The moment the door shut behind Clary, Jace slumped back against the
wall, as if his legs had been cut out from under him. He looked gray
with a mixture of horror, shock, and what looked almost like . . .
relief, as if a catastrophe had been narrowly avoided.
“Jace,” Alec said, taking a step toward his friend. “Do you really
think —”
Jace spoke in a low voice, cutting Alec off. “Get out,” he said. “Just
get out, both of you.”
“So you can do what?” Isabelle demanded. “Wreck your life some more?
What the hell was that about, Jace?”
Jace shook his head. “I sent her home. It was the best thing for her.”
“You did a hell of a lot more than send her home. You destroyed her.
Did you see her face?”
“It was worth it,” said Jace. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“For her, maybe,” Isabelle said. “I hope it winds up worth it for
you.”
Jace turned his face away. “Just . . . Leave me alone, Isabelle.
Please.”
Isabelle cast a startled look toward her brother. Jace never said
please. Alec put a quieting hand on her shoulder. “Never mind, Jace,”
he said, as kindly as he could. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Jace raised his head and looked at Alec without actually looking at
him — he seemed to be staring off at nothing. “No, she won’t,” he
said. “But I knew that. Speaking of which, you might as well tell me
what you came in here to tell me. You seemed to think it was pretty
important at the time.”
Alec took his hand off Isabelle’s shoulder. “I didn’t want to tell you
in front of Clary —”
Jace’s head snapped back and his eyes focused on Alec. “Didn’t want to
tell me what in front of Clary?”
Alec hesitated. It was clear that Jace was pushed to the limit right
now, and he could only imagine what effect further unpleasant
surprises might have on him. But there was no way to hide this. Jace
had to know.
Posts
-
