Crowns ~ Alec Lightwood

Losing Everything

"Get Magnus now!"

Clary and Izzy ran out of the room to grab the warlock. Jace and Alec ran to the room at the end of the hall where the rumble came from. They spotted the purple glow that emanated from Rory's room and rushed inside.

Alec gasped and immediately tried to get her floating body back down, "What the hell?"

"What is that?" Jace asked, pointing to her arm, "That looks like Clary's burns when she tried to fulfill the blood oath."

Magnus, followed by the girls, ran into the room. He told them to back up and he activated his magic. He shot a burst at the shell of energy that captivated her. It easily deflected and hit one of the lights. Sparks flew and they ducked for cover.

"What is it?" Izzy asked.

"I don't know! But whatever it seems to be, it's protecting her."

Alec noticed the burns on her arm were slowly disappearing. He pointed them out to Magnus, whose eyes widened, "It's healing her."

They stopped to figure out a plan but another burst of energy pulsed out. Medical equipment crashed down and the team blew back. The energy started to get stronger. Air started to whirl around and pick up the pace. It felt as if a tornado was as created inside while earthquakes simultaneously shook the Institute. They took cover behind a fallen table as Rory's body inched higher.

"It looks like it's gonna explode!" Clary shouted.

The red head's prediction was right since a final blast of energy gathered up on her body, curling into a small ball of light, and exploded outward.

Everyone was blown back against the wall. Alec grunted as his back collided with the tough surface. But he kept his focus on his wife, noticing that the glow disappeared and her body was starting to descend. Alec quickly got to his feet to catch her as she lightly dropped into his arms.

Jace and Izzy flipped the table back upright and Alec laid her body on it. He gently stroked her smooth arm and furrowed his brows, "Her arm...it's healed."

"I don't understand," Izzy said, "What was wrong with it?"

"The Soul Sword burnt her and it was spreading but now...it's completely gone," Magnus explained.

Alec lifted her shirt to see if the stomach burn was gone. He sharply inhaled at the sight, "How is this possible?"

Magnus looked between Jace and Clary, "Wait...I think it was a blood oath."

"A blood oath?"

He nodded, "You said Clary had similar burns when Iris Rouse made her sign a blood oath to find Madzie. I don't know why I didn't see it before!"

"But Rory doesn't owe anyone an oath," Alec disagreed.

"Correct, her blood isn't owed to anyone...it's owed to the Soul Sword."

"How is that possible?" Clary asked.

"She got hit by the light," Izzy realized, "But she didn't die like the others."

Magnus nodded, "The sword took everyone's blood but hers. But it still doesn't explain why it decided to disappear now."

Jace's eyes widened, "Johnathon possesses the sword now. What if that means that she owes blood to him?"

Alec bit his lip and and squeezed her hand. She was moving and mumbling but she still wasn't awake. Sweat coated her forehead and small wisps of energy occasionally flew from her hands.

"That means Johnathon somehow got her blood."

"Maybe when she fought him," Clary suggested, "He must've gotten her blood then."

They stopped talking when Rory mumbles got louder. She called out for Alec and her brother Jack.

"Rory is important, but so is finding Valentine and Johnathon," Jace reminded.

"I'm not leaving her," Alec argued.

Jace held his hand out in peace, "I'm not asking you to. Rory would want us to do our jobs. What are your orders?"

The others looked to Alec in reassurance. He sighed, "Search Johnathon's apartment. I'll inform Inquisitor Herondale."

They nodded and left Magnus and Alec alone. Only a minute passed before Rory's body started glowing and thrashing again. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up. Magnus caught sight of a ball of magic swirl in her hand a second before she unleashed it on him.

He flew back into the wall, his head hitting the cement hard. Alec's eyes widened and turned back to her only to catch a kick to the face. He grunted as she pushed herself off the table and attacked him, using her magic to hold him against the wall.

His throat closed in on him as she crushed his lungs. Her purple cat eyes glowered furiously; it was a look he had never seen before. Her whole demeanor was evil and she looked at him as if she didn't know who he was.

"Rory..." he gurgled, losing his breath.

At the sound of her name, her eyes unfocused from her fury and caught his pained look. Something triggered inside of her and her purple eyes flickered out.

Once she was back in control, she realized that she was killing her husband. She gasped and dropped her magic immediately. He fell to the ground with a thud, grasping for air and holding his throat. She looked down at her hands in panic and observed the destroyed room.

She caught Magnus almost unconscious across from them. Alec was still catching his breath as she kneeled next to him in worry.

"I'm so sorry, Alec," she apologized, tears brimming her eyes, "I-I don't know what happened."

"It's okay," he said in a raspy voice.

He sat up and hugged her tight, pulling her against his chest. He sighed in relief as she shortly cried into his shoulder. He rubbed her back soothingly and felt her body shake from fear. But her emotions stopped as soon as she heard Magnus get up and approach them. She wiped her tears and helped Alec to his feet.

Magnus gave her a big hug, "I'm sorry I didn't figure it out sooner."

"Figure what out?"

He pointed to her arm and she looked down. Her confusion grew more as she saw that the burns were completely gone.

She laughed lightly, "How?"

"You owed a blood oath to the Soul Sword. But when you got your blood on Johnathon, the oath was fulfilled," he explained.

She grinned and turned back to hug Alec. He looked back over her shoulder to see Magnus wink as he left the room for their privacy.

Rory pulled away, "Alec...when I was fighting Johnathon, I was scared as hell. I haven't been that afraid since Jack died. Because after that, it felt like I had nothing left to lose."

She paused and looked up into his eyes, "But then I remembered that I have you...and I could lose everything."

He caressed her cheek with his thumb and smiled, "I was scared too...because you're everything I am. You are my life, Aurora Lightwood."

"And you're mine, Alec Lightwood."

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