CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
MIGHT BE A LAST KISS

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     A few hours later, Adrian walked to the Accords Hall with Jocelyn Fairchild on one side of him and Amatis Graymark on the other. Jocelyn had answered as many of his questions as she could, but she hadn't known much to begin with. Adrian's mother had kept a lot of secrets, he had realized, and Jocelyn knew very few of them. When Amatis had arrived home, she had seen Adrian upset in her kitchen and she had sat down and tried to help as well. Adrian had learned a few things, despite still not knowing why she had been exiled and who his real father was. He had learned that Alice Rosewell was kind and friendly. He had learned that her choice weapon had been a staff, much like Adrian's was, and that little fact had actually served to make him feel better.

He was still upset, but at least he shared something with her aside from a similar smile and a hair color.

The bells attached to the Accords Hall had started going off while Jocelyn and Amatis were sharing their childhood stories with him, signaling that a meeting was being called. The three of them had fallen silent at the sound, having forgotten for a brief moment that they were currently at war with Valentine Morgenstern. They had been quiet ever since. Adrian didn't mind. His mind was racing, thoughts all jumbled together. He dreaded the thought of seeing Malachi at the meeting, and he hoped that he could avoid any and all conversation with him. He wasn't sure he would be able to keep his mouth shut if Malachi spoke to him, wasn't sure he would be able to control the anger slowly building inside of his chest.

Once they reached the Accords Hall and slipped inside, Adrian broke away from Jocelyn and Amatis and decided to skirt along the edges of the crowd gathered instead. The last thing he wanted was attention, and that was precisely what he would get if he was seen standing beside Jocelyn Fairchild. His eyes flickered over the crowd, trying to find familiar faces. It wasn't long before he saw Isabelle, Maryse, and Alec leaning against the back wall. They were clearly trying to keep a low profile as well. As Adrian pushed through the crowd to get to them, he finally noticed how loud it was. Usually the people collected inside the Accords Hall for a meeting were at least semi-civil. Now, everyone was arguing with everyone else. Frowning, he finally reached the back hall and breathed a sigh of relief, resting against the wall and closing his eyes. He had stopped beside Isabelle, but when he made it clear he was there to stay, Alec murmured something to his sister. A moment later, they were switching places, and Alec's fingers were linking with Adrian's.

Things inside the Accords Hall were so hectic and chaotic that he doubted anyone would notice, but Adrian slid closer and slid their linked hands slightly behind them regardless.

"Where were you?" Alec murmured quietly. Adrian glanced at him, but Alec's eyes were trained on the dais at the head of the large room. No one was there, but that hardly mattered. Alec was only focusing on it because he didn't want to look at Adrian. He had always avoided eye contact when he was upset. Adrian knew why he was. Instead of going with them to visit Max, Adrian had gone to see Clary instead. Before, he hadn't known why he chose to do that. Now he understood. He had remembered his mother, remembered that he didn't actually have a sibling like Max or a mother like Maryse, and hadn't felt like he deserved to be there for such a touching, familial moment. He'd gone to Clary because he couldn't find Jace, and if there were two people who knew anything about a family crisis, it was Clary and Jace.

"I was talking to Jocelyn about my parents," Adrian replied. "Turns out Malachi isn't actually my dad." He was relieved when Alec blinked a few times, then turned to look at him with an astonished expression. Adrian hadn't really meant to let the last part slip, especially since they were on the brink of war and it was a distracting topic, but it came out regardless. He needed to tell someone. Otherwise he would explode. "I'll tell you more about it later. What's going on?" He glanced around at all the adults still arguing. "Why is everyone yelling at each other?" At the question, Alec's face darkened.

"The Clave decided to say yes to Valentine," Alec said bitterly. It was Adrian's turn to develop an astonished expression. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The Clave had agreed with Valentine's terms. That meant that they would all be receiving permanent runes of obedience before the week was over. That meant servitude under Valentine. The thought alone terrified him.

"They can't," Adrian said, voice rising in panic. Alec squeezed his hand. Isabelle leaned over when Adrian raised his voice and peered at him curiously, though her cheeks were flushed with restrained anger. She hadn't been listening to their conversation—Adrian knew she hadn't, because she would never have been able to stay silent at Adrian's parental news—but she could wager a guess on what they were talking about now.

"Half of the room is calling the other half cowards," she revealed, shooting the arguing mass of people a glare so sharp that Adrian felt the need to shrink away, even though the look wasn't directed at him. Her words were the last words spoken in their group. Adrian felt drained, like all his energy had flown from him the second he had heard the Clave's verdict. He barely reacted when Simon and Magnus approached and joined them against the wall. Magnus tried to look unimpressed, but Adrian saw the small frown he was sporting, the worried flicker of his eyes at they kept searching the room. Simon didn't try to hide his nerves. He just fidgeted with his shirt and shifted from foot to foot, unable to stand still. Adrian was about to tell him to calm down when he heard the sudden arguing lower considerably, heard people muttering something about Valentine's daughter.

His head shot up when he heard those particular words, and he watched in disbelief as Clary climbed onto the dais, a determined look on her face. Her hair was hanging loose around her face, almost messy, and the gear she was wearing was loose on her, like they weren't even hers. Adrian noticed a ring hanging from a necklace around her throat. It wasn't hard to guess that it was Jace's. Up on the dais, Clary blinked a few times, and then the determined look on her face wavered. She must have climbed up there on impulse then, having something to say. Now all the eyes on her was making her hesitate. Adrian chewed on the inside of his cheek and resisted the urge to voice his support. Clary needed to do this on her own, whatever it was. He could tell just by the look on her face.

A moment later, Clary's jaw was clenching. She straightened her shoulders, raised her chin, and started speaking.

"You're right," she said, and any voices still murmuring in the Accords Hall were instantly gone. "I am Valentine's daughter. I never even knew he was my father until a month ago. I never even knew he existed until a month ago. I know a lot of you aren't going to believe that's true, and that's fine. Believe what you want. Just as long as you also believe that I know things about Valentine that you don't, things that could help you win this battle against him—if only you let me tell you what they are." Adrian's interest was peaked, though it would have been regardless of what Clary had said. He still straightened, though, and shared a confused glance with Alec.

"Ridiculous," a voice snarled, and Adrian immediately shrank into Alec at the sound, grimacing as Malachi charged toward the dais, toward Clary. Tiny, untrained Clary. His hand tightened around Alec's. He was sure his grip was painful by then, but Alec didn't say a word. "This is ridiculous. You're just a little girl—"

"She's Jocelyn Fairchild's daughter," another voice cut in, and Adrian recognized Aline's father, Patrick Penhallow. He held his breath. "Let the girl speak, Malachi." Malachi turned to respond to him, but Clary didn't let him get the chance. The second her eyes found his face, they narrowed into angry slits that Adrian had seen before. The look had often been directed at Jace.

"You," she said. "You and the Inquisitor threw my friend Simon into prison—"

"Your friend the vampire?" Malachi sneered. Adrian gritted his teeth together and sucked in one long, calming breath through his nose. This time, Alec leaned into him.

"He told me you asked him what happened to Valentine's ship that night on the East River," Clary continued, not even bothering to be respectful. She was practically looking down her nose at him, and Adrian felt a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "You thought Valentine must have done something, some kind of black magic. Well, he didn't." Adrian's smile immediately dropped. He shared an alarmed look with Alec. They had all agreed that Clary should keep her rune powers a secret, especially from the Clave. He couldn't even open his mouth before Clary said, in a loud, clear voice, "If you want to know what destroyed the ship, then the answer is me. I did it."

Since everyone knew that Valentine's ship had practically exploded into ash by that point, the inevitable happened. The adults in the room started shouting again. Adrian didn't know whether to feel frustrated or proud. He put his chin on Alec's shoulder and smiled.

"Little red is getting brave," he commented as the people around him started to calm down. "Should we go up there and show our support?" Alec scoffed.

"I don't think she needs our help," Alec responded, and looking at her up there now, Adrian had to admit he was right. She didn't flinch at the shouts, didn't cringe away. She just stood there and waited in silence for everyone to settle down. The second it did, Clary continued where she let off.

"I did it with a rune," she admitted, even going so far as to shrug her shoulders. Adrian's smile, by then, had stretched into a grin. He had always liked Clary's attitude, had always liked her impulsiveness. It reminded him of himself, and he had always thought that was why they got along so well. He couldn't help but feel proud of her now. "It was a rune so strong it made the ship come apart in pieces. I can create new runes, too. Not just the ones in the Gray Book, but runes no one's ever seen before—powerful ones—"

"That's enough," Malachi interrupted again. "This is ridiculous. No one can create new runes. It's impossible." Malachi shot Clary a look of contempt that made the small girl glare at him. "Like her father, this girl is nothing but a liar." Adrian noticed Clary bristle at that, her cheeks flushing pink. The last thing she needed was to lose her temper, not when she was trying to tell them all something important, so Adrian didn't bother biting his words back this time.

"She's not lying," he said, and even though he was in the very back, silence descended. He had briefly forgotten how easily sound carried in the large room. Dozens of eyes fell on him, including the ones of Malachi, and Adrian felt his tongue shrink inside of his mouth. It was suddenly very hard to breathe. Maryse murmuring his name and telling him to continue did nothing to help him.

"I've seen her create a rune," Alec said from beside him, and Adrian breathed a sigh of relief and ducked his head. "She used it on me, actually. It worked. She's not lying." Murmurs erupted through the room. Adrian glanced up just in time to see Malachi's glare on him. He ducked his head again.

"You're both lying," Malachi snarled. "To protect your friend—" He said the word like it was dirty, polluted. Adrian couldn't hold back a small flinch when he did. The anxiety rising in his stomach, however, settled when Maryse slid closer and placed a warm hand on his shoulder. He had briefly forgotten she was there.

"Really, Malachi," she said calmly, though she squeezed Adrian's shoulder comfortingly, like she knew why he had flinched. Maybe she did. She was far more observant than Adrian had ever given her credit for. "Why would the children I raised lie about something like this?" The jab was so blatant that, for a moment, there was nothing but tense silence in the Accords Hall. Everyone knew Malachi had sent his son to live with the Lightwoods. Maryse let the words sit in the air, let everyone absorb them, before she continued. "The truth can easily be discovered. Give the girl a stele and let her create a rune." Adrian perked up at that, rising on his tiptoes to see if anyone was going to give Clary a stele. Patrick Penhallow was the one to do so, even nodding at her encouragingly. Clary weighed the stele in her hand, thinking long and hard, before she nodded to herself and started drawing a rune on the inside of her left wrist. When she was done, Adrian waited, but nothing seemed to happen.

He glanced at Alec to see if he saw something Adrian didn't, but the look on his face made Adrian raise his eyebrows. Alec's eyes had gone wide in shock. Frowning, Adrian turned to look at Clary again—and then he was sucking a sharp, startled breath. Clary wasn't there anymore. There, standing in her place with the stele clutched in his right hand, was Alec. But it couldn't have been Alec. Alec was right beside him. His fingers were still linked through Adrian's. Confused, Adrian glanced at the others around him, trying to figure out what they were seeing. Magnus seemed to be the calmest, gaze flickering from the glamour on the stage to Oliver, who had come to stand beside him while Clary had been speaking.

It wasn't until Simon said, "Am I supposed to be seeing something other than Clary?" that he finally understood. He blinked a few times, then turned to look at Alec, who was still staring at the glamour over Clary in confusion. He opened his mouth, closed it, then turned to look at Adrian. The glances he shot between Adrian and the dais made something inside of Adrian relax, made warmth seep through his chest.

"I don't understand," Alec admitted after a moment, looking at Adrian desperately, begging for an explanation. Adrian smiled at him and leaned into his side.

"I think I do," he murmured, but didn't bother explaining. Everyone in that room was seeing the person they loved the most. Simon had seen Clary, Magnus had seen Oliver, Adrian had seen Alec and Alec had seen him. It was enough to make his dark mood brighten considerably. He had always known that Alec loved him—they were best friends long before they were romantically involved, of course they loved each other—but having it confirmed like this, when Alec didn't even seem to be aware of the context, wasn't what Adrian had expected. It was a pleasant surprise, but not one he was going to spell out to Alec. He'd have to realize it on his own.

"I know what you all just saw," Clary was saying, and Adrian looked back at her to see that she was back to looking like herself. "And I know that you know that kind of magic is beyond any glamour or illusion. I did that with a rune that I created." Clary paused to collect her thoughts, then took a deep breath. "There are reasons I have this ability, and I know you might not like them or even believe them, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that I can help you win this battle against Valentine." She paused again, then added almost shyly, "If you'll let me."

"There will be no battle against Valentine," Malachi snapped, face dark. Adrian didn't even bother looking his way. "The Clave has decided. We will agree to Valentine's terms and lay down our arms tomorrow morning." Clary's face flushed.

"You can't do that," she argued. "You think everything will be alright if you give up? You think Valentine will let you keep on living like you have already? You think he'll confine his killing to demons and Downworlders?" Clary scoffed in disbelief. "Most of you haven't seen Valentine in fifteen years. Maybe you've forgotten what he's really like, but I know. I've heard him talk about his plans. You think you can live your lives under Valentine's rule, but you won't be able to. He'll control you completely, because he'll always be able to threaten to destroy you with the Mortal Instruments. He'll start with the Downworlders—" Clary's lips curled at that. "—but then he'll go for the Clave. He'll kill them first because he thinks they're weak and corrupt. Then he'll start on anyone who has a Downworlder anywhere in their life. Maybe a werewolf brother, or a rebellious teenager daughter who dates the occasional faerie knight, or anyone who's ever so much as befriended a kind werewolf or two. Then he'll go after anyone who's ever employed the services of a warlock. How many of you would that be?"

Adrian smiled when she was finished. He knew exactly what Clary was doing. She knew that more than half of the people listening to her didn't give a damn about Downworlder lives, so she appealed to their self-preservation instead. If there was one thing Shadowhunters cared about, it was themselves.

"This is nonsense," Malachi said. Adrian gritted his teeth and shot him a glare. "Valentine is not interested in destroying Nephilim." Clary gave him a flat, almost condescending look. Adrian, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon all had to smother their laughter with their hands. Magnus and Oliver didn't even bother.

"He doesn't think anyone who associates with Downworlders is worthy of being called Nephilim," she said, voice just as flat as her expression. There was a pause, then she shot an exasperated look over the crowd, planting her hands on her hips. "Look, your war isn't against Valentine. It's against demons. Keeping demons from this world is your mandate, a mandate from heaven, and a mandate from heaven isn't something you can just ignore. Downworlders hate demons, too. They destroy them just as much as you do. If Valentine has his way, he'll spend so much of his time trying to murder every Downworlder, and every Shadowhunter that has any connection to them, that he'll forget about the demons, and so will you, because you'll be too busy being afraid of him. They'll overrun the world."

"I see where this is going." Malachi sounded disgusted, even more than usual. "We will not fight beside Downworlders in the service of a battle we can't possibly win—"

"But you can win," Clary interrupted, voice sharp. "You can. My father hates Downworlders because he's jealous of them." Adrian frowned at that, tilting his head in thought. It had never occurred to him, but it made sense. "Jealous and afraid of all the things they can do that he can't. He hates that in some ways, they're more powerful than Nephilim, and I bet he's not alone in that. It's easy to be afraid of something you don't share. But what if you could share it? What if I could make a rune that could bind each of you, each Shadowhunter, to a Downworlder who was fighting by your side, and you could share your powers—you could be as fast-healing as a vampire, as tough as a werewolf, or as swift as a faerie knight. They could share your training and your fighting skills and all the enhancements of your runes. You could be an unbeatable force—if you'll let me Mark you, and if you'll fight with the Downworlders." Clary paused to breathe, face slightly red. She gulped. "Because if you don't fight beside them, the runes won't work. Please." Her voice, in her desperation, ended up cracking. "Please let me Mark you."

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Thirty minutes later, everyone was pairing up with a Downworlder, and Adrian was explaining to Alec and Isabelle that Malachi wasn't actually his father as he fought through the crowd. He was trying to find Oliver, who had disappeared to talk to Luke the second the meeting had ended.

"It kind of makes sense," Isabelle said as she and Alec followed at his heels. "You look nothing like Malachi."

"I know, but—" Adrian gave a startled yelp when a faerie knight flashed by him. She had sounded angry, face flushed redder than her hair as she followed a Shadowhunter through the crowd. Adrian watched them for a moment, then shook his head and continued searching. "By the Angel, why did Jocelyn have to drop this bomb on me now? It couldn't have waited until after this stupid war? Oliver!" The second Adrian broke through the worst of the crowd and latched onto his friend's arm, things seemed to calm down a little. Almost everyone had already partnered up, and now—aside from a few stray arguments—people were murmuring to themselves and drawing runes on skin.

"I was wondering when you'd pop up," Oliver said with a warm smile. He was already rolling up the sleeve of his shirt and offering Adrian his bare forearm. Adrian beamed and twisted his stele around in his fingers.

"Alright, this might sting a little—" Adrian started, already bringing the tip of the stele to Oliver's skin. Before it could make contact, it was being yanked from his hand, and he broke off mid-sentence in surprise. For a brief moment, he thought it was Malachi, and a surge of fear went through him. That fear disappeared, however, when he heard someone start talking and he recognized the warm, kind voice of Luke. He breathed a small sigh of relief, then looked at the pack leader in confusion.

"What do you think you're doing?" Luke demanded, pointing at Adrian with his very own stele. Adrian opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He had briefly forgotten that Luke used to be a Shadowhunter. He knew the rules just as well as Adrian did. He winced when Luke frowned and added, "Aren't you seventeen?"

"Only for a few more months—" Adrian started, immediately breaking off when Luke's frown deepened.

"Eighteen or older," Luke said, voice stern. "You're too young. You're not fighting. Oliver, find a new partner." Oliver, looking immensely amused by that point, simply gave a nod. He didn't turn away, though, finding Adrian getting scolded way too amusing. Adrian shot him a glare, his cheeks turning pink.

"Luke—" he tried to start again.

"Don't Luke me. You're not fighting today." With that, Luke was gone, off to find his own partner. It would probably be Jocelyn. Adrian tried to fight the pout he could feel pulling at his lips, but it formed anyway. He was so busy sulking that he didn't notice Magnus until he pressed Adrian's stele back into his hand. Luke must have given it to him while walking away. Adrian thought over simply putting a rune on Oliver and going anyway, but the thought of disappointing Luke made him feel sick, so he pocketed his stele instead and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don't feel bad," Oliver said, sounding like he was biting back laughter as he rested his chin on Adrian's shoulder. "Izzy can't go, either. Both of you are stuck babysitting the kids." Isabelle scowled and stuck her tongue out at Oliver. Even though Luke hadn't been speaking to her, she looked properly scolded as well, a pout on her lips and her cheeks flushed. Nearby, Alec was drawing a rune on Magnus's arm. Adrian watched them for a moment, frowning, before he noticed blonde hair and pointed ears. He broke into a grin.

"Helen!" he called, grinning when she immediately turned to approach him. Her arms were bare. He grinned at her and nudged Oliver. "Helen, this is Oliver. Ollie, this is Helen." Oliver raised a hand to wave at her. She brightened.

"You got a partner, pretty boy?" she said as a greeting. In response, Oliver simply held out his arm, and Helen got to work Marking him with the binding rune. Adrian chuckled and moved away from them and approached Magnus and Alec instead. Alec was just finishing up with the rune on his own arm. When he was done, both of the runes glowed briefly before settling into their skin. Magnus flexed his hand and rolled down his sleeve, grumbling about the whole ordeal. Adrian smiled at the sight.

"Magnus?" he asked. Magnus glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow. Adrian smiled softly and tilted his head in Alec's direction. "Take care of him, please." Magnus's face softened.

"I will, buttercup," he promised, reaching to squeeze his shoulder as he brushed past him to get to Oliver. "You have my word." Once he left, Adrian and Alec looked at each other. Alec looked thoughtful as he rolled his sleeve back down his arm.

"I know what Clary showed everyone," Alec said bluntly a few seconds later, not even bothering to look away from Adrian's face. Adrian bit back a smile at Alec's confidence, tilting his head. "I was just thinking that—"

"Don't," Adrian said immediately, still smiling. "Don't you dare say what I think you're about to say when you're about to go into battle soon. We are not going to be one of those couples that admits their love for one another just because they might be dying soon. I know I said I liked clichés, but that's too much, even for us." Alec stared at him for a moment, then scoffed.

"Didn't you confess your love for me after I almost—"

"That's different," Adrian insisted. "We didn't know if you would wake up, I didn't know you heard me, and I never in a million years thought you'd feel the same way. That was a hopeless situation, for me at least. This is not a hopeless situation." Alec was quiet again, but when he spoke, he didn't scoff. He sounded deadly serious.

"What if I die, Adrian?" he said bluntly, and Adrian tried not to flinch.

"You won't."

"I might—"

"No, you won't," Adrian snapped, so harshly that Alec immediately pressed his lips together. He let out a soft sigh and glanced away. Adrian chewed on the inside of his cheek, then let out a soft sigh of his own and stepped closer. He didn't care how it looked. "Alec. If you want to tell me that you love me this badly, then use it as motivation. Survive this battle and then come back to me. You're only allowed to say it then. Are we clear?" Alec let out an exasperated sigh.

"You're being difficult," he murmured. When he met his gaze, however, Alec didn't look exasperated. He looked soft, and his eyes kept drifting down, to Adrian's lips. Adrian held his breath. "I...I really want to kiss you." Adrian blinked, then glanced around them. They were already attracting attention. Of course they were. They were already standing incredibly close, and people always seemed to sense when something intimate was happening near them, their interests peaked despite themselves.

"Here?" Adrian murmured, just to make sure. Alec nodded.

"Here." Alec reached up to cup his face. "Can I?"

Adrian had barely nodded before Alec was bringing him in and his mouth was covering Adrian's. It was a soft kiss, but also a deep one, one that spoke louder than any words Alec could have ever said.

Adrian didn't even hear the gasps of shock from the people watching in the Accords Hall. He just brought Alec in and kissed him again, trying not to think about how it might be the last kiss they would ever share.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Adrian whenever he's hunting a demon

edited: 11.6.19