The Shadow of an Angel // JACE WAYLAND (ON HOLD)

IV

Azel

I squinted through the light of the setting sun as I made my way down the street that gave way to Hotel Dumort. Upon waking three days ago, I'd been getting increasingly oppressing headaches and straining my eyes to see did nothing to help them. Neither did all of the information the Shadowhunters had piled on top of me.

For starters, Valentine was Clary's father, and though I probably should've pieced it together before, I'd discovered only yesterday that he had Clary's mother solely to obtain the whereabouts of the Mortal Cup. Which was now protected inside the institute according to Hodge. Then, there was the fact that Simon had become a freaking vampire in the month I'd been...occupied. So that was news. Plus, Clary's stepdad was a werewolf– an alpha to be more precise.

I was still struggling to wrap my head around it all, but hopefully this visit would ease the pounding pressure in my head, just a little. Relieve some of the stress. I'd never gotten a chance to thank Raphael for saving my life–never got the faintest idea of why he was even there that night in the first place. Though, the thought that I needed to thank him, that I owed him this had been gnawing at me these past few days. Enough so that I went as far to sneak out the institute.

Again.

Was I a huge hypocrite for doing such a thing after deliberately telling Jace and Eli that I was terrified of Valentine and still pulling shit like this? Was I insanely stupid for even thinking such a thing?

Yes. Yes I was. But I'd felt him with me since I'd snuck out of that office window– just like he'd shown me all those months ago. A lifetime ago.

Eli stayed silent on the rooftops as he trailed after me. I knew why he was doing it– why he was't stopping me. Maryse had put me on house arrest. A month locked in a cage and I'd been put on house arrest; the woman not daring to let me outside.

I snorted at the words she spoken to me just this morning. "We– I– trust your intentions, but this is for your own safety." Yeah, my safety my ass. I could see it in her eyes as she dared to get close to me, that weariness. It was other's safety she was concerned about, and I didn't have a problem with that in the slightest. I got it; I understood. I just wished that that acceptance Eli and Izzy had promised me had included trust. I'd explained that to Alec and Jace this afternoon as both of them sat with me in my room. They seemed to be the only ones who trusted that I'd do everything in my power not to hurt someone; everyone except myself.

Which was why the blonde now trailed behind me as well, jumping across the rooftops across from Eli. He knew I needed this freedom too, but he wasn't going to dare letting me out alone, Eli or no. I'd rolled my eyes the second I'd sensed them. I was extremely thankful, yes, but they could've just walked beside me. This jumping rooftops thing was a little extra.

A small smile graced my face as the large, rundown building came into view. A few steps later and I could just make out the faint shadow of a man under the entrance wing. I instinctively waited for one of the two boys trailing me to call out a warning or suddenly just jump down and stop me all together. But I kept walking, no interruptions or obstacles interceding my path. So I walked faster and faster, and by the time I stood in front of the immortal man that I supposed had saved my life, no matter how unwelcome it may've been, I found myself smiling.

Raphael raised an eyebrow at the silver I could feel lining my eyes, but tucked his hands in his pockets as he surveyed me. "Tears for an old friend? Or a reminder of what could've been?" He winked. "Or just out of relief that I saved your ass."

A small sob broke from the restraints in my throat as I threw my arms around him. Because he was all of that. A friend, a reminder of what could've been had I found him instead of those shadowhunters all those months ago, and a–