noticed the large man coming up behind him. Just like the others, his eyes were of a light blue, glowing in the dark. I noticed claws on his hands, and the skin around his mouth starting to deform, as he walked towards the archer, who was still unaware of the danger.

Turn around, god damnit!
The man was only a few metres from the dark-haired boy, getting ready to lunge at him.

"Ah, fuck.", I hissed, getting to my feet, my limbs acting almost out of my control. I didn't think, as I rushed forward, watching the blue-eyed man raise his claws to strike. "Watch out!", I shouted, throwing myself at the boy, making both of us tumble to the ground.