Chapter Text
I see no comfort in outliving one's friends, and remaining a mere monument of the times which are past.
—Thomas Jefferson
“You cannot be serious,” Clary said.
Magnus pinched his lips in a thin line. “Unfortunately, I am.”
After Magnus had delivered the news to the vampires, Alec, and Lydia, the group had gone back up to the main floor to meet with Clary, Izzy, and Jace to tell them what had happened with Camille. Needless to say, Clary was none too pleased about the possibility of Simon having to retract his statement.
“She killed Simon,” Clary said. “And now we’re just going to let her go?”
“You can just let her go and then I’ll kill her,” Lily offered.
Raphael gave her a stern look. “No one is killing anyone. And we aren’t going to let her go. Simon won’t be retracting anything.”
“It’s my choice,” Simon pointed out. “And I want Camille in jail or whatever Azkaban you Shadowhunters have as much as the next person. But what’s the point if it doesn’t get Camille convicted?”
“Azka-what?” Alec asked.
“He’s literally dating a warlock and he has no idea what Harry Potter is,” Clary muttered.
“Tragic,” Simon agreed.
Hairy what? Alec mouthed to Magnus.
Magnus gave Alec a smile. “We’ll work on your pop culture understanding.”
“Tell me you aren’t just going to let her go,” Raphael hissed to Magnus.
“What do you want me to do, Raphael?” Magnus snapped. “Camille won’t be found responsible for Turning Simon. She’s old. She’s got friends. The Clave won’t want to risk a war with the vampires just because one Mundane might have been Turned against the Accords. Then, when she’s free, she’ll come for you and Lily and all the others who turned on her. Not to mention, you broke the Accords when you kidnapped him. They broke the Accords when they broke into the Dumort,” he said, gesturing to the Shadowhunters. “Camille knows that, and you’re lying to yourself if you think she won’t use that against you. The Clave probably won’t want to punish Nephilim and might offer Camille her freedom if she keeps quiet about the Dumort attack.”
“It wasn’t really an attack per say,” Izzy voiced.
“It was kind of an attack,” Alec said.
“You killed vampires,” Raphael said sharply.
Lily coughed lightly. “This is why we shouldn’t deal with the Clave. We could have taken care of Camille quietly.”
“And then take the fall when all her actions come to light,” Raphael said.
“What if we testify that Camille forced Raphael to kidnap Simon,” Clary suggested. “And then he contacted us to invite us to the Dumort to rescue Simon.”
“Well, that would definitely take care of Camille,” Alec said. “Of course, Raphael would also be executed for kidnapping a Mundane, Clary would likely be sent elsewhere to receive better training from more capable Shadowhunters, and Izzy, Jace, and I would be suspended for failing to protect a vulnerable Mundane.”
Clary scowled. “You guys need a new justice system.”
“At least I make it out alive,” Lily said.
“Good for you,” Raphael said sarcastically.
“Is that really it?” Izzy asked. “Simon has to withdraw his accusation, Camille leaves New York, Raphael takes over the Clan? That’s our only option? Can’t you negotiate with her?” she asked Magnus. “Get a better deal?”
“That is the best deal,” Magnus said. “Immortals fear death. Camille won’t settle for anything less than her life spared. Whether that be a life sentence or actually setting her free.”
“What good does a life sentence do?” Simon asked. “I mean, she’d be stuck there literally forever. Camille doesn’t strike me as a stay-in-one-place type of vampire.”
“She’s not,” Magnus said. “Her grand escape plan is to bide her time and… well, wait for me to break her out. Which I will not be doing,” he added quickly.
“You better not,” Raphael muttered. “I will chain you down myself if I have to.”
“Why the hell would she think anyone would break her out?” Clary asked furiously.
“Time is very different to Camille,” Magnus said carefully. “When you have forever… what’s an odd eighty, ninety years in prison? She’s always been like this as long as I’ve known her, which has only been roughly a century and a half. In a hundred years, there won’t be anyone left who remembers why she’s been imprisoned. No one except Simon to remember what her actions cost. So she breaks out, goes into hiding for a time, then continues to live her life.”
“I’m offended you don’t think I’ll live that long, Magnus,” Raphael said.
“Will you still care in a hundred years?” Magnus asked. “As long as Camille doesn’t go near you, right?”
Raphael threw him a dark look.
“Oh my—” Simon choked. “Oh my— Dammit. I—I just… I’m immortal.”
Lily slow clapped. “Ten points to the mundie.”
“Not a mundane,” Simon grumbled. “This is not what I had in mind when I sang that song.”
Magnus couldn’t help feel bad for the vampire. Immortality was something he would never wish on anyone. Not when the cost was watching everyone you cared about die while you remained, unchanging. He’d lost too many people already, he’d lose many more. His heart clenched painfully at the thought.
Clary looked distraught.
“At any rate,” Magnus continued quickly before anyone had a chance to dwell on the immortal elephant in the room, “Camille is cunning. She’ll bide her time as long as she must.”
“And once everyone that can die who remembers is dead, she’ll come back to torment everyone that can’t die who can remember,” Clary said, clearly having no interest in dropping the immortality conversation. “Simon, Raphael, Lily, Magnus… you’re all immortal.”
“Well spotted,” Lily said.
“Obviously there needs to be a discussion,” Lydia said diplomatically. “I can’t give Camille a life sentence, and we need a little more than a Turned mundane to convict her with anything that matters. So discuss amongst yourselves and then let me know what you’re going to do.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Izzy said. “Camille has to go down.”
“And she will,” Alec said. “But this isn’t your decision to make. Just let Simon talk to Raphael and… and Magnus first.”
Izzy pursed her lips. “Fine. But I need to talk to you, Alec. Alone.” She spun on her heel and stalked towards the elevator. “Coming?” she called over her shoulder.
Alec sighed. “We’ll be back.”
“If this is another interrogation, you can forget it,” Alec said.
Izzy blinked. “Interrogation?”
“Jace already expressed his concerns about my relationship,” Alec said. “I imagine you have your own opinions now after Camille.”
“Honestly, I think it’s too early to bring immortality into the conversation, but since you’re letting me bring it up,” Izzy said. “Have you thought about that at all?”
“I have.”
“And?”
“And what?” Alec asked. “Magnus is immortal, I’m not. Neither of us have control over that, so what do you want me to do about that? Besides, none of us know what’s going to happen. I might die in two days or fifty years. Magnus could live five more centuries or five more years. No use worrying about someone I can’t control.”
“That,” Izzy said, pointing at Alec. “That’s exactly it. You’re a worrier, Alec. Don’t deny it, we both know it’s true. So what is it about the last week and a half? Jace called me when you accepted Magnus’s date. He said you were acting weird, and you are. What’s going on, Alec? I’m your sister, you can trust me. You know you can trust me. What’s going on?”
Alec chewed his lip. “Nothing’s going on, Izzy.”
“Something is going on,” Izzy said flatly. “I don’t know why you don’t trust me, but if this is some misguided way of protecting me, then you don’t have to protect me. I can take care of myself. I don’t need you dictating how I live my life.”
“I do trust you,” Alec insisted. “Of course I trust you. How could you even think—”
“Because there is something wrong with you, Alec,” Izzy said. “You’re breaking rules that you never would have broken before. Dating Magnus completely out of the blue. I’m not saying that’s all bad. I’m so proud of you for all that, but you have to admit how strange it looks.” She paused. “Were you seeing Magnus in secret or something? And Jace being the memory that demon took prompted you to do all this to reassure Magnus?”
“Yes,” Alec blurted. “Yes, that’s exactly it.” He tried for a smile. “I wanted to tell you, but I was kind of worried and everything about… everything. Then I freaked when the memory demon showed me Jace. That’s what we talked about when I stayed over after Magnus healed Luke.”
It was nice of Isabelle to offer Alec a solution. Alec would just need to let Magnus know about this before she had the chance to corner him or drop a bomb in the middle of a casual conversation. Still, something tugged at the back of Alec’s head. There was something he was forgetting. He just couldn’t remember what it was.
“Well,” Izzy said, smiling. “That actually makes a lot of sense. Sorry. For yelling at you. I’m just worried about you. I am glad you’re with Magnus. He’s great.”
“He is,” Alec agreed, the corners of his lips tugging up.
Magnus let out another loud sigh as Raphael and Simon argued back and forth about what to do about Camille. Both vampires could agree that Camille needed to be locked up, but neither could agree on how to get there.
His phone buzzed, alerting him to a text.
From Alexander: Izzy asked me some things. I told her I was seeing you before everything with Clary happened which is partially why I freaked about the memory demon. Said we talked about that when I stayed over.
From Alexander: Just in case she asks.
Magnus pursed his lips. It seemed like not telling the other Shadowhunters was going to cause more trouble that he and Alec had originally thought. It wasn't a problem, Alec’s story actually made quite a bit of sense. Most of the trouble was in remembering their story and sticking to it. In Magnus’s long experience, the best lies were the non-specific ones. Once the lie got too specific, that’s when you messed up your story and got in trouble.
To Alexander: An excellent cover.
From Alexander: I think we need to talk about what to do about them again. Jace knows I’m hiding something, now Izzy’s confronting me. It’s only a matter of time before Clary or Lydia or Simon do the same. Or even my parents.
To Alexander: We just need to keep our heads until we figure out what to do.
“Texting Alec?” Lydia asked, coming to stand next to Magnus.
Magnus looked up from his phone and turned it off. “Perhaps.”
Lydia grinned. “You two are cute. The way you smile at each other or when you’re texting or calling each other… Very cute.”
“Do we really?” Magnus mused. “Hmm. I suppose I’ll have to ask someone to send me a picture of Alexander one time.”
“—can just get her later,” Simon was saying.
Raphael glared at him. “How much later? Ten years? Twenty? Thirty? How long will it take for her to slip up? Who else is she going to put in danger before that happens?”
Simon flinched back.
“Raphael,” Magnus said sharply. “Simon, come with me.”
Simon didn’t comment on the proper use of his name. He gave Magnus a strange look. “Come with you? Where?”
“Away from prying ears,” Magnus said. “We’re the only two who have seen both sides of Camille, yes? Let’s talk.”
“There’s a room at the end of the hall,” Lydia said quietly. “You can step in there.” She glanced at Jace and Clary. “We’ll stay here with Raphael and Lily.”
Magnus nodded his thanks and pulled Simon into the room.
“Raphael says the only reason I feel drawn to her is because she’s my sire,” Simon babbled as soon as Magnus shut the door. “But I swear that’s not why I think we should let her go. I don’t like Camille. She… she ruined my life.”
“I didn’t bring you in here to talk about Camille,” Magnus said. “I brought you here to talk about what Camille did to you. I saw how you reacted when immortality was brought up. You didn’t really think about it before now, did you?”
Simon didn’t say anything. He sunk into an uncomfortable looking chair. “No. I didn’t. I mean, I knew vampires were immortal. I guess it didn’t really mean anything until you talked about how in a hundred years I’ll still be alive. But Clary won’t. Neither will Luke or Isabelle or Jace. Or Alec,” he added hesitantly. “Which I guess you’re aware of. You’re like hundreds of years old.”
“I am aware,” Magnus said. “I’m always aware when I take an interest in mortals. Sometimes they leave me before they can die. Who wants to be mistaken for their boyfriend’s parent or grandparent? Sometimes they stay and I watch them die.”
“And you’re just okay with that?” Simon asked.
Magnus shook his head. “Not really. But there’s nothing I can do to change it.”
“How do you go on?” Simon wondered miserably. “When everyone you love dies while you remain the same?”
“Do you know I have had this conversation before?” Magnus said. “One hundred thirty-eight years ago with another young man. His name was Will Herondale. His parabatai was laying on the bed before us, dying a horrible death caused by yin fen. It’s an addictive drug. Too much of it, and your body will depend on it. You can’t survive without it, but to continue to take it will kill you slowly.”
“That’s awful,” Simon said. “You couldn’t cure him?”
“With all my magic and knowledge, no, I could not cure him,” Magnus said. “But I will tell you what I told Will. As someone who has lived many lifetimes and buried many loves, I can tell you that the end of a life is the sum of the love that was lived in it. For those of us left behind, we endure what is unbearable and we bear it.”
“Did that help Will?” Simon asked bitterly.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can say to help a broken heart in the moment,” Magnus said. “You can say, It’s alright, but it’s really not alright. Or, It gets better, but that will be sometime down the line. I’m sorry, but what are you sorry for? Did you break my heart? Will and Jem was a special case. Jem died. Their bond was severed. Will felt that for every day of his life. He found ways to heal. But he never got Jem back.”
Simon picked at the knees of his pants. “I don’t want to watch Clary die. I never wanted this. It’s not fair. That’s childish, but it’s true. It’s not fair. Until a couple weeks ago, Clary and I were mundanes that knew nothing about the Shadow World. I wish it stayed that way. Then I wouldn’t be a vampire, Clary’s dad wouldn’t be a maniacal asshole, and we wouldn’t be stuck in this mess.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “Why did I let Clary go into that stupid club?”
“That stupid club is my club,” Magnus frowned.
“Sorry,” Simon muttered.
“You won’t be alone, Simon,” Magnus said. “I’m sure he won’t appreciate me telling you this, but I looked after Raphael when he was Turned. I was there when he lost his parents. I’ll do the same for you.”
Simon looked up. “You don’t even know me.”
“True,” Magnus said. He shrugged. “But you’re a Downworlder now. I’m by no means an orphanage for wayward Downworlders, but I will never turn my back on one that needs help and support. That includes you.”
“Thanks,” Simon whispered.
Magnus tried to reconcile this image of Simon with the one he’d left a year into the future. Clary Fairchild—a mortal—was certainly the only one this Simon really cared about outliving. But in the future, he had been dating Isabelle Lightwood—who was also mortal. Had the issue of immortality never occurred to him in the future, or had Magnus and Alec set some kind of precedent that it would be alright?
Or was it simply the fact that Simon couldn’t pretend to be normal? As a Daylighter, Simon was able to walk in the sun unlike any other vampire. He joined the—admittedly small—group of Downworlder Shadowhunters. Future Simon was basically just an immortal Ascendant with pointy teeth and a need to drink blood. Hiding the vampiric aspect about himself, Simon could pretend to be normal.
“I’ll help you too,” Simon added. “I’m guessing the reason why Camille thinks you’ll help her in eighty years is because of Alec, right?”
Magnus stared at the wall behind Simon. “I’ve no insight into the state of mind I’ll be in when Alexander dies.”
“I guess we can keep each other from running back to her then.”
“I guess so.” Magnus paused. “I can’t say what you should do about Camille. Whatever you do next has to be about you, not her. So what do you want to do?”
Clary looked up when Izzy and Alec returned in the elevator. Lydia was good company, Jace was still slightly awkward, but the two vampires were stoically ignoring the Shadowhunters.
“Where’s Magnus and Simon?” Izzy asked.
Jace jerked his head towards a closed door. “Talking. About Camille.”
Izzy nodded, but she looked distracted. “That’s good. Any idea what the final decision will be?”
“I still need to talk to Raphael and Lily about that,” Simon said, leaving the room, followed by Magnus. Both looked quite solemn.
Raphael beckoned Simon over to where he and Lily were standing. The three vampires spoke in low voices. Simon occasionally made a few wild gestures.
Magnus joined Alec by his side, reaching down for Alec’s hand. They seemed to have some kind of unspoken conversation. Clary couldn’t begin to imagine what it was about, but clearly they knew exactly what the other was trying to say.
“Strange isn’t it?” Izzy muttered to Clary.
Clary frowned. “Hmm?”
“My brother,” Izzy said, eyes on Alec and Magnus. “That’s why I talked to him just now. He says he’d been seeing Magnus for a while before the Downworld rave, but I know he’s not being truthful.”
“He’s not,” Clary said. “He told me he never would have met Magnus if it wasn’t for me. Either he was lying to me to make me feel good—which he would never do—or he’s lying to you.” She hesitated. “Jace and I think there’s something weird going on. We don’t know what, but there’s something.”
“Agreed,” Izzy said.
“We’re looking into it,” Clary said. “Uh, we thought about a love spell, but I don’t think that’s likely. You can’t create the kind of emotion they have for each other. And it’s very obvious they care a lot about the other. I suggested when Alec lent Magnus some strength, but Jace shot that down. Jace is the one who thought maybe they had known each other before, but then Alec told me he hadn’t met Magnus before. And now he told you he has.”
“What are you whispering about?” Jace asked, butting into the conversation.
Clary frowned at him. “Excuse you.”
Jace held his arms up defensively. “Sorry. Didn’t know it was a ladies only thing.”
“It’s not,” Izzy said. “It’s Alec. Whatever you and Clary are doing to look into whatever’s going on with him, I want in.”
Jace didn’t have time to formulate a response before the vampires were heading over to the Shadowhunters. Raphael was scowling darkly while Lily and Simon had identical grim expressions. Clary had an idea of which option they’d chosen.
“I’m going to withdraw my claim,” Simon said. “Camille will sign over the clan to Raphael and swear not to harm him or the clan or to break the Accords. And she’ll leave New York.”
“Simon, are you sure?” Clary asked.
“I’m sure,” Simon nodded. “It’s the best option. This way she can’t take revenge on Raphael or the rest of the clan. You know that’s the first thing she’d do once the Clave releases her.” He glanced at Lydia. “You’ll put her on a watch list or something?”
“I will, yes,” Lydia said. “Obviously I can’t say it’s because you’re requesting it, but I’ll think of a reason.”
“You can say she abruptly turned over the Clan to Raphael,” Alec suggested. “Then fled the state. That’s enough evidence to make the Clave suspicious.”
“Unfortunately true,” Lily muttered. Her face brightened. “Hey, do you think we could just turn her over to the Silent Brothers?”
Magnus gave her a disapproving look. Raphael fixed Lily with a glare that seemed to have no impact on her whatsoever.
“Why do you want to give her to the Silent Brothers?” Jace asked.
Lily grinned, showing off her fangs. “To see Brother Snackariah of course.”
“Who’s Brother… Snackariah?” Clary asked warily.
“Brother Zachariah,” Magnus corrected. “He’s an old friend.”
“He’s the hottest Silent Brother you’ll ever meet,” Lily said.
Clary gave her a disturbed look while Jace and Lydia looked unsettled. Izzy looked like she was caught between a snicker and disgust. Raphael just continued to look as pissed off as he normally looked and Simon—the only one who had yet to see a Silent Brother—looked confused.
Alec had actually met Brother Zachariah before—at his and Magnus’s wedding. He knew some of the story from what Magnus had told him. He knew the Silent Brother had once been Jem Carstairs and he had met Magnus over a century ago in London. Still, he figured his siblings were probably picturing the creepy sewn shut eyes and mouths of the Silent Brothers they had seen in the City of Bones and at Alec’s trial.
“Hot Silent Brothers aside,” Alec said awkwardly, “we can’t just give Camille to the Silent Brothers. Not after what happened with Meliorn.”
“Yeah, but Meliorn wasn’t a bad person,” Izzy pointed out. “Camille is.”
“We don’t get to be the judge of that,” Alec said. “If we do, then we’re just as bad as Valentine.”
“He’s right,” Clary said. “We have to be better than that. So what do we do now? Let Camille walk out?”
Magnus pulled a piece of paper out of thin air. “First, I have to draft a contract that Camille will sign in her blood saying that she’s turning the Clan over to Raphael and she has no deigns against him or the rest of the Clan. Once she signs it, then she can leave.”
“What about the Accords?” Clary asked. “Aren’t you going to put anything about the Accords in there?”
“You can’t force someone not to break the Accords,” Lydia said. “If that were the case, every Shadowhunter and every Downworlder would be required to sign a blood contract saying they wouldn’t break them. Since the Accords are about peace and trust between our two peoples… it doesn’t seem very trusting if you have to make a blood oath.”
“Fair point,” Clary sulked.
Magnus ran a hand over the piece of paper. Blue tendrils of magic licked at the page as words started to appear in dark ink. It wasn’t very fancy, just a basic contract any vampire might request for a Clan leadership transfer. He threw in a few extra clauses to offer Raphael some added protection from Camille just in case she was still free when and if Raphael became mundane again. When he was done, he handed it over to Raphael to inspect.
Raphael raised his eyebrows a few times, clearly trying to understand why Magnus had worded some of the contract the way he had. After a few moments, he nodded his satisfaction and passed the contract to Lydia who scanned it much quicker.
“You know Raphael Santiago well?” Lydia asked, glancing up at Magnus.
“No,” Raphael said the same time Magnus replied, “Yes.” The vampire glared at him.
Lydia hid a smile. “I was just asking. You provided a lot of protection for him in this.”
“Just being thorough,” Magnus said pleasantly.
“Thorough is one word for it,” Lydia said. “At this point, Camille wouldn’t be able to touch him short of, well, nothing.” She squinted. “Did you really include that she can’t hurt him even if he somehow turns into a werewolf?”
Magnus shrugged. “He’s immortal, dear. Perhaps one day someone will find a cure for vampirism, Raphael takes it, and promptly gets Turned by a wolf. I’m just taking all the safety measures I can.”
“Dios mio,” Raphael muttered. “Can we get this over with?”
“Please,” Clary agreed.
“We could drag it out as long as we want,” Lily offered. “Let Camille stew a little longer.”
Lydia’s lips twitched. “Unfortunately, that would be illegal since we aren’t charging her with anything right now.”
“Don’t you people do anything fun?” Lily complained
“The Law is hard, but it is the Law,” Lydia recited. Magnus mimicked her silently much to Alec’s amusement.
“Don’t suppose Lydia is your lost sister,” Izzy said to Alec. Then she winced and gave Clary and Jace a sheepish look. “Sorry. That was insensitive.”
“It’s fine,” Clary shrugged. “I mean, we aren’t siblings and apparently my brother I never knew I had is dead, so… no one to really miss.”
“Would have been funny if you did go to marry Lydia, find out she’s your sister, then find out she isn’t,” Jace grimaced. “Like parabatai right?”
Lydia blinked. “I’m sorry, you two are related?”
“No,” Jace said.
“Long story,” Clary added. “But no.”
“I’ll take this to Camille,” Magnus said awkwardly, taking the contract back from Lydia who was now looking back and forth between Jace and Clary like she was trying to detect even the faintest trace of relation between the two.
“I can do it,” Alec offered lightly.
Magnus grinned. “Jealousy, thy name is Alexander. What? You think she’s going to jump me the moment I enter the cell?” He said all that before realizing that, yes. It sounded exactly like something Camille would do that Alec might worry about. “Oh. Not to worry. I have… magic,” he finished rather lamely. “I’ll just…” He made a gesture like he was pushing something away.
“Don’t hold back,” Alec muttered.
Magnus grinned and blew him a kiss as he set off down the hall towards Camille. Alec and the others followed after him.
Camille was leaning against the wall of the cell when they arrived. She pushed off the wall with a tantalizing smirk that told them she knew exactly why they were returning to her.
“A contract,” Magnus said, waving the paper. “Draft by yours truly.” He made a face. “Well, perhaps not yours truly.”
“And here I thought we had something special,” Camille said.
“It certainly was that,” Magnus muttered. “And not in a good way.”
Alec tried to suppress a smirk. By the sour look Camille was giving him, he wasn’t succeeding.
“The contract states that you will hand over the New York Clan to Raphael Santiago,” Magnus said. He glanced at Raphael. “You’ll need to sign here,” he said, pointing to a blank spot. “Now, I suppose.”
Raphael jotted his name down where Magnus indicated.
“Camille will sign here.” Magnus pointed to a different spot. “The contract also states that you will not form another Clan to take over the New York Clan, nor will you harm Raphael Santiago or any of his current and future Clan members.”
“And what about him?” Camille asked, looking at Simon. “Do I get his word he won’t accuse me the second I hand over the Clan?”
“I guess you’ll have to trust me the same way we’re trusting you not to break the Accords again,” Simon said coolly.
Jace snorted. “I think becoming a vampire made you braver, mundane.”
“Okay, see, you called me a vampire—because I am—but then you call me a mundane,” Simon said. “So really, you’re contradicting yourself. And I’ve always been brave.”
“Please stop talking,” Lily said.
“I threw a knife at Raphael once,” Simon continued. “And I, you know, I tried to fight you once. And going to the Jade Wolf is apparently not advisable when you’re a vampire, but I went anyway. Oh, and I went with Clary and you guys to that creepy Silent City entrance.” He looked pleased with himself. “I’m brave.”
“Fine,” Camille said bittingly. “I won’t break the Accords, you won’t accuse me of Turning you.” She smiled innocently. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“What heart?” Alec muttered causing Magnus to choke on his laughter.
Camille gave them all a poison smile. “I’ll sign now.”
Lydia paused before unlocking the door for Magnus to step in. Magnus handed Camille a quill to use to prick her blood and sign as well as the contract. She took them and signed her name in a looping scrawl that shined red.
“Are you going to let me cross now?” Camille asked, looking pointedly at the line of holy marks barring her path.
Lydia nodded at Magnus. “Do it.”
Magnus snapped his fingers. The line of carefully drawn holy symbols disappeared like Lydia and Alec had never drawn them in the first place. Camille sauntered lazily over the spot where they had been. She passed Magnus the signed contract. Magnus took them, eyeing Camille warily.
“Look at you,” Camille said when they left the cell. “Shadowhunter lapdog. How the mighty have fallen, Magnus.”
Magnus gritted his teeth, but said nothing, passing the contract to Raphael who took it with a glare at Camille.
“He is not a lapdog,” Alec said lowly.
Had this been the same post-almost wedding Alec that had originally run into Camille, Magnus might have been worried. But this was post-actual wedding Alec who had already had many much needed conversations with Magnus. They had covered anything Camille could throw at Alec to harm him.
“No, he just does whatever his cute Shadowhunter boy toy wants,” Camille said. She smirked. “For now. And then you’ll grow old, and he’ll leave.”
Alec smirked right back. “We’ll see.” He gestured towards the elevator. “After you.”
Camille sent him a scathing look as she stomped into the elevator flanked by Raphael and Lily. Simon edged in after them, standing next to Raphael hesitantly. Izzy and Clary scowled at Camille as they were the first Shadowhunters into the elevator. Alec followed after them. He made a spot against the wall by the buttons. Magnus, Jace, and Lydia piled in soon after, causing the space to be severely cramped.
“Hope no one’s claustrophobic,” Simon said as the doors dinged shut.
Clary laughed nervously. Her laughter pattered out when no one else joined in.
When the elevator reached the main floor, the Ops Center fell silent upon seeing four vampires file out with a warlock and five Shadowhunters.
Camille spun around to face Magnus and the vampires and Shadowhunters. “I’d say it was nice doing business with you, but that would be a lie.”
“Not like you’re a Seelie,” Izzy said.
“Congratulations, Raphael,” Camille said. “Guess this is my cue to leave. I’ll be seeing you in a hundred years, Magnus.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Magnus said.
“Can’t,” Camille said. “I’m a vampire.” With that, she strutted gracefully out of the Institute.
Lydia inhaled sharply. “Well. I will update the files to say Raphael Santiago is the leader of the New York Clan as well as issue a warning to the other Institutes to keep an eye out for and on Camille.” She headed to a computer screen and started tapping away.
Raphael and Lily didn’t say a word as they headed towards the Institute doors.
“I guess I better go with them,” Simon said. “Bye, Clary.”
“Bye, Simon,” Clary said, giving him a hug.
Simon gave them all a wide smile and hurried after Raphael and Lily.
“Well that was a waste,” Jace grumbled.
“That’s what most things are when Camille is involved, I’m afraid,” Magnus said. “And now if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go home. You Shadowhunters may be nocturnal creatures, but I enjoy getting my beauty sleep at night.”
Alec opened his mouth to answer when his phone buzzed with a text. Along with every other Shadowhunter’s phone. He looked down. “A meeting? Now? For what?”
“For that I bet,” Izzy said, looking past Alec at Maryse who was walking with a man Alec and Magnus recognized at Victor Aldertree. The man who got Izzy addicted to yin fen. The man who turned many unwilling Downworlders into mundanes and wanted to do so to the rest of the Downworld without permission.
Magnus glanced at Alec. “Or perhaps I’ll stay until I’m kicked out.”
“No one’s kicking you out,” Alec said automatically. “Thank you,” he added.
Izzy, Jace, and Clary exchanged looks. There was obviously something about the man walking with Maryse that bothered Alec. For some reason, Magnus knew what it was and he knew how to appease Alec’s feelings. They just didn’t understand what or how.
As Alec geared himself up to sit through Aldertree’s speech without glaring daggers into the man’s chest, he had no idea that his siblings and Clary were planning to find out whatever secret he was hiding.