48

"These eggs are terrible." Alec flipped them over to the burnt side. "One sides uncooked and the other is burnt completely-"

"Well, it was supposed to be an omelette." I was leaned against the counter of our kitchen, holding a mug of hot, black coffee in my hands. "Are you sure it's not just the eggs in general? Eggs suck-"

"No, I think you messed up the omelette." Alec shot me a small smile. "Hey- how are we going to live if neither of us can cook?"

"We're going to have to learn." I pushed myself up and sat on the counter. "We can't always have Magnus poof up our meals whenever we don't go out-"

"Yeah, about that-" Alec held up a completely burned pancake. "We might have to go out for breakfast-"

"To be fair." I sipped my coffee and held up a finger. "You tried to make the pancakes."

"Exactly my point." Alec threw the food in the trash. "We're both horrible cooks-"

"I think we might have to settle for frozen food." I thought out loud. "Like the boxed waffles and stuff-"

Alec softly laughed and set the dishes in the sink, running the water over them as I fell silent.

Then he broke the silence that had sparked between us when he had cleaned off the dishes. "Zee."

"Yes, Alec?" I tore my gaze from the floor and looked up at him, meeting his eyes.

Alec crossed his arms and leaned back against the other counter. "What happened with Jonathan wasn't your fault."

I pursed my lips.

"We have patrols canvassing the entire city." Alec told me. "If he's still here, we'll find him. I promise."

"Maybe I wasn't thinking about that." I scanned his face. "I could've been thinking about sex- or like, murder-"

Alec looked amused. "Who would you be thinking about murdering?"

"Clarissa Fairchild." I didn't hesitate.

"I thought you two were getting along-" Alec softly laughed and walked over to me, putting his hands on my thighs. "I thought the sisterly bond was finally starting to surface."

"No, you're mistaken." I held my mug with both hands. "I wear all black every day just as a reminder that at any given time, I'm prepared for her funeral."

Alec's laugh grew louder. "You're all talk-"

"Don't test me." I sipped my coffee.

"But, hey-" Alec reached and pushed my head playfully, rerouting the conversation back to it's original topic. "It's you. You decide to shoulder all the blame more than anyone I've ever known."

I placed my pointer finger to his lips with a guilty, yet small smile on my lips.

Then, my head turned at the sound of my phone ringing in the living room. "Oh- hey, can you grab that? It might be Magnus- he said he might call me for a second opinion during his apartment hunt-"

Alec nodded and pressed a kiss to my forehead, before walking out of the kitchen and returning back with my phone. "It's an unknown number-"

A confused expression fell onto my features but I took it and answered anyways. "Hello?"

"Zee." Luke breathed out on the other line.

"Luke." I acknowledged. "You're not dead- where the hell have you been? And- whose number is this?-"

Luke replied. "It's the precinct's."

"Why are you calling me from the precinct's line and not your own cell?" I questioned.

"The vampires attacked the Jade Wolf- and they killed most of the pack." Luke admitted. "And the police think that I did it."

"Huh-" I trailed off slowly, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "And I'm your one phone call? I'm flattered, Luke-"

"Zee." Luke remained serious. "There's no time to explain- I need you to tell the Shadowhunters what happened."

"I could break you out-" I offered simply. "Jail isn't as bad as the Gard- and I fought my way through-"

Luke cut me off almost immediately. "You are not breaking me out."

"Bummer." I hummed a bit. "How do mundane jails work anyway- is there like- a ransom? Oh wait, I think it's called a bail- is there a bail? I could-"

"Don't worry about me, kiddo." Luke cuts me off again. "I gotta go- I love you."

I stammered slightly at his words. "I- wait-"

Then, he hung up.

"What is it?" Alec asked. "What happened?"

-

"Your transport's on its way here." The man asked Luke when Jace and I walked into the interrogation room glamoured. "You want something to drink?"

Luke watched us. "I'm good."

"Is another getting a sense of deja vu?" I immediately asked when it was just us in the room and Jace had disabled the camera.

Luke looked at me with a sigh. "I thought I told you not to come here-"

"Actually, you told me not to break you out." I corrected him. "Which, that offer is still very much on the table-"

Jace looked at me. "Is it?"

"Yeah." I shrugged carelessly. "We could handle it-"

"If I take the fall for this, this investigation ends with me." Luke cut our conversation short. "If the police keep looking around, there's no telling how many lives could be in danger."

"That is quite honestly the stupidest thing I've ever heard." I blinked a few times to process. "You're gonna take the fall because it's easy? You forget I'm fairly close with the Head of the New York Institute- give me a few hours and I could find you the culprit-"

"There is another way, Luke." Jace mentioned. "We're gonna have Simon encanto the lieutenant- call it all off."

Luke shot back at us. "Simon can't encanto the entire NYPD."

"He could." I scanned him. "What, have you lost faith in our precious little vampey?"

"You saw what happened with Ollie." Luke reminded us. "I told her about the Shadow World and people died because of it. I'm not going to let that happen again."

I inhaled sharp. "You don't deserve this."

"Actually, I do." Luke looked at me, his voice quiet. "I left my pack."

I stared at him blankly for a few seconds. "I think I'm missing the point here-"

Luke sighed. "If I'd been at the Jade Wolf when the vampires attacked, maybe things would've ended differently."

"Yeah, maybe we would have lost you, too." Jace shot back at him and crossed his arms.

Luke looked down at his cuffed wrists. "They trusted me and I abandoned them."

Jace and I stayed silent for a few moments.

Then, I sighed. "Fine- call us if you need us."

Luke then looked at me with a very weak smile. "And that's why I called you-"

-

"Hey- sorry I'm late." I greeted Alec and Isabelle in the Ops Center , talking off my leather jacket and setting it on the table. "Any survivors?"

"I searched the entire area around the Jade Wolf." Isabelle told us. "I couldn't find anyone."

I stare. "What about Maia?"

"She's not among the dead." Isabelle informed. "There's no sign of her."

"Vampires killing werewolves." Alec huffed quietly. "This is how wars start-"

Then, I caught eye of a certain blonde walking into the Institute and being escorted by Underhill.

I almost immediately snipped when they joined us. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"She said she had information." Underhill told us, as Heidi smiled widely at us all.

I opened my mouth to speak but was quickly shut up when Alec beat me to it, making me shoot him a dirty look. "I'm listening."

Heidi's words caught our attention. "I know who massacred those werewolves."

-

"Why are you so willing to turn on your own clan?" Alec questioned Heidi as he, Isabelle and I brought her into his office to interrogate her.

"Well, they're not my clan, not really." Heidi folded her hands. "I heard them talking about an attack on the wolves, and I never thought they would actually do it- and now, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't say something."

I scoffed in laughed. "Oh?-"

"How do you live with yourself, knowing you murdered that tech at the blood truck?" Isabelle snipped, making me share a smirk with her, knowing that neither of us would let her fool us.

"I couldn't." Heidi stammered. "That's why I brought him back to life- because I felt terrible."

I crossed my arms. "Okay, and what about Praetor Nick?"

"You don't understand what it's like to be drained of blood, murdered, and then to wake up days later and you have no idea where you are." Heidi looked down at her hands. "You feel like an animal- alone, and so thirsty. And I just couldn't control myself."

"Everyone's had their fair share of trauma." I scanned her a few times and then locked eyes with Alec to see the look on his face. "Oh, tell me you don't actually believe her."

Alec sighed. "Zee-"

"She attacked me at the Hunters Moon because she was jealous that I had a conversation with Simon." I mentioned. "She tried to stick her fangs into me-"

Heidi purses her lips. "I-"

"Shut up-" I pointed at her.

Isabelle chimes in with a scoff. "She also held Simon's family hostage."

"I'm sorry, she did what?" My head snapped towards her, then down at Heidi. "I'll kill you-"

"I still feel so terrible about that." Heidi cut me off. "Lilith is the one who talked me into that. I was actually getting better at the Praetor until your blond friend kidnapped me."

Alec sighed. "Jace."

"Can I please get another chance?" She sighed, looking down at her hands and pursing her lips.

I grimace. "No."

"Look, I am not saying that I'm a Girl Scout." Heidi looked back up. "I just thought that- I hoped that you could forgive me."

Isabelle replies. "Never gonna happen."

"Why?" Heidi looked right at her and scanned her. "You forgave Raphael."

"What?" Alec questioned.

"They didn't tell you?" Heidi looked at him. "Raphael is the one that brought me back- he kept me locked in the DuMort to run experiments on me. He tortured me for days and then your sister just let him go."

"Is this true?" Alec looked at Isabelle and then at me. "And you knew about this?"

"Only part of it." I admitted with a grimace and looked at Isabelle. "You let him go?"

Isabelle sighs. "Guys, it's not that simple."

"Sorry, I didn't come here to start a fight." Heidi said. "I just want to help."

Alec looked at her. "If we give you a clean slate, will you ID the vampires who attacked the Jade Wolf?"

"What?" I snapped and looked at him immediately. "Are you out of your mind-"

Heidi accepted quickly before I could negotiate and argue. "It would be my honor."

-

"This whole situation started because the last time somebody tried to raid the DuMort, a vampire was assaulted." Alec instructed the team he had put together. "We cannot afford to let that happen again- so, I want this done by the book."

"You've been equipped with special tech, holy water." Isabelle informed them. "I've diluted it to be non-lethal, but it still packs a punch."

"Any questions?" Alec looked between everyone and got no response. "Good. May the Angel be with you."

"As I was saying." I began when the team started to move out, looking at Alec. "Giving Barbie a clean slate? Worst idea you've ever had-"

Alec shot me a look. "Zee, she held up her end of the bargain."

"I don't trust her." I scanned his face. "I don't buy her story- there's more to it-"

Alec sighed and put a hand on my shoulder, then called out after Isabelle. "Hold up- you're not going."

Isabelle stopped. "What?"

Alec sighed quietly. "You should have told me about Raphael."

"I know." Isabelle pursed her lips. "Look, Raphael is not a bad person- he just made a horrible mistake."

Alec crossed his arms. "He committed a gross violation of the Accords."

Isabelle defended him. "He's trying to turn his life around."

"I'm not sure who I should back up." I looked between them. "You both make valid points."

Alec spoke again. "Look, It doesn't change what he did."

"You're right." Isabelle gave in. "Get me a Portal to Detroit. I'll bring Raphael in myself."

Alec nodded. "I already have a team standing by to back you up."

"No backup." Isabelle shook her head. "I need to do this on my own."

-

"We know you led the attack on the Jade Wolf." Alec confronted the vampires Heidi had named when the team brought them in.

"Says who?" said one.

"You can't prove anything." said the other.

"I can." Maia's voice filled the space when we walked over to us with Simon.

"Maia." I acknowledged. "You're alive-"

"No thanks to him." Maia eyed the vampire. "I saw him cut Russell's throat myself."

"Take them with the others." Alec ordered and then looked at her. "Maia, I'm sorry for your loss."

Maia looked around. "Where's Heidi?"

I looked at her immediately. "She wasn't one of the killers, was she?"

"No." Maia denied.

Alec folded his hands behind his back. "She's the one who brought them in."

Simon was taken back. "We're talking about the same Heidi, right?"

"She would never do that." Maia said. "Not unless she was getting something out of it."

Alec then admits. "I did agree to exonerate her for her past crimes."

"You're kidding me, right?" Simon asked.

"Look, tensions between the vampires and the werewolves are higher than they've ever been." Alec said. "I had to bring the killers into custody in order to prevent an all-out war."

"That doesn't mean you needed to let Heidi off the hook." Maia was upset. "I could have ID'd them myself."

"For all I knew, you were dead." Alec shot back at her. "You should've called me."

"I was busy making sure that Jordan wasn't gonna die." Maia argued. "Luke told us that he was gonna handle it."

"So, you're just letting Heidi go, then?" Simon looked between us. "That's your plan?"

Alec began. "Look, I know how you guys must feel-"

"No, I don't think that you do." Maia took a step towards Alec. "It's my pack that got slaughtered."

"Hang on." I came between them before she got too close. "You just said Heidi wasn't there and those vampires were. Was Heidi involved?"

"They were carrying out Heidi's plans." Maia said to us. "Jordan said that she planned the whole thing."

I blinked hard for a moment, my voice getting low enough for just Alec to hear me. "So many insults- so many insults in my head right now for you, god it's killing me-"

Alec put his hands on my shoulders and exhaled. "Can you prove that?"

Simon cuts in. "I think I know someone who can."

-

"Need a sparring partner?" I heard a voice echo from behind me right as I landed another fist against the punching bag as hard as I muster.

I turned, my eyes scanning her face. "Sure."

I grabbed my kindjals slowly, eyeing her carefully, recognizing her quickly. "You're Consul Penhallow's daughter?"

"Aline." She introduced herself. "You're Valentine's daughter?"

"Zee." I gripped my kindjals tighter.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Her words didn't match the force of her swing as I blocked it instantly, the both of us staring for a moment.

"What're you doing here?" I pulled back and flipped my kindjals in my hands. "Unless you came all the way down here just to train with me. Otherwise, I'm flattered-"

"I heard your brother was in New York." She caught my swing this time. "I was hoping you might be able to help me track him down."

I faked a laugh and raised my leg, kicking her back. "If I knew where that bastard was, I wouldn't be wasting my time when I could be hunting him down-"

"You wrote in your report that you're looking for a sword called the Morning Star." Aline mentioned, roundhouse kicking at me, a move I dodged quickly.

"Yeah." I grunt. "It's a family relic. He somehow got it in that twisted head of his that I'm gonna help him find it."

Aline swung as I dove down to my knees and blocked. "Are you?"

"Am I what?" I grunted again.

Aline clenched her jaw. "Gonna help him?"

"You know-" I knocked her off her feet and stood up straight. "I find it insulting that after all I've done for you people, you still assume I'm going to betray you-"

"Well, it's in your blood isn't it?" Aline got up quickly and I could tell instantly she was trying to provoke me. "Morgenstern."

"Huh-" I scoffed a bit and swung for her head as she dodged. "If killing both my father and my brother didn't do it, I don't know what will-"

"I heard you almost had him." Aline grunted when I knocked her seraph blade out of her hands. "You were waiting for a team to take him in- but, when they got there, you let him go."

"I didn't." I threw my kindjals aside, my jaw clenched as I launched myself right at her.

If she was trying to provoke me, she was doing a damn good job at it because all I wanted to do now was hurt her.

I didn't slow for a second, not even taking a moment to catch my breath as we fought, dodging each other's blows and hitting as hard as we could.

This wasn't training anymore.

Her fist then came in contact with my jaw, making me stagger back for a moment. "That hurt?"

"Good." Aline smiled wickedly when I looked back at her. "I want Jonathan to feel it."

"You know, if avenging your cousin is what you want, you're a little late to the party." I wiped the blood from my lip, my jaw clenched hard. "If anything, I've already avenged his death by killing him-"

"And now we can't get rid of him without killing you." Aline snipped at me. "You know, I really don't understand why there's a no kill order- we'd be hitting two monsters with one stone-"

And that was the last straw.

My fists clenched at my sides as I threw all sense of boundaries and limitations out the window, throwing myself at her again.

And this time I had her on the floor.

And I was slamming my fist into her jaw repeatedly.

I could feel myself wearing out but I didn't want to stop.

I wanted to make her bleed.

I wanted her to feel pain.

It wouldn't match the kind I felt in my chest whenever someone questioned me or degraded me. But this was enough.

Because the look on her face was priceless.

The pain in her face.

Then, I felt myself being pulled out of my head and physically pried off Aline, Jace's hands gripping my arms tightly as we both stumbled back. "Zee, hey!-"

"What are you doing?-" Jace looked at me with a look that stung, a look he hadn't shown me before.

A look of censure.

Opprobrium.

Condemnation.

In any kind of form it came in, it was written straight on his face and was clear.

The look made me run cold, my head snapping back towards Aline, who was on the ground, bruised and bleeding, and nearly unconscious. Then my gaze fell onto my bloody hands, a shaky breath leaving me.

"I-" I was stammering, now stumbling back from Jace, my eyes wide. "I'm- I'm sorry- I didn't- I don't- Jace, I-"

Jace's eyes were then glued to my skin rather than my face, making me follow his gaze.

The rune was glowing.

And it was then I could feel the burn.

"It's alright- don't worry about it." Jace grabbed my face to make me look at him when my eyes watered. "I'll take care of it."

"I didn't mean to go that far-" My heart was racing with slight fear. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know, I know, I know-" Jace ran a hand through my hair to keep it out of my face, and the look he had given me had dissolved into worry. "It's okay- it's gonna be okay-"

"I need some air-" I pulled from him, pulling the wraps off my hands quickly.

Jace began. "I'm coming with you-"

"No." I was stern but my voice came out shaky. "I need to be alone-"

-

[ third person pov ]

"Hey, you sure you're okay?" Jace chased after Aline when he caught eye of her leaving the Med area.

Aline stopped and turned to face him. "I'm fine. Although, I just got this shirt-"

"Look, I'll send it downstairs- I'll get it cleaned." Jace swallowed hard at the stains of blood all over her shirt. "Or better yet, I'll buy you a new one."

Aline crossed her arms. "If you're being nice to me so I won't report this, it's not gonna work."

"Aline, come on, please." Jace breathed out. "She's been through a lot-"

"Jace, what she did out there, it wasn't normal." Aline said to him. "There's something seriously wrong with her."

"She's under an enormous amount of stress." Jace sighed. "The last thing she needs right now is for word to get out that she beat up the Consul's daughter."

"That doesn't change the fact that she's circling back to her roots." Aline seethed at him. "That rune? It's influencing her already- if she can't control herself, she's going to be a danger to all of us. How many more Shadowhunters have to die trying to capture him? How many Shadowhunters will die if she flips the switch? Exactly how many lives is Zee Morgenstern worth? Because I really don't see it-"

"To me, she's worth everything." Jace felt angry listening to her words. "Actually, to everyone- she eliminated Valentine and Jonathan. She saved the entire Downworld and Shadow World- she wiped out almost all of the Circle members."

"And I'm pretty sure Jia would agree." Jace scoffed. "If it wasn't for Zee, Valentine would have murdered your mother at the Gard. You owe her a life's debt- you both owe her."

-

[ zee's pov ]

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" I heard a voice I immediately recognized come from behind me as I stood out at the Waterfront.

I spun around immediately and put a hand over one of my kindjals. "How did you find me?-"

Jonathan stood still, and just stared at me in astonishment. "Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing."

"What're you doing here?" I questioned, grabbing onto the handle. "Is this some kind of trap?-"

"I don't know- you tell me." Jonathan took a step towards me. "I find it hard to believe that our meeting here is a pure coincidence."

"Stay back." I panicked a bit, taking a few steps back and tensing up completely.

"Are you scared?" Jonathan went still. "I didn't think anything could scare you-"

I remained tense and silent.

"You're afraid of our bond, right? Because it's getting stronger-" Jonathan scanned me. "I had no intention of stopping here tonight. I have my own business to take care of, and yet, as I was walking by, I felt a sudden urge to stop- and here you are. You must've felt it, too- it seems that our rune has brought us together."

I let go of my kindjal. "Shut the hell up-"

"I was worried about you earlier- whoever you were fighting, they must've gotten in a few good shots, didn't they?" Jonathan took a few more steps toward me. "Although, I can't say I wasn't excited when I felt the pain and saw the blood on my hands- I'm sure you gave them hell."

"Don't come near me." I warned him. "You come any closer, I will call Alec and he'll have a team here instantly-"

"Shouldn't you have done that already?" Jonathan stopped in front of me. "Or are you enjoying this conversation as much as I am?"

I scoffed. "You're delusional."

"We're destined to be together." Jonathan said. "Our meeting here tonight proves it."

"You're insane, Jonathan." I was the one who took a step towards him this time. "But, I'll humor you. I'll let you- lavish in your little fantasies in your head, but I swear to god when I get this rune off me-"

"You love me, Zee- I can feel it. I know you can feel I'm the closest person you have to who you are. To who you're meant to be- who you were raised to be. Someone who won't force you to pretend to be someone else- someone who loves you for your flaws." Jonathan cut me off. "It's why you let me go yesterday and why you won't turn me in now."

"Come with me." Jonathan offered. "I know a part of you wants to."

My voice slightly shook. "You're wrong."

"For now, I suppose." Jonathan was backing away. "I've got that appointment to keep."

-

"She baited Heidi into killing herself?" I asked Alec that night in our apartment, as I was seated in front of the fire in just his sweater, while he was in the kitchen making tea. "Damn, even I couldn't have thought of it-"

"Because you'd just kill her." Alec was putting the tea bags in the hot water in the mugs.

"It's much simpler." I looked at the fire.

Alec softly laughed. "I let her go- she didn't technically break any laws."

I barely laughed, my eyes glued to the fire.

And just like earlier in the training room, I felt everything else tune out and my focus zoned in on the fire.

I stared for a few moments.

Before I reached my palm out, holding it right about the flame and feeling it burn my skin.

I didn't pull away, nor did I flinch.

I just watched as my skin went red and burnt, watching as the fire ate away at my skin and scorched it.

Then, the sound of shattering glass and Alec's shout paired with a quick tug brought me back to my senses. "Zee!-"

Then I felt the pain.

My eyes widened, grabbing my wrist, staring at my burned palm, my jaw clenched, enduring the stinging.

Alec quickly took out his stele and ran it over my Iratze, before grabbing my face to force me to look at me. "Zee, what were you thinking?"

My tone matched yesterday's, after we had lost Jonathan. "I don't know."

Then, I felt the burning in the rune.

And Alec had noticed the glowing too.

"We need to get you to the Silent Brothers." Alec looked at me. "Right now."

authors note:

quick question: if i were to write another zalec book, would anyone read it? i have so many ideas but i'm not sure if you guys would want another zalec book? LMAO IDK i just need opinions

but, oh my goddd, i missed this couple so much

both zee and alec being horrible cooks- lmfao

i feel like a bit of normal zee is back with all of her jokes and insults but she's still very clearly vulnerable

jace defending zee and comforting her >>

ah, the fight between zee and aline was intense tho. we still stan aline always

her and luke being father and daughter duo >>

zee getting defensive over simon >>

but, thank you for 92k !!!

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