Brothers by Blood (Alec Lightwood twin)

Chapter 42

ALEC'S POV

"Looks like he's already tapping the energy supply." I said, looking up at the lights as they began flickering. Aldertree and I were walking very slowly down one of the hallways.
"We need to get to that power core and shut it down." He said, pretty much stating the obvious.
"It'll be heavily guarded." I reminded him.
"We'll get to it via the rooftop. Hell if I'm gonna let that bastard destroy the entire Downworld." He said. What?
"What, suddenly you care about the Downworld?" I asked, looking at him suspiciously. He turned to me, lowering his weapon and looking up at me.
"I'm an officer of the Clave, sworn to protect Downworlders and mundanes alike." He said seriously.
"Right." I said disbelievingly.
"I'm not the big bad wolf you think I am." He retorted.
"You might've helped me back there, but don't pretend you're one of the good guys, and definitely don't think I trust you." I snapped. With that, he turned back around and we slowly made our way up to the roof.

MAGNUS' POV

Clary and I stepped out of the portal that I had created to be faced with the Institute. I knew that Alexander was trapped inside and he was really the only thing I was worried about right now. I knew I needed to focus on the current task though.
"Well, here we are." I said, almost to myself.
"Magnus I want you to know I'm not going anywhere near that sword." Clary said earnestly.
"I don't care what happens to me, Clary." I replied, thinking only of Alexander as I stared up at the Institute.
"Alec's gonna be okay. Simon's gonna be okay. We can do this. You and me." She said seriously, taking each of my hands and looking up at me. I knew she was sincere in her words, but that did nothing to appease my fears for the man I loved deeply.

ALEC'S POV

"The power core's up here on the roof, behind this access hatch." I told Aldertree, drawing a rune on the hatch and stepping away, turning my head away so I didn't get hit with the debris as the wood exploded outwards.
"Unfortunately, it's impervious to the unlock rune." Aldertree said, walking over to
"You're the head of the Institute. You telling me you don't have a key?" I said with a very subtle distaste.
"I do, in my office." He said, glancing at me.
"Where Valentine is." I finished for him.
"I'll have to override the control mechanism." He said to me. I folded my arms across my chest.
"That's impossible." I said. He chuckled.
"Not when you have my security clearance, and know the backdoor algorithms." He retorted, a smirk on his face before he turned back to the panel.
"I think you wouldn't mind if the Downworld was destroyed. Certainly make your job easier." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
"My relationship to the Downworld is more complicated than you think." Aldertree said without looking at me.
"How's that?" I asked suspiciously. He turned to me.
"Years ago, when I was still making my way up through the ranks of the Clave, I fell in love with a woman. Beautiful, intelligent, sexy, and a lycanthrope." He told me.
"You fell in love with a Downworlder?" I asked cynically.
"Seems odd, doesn't it? But Eva was special. After a year together, I was called to Alicante for a summit. When I returned, I went to see her and found the aftermath of a massacre. A shax demon. I discovered Eva hiding in the basement. She was in shock, driven mad by grief. She couldn't control herself, so she transformed, and attacked me." He said, unbuttoning the top of his shirt and pulling it aside to reveal four claw marks that stretched from his neck, across his collarbone and down to his chest. He was looking down and away from me. "She'd have killed me if I hadn't used my seraph blade." He said lowly, buttoning up his shirt once again. He then looked up at me. "Eva died in my arms." He revealed.
"You killed her?" I said, more of a statement than a question.
"I had no choice. Eva couldn't control herself. That was her nature, her wolf nature. That's when I realized a Shadowhunter could never be with a Downworlder, no matter how strong our feelings might be." He said in a knowing tone. I looked away, not wanting to meet his gaze.

JACE'S POV

Luke and I arrived at the Institute and I transformed into Clary. He and I knew that he would only let Clary in and I needed to make sure that Alec, Ben, Izzy, and Simon were ok. The person I was most concerned about was Alec, but before I could get to him, I had to help Simon. I waved my stele slowly over my shapeshifting rune, and the next thing I knew, I was Clary. It was weird looking like my sister. I turned to Luke.
"I'm going inside. You and Maia wait out here." I said to Luke. When I heard the high-pitched voice emanating from my throat, it was a bit disconcerting, but I put up the façade of being Clary.
"Be careful." He said. I nodded and walked inside. The second I walked through the doors, two Circle members grabbed me.
"Tell Valentine I'm here." I said. It was still weird hearing my sister's voice as my own, but I kept up my façade of being her and did not let it faze me.
"Hello, my dear." Valentine said, walking up to me.
"Where's Simon? Before I do anything, I need to know he's alive." I told him.
"But I'm afraid you may have waited too long." He told me. I wasn't entirely sure what had happened to Simon, but I knew how Clary would react to hearing this.
"Where is he?" I snarled. I was led to Aldertree's office to see Simon bleeding out with his throat slashed. As soon as I was released, I grabbed a knife off the table and rushed over to him. I run it over my forearm. "Simon, hold on, okay? Stay with me, Simon." I said. I lifted my forearm up to him and offered my blood to him. Even in his weak state, he refused. "Simon, please. Come on, come on, Simon. Simon, drink. Come on. It's okay, feed." I encouraged him to drink.
"Careful, Clarissa." Valentine warned. As soon as Simon sunk his teeth into my arm and started drinking, my eyes rolled back. It felt amazing. Never in my life had I felt this way. I honestly didn't want it to stop. In the back of my mind, I knew it should, but this feeling was too amazing to let go of. I vaguely heard Valentine say something before Simon was pulled off me and the feeling was gone immediately. I suddenly felt weak from all the blood that I had lost, and I transformed back into myself. I do not regret saving Simon's life though. "Shape-shifting, huh? Well, that's original." Valentine said condescendingly.
"I learned from the best." I retorted, attempting to sound stronger than I was feeling.
"No, you didn't. I would never willingly let a vampire taste my blood. Do you have any idea what you've done?"   Valentine replied. I stood up to face him.
"I saved a life."   I snapped.
"A monster's life, and for what? He's just gonna die with the rest of the Downworld, anyway." He taunted. Suddenly, Simon used his vampire speed to knock Valentine down before he could touch me. Valentine dropped his seraph blade and I immediately picked it up, quickly killing the three other Circle members in the room. I took a knife off the wall and threw it to Simon. He caught it with ease.
"Here! We have to destroy the sword. Come on." I said. We walked quickly to the door. "Nice moves back there." I complimented him.
"Thanks, I've been practicing." He replied, following me out of the room.