After City of Heavenly Fire

4: Wolves

Alec took a place at Jace's side, hand hovering, ready to swipe his seraph blade off his back and the slightest hint from the wolf that it would attack.

"Jace," Alec said tentatively, "don't make the first move, or it could be seen as breaking the accords."

Jace nodded slowly, his golden eyes unfaltering from the lycanthrope's yellow ones. Luke waited a pace behind, knowing it to be unwise to come between Jace and a possible fight. Jace and the downworlder's circling spiralled to a gradual stop, the wolf pawing slightly at the fresh snow. The lycanthrope seemed to shrink backwards before growing vertically, animal pelt moulding into human skin, snout shortening to nose, eyes darkening to a chocolate brown.

"I'll speak to the lycanthrope and no one else." The newly appeared man spoke with a gravel to his voice that resembled somewhat the growl of a dog. The pitch and tone brought to mind images of foaming jaws, monstrous pearlescent fangs and eyes alight with bloodlust. The man himself had hooded eyes and a mane of dark hair that covered more face than it revealed.

"Bit far from Brocelind forest aren't you?" Jace spat with a malice that reminded Alec of his sulking days, a mood Jace hasn't displayed since their visit to the demon realm years previously.

Alec laid a cautionary hand on Jace's lower arm and Jace tensed.

"What's up with you?" Alec hissed. Jace shrugged him off.

"I'll speak only to the lycanthrope." the new wolf repeated. Alec nudged Jace but he remained stoic and unmoving.

Luke backed Alec up, "I can look after myself, you know."

Jace went with Alec grudgingly, his brow furrowed as he ploughed through the snow.

"What's up with you?" Alec asked, wounded at his parabatai's sudden mood swing.

Jace spoke distantly, as if trapped within his thoughts, "It was alright when it was just me, you and Izzy, we were brought up practically expecting those around us to leave one day and never come back."

Alec nodded, encouraging Jace to go on.

"Even when Clary and Simon appeared, when the fight was won there was still the memory of the thrill of battle, the adrenaline, the excitement that overrode the worry I had for them. I risked my life because I enjoyed it and I had real foes to face, like Sebastian, I fought against enemies that were on my level, there was true danger, it was a struggle to win. Now demons are so few in number and so weak, there's no true danger. Accidents happen but that's all they are, accidents. Demons aren't a true threat anymore."

"And you're upset about this?" Alec asked, no sarcasm or incredulity in his voice at all, not in the least bit judgmental.

"No," Jace said, becoming more animated, "I'm thankful. The problem is this: I thought that once Valentine and Sebastian had been eradicated and the demons weakened that we would have the closest thing shadowhunters could hope for to peace. I thought my children could grow up and expect to live long lives. Now I see that the true threat lay under my nose the whole time, it was inevitable someone would break the peace and I fear the lycanthrope back there is a sign it's happening. Demons have flaws, demons aren't intelligent, the hardest enemy for us to face is our own kind, those on our level, those trained to fight the same way as us. If downworlders uprise we will be faced with the toughest fight of our lives."

"Why would they uprise?" Alec asked by way of encouraging Jace to keep talking.

"I don't know. I hope I'm wrong."

They crested the hill at the front of the manor to see Jocelyn and Clary struggling to control four children, two of which were still moving at a speed that made it a wonder their tiny bodies hadn't just burned out.

"Where's Izzy, Magnus and Simon?" Jace asked, brow yet again furrowing.

Alec shrugged and they picked up the pace, almost running by the time they reached the manor.