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Alec's eyebroent up, but heher view of Isabelle and Simon He touched the stele to her skin, and she ju pain "I know it hurts," he said in a low voice "I think you hit your head Magnus ought to look at you What about Jace? How badly is he hurt?"

"I don't know" Clary shook her head "He won't let me near hi her face froht iratze on the side of her throat, just under her jawline "What did he do that he thinks was so terrible?"

She flicked her eyes up toward hi?"

Alec let go of her chin "Because I know hi you near hi you"

"He doesn't wantthe rebelliousness in her own voice and hating herself for being petty

"You're all he ever wants," said Alec in a surprisingly gentle tone, and he sat back on his heels, pushing his long dark hair out of his eyes There was soht, a surety about hi that allowed hienerous with himself before "How did you tind up here, anyway? We didn't even notice you leave the party with Simon-"

"They didn't," said Simon He and Isabelle had detached themselves, but still stood close to each other, side by side "I came here alone Well, not exactly alone I was-summoned"

Clary nodded "It's true We didn't leave the party with hi to be here too"

"Jace brought you here?" Isabelle said, amazed "Jace, if you knew about Lilith and the Church of Talto, you should have said soh the doors "I guess it slipped my mind," he said tonelessly

Clary shook her head as Alec and Isabelle looked from their adoptive brother to her, as if for an explanation of his behavior "It wasn't really Jace," she said finally "He wasbeing controlled By Lilith"

"Possession?" Isabelle's eyes rounded into surprised Os Her hand tightened on her whip handle reflexively

Jace turned away froled shirt so that they could see the ugly possession rune, and the bloody slash that ran through it "That," he said, still in the same toneless voice, "is Lilith's mark It's how she controlled me"

Alec shook his head; he looked deeply disturbed "Jace, usually the only way to sever a de the controlling Lilith is one of the most powerful demons who ever-"

"She's dead," said Clary abruptly "Siuess you could say the Mark of Cain killed her"

They all stared at Simon "And what about you two? How did you end up here?" he asked, his tone defensive

"Looking for you," Isabelle said "We found that card Lilith iven you In your apartment Jordan let us in He's with Maia, downstairs" She shuddered "The things Lilith's been doing-you wouldn't believe-so horrible-"

Alec held his hands up "Slon, everyone We'll explain what happened with us, and then Simon, Clary, you explain what happened on your end"

The explanation took less ti estures that threatened, on occasion, to sever one of her friends' unprotected lio out onto the roof deck to send a fire- for backup Jace stepped aside wordlessly to let hiain when he ca Simon and Clary's explanation of what had happened on the rooftop either, even when they got to the part about Raziel having raised Jace from the dead back in Idris It was Izzy who finally interrupted, when Clary began to explain about Lilith being Sebastian's "lass

"Sebastian?" Isabelle slah force to open up a crack in the marble "Sebastian is out there? And he's not dead?" She turned to look at Jace, as leaning against the glass doors, arms crossed, expressionless "I saw him die I saw Jace cut his spine in half, and I saw hi me he's alive out there?"

"No," Simon hastened to reassure her "His body's there, but he's not alive Lilith didn't get to complete the ceremony" Simon put a hand on her shoulder, but she shook it off She had gone a deadly white color

"'Not really alive' isn't dead enough forto cut him into a thousand pieces" She turned toward the doors

"Iz!" Simon put his hand on her shoulder "Izzy No"

"No?" She looked at hiood reason why I shouldn't chop him into worthless-bastard-themed confetti"

Si for a moment on Jace, as if he expected him to chime in or add a comment He didn't; he didn't even move Finally Siht? Because Jace was brought back froave Lilith the power to raise Sebastian And to do that, she needed Jace there and alive, as-what did she call it-"

"A counterweight," put in Clary

"That ly unconscious gesture, Simon touched his own chest, just over the heart "Sebastian has it too I saw them both flash at the same time when Jace stepped into the circle"

Isabelle, her whip twitching at her side, her teeth biting into her red bottom lip, said i a tie between them," said Simon "If Jace died, Sebastian couldn't live So if you cut Sebastian into pieces-"

"It could hurt Jace," Clary said, the words spilling out of her as she realized "Oh,to let him live?" Isabelle sounded incredulous

"Cut him to pieces if you like," Jace said "You havelike your life doesn't ? Sebastian's not alive"

"He's not dead, either Not dead enough"