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Clary hung up the phone with a frown "No answer"

"Who is it you were trying to call?" Luke was on his fifth cup of coffee and Clary was starting to worry about hi? He didn’t see, but she surreptitiously unplugged the percolator on her way back to the table, just in case "Si the dayti as he doesn’t have to see day light"

"So…"

"I was calling Isabelle I want to knohat’s going on with Jace"

"She didn’t answer?"

"No" Clary’s stoerator, re She was halfway through the container when she re "Maia," she said "We should check and see if she’s okay" She set the yogurt down "I’ll go"

"No, I’m her pack leader She trusts me I can calht back"

"Don’t say that," Clary begged "I hate it when people say that"

He smiled at her crookedly and ducked out into the hallway Within a few one"

"Gone? Gone how?"

"I mean she snuck out of the house She left this" He tossed a folded piece of paper onto the table Clary picked it up and read the scrawled sentences with a frown:

Sorry about everything Gone to make amends Thanks for all you’ve done Maia

"Gone to hed "I was hoping you would know"

"Are you worried?"

"Raum de them back to whoever su for her"

"Oh," Clary said in a suess would be that she means she went to see Simon"

Luke looked surprised "Does she knohere he lives?"

"I don’t know," Clary adht" She fished into her pocket for her phone "I’ll call hi himelse that’s going on" She scrolled through her address book for Si three tiy

"Hello?"

"It’s me" She turned away from Luke as she spoke, more out of habit than from any desire to hide the conversation from hiroan She could hear hi over in bed "That means I sleep all day"

"Are you at home?"

"Yeah, where else would I be?" His voice sharpened, sleep falling away "What is it, Clary, what’s wrong?"

"Maia ran off She left a note saying sheto your house"

Simon sounded puzzled "Well, she didn’t Or if she did, she hasn’t shown up yet"

"Is anyone else home but you?"

"No, my mom’s at work and Rebecca has classes Why, you really think Maia’s going to show up here?"

"Just give us a call if she does--"

Si on a second I think so to break into my house"

Ti silver rain falling all around hiers had started to go nu hihtwoods kneas up here, or if soet a nasty surprise when they found him locked up in it But no, the Inquisitor wasn’t that sloppy She would have told them the room was off-limits until she disposed of the prisoner in whatever ry, even afraid, but he couldn’t bring hi seemed real anymore: not the Clave, not the Covenant, not the Law, not even his father

A soft footfall alerted hi on his back, staring at the ceiling; now he sat up, his gaze flicking around the roo rain-curtain It must be the Inquisitor, back to sneer at him some more He braced himself--then saith a jolt, the dark hair and fas he cared about, after all "Alec?"

"It’swall It was like looking at soh clear water rippled with current; Jace could see Alec clearly now, but occasionally his features would seem to waver and dissolve as the fiery rain shih to el’s name is this stuff?" Alec reached out to touch the wall

"Don’t" Jace reached out, then drew back quickly before he made contact with the wall "It’ll shock you, h it"

Alec drew his hand back with a lohistle "The Inquisitor erous criminal Or hadn’t you heard?" Jace heard the acid in his own tone, saw Alec flinch, and was lad

"She didn’t call you a crihty boy I do all sorts of bad things I kick kittens I estures at nuns"

"Don’t joke This is serious stuff" Alec’s eyes were so to see Valentine? I h your head?"

A number of smart remarks occurred to Jace, but he found he didn’t want tothat he’s my father"

Alec looked as if he wereto ten to maintain his patience "Jace--"

"What if it was your father? What would you do?"

"My father? My father would never do the things that Valentine--"

Jace’s head jerked up "Your father did do those things! He was in the Circle along with my father! Your mother, too! Our parents were all the saht and punished, and htened But "The only difference?" was all he said

Jace looked down at his hands The burning cuffs weren’tThe skin underneath them was dotted with beads of blood

"I just meant," Alec said, "that I don’t see how you could want to see hieneral, but after what he did to you"

Jace said nothing

"All those years," Alec said "He let you think he was dead Maybe you don’t remember what it was like when you were ten years old, but I do Nobody who loved you could do--could do anything like that"