Her Brother and Her Father

Epilogue

Epilogue- Jace’s Truth  

*Two years later

Jocelyn kisses Clary on the forehead, hugging her close to her body.  “Is Jonathan decent, sweetheart?”

Clary sighs against her.   How many times now has her mother asked that?  Seven or eight… hundred times.  “Yes mother, Jonathan’s been fine.  He makes me happy you know. I hope you know that I’m happy.”

Jocelyn hugs her tighter.  “That’s all that matters, that and your wellbeing.  Take care, sweetheart.  Luke and I are going to France for a few weeks for our honey moon.  I’ll call once a week to check up, okay?”

Clary extricates herself from her mother’s grasp and smiles.  “Have fun mom.  Don’t worry about me.” Clary kisses her mother on the cheek and her and Luke head down the stairs towards their villa.  Clary is about to turn around to head back when she sees a familiar pair of black haired men climb the Gard steps.  Clary smiles to see Alec and Magnus back and she climbs back down the stairs to meet them half way.  Alec looks up to see Clary running down the steps.  He stops on the landing and Clary runs into his embrace.

“Alec! You’re back!  How was Germany?”  Clary says, soaking in Alec’s warmth.

“It was chocolate filled my dear,” Magnus says behind her.  Alec releases her and Magnus takes her in a one sided hug, kissing her on the cheek.  He produces a dark black box with a red ribbon tied around it.

“Magnus, you shouldn’t have,” Clary says kissing Magnus’s cheek as she takes the chocolates from his hands.

“Oh but I should, there isn’t a scrap of decent sugar in that Gard kitchen of yours,” Magnus says with a flick of his wrist.

She turns to Alec, noticing his cheeks are red with wind burn.  “We were just swinging by to say hi before we leave for Moscow,” Alec says.

“Moscow?  Oh Jonathan and I went there a few weeks ago.  I loved the architecture, you guys will like it.  Hey do you want to come in for a quick bite to eat.  You guys look hungry, despite our lack of decent sugar plus it’s getting pretty cold.” Clary smiles.

“Only for a few minutes I guess.  What do you say Magnus, we haven’t had anything to eat since that strip club,” Alec says bluntly.

Magnus’s cat eyes flash but he nods and they all head up the stairs into the Gard towards the kitchen.  Ry and Roman are standing at the doorway, waiting for Clary.  They stay back to give Clary, Alec and Magnus breathing room.  They step into the kitchen, Alec ahead of her and she catches sight of a pale rune on the back of his neck.

No, she thinks.  Please, no.  Dread and horror grip her throat.  She stops in the open space between the counter and table.  Magnus halts abruptly so as not to hit Clary and Alec turns around to see why they’ve stopped.  Alec knits his brow as he sees Clary’s barely controlled dread.

She takes a shuddery breath, on the verge of tears.  She doesn’t want to ask, she doesn’t want to know but she needs to.  “Alec, which rune is that?  On your neck?”

Horror flashes across his face and his gaze flicks to Magnus, whose lips are pursed.  Clary tries to breathe in but her breath catches and she almost chokes.  Alec pulls off his shirt to reveal a toned, muscular body and turns around.  His faded, stark white parabatai rune sits, blindingly painful on the back of his neck.  A muffled gasp of horror escapes Clary as she runs a finger down the pale skin of his neck.  Tears threaten to spill over as Alec pulls his shirt back on.  The white rune is burned into her brain.  No, no he escaped.  But he might not have had anywhere to go.  He could have been caught or demons could have killed him.  Or…