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"Rauht "That’s serious stuff Drevak deerous pests, but the Rauot rid of theot rid of them? Or Jace did? Clary, I don’t want you--"

"It wasn’t like that" She shook her head "It was like…"

"Wasn’t Magnus around? Why didn’t he go with you?" Luke interrupted, clearly upset

"I was healing Maia, that’s why," Magnus said, corapefruit His hair rapped in a towel and he was dressed in a blue satin tracksuit with silver stripes down the side "Where is the gratitude?"

"I a not to laugh at the sa had happened to Clary--"

"You would have died if I’d gone out there with the down into a chair "She and Jace handled the demons just fine on their own, didn’t you?" He turned to Clary

She squirmed "You see, that’s just it--"

"What’s just it?" It was Maia, still in the clothes she’d worn the night before, with one of Luke’s big flannel shirts thrown over her T-shirt She erly in a chair "Is that coffee I s her nose

Honestly, Clary thought, it was hardly fair for a olf to be curvy and pretty; she ought to be big and hirsute, possibly with hair co out of her ears And this, Clary added silently, is exactly why I don’t have any feet a grip She rose to her feet "You want et you soar!" she called as Clary left the roo in hand, the olf girl was frowning "I don’t really reht," she said, "but there’s so me…"

"Well, you did try to kill hi back onto the arm of the sofa "Maybe that’s it"

Maia paled, staring down into her coffee "I’d forgotten He’s a vampire now" She looked up at Clary "I didn’t mean to hurt him I was just…"

"Yes?" Clary raised her eyebrows "Just what?"

Maia’s face went a slow, dark red She set her coffee down on the table beside her

"You nus advised "I find that helps when the crushing sense of horrible realization sets in"

Maia’s eyes filled suddenly with tears Clary looked toward Magnus in horror--he looked equally shocked, she noticed--and then to Luke "Do soht be a warlock who could heal fatal injuries with a flash of blue fire, but Luke was hands down the top choice between the two for dealing with crying teenage girls

Luke began to kick back his blanket in preparation for rising, but before he could get to his feet, the front door banged open and Jace canus hastily pulled the towel off his head and dropped it behind the arlitter, his hair was dark and straight, halfway to his shoulders

Clary’s eyes went immediately to Jace, as they always did; she couldn’t help it, but at least no one else see up, wired and tense, but also exhausted, his eyes ringed with gray His eyes slid over her without expression and landed on Maia, as still weeping soundlessly and didn’t seeoodup morale?"

Maia rubbed at her eyes "Crap," shein front of Shadowhunters"

"So go cry in another room," Jace said, his voice devoid of war in here while we’re talking, do we?"

"Jace," Luke began warningly, but Maia had already gotten to her feet and stalked out of the rooh the kitchen door

Clary turned on Jace "Talking? We weren’t talking"

"But ill be," Jace said, flopping down onto the piano bench and stretching out his long legs "Magnus wants to shout at nus said, tearing his eyes away froht I was clear with you that you were to stay in the house"

"I thought he didn’t have a choice," Clary said "I thought he had to stay where you are You know, because of nus said crossly, "but last night, after everything I did, ic was--depleted"

"Depleted?"

"Yes" Magnus looked angrier than ever "Even the High Warlock of Brooklyn doesn’t have inexhaustible resources I’m only human Well," he amended, "half-human, anyway"

"But you must have known your resources were depleted," Luke said, not unkindly, "didn’t you?"

"Yes, and I lared at Jace "Now I knohat your much-vaunted Shadowhunter vows are worth"

"You need to kno to make me swear properly," Jace said, unfazed "Only an oath on the Angel has any "

"It’s true," Alec said It was the first thing he’d said since they’d come into the house

"Of course it’s true" Jace picked up Maia’s untouched ar"

"Where were you all night, anyway?" Magnus asked, his voice sour "With Alec?"

"I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk," Jace said "When I got back, I bu around the porch" He pointed at Alec

Magnus brightened "Were you there all night?" he asked Alec

"No," Alec said "I went ho different clothes, aren’t I? Look"

Everyone looked Alec earing a dark sweater and jeans, which was exactly what he’d been wearing the day before Clary decided to give him the benefit of the doubt "What’s in the box?" she asked

"Oh Ah" Alec looked at the box as if he’d forgotten it "Doughnuts, actually" He opened the box and set it down on the coffee table "Does anyone want one?"

Everyone, as it turned out, wanted a doughnut Jace wanted two After downing the Boston creaht him, Luke seemed moderately revitalized; he kicked the blanket the rest of the way off and sat up against the back of the couch "There’s one thing I don’t get," he said

"Just one thing? You’re way ahead of the rest of us," said Jace

"The two of you went out afterfrom Clary to Jace

"Three of us," Clary said "Simon came with"