Valentine's Arrow

11: Chaos Rises

CHAPTER ELEVEN

REBECCA

The door banged open, and Sebastian stood there. His eyes rested on the ring in Clary's hand, which caught the light filtering in through the window and shone like a mini sun. For just a second, his eyes darkened to a pitch black, and an expression of intense fury crossed his face. Then it disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Honestly, I'm disappointed," he said, "that you really thought you could get away with this."

Rebecca's throat closed up.

"Incidentally, how did you even find the ring? I thought I'd concealed it well enough, but apparently not." He gave a crooked smile. "Well done."

They simply stared at him, holding their breath. It was like those few moments just before getting pounced on by a demon – those tense moments of anticipation that were sometimes even more terrifying than the attack itself.

Before Sebastian could take a single step towards them, Clary, quick as lightning, threw down the ring and immediately stomped on it. Sebastian had stopped in his tracks, an incredulous expression on his face. "You seriously didn't-"

Clary lifted her foot, and Rebecca saw that the ring was now nothing but a pile of gold dust. Then she looked back at Sebastian and realized that they had no choice but to fight him. Sebastian snarled and took a step forward, but Rebecca didn't let him get very far. She kicked him in the stomach, and he stumbled back. Clary took the opportunity to grab his stele, but Sebastian grabbed hold of her and pulled her back, shoving her into Rebecca, who somehow managed to get a hold of Clary. "Clary, get out of here! Find a way out!"

Sebastian pulled Clary toward him and she wheeled around, bringing her fist into his jaw. He cursed and let go, and she ran downstairs, his stele still in her hand.

Rebecca tried to get in under his guard, but he was too fast. He shoved her against the wall, one hand gripping both her wrists. She kicked him in his most sensitive area – something she would normally never have done, but she was desperate. Sebastian grunted and let go of her, and she lunged for the door, but something caught her around her feet, and she fell.

"Stay still!" Sebastian growled, one of his hands around her wrists, the other around her throat.

"Let me go!" Rebecca wriggled and almost managed to free herself, but Sebastian tightened his grip so much that the pain was almost unbearable. His face was right next to hers, and she could actually feel his hot breath against her cheek.

"Do you remember..." he said in a low voice, "when I took you to that shop in Angel Square? And we went riding through Brocelind Forest?"

"I'm going to kill you," Rebecca said, her voice trembling with rage. "I swear it on Max's life, Sebastian-"

"You told me about the first demon you ever killed," Sebastian continued, his voice soft. "A Croucher, wasn't it?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Sebastian's grip relaxed on her throat. He placed his hand on her cheek, his lips brushing against her ear. "I remember you told me you never felt good enough for anybody..."

"By the Angel-"

"Alec was the oldest son, so naturally, he was the favorite. Jace was famous, even in Idris. And then there was you."

Rebecca struggled again, but her mind was only half in the present – the other half was reliving what she had told him that day in the forest.

"Not to mention those rumors that flew around-"