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"If you do not wish to co you"

The dagger seemed to leap into Isabelle's hand; or at least, she barely seehtly "I wouldn't do that if I were you"

Mr Archer bared his teeth at her "Since when have the Angel's children becoht you above this sort of business, Isabelle Lightwood"

"I'irlfriend Which gives ht to kick your ass if you bother him That's hoorks"

Girlfriend? Sih to look at her in surprise, but she was staring down the two subjugates, her dark eyes flashing On the one hand he didn't think Isabelle had ever referred to herself as his girlfriend before On the other hand it was sye his life had becoht, rather than the fact that he had just been su by the most powerful vampire in New York

"My ht was a soothing tone, "has a proposition to put to the Daylighter-"

"His name is Simon Simon Lewis"

"To put to Mr Lewis I can proeous if he is willing to accompany us and hear my master out I swear on hter, and that should you wish to refuse my master's offer, you will have the free choice to do so"

My master, my master Mr Walker spoke the words with a mixture of adoration and awe Simon shuddered a little inwardly How horrible to be so bound to someone else, and to have no real will of your own

Isabelle was shaking her head; she ht Isabelle was an excellent Shadowhunter She'd been hunting deic-practicing warlocks, olves who'd run wild and eaten someone-since she elve years old, and was probably better at what she did than any other Shadowhunter her age, with the exception of her brother Jace And there had been Sebastian, Siht, who had been better than theht," he said "I'll go"

Isabelle's eyes rounded "Siether, like villains in a coesture itself wasn't as creepy, really; it was that they did it exactly at the same tis were being yanked in unison

"Excellent," said Mr Archer

Isabelle banged the knife down on the table with a clatter and leaned forward, her shining dark hair brushing the tabletop "Sient whisper "Don't be stupid There's no reason for you to go with them And Raphael's a jerk"

"Raphael's a master vampire," said Simon "His blood made me a vampire He's etter-there are a million names for what he did," Isabelle said distractedly "And maybe his blood hter" Her eyes hter But she would never say it out loud; there were only a few of them who knew the truth, the whole story behind what Jace was, and what Simon was because of it "You don't have to do what he says"

"Of course I don't," Sio, do you think Raphael is just going to drop it? He won't They'll keep coates; they looked as if they agreed, though heme everywhere When I'm out, at school, at Clary's-"

"And what? Clary can't handle it?" Isabelle threw up her hands "Fine At least let o with you"

"Certainly not," cut in Mr Archer "This is not a ht Children"

"I will not-"

"The Law gives us the right to conduct our business in private" Mr Walker spoke stiffly "With our own kind"

Simon looked at them "Give us a moment, please," he said "I want to talk to Isabelle"

There was a moment of silence Around the its late-night rush as the movie theater down the block let out, and waitresses were hurrying by, carrying steahed and chattered at nearby tables; cooks shouted orders to each other behind the counter No one looked at the on Sila sometimes, when he ith Isabelle, that he was trapped behind an invisible glass wall, cut off from the rest of humanity and the daily round of its affairs

"Very well," said Mr Walker, stepping back "But "

They retreated toward the door, apparently unaffected by the blasts of cold air whenever someone went in or out, and stood there like statues Siht," he said "They won't hurt estured uncomfortably toward his forehead "This"

Isabelle reached across the table and pushed his hair back, her touchSih times himself, in the mirror, to knohat it looked like As if son on his forehead, just above and between his eyes The shape of it seees found in clouds, but it was always clear and black and son scrawled in another language

"It reallyworks?" she whispered

"Raphael thinks it works," said Siht her wrist and drew it away frohed "Every bit of ood idea"

Siers "Come on You're curious about what Raphael wants, aren't you?"

Isabelle patted his hand and sat back "Tell et back Callup his jacket "And do me a favor, will you? Two favors, actually"

She looked at hiuarded a over at the Institute tonight If you run into her, don't tell her where I went She'll worry for no reason"