Zachary cursed.

Andre stepped forward, bright white teeth showing, including his fangs.

“Missed me, brother?”

Zachary tried to stand, but his legs seemed to be useless. He reach forward for a gun that landed on the floor, and Andre let him, eyes following his movements. “Not at all.” He lied. Perhaps he missed Andre, but not in this form.

“Come on, Zach. Come with me. You have no idea how much better being a vampire is. Immortality, power, just the beginning.”

Zachary snorted. “Over my dead body.” He pulled the trigger, aiming for Andre, but there were no bullets.

Andre chuckled. “Precisely.”

And Zachary was knocked unconscious.

***

“Marissa?” Laressa called from outside the door.

“Come in.” Marissa said, putting down her wet cloth as Laressa entered.

Perhaps Laressa hadn’t been observing, but now she saw the scars that shown on her sisters arms, along with her runes. Some were fresh, from the recent attack, when Marissa’s bravery shown. Laressa did believe bravery ran in the Lightwood family, girl or not.

“Hear that you want to be back on duty as soon as possible.” Laressa commented, seating herself on a wooden chair with a fancy design.

Marissa nodded, eyeing Laressa, but with a little caution concealed in it. “A Shadowhunter’s work never pauses for someone to recover.”

“It’s like chasing time, isn’t it?” Laressa noticed Marissa’s expression. “But tell me sister, what’s wrong with you?”

Marissa tried to remain expressionless. “What?”

“Like you’re cautious, or scared of what I do.”

“You were always pretty reckless.”

“And it’s weirder now that you’re like this, even knowing I’m ‘pretty reckless’.” Laressa said, leaning back, even though she thought her recklessness was nothing compared to the other Younghunters.

Marissa sighed. “You think I won’t be afraid when my sister wants to go to Hell—literally?”

“I can manage.”

Marissa snorted, and that action made her seem more like Laressa or Ares or Zachary than ever.

“Sure you can.” She said, folding her arms and standing up.

Laressa stood up along with her. “Please don’t act like a mom and do something to stop me.”

Marissa shrugged. “Ain’t my concern.”

But Laressa knew Marissa wasn’t the type of person who would stay indifferent in times like this.

***

Chantelle slipped into the library and found Ares sitting on the floor, reading a book.

“What’s that?” She reached over and grabbed the book before Ares could even react and keep the book.

“By the angel, Channy, don’t you ever make a sound when you enter?” He said, struggling for the book back as Chantelle avoided him.

Chantelle grinned at the hardback cover. “A Tale of Two Cities. Isn’t that, like in the 1900s?”

“Seriously though, a knock would be nice.” Ares did a double-take. “Did you say 1900s?”

Chantelle nodded, and Ares smiled.

“For once you’re wrong. Way older than that. Herondale one, Carstairs zero.”

Chantelle rolled her eyes, chucking the book back at him. “Lame.” There was a pause for a while, as Chantelle stared into the distance. After a while, she shifted her position. “It should have been me.”

Ares groaned. “Not again…” He was not ready to argue about this yet again.

“It was my fault. All my fault. It shouldn’t have been you, it should have been me. Maybe I should just give myself up—“

“Damn it how many times must I say—“

“Shut up and listen—“

“You listen, seriously.” There was a tone of harshness that made Chantelle remain silent. Ares set his book down. “Why did they take me and not you?”

Chantelle knew he wanted her to answer, not because he didn’t know the answers but because he wanted to make it clear to her. “Probably because he wanted me willing, and I’d only be willing if I was exchanging my life for yours.”

“So if you weren’t willing?”

“He couldn’t accomplish his goal.”

“What is his goal?”

 “To destroy the Shadowhunters by having the Blessed as his servant.”

“So if you went, all the Shadowhunters would be destroyed. All.” He paused to exhale deeply, then turned to face her. “I still have family, family that may not have blood ties with me. Laressa, Zach, Marissa, and everyone else. And I can’t let them be sacrificed. I can’t let them die, or go through what I’m about to go through. Most of all, I can’t let that happen to you.”

Chantelle blinked. She was afraid to meet his gaze, but she did it. “Why… why me? Why choose a girl to be your parabatai, why choose me to defend?”

Ares looked away, chuckling a little, but the sound proved his emptiness inside. “You can’t explain emotions.”

There was silence, none of them knowing what to say.

“Tomorrow would have been the day you took your Shadow Trials.” Chantelle remarked.

Ares grinned then. “Who said I’m not going to take them?”

Chantelle did a double-take.

“What did you say?”

Ares laughed, a pleasing sound.

“Just watch.”

it's a short chapter but the next one will be long!!