redamancy | jace herondale

36

"Jace?-" I noticed my boyfriend being one of the only people in the Ops Center, looking completely shaken up, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah-" Jace breathes out, before slowly sitting back down and facing the computer screens again, "I'm- I'm good."

"I just got back from patrol- and it's four in the morning." I walked down the steps, coming by his side, crossing my arms, "Why are you up? I expected to see you knocked out in bed by the time I went to your room-"

Jace used his stele, activating his Stamina rune, "I have to go through the rest of this surveillance footage-"

"By using your Stamina Rune?" I gaped at him, putting my hand on his arm and the other on his back, "Come on, you look exhausted-"

Jace doesn't move, "I can sleep when I find him."

"Well, when you don't take care of yourself, it's completely my responsibility, and I want you to go to bed-" I lightly hit his arm to urge him to listen, "Come on, I'll handle the rest of this footage-"

"Seven mundanes have been murdered in the last 48 hours." Jace ignored my pleas and sat up, "I think I know who's responsible."

"Wait-" I stopped, "You ID'd the Owl?"

"The Clave has no record of an owl-faced demon- or a demon that possesses people that way." Jace's voice was raspy for exhaustion, "That face has to be a glamour."

I thought out loud, "Who'd want to hide themselves?"

Jace's words shock me, "I think the Owl is Jonathan."

-

"You sure this is what it looks like?" I asked Simon and Maia, seated in the library, flipping through the pages of the Gray Book, "Positive?"

Maia trails, "I mean, I know I'm no Picasso, but-"

"Actually, Picasso was an abstract-" Simon began, but clears his throat, "Never mind."

"This is what I saw on his forehead." Maia pointed at the drawing she had given me, as I flipped through.

"Well, I can't find anything in the Gray Book, so, it's not a Shadowhunter rune-" I shut the Gray Book, "And Magnus has never seen anything like it-"

Simon sighs and sat down, "And the Seelie Queen said only a Daylighter can withstand it."

Maia looks around, "Does this library have a Daylighter section?-"

"I'll see what I can find, but- it's highly unlikely." I crossed my arms and sat back in my seat, looking at Simon, "This may be more of a vampire question."

"There was this one time back in fourth grade when Tommy Weismann kept picking on me- until I knocked him out." Simon suddenly said.

I look at him, "Oh?"

"What?" Maia's attention was just as caught.

"True story- I was king of the nerds for a day." Simon softly laughs, "What I never told anyone was that that knock out was actually an accident- I ducked to shield my new glasses, and my elbow caught him in the face."

Maia related, "I had a similar showdown with Cindy McCallahan- but, my knock out was intentional."

"I never really had a bully." I looked between the two, pursing my lips, "Jace always scared em off."

"Yeah, you and your knight in shining armor." Simon playfully nudged me, "I guess I miss the days when my biggest problems were 90 pound bullies and the threat of being suspended."