Chapter Sixteen - Rescue Me.

He crept like a shadow, creeping around the outside of the London Institute. The night was beginning to fade, he would have to act fast. His dark eyes flicked from left to right as he scoured the courtyard of the Institute. A flicker of movement came from his left side. There! He'd found her! The girl he'd been warned about Jessamine Lovelace, whose ghost worked on protecting the grounds around the Institute, protecting those inside from harm. He'd have to take her out first, if he could get demon blood into her system it would leave her unconscious for a while. But getting it in her was the problem, he scouted around the outside of the gates keeping to the shadows shielding his bright hair from the harsh silver glare of the moon which would be sure to illuminate it. His dug a sharp fingernail into the palm of his hand, blood beading from the shallow cut, he held his pale hand out over the ground and let the drops of blood drip into the grass as he muttered, his words as quiet as a breeze: "Lilith, mother of the earth, aid me - your son - in this battle. The demons will rise as I did once before, I will resurrect you. Thine blood is strong and will prevail."

The shadows weren't shadows anymore, eyes glinted and fangs snapped in the moonlight, the air was filled with a foul stench - demons. Sebastian grinned, the smile wolffish and entirely inhuman. Now things were going to get fun! His heart raised with adrenaline, as another idea popped into his head, 'If I can get a demon to scratch her with its talons, she'll have to wait until the next night to be able to regenerate from her injuries.' Even ghosts had a weakness and Sebastian had studied up on them long enough to discover everything he'd needed to know. He motioned to a few demons and spoke in demon tongue, telling them to scout around the outside and not to be spotted, they followed his orders instantly. Next he clawed at his own arm and face, until the cuts were raw and bleeding profusely, dripping onto his clothes. He put on a fake limp and a scared expression and limp/ran towards Jessamine.

Jessamine turned, startled as a white haired boy reached her, his dark eyes wild with fear. "Please..." He panted, "Please... help... me..." It was then that she took in his wounds, his pale face informing her that he had probably lost a lot of blood, her eyes scanned him noticing the limp instantly. "You have the Sight?" She asked, staring at him as he caught a light hold of her wrist, he held out a hand showing a thick black Clairvoyant rune on the back of his hand. "Shadowhunter." He whispered, "Please help..." Her eyes scanned the shadows of the night, he could hear her heart rate quicken. He was scaring her. "What is it?" She asked, "Why are you alone?"

"My family... they're dead..." He whispered, shaking his head with sorrow.

"How?" Jessamine demanded.

"Demons." He breathed, dropping on his knees to the floor as the demons flooded out from the shadows.

"Shadowhunter." He whispered, "Please help..." Her eyes scanned the shadows of the night, he could hear her heart rate quicken. He was scaring her. "What is it?" She asked, "Why are you alone?"

"My family... they're dead..." He whispered, shaking his head with sorrow. 'All except my sister.' He thought.

"How?" Jessamine demanded.

"Demons." He breathed, dropping on his knees to the floor as the demons flooded out from the shadows. Sebastian smirked, the smile hidden as he pretended to collapse. The girl gasped, and her heart quickened even more. 'Yes. Be afraid. You're smart to be afraid. I bring destruction and death!' He thought, slowly climbing to his feet, his movements hidden as the girl attempted to withhold the onslaught of demons. Sebastian stood, the smirk clear on his face for Jessamine to see. "What on the Angel?!" She demanded.

"I'm sorry my dear Lady," Sebastian drawled, "but you believed too easily. Were deceived so clearly. All you saw was an injured scared boy, not the Devil inside." He smiled, motioning the two demons he'd sent to scout around the outside to come forth.

Jessamine didn't have a chance to scream, both demons raised taloned hands and sent two clean slices her way, slashing her pale skin to ribbons, her dress to tatters. Blood stained the gown, already it was beginning to mix with the demon poison. She had no time to warn the occupants of the Institute - or so she hoped Sebastian would believe. She glanced up at Sebastian, her eyes wide. "You're him. Sebastian Morgenstern." She gasped, her hands placed over the wounds, Sebastian smiled with a nod. "You should know you can't kill a ghost." She whispered.

"I do know," Sebastian replied, "but I also know it'll take you a while to regenerate back to full heal from those wounds. Perhaps until tomorrow night. By then I'll be gone." Jessamine gaped at him, her image already flickering and she vanished in a smoky mist. Sebastian beckoned the demons forward with him towards the door. The sun rose fully diminishing his demon army. 'No matter,' He thought, 'I can summon more.' He had already snuck into the Institute's library in the early hours of that morning and set up a pentacle, through which he would summon more demons in the threshold of the Institute. Summoning the demons once inside was easy enough, all he had to do was call upon his mother again.

Cortana Rosetower threw herself bolt upright, the sheets of her bed twisted around her sweating figure. Her tawny brown hair was tangled into knots and curls around her freckled face. She was scared, another nightmare, one where her parents died. Her sister Evangeline was just down the corridor in her own bedroom but she didn't want to wake her, it seemed pointless. Yet she still couldn't shake the fear, her heart rate was erratic; her nerves were spiking all over the place as her mismatched - blue and green - eyes roved the shadows of her bedroom. Her bedroom door cracked open slightly, a sliver of witchlight from the torches lining the corridor outside illuminated the familiar black hair and verdigris blue eyes of Elijah Ravenwood - her Parabatai. Instantly her heart rate slowed back to normal, she always felt calm when he was around, that's why they had chosen the two rooms next to each other.

He smiled sympathetically at her, dimples appearing at the corners of his lips. "Another one?" He said, stepping into her room and shutting the door behind him. She nodded. He switched the lights on in her room and sat on the edge of her bed. "I could go and get another tonic if you want?" He asked, lying beside her as she shifted back to give him space.

"I'll be fine." She whispered, with a smile which - from his expression - didn't convince him. He shook his head, "Why are you such a tough cookie? We became Parabatai, yet I seem to rely on you more than you do me."

'That's not true.' Cortana thought but she smiled at him anyway, "You're a tough cookie too, I remember that time in the training room when you fell off the rafters and broke your leg, you didn't cry once and you were nine!"

"But I did, secretly, alone in my room." Elijah whispered in a I'm-sharing-a-major-secret manner.

Cortana mock gasped, "I knew it was a lie! Elijah Kevin Ravenwood is not as brave as he makes out!"

"I am so going to make you regret saying that!" He smirked, raising his hands in her direction, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh no. Please, don't?" Cortana gasped attempting to squirm away from him, "I beg you."

"Too late, Cortana Maybelle Rosetower!" He tickled her sides and she burst into a fit of laughter.

"No! No! Please, have mercy! Mercy!" She laughed, tears trailing down her cheeks. Elijah drew back with a smug smile, "That's better. You're smiling now." Cortana mock glared at him, sticking her tongue out at him, "You're evil!" Suddenly a strange pulsing sensation sped through the room, startling the both of them. "What was that?" Cortana asked.

"I don't know. Maybe a ghost?" Elijah joked.

"We should wake the others." Cortana muttered, grabbing the Seraph blade she kept by her bed in case of emergencies. Elijah nodded and left her room as she reached into her wardrobe hurriedly throwing her Gear on over her blue cat pyjamas. She glanced around again as the door opened and Elijah entered again dressed fully in his own Gear with an active Seraph blade to hand. Cortana hurriedly named hers and they applied Marks to each other's skin and together they headed out of the room to wake everyone else.

*****

The London Shadowhunters were assembled in a safe spot - the training room - for the time being, Cortana and Elijah were stood at the floor to ceiling window staring down into the courtyard, both whispering about how the stories of the ghost protecting the Institute were true as they spied Jessamine's ghost shimmering in the silver moonlight, a pale white haired boy stood in front of her. "There's a boy out there! And demons!!" Cortana cried.

"Cortana get away from the window!" Her sister, Evangeline snapped, rubbing sleep from her grey eyes, her thick wavy brown hair tousled from sleep. "Or have you forgotten what demons did to our parents?!"

Cortana winced, "I did not forget!" She snapped, struggling to get out of Elijah's grasp as he pulled her away from the window, eventually she gave up fighting him. Her energy would be better spent fighting that horde of demons. Elijah's brothers: Jahoel, the eldest by a few seconds, and Gabriel, the youngest, were also beckoning for him to come away from the window. Jahoel, Elijah and Gabriel were identical triplets, they were alike to the very same freckle under their right ear. Cortana could easily tell them apart however, Jahoel had a nervous twitch in his left hand, Elijah had flecks of brown in his verdigris blue eyes and Gabriel had a birthmark on the edge of his chin. The leaders of the Institute Michael and Natalie Ashwell were stood, armed to the teeth with weapons. "That's not just any boy Cortana." Natalie said as she took her turn to glance down into the courtyard, "That is Sebastian Morgenstern."

___________________________

A/N:

DUN DUN DUUUUNNN!!! CLIFFHANGER!!! I guess that it's safe to say I can be evil when I want to be. Haha. ;)

Anyway, you lot are probably wondering who the new characters (minus Jessie and Sebastian) are right?

Okay, so they are characters I have created specifically for this story and they have not been mentioned by Cassie Clare in her works (minus the attack on the London Institute, but this one is different.)

What do you think Sebastian's after? (I'll give you a hint: he's not after any Endarkened warriors.) ;) Shocker!!!

Okay so:

• Cortana and Evangeline Rosetower.

• Jahoel, Elijah and Gabriel Ravenwood.

And

• Michael and Natalie Ashwell

Are mine!!! Mwhahahaha!!!

P.s. This chapter is left on a cliffhanger for the reason is that it will be split into two parts to keep you all on the edge of your seats. (I tend to chat a lot if you haven't already noticed!)