Our Fate V ➰Shadowhunters➰ [Jace]

➰Epilogue➰

➰Epilogue➰

"For the hundredth time, Melody, you are not going on that mission," Jace declared, sighing heavily as he heard the angry sixteen-year-old groan a complaint.

"But what's the point of me training so hard every single day if you won't let me use my skills to hunt actual demons?!"

"You're not ready yet."

"I can fight better than anyone else my age. Dad, I don't even need a stele for runes."

"The fact that you think you can solely rely on your special abilities is proof enough that you are not ready."

"Why are you always holding me back?! You never let me do anything. You treat me like a kid."

"Newsflash, honey. You are a kid," Jace replied with a grin. "Don't rush yourself into growing up, kiddo."

"You want to ruin my life!"

"I'm your dad. That's part of the job description," Jace retorted, as Melody groaned one more time before stomping out into the hallway.

"Woah. What happened now?" Leah asked, walking to Jace with a frown, as she glanced at her daughter while storming out.

"She thinks I'm ruining her life."

Leah snorted. "Well, that's an understatement. You're completely destroying it."

Jace rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. "She needs to calm down. She gets those anger issues from your side of the family."

Leah laughed dryly. "Yeah, big guy keep telling yourself that."

"Mommy! Look what I found!"

Both of them smiled when they spotted the little boy with auburn red hair and blue eyes running towards them. At only six years old, Theo was probably more curious than his favorite aunt, Isabelle (don't tell Clary that, though), at his age.

"What is this?"

"It's a stromatolite."

"And that's a... Rock?"

"Mundanes think it's made of fossil germs but Aunt Izzy says they're made of fossil demon poison!"

Leah smiled, both surprised and a little concerned that her son was already so intelligent at such a young age. Granted, from what she'd heard both Valentine and Jonathan Morgenstern had been regarded as geniuses, so it was possible that this ran in her family. Thankfully, however, unlike Valentine or Jonathan, Theo would grow up with a family that loved him with everything they had and taught him to distinguish right from wrong.

"That's pretty cool, buddy," Jace told him, a grin on his face. "Please do me a favor and stay this age."

Leah laughed, shaking her head. "Melody's always been hard-headed."

"Yeah, and stubborn and irritable."

"Just like her father," Leah said, placing a kiss on his cheek. "She's growing up, Jace. At some point we're going to have to let go and see if we did a good job raising her."

Jace nodded. "I know that. I just... I want her to be a kid as long as she can. We both know not everyone gets that chance."

"She wanted to go to hunt a Shax demon, Jace. Not go to war," Leah replied. "Besides, do you really think you stopped her from getting out of this Institute?"

"I just want her to be safe."

"If she's anything like you and me... then she'll be fine," Leah said and kissed her husband lovingly. "Well, now, it's well past this little man's bedtime."