Strawberry // Magnus bane

Chapter 8 - Bad Blood

***

Alec and I were looking at the screen to make sure everything was okay. We were being extra cautious because of the scrutiny we were under and we couldn't afford to slip up again.

"Alec, Bella, what are you doing?" I hear Jace say as he comes to stand next to me neither of us acknowledged him and carried on looking.

Jace leans against the screen "You can stare at this monitor all you want, they need angel blood to get past the wards. You know that." He tried again.

"No Downworlder can come into the Institute." Neither of us acknowledged him as we both understood that we couldn't take anymore risks.

"Not without an invite by a Shadowhunter." I heard my parabatai say from behind me.

I turned to look at her sighing "Last I checked, Valentine is a Shadowhunter." I told her.

Alec nodded from the other side of me "The Cup is not safe here. We have to give it back to the Clave." he said also turning to look at the rest of your team.

Clary looked at him "Give it back to the Clave? No. Not after everything we went through to get it." I just rolled my eyes at her.

Izzy looked at her "My brother is right. The Cup is extremely important." She agreed.

Alec looked at the her with a hint of shook "Are you agreeing with me?"

"I'm full of surprises." Izzy said with a straight face and no hint of sarcasm which immediately worried me. she wasn't acting like her self and definitely wasn't dressing like it either.

Clary looked between us "This Cup is the one chance I have at getting my mom back." she tried to persuade us.

Jace nodded looking at us "I agree with Clary. We can't give the Cup to the Clave, not now. We need it. It's our only bargaining chip." I rolled my eyes again, he's only agreeing with her because he has feelings for her.

I turned to him and quietly muttered "Feelings cloud judgement." To which he slightly glared at me.

"Look, I know how powerful this Cup is. It has the power to create new Shadowhunters, control demons and even kill a mundane if they drank from it. But I promise you, I will not let that monster get his hands on it." Clary promised, I shook my head about to protest but Jace looked at me pointedly.

"There you go. You have her word." He said in her defence.

Alec looked at Clary "Follow me." He ordered her.

Alec leads Clary to the vault-tile in the training area that only a few Shadowhunters had access to, Alec and I included. He activates the rune on the floor and the shelves come up.

Clary smiles at him "Alec, I realise I couldn't have done any of this without your help. I wanna thank you." She tells him smiling.

Alec takes the cup and places it on the bottom shelf "Don't misread this as friendship. Since you've arrived, our whole world's been turned upside down."

As he seals the vault I shook my head at him "This is a bad idea. We should be giving it to the Clave."

He looked at me and sighed "This way no one gets it. Only we know its in there and only you and I can open it, its save from everyone, the Clave included." He said kissing my head and walking away.

***

I was in the training area when the alarms went off to indicate that a demon was close to our perimeter. I grabbed my bow and quiver and ran out to see Alec, Izzy Clary and Jace already there.