By the Angel

Chapter 15

I twist the hand that is... Caressing my face?

"Clary, it's just me." The familiar melody drifts over me breaking into the haze. "It's me, " he repeats. Placing his cool hands on either side of my cheeks, instantly calming me.

"Jace? What are you doing here? Or better yet how did you get in here? I know Valentine didn't just let you waltz through the front door."

He bites his lip as if he's nervous, and I start to feel a little anxious myself.
"Jace?" I ask as I sit up.

"Don't be mad, " well that would depend on his answers to my questions.
"Magnus told me the person who hurt you has been following you. So, I've been standing outside your house to make sure he doesn't come near you. Then I heard you scream and I had to make sure you were okay."

"I'm definitely not mad," I say truly astonished, the fact that he cares so much makes my blood sing.

"Are you okay? When you screamed... I thought... I thought he was here, I was so terrified, Clary. I didn't think I just... broke into your bedroom, I guess."

"You can break into my bedroom anytime Jace."

Before he can answer I can here Valentine stomping down the hall towards my room. Springing into action, I grab Jace's hand and drag him to my closet.
"However bad it gets, do not come out. I promise you it will be so much worse if you do."
He starts to shake his head vigorously, " I'm not afraid of him, I'll do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe. Hiding in a closet doesn't fall in that category."

"Jace, im serious, if you come out, it will only make things worse... for me." I add knowing it's the only way to get through to him.

He looks at me like he wants to argue but something in my eyes must convince him otherwise. He nods as I shut the door. Making sure to unlock the deadbolt before I silently run back to my bed and close my eyes. 
Hoping that if he thinks I'm sleeping he'll just leave, it's a futile attempt at best. It's never worked before and there's no reason it would now. He throws open the door and marches into the room. His boots clash against the tile, almost as loud as the beating of my heart. I silently send up a prayer to the angels begging for mercy, not on my own behalf but for Jace. Valentine can't know he's here if he finds our he'll make use of the gun I can clearly see strapped to his side.

"Get up Clary, " he barks.

I sigh as I open my eyes giving up the act.
"What do you want Valentine? It was a nightmare."

"You're pitiful screams reminded me we never got to finish our conversation. Your defiance? Yeah, that's over. Your boyfriend? You can say goodbye to him too."

"What gives you the right?" I say standing up to face him.

He looks down at my clothes and then smiles." you look like a whore Clary, I thought I raised you better."

I can feel the rage boiling inside of me as he smirks at the thought of getting under my skin. "your wife bought it for me and you didn't raise me at all."

I can get under his too, as fury takes over the smile decorating his snarl just moments before. "You've made it abundantly clear to me in the past and now that you don't give a damn about me so why do you care who I date or what I do in my spare time?"

"I care about you ruining the Morgenstern family name, you think you can date the leader of the Legends of the fall with no repercussions? Are you really that dense?"

I freeze, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know," he says, "when I found out you were training I had you filmed. It was the first time I ever felt proud of you. The first time I ever even considered you mine. I knew in time you would be the best just like I was and, in the process, make me a very rich man."

The entire time I felt safe in that ring, he knew. I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of him watching me give myself over to the darkness as I face my opponent. The fact that he enjoyed it makes the urge to hurl that much more dominant.

"I don't care for your pride Valentine and if I win, you won't see a cent of that money. If I'd known it would make you proud I would have chosen another path," I spit.

"No, you wouldn't have Clary, fighting is in my blood, it's who I am and as you know blood calls to blood."

I don't know what makes me more furious the fact that what he's saying is true or that he thinks I'll just relinquish my money to him. He's right about one thing, fighting is who I am but I'm not like him nor will I ever be.

"There is no if Clarrisa, you will beat that boy and when you do the crown will be yours but not yours alone. You'll be the face of Shadows of the night but I will always be the true leader, all of your funds will be transferred to me. There is hope for you Clarrisa, one day when you're ready I'll share with you my world."

I don't want any part of your world, I know what you are, I know what you do and I would never stoop to your level."

He looks at me almost mockingly," Oh, please enlighten me, what do you think your father does, who am I?"

I take in a breath preparing to say it out loud, the word I dared never even utter to myself. My nightmares, they aren't only of the man who attacked me that night, in fact, most of my nightly terror stars the man that stands before me, calling himself a father.

All those nights he came home and would disappear only to come home at three in the morning covered in blood. No, there is no mistaking what he is.

"You're a murderer," I say defiantly, I will not let him scare me and I will never back down. He doesn't even flinch at my words. He's not surprised that I know.

"Nobody would believe you."

"I know," I think to myself but refrain from saying. Nobody has ever believed me, not even my own mother. Though with her I think its more like denial.

As for everyone else, no one believes Manhattan's war hero with a heart of gold would ever harm anyone not even a fly. Only three people have believed a word I have said.

Three people out of the hundreds I have tried to tell. Over the years I gave up trying to warn others, I blocked it out, until now and now that's it all rushing back to me, there's something else that is hovering over the surface.
"You were the one who attacked me weren't you?"

He laughs at me then and I want nothing more than to wipe the grin off his face with my knuckles.
"Don't you think you would have recognized me?"

"You were behind the attack, you orchestrated the entire thing didn't you? Tell me Valentine who did you send. What lackey got the honor of ending your daughter's life? Only he didn't follow through with those orders, did he? I'm sure he thought he left me for dead, I should have died that night but I didn't and I think there's a reason for it. You will fall, Valentine, one day all you have will be gone and I will be the one to rip it from your fingertips."

He storms up to me then, a fury in his eyes that match my own. He wraps his hands around my neck as my feet dangle in the air. "I'm not afraid of you," I choke out gasping for air.

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Published February 28th 12:52 AM