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"There is a way" Jace raised his eyes to hers "Give me your hand"

Surprised, Clary reached her hand out, re the first time he'd ever taken her hand like that She had the rune now, the open-eye rune, on the back of her hand, the one he'd been looking for then and hadn't found Her first per her wrist, the vulnerable skin of her forearm

She shivered The wind off the river felt as if it were driving into her bones "Jace, what are you doing?"

"Res? How instead of exchanging rings, we Mark each other with runes of love and commitment?" He looked at her, his eyes wide and vulnerable under their thick gold lashes "I want to Mark you in a way that will bind us together, Clary It's just a s?"

She hesitated A per-herelse see she said convinced him Maybe this would Silently, she drew out her stele and handed it to hiers as he did She was shivering harder now, cold everywhere except where he touched her He cradled her ar it softly to her skin, ently up and down, and then, when she didn't protest, with more force As cold as she was, the burn of the stele was almost welcome She watched as the dark lines spiraled out froular lines

Her nerves tingled with a sudden alarm The pattern didn't speak of love and co darker, so that spoke of control and sub rune? But this was Jace; surely he knew better than that And yet a nu to spread up her ar, like nerves waking up-and she felt dizzy, as if the ground were ed with anxiety "Jace, I don't think that's right-"

He let her arhtly in his hand, with the sarace hich he would hold any weapon "I'm sorry, Clary," he said "I do want to be bound to you I would never lie about that"

She opened herabout, but no words ca she felt was Jace's arms around her as she fell

After what see around what he considered to be an extre alone at a table in a corner, behind a spray of artificial white roses There were a nulasses on the table, oers had abandoned the rather abandoned hi nus hitched a foot around the chair opposite his, spun it toward hi the back

"Do you want to go back to Vienna?" he said

Alec didn't answer, just stared into space

"Or we could go sonus "Anywhere you want Thailand, South Carolina, Brazil, Peru-Oh, wait, no, I' story, but a if you want to hear it"

Alec's expression said that he very much did not want to hear it Pointedly he turned and looked out over the roo quartet fascinated hinus decided to alasses on the table He reen when Alec reached across the table and hit him on the wrist

"Stop that," he said "People are looking"

Magnus looked down at his fingers, which were spraying blue sparks Maybe it was a bit obvious He curled his fingers under "Well," he said "I have to do so of boredo toto you, I nus "I just asked you if you wanted to go to Vienna, or Thailand, or thein response"

"I don't knohat I want" Alec, his head bent, was playing with an abandoned plastic fork Though his eyes were defiantly cast down, their pale blue color was visible even through his lowered eyelids, which were pale and as fine as parchnus had always found humans more beautiful than any other creatures alive on the earth, and had often wondered why Only a few years before dissolution, Camille had said But it was mortality that hter for its flickering Death is the el had ever consideredhis human servants, the Nephilith, they fell as hues of the world

"You've got that look again," Alec said peevishly, glancing up through his lashes "Like you're staring at so about Canus said "How much of the conversation I had with her did you overhear?"

"Most of it" Alec prodded the tablecloth with his fork "I was listening at the door Enough"

"Not at all enough, I think" Magnus glared at the fork, and it skidded out of Alec's grasp and across the table toward hieting What was it I said to Camille that bothered you so much?"

Alec raised his blue eyes "Who's Will?"

Magnus exhaled a sort of laugh "Will Dear God That was a long tio Will was a Shadowhunter, like you And yes, he did look like you, but you're not anything like him Jace is much more the way Will was, in personality at least-andlike the one I had with Will Is that what's bothering you?"

"I don't like thinking you're only with uy you liked"

"I never said that Camille implied it She is a master of implication and manipulation She always has been"

"You didn't tell her she rong"

"If you let Camille, she will attack you on every front Defend one front, and she will attack another The only way to deal with her is to pretend she isn't getting to you"

"She said pretty boys were your undoing," Alec said "Whichline of toys for you One dies or goes away, you get another one I' I'm-trivial"

"Alexander-"

"Which," Alec went on, staring down at the table again, "is especially unfair, because you are anything but trivial for es for you, does it? I guess that's what itever really has toyou that you do matter-"

"The Book of the White," Alec said, suddenly "Why did you want it so badly?"

Magnus looked at him, puzzled "You knohy It's a very powerful spellbook"

"But you wanted it for so specific, didn't you? A spell that was in it?" Alec took a ragged breath "You don't have to answer; I can tell by your face that you did Was it-was it a spell for nus felt shaken to his core "Alec," he whispered "No No, I-I wouldn't do that"