Jace sighed and ran his hands through his hair. His parabatai mark felt icy against his chest, still throbbing with his recent attempt to track Magnus. He had found him on a cold rooftop somewhere, with chilly wind across cobblestones and a pain on one side of his face. The last he had heard from either of them was when he had texted Alec to make sure they had gotten to London, and a snarky response.
I can handle myself, Jace.
He sighed and leaned against the balcony railing. Other Shadowhunters, various warriors from Idris as well as surrounding cities, were milling about in the ops room below him, working and talking quietly amongst themselves. He rested his weight on his forearms and let his gaze wander. Two girls were talking quietly over a screen that displayed security cameras from around the city. Isabelle was poring over a 3D map of Staten Island, pointing at things and conversing with a larger group. Still others were reading and making notes.
Jace couldn't help but flash back to that night at Valentine's recruitment meeting.
A Shadowhunter, one he recognized but couldn't put a name to, had been attacking a vampire when Jace had thrown himself into the fray, stabbing out at the other warrior. The vampire had run. They had exchanged blows, and were locked in a pushing match when the Shadowhunter looked up at him and smirked.
"Johnathan," he had murmured. "I'll tell Valentine we saw you. He'll be so pleased."
Jace had been startled and confused, and had taken a step back. That moment of hesitation had let the Shadowhunter turn and race away. Jace had followed, shouting obscenities, but he had leapt through a Portal and disappeared. Jace had been forced to let him get away.
What had he meant? Why would Valentine know of him or even care?
Izzy raised her head and they met eyes. She jerked her head at him. Let's go.
Jace nodded once and pushed himself up, wandering toward the library. He let the heavy door shut behind him and sighed as he looked blankly at the bookshelves. He noted their Shakespeare collection and ran his fingers lightly over the worn spines. He remembered Alec and himself spending days sitting in the library, poring over these books. Then, later, he and Magnus.
The doors creaked. "What's up?" Izzy asked, cutting right to the chase. Very Izzy-like. "You've got something on your mind."
"Do I?" Jace asked, unsure if he was being rhetorical or not. He rubbed his face. "I'm worried about Magnus."
"You know nothing's happened," Izzy replied. "If it had, you would have felt it." She pressed a finger into his chest, right over the spinning Mark that connected him and Magnus. "Here."
"I know." He rubbed his head. "I'm worried about—about both of them. What if something has happened? You know how it's been throbbing the past two days. It just—it hurts. Constantly. Not a—a physical pain. Something inside." He rubbed a hand over his flat stomach.
"Food poisoning," Izzy suggested.
"Well, considering you're not in London, I doubt that."
She gave him a withering glare. He managed a grin. Her face relaxed and she ran a thumb over his cheekbone.
"Have you been eating? You're sunken," she said quietly.
Jace shrugged. "Eating, sure."
"Sleeping?"
"Ah," he said with a sardonic half-smile, "for I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams."
YOU ARE READING
Outcast
Fanfic"My name is Magnus," he introduced himself, gold eyes shining. "Magnus Lightwood." "I didn't know Maryse and Robert had another kid," Alec said, much more sharply than intended. "Adopted," he amended, shrugging one shoulder. "My parents-died. Year...
