Poisoned - R, Clary/Jace - The Mortal Instruments
Title: Poisoned
Character(s): Jace Wayland, Clary Fray, Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood, and Magnus Bane.
Pairing(s): Clary/Jace, Magnus/Alec, minor Isabelle/Simon and Maia/Simon
Rating: R (sensuality)
Spoilers: Spoilers for City of Glass! You have been warned!
Word Count: 4,486
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters or the setting; all of that belongs to Cassandra Clare.
Summary: When Clary and company are called upon to battle an infestation of succubae and incubi, Clary and Jace are thrown into an unexpected thrall that only time can heal.
We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another. ~Luciano de Crescenzo
“It feels strange to be back in New York,” Alec said, squinting up into the inky blackness of the night sky. “I thought that we would never see this city again.”
It had been three months since the final battle with Valentine. Clary herself could not believe their luck that the assignment given to them by the Clave had landed them in New York City, her hometown that she had missed so dearly.
Isabelle clasped his shoulder with her hand, nails painted dark red. “Cheer up, you party pooper-you should be on your hands and knees thanking me for getting us this wonderful opportunity to enhance our experience in the field,” Isabelle sighed. “Besides, even Alicante gets a bit boring after a while.” And then, quieter: “Far too few Downworlder visas are getting approved, anyway.”
“Oh, so that’s the ticket,” Magnus grinned, peeling Isabelle’s hand off Alec’s shoulder and replacing it with his own. The warlock had had met them at the other end of the portal that he himself had created to bring the group of Shadowhunters from Alicante to Manhattan. “You’ve exhausted the Downworlder population to date in the Glass City, and thus you’re imbibing your pool of prospects by broadening your scope. Touché, my dear, touché.” Even Alec had to laugh at Isabelle’s half-hearted cries in denial.
“Or maybe you’re just itching to see Simon again,” Clary teased. Isabelle’s face darkened, and Clary grinned, having hit the nail on the head. “The last time I heard from him, he was in Milan…”
“You know how he likes to travel these days,” Magnus grinned. “He’s been bitten by the bug of wanderlust, if you'll pardon my French; he’s rather abused his passport as of late, has he not?” Clary’s eyes dimmed slightly and she retreated from the forefront of the conversation, instead receding to Jace’s side, clasping his hand with her own. She still hadn’t overcome the guilt of drawing the Mark of Cain on Simon, even though she knew that at the time, there had been no other way to save his life. As a result, however, just like Cain from the bible, Simon had felt compelled to roam far beyond his quaint abode. Clary sighed and refocused, her unoccupied hand drifting to her stele-she had named it Zuriel in the confines of the Lightwood mansion while they had been gearing up for the long haul. It felt good to be included in the missions, but it felt even better to be with him. Alec’s eye trailed down her arm to her hand, clasped in Jace’s, and saw a small smile twitch upon his cheek.
“Was Maia included on this little excursion?” Isabelle asked lightly, but Clary knew to choose her words carefully.
“You’d have to ask Luke…” Clary muttered as she averted her gaze from Isabelle’s Amazonian glare, feeling the heat of her fury just beginning to spool. Boy, would Luke not be pleased with her once he’d gotten the news that she’d deflected Isabelle’s fury onto him...
“If you think Luke would let one of his most valued pack members go gallivanting off to Milan of all places when she could be here in New York and or Alicante, helping Downworlders get visas? I highly doubt he’ll be letting Maia out of his sight for a long time. And that means no travel plans for her, unfortunately,” Jace finished, effectively ending the conversation. Clary looked up at him through her lashes in gratitude, and he gave her hand a squeeze. When the blonde looked away, Clary took a moment to take the young Shadowhunter in: a few long steles hung from his sturdy leather belt, which shimmered in the streetlights that hung above them; the tips of his hair, curling slightly in the summer heat, were still wet from a last minute shower; and then there was his Shadowhunter gear that fit him like a glove, though Clary knew from experience that maneuvers were facile in the material as well. It was perfect combat garb, and she wore it as well, though on Jace it seemed to exude… well, it exuded something that Clary enjoyed immensely. She felt herself get distracted by the lines of his hips…
Out of the corner of her eye, Clary could see the warlock touch his lips to Alec’s temple and whispered something that made Alec go pink from chin to forehead. Clary grinned and shook her head, turning back to Isabelle-now really wasn’t the time for that sort of thing-and Jace interrogated Isabelle regarding their mission.
“So what exactly are we going up against,” Jace asked while rubbing his calloused fingers over Clary’s knuckles. Despite the fact that Clary knew they were about to put themselves in more danger than she had seen in a couple months, Clary felt… well, safe in her boyfriend’s hands.
Boyfriend. Clary didn’t think any other word in the English languages could make her heart sing like that one could. She couldn’t think of a day since Valentine’s funeral that she hadn’t spent with Jace, wandering the roads of Alicante, training with the Lightwoods in the mansion, and then… then there were the quieter moments, in the darker corners of the house, when it was just the two of them… when all that Clary could comprehend was the presence that was Jace: Jace Wayland, Jace Lightwood, just plain Jace… but not Jace Morgenstern. Not Johnathan Morgenstern. The thought made her soul croon in utter rapture. She loved those moments when they were alone.
“Well, it looks like a succubae and incubi infestation-” Isabelle began.
“Which could have been taken care of by a kindergartner,” Jace interrupted, impatience brewing in his gut.
“They did send a pair of Shadowhunters on a search and destroy mission a few weeks ago, Jace,” Isabelle reminded the group of them, slitting her eyes at Jace in annoyance. “If you’d let me finish-” She paused for effect, and Jace rolled his eyes and slipped his hand out of Clary’s to grab his stele; he began twirling it in his hand. Isabelle got the message.
“Anyway, they sent them over a week ago-you remember the older Lawrence brother, don’t you? Arthur Lawrence and his betrothed, Gertrude Lusignan-and haven’t been heard from since they went through the portal at the Gard,” Isabelle said, quickening her pace. Something in Clary’s gut twisted ominously.
“What exactly have the succubae infested?” Magnus drawled, his hand sloping down Alec’s back and finally landing on the Shadowhunter’s backside. When Clary heard Alec’s voice give a small “yip,” she was positive that someone’s nether regions had been given a squeeze. Smiling slightly, she turned back to Isabelle, who was determined to get to… wherever they were going.
“Isabelle? Where are we going?” Clary asked Isabelle’s figure that continued to advance into the dark in front of them-but suddenly the lights illuminated the streets in such a way that sent old, cherished memories rushing back to Clary.
“Pandemonium? I thought that place was mostly harmless,” the redhead murmured.
“It is-for us, at least. But with a demonic infestation, who knows what they’ve turned the place into,” Isabelle said. There was a pause. “Arthur and Gertrude were good Shadowhunters. We can’t let our guard down.”
Alec drew away from Magnus and towards his sister. “You don’t know what happened to them, they could be right as rain,” he said in a rather poor attempt at comfort, but Isabelle shook her head. She kept silent for a moment.
“Come on Izzy, there’s not much we can’t handle,” Jace affirmed, passing her in stride and entering the club first. Clary raced after him, the sound of her footsteps loud in her ears, though she could have sworn that she’d heard Isabelle say the words “they were very good” before the redhead found herself inside that familiar haunt of hers.
*
Pandemonium looked different on the inside, though it had maintained its old appearance on the brick façade that enclosed it from the outside world. The lights were dimmer (if that were even possible) and the décor somehow otherworldly. The club was flooded with people; it seemed that its popularity had not fallen in their absence. There weren’t any seats for they had removed the old couches and replaced them with large duvets that were placed haphazardly throughout the floor. And on those duvets were... well, certain scenes of ecstasy were occurring there that Clary believed would make even Magnus blush. Isabelle looked flushed and slightly intrigued, while Alec kept on moving his gaze every few seconds, hands clutching tightly at his bow. Clary herself was beet red in embarrassment and worked hard to avert her eyes from her surroundings.
"No, Clary," Jace hissed. "You never keep your head down in the middle of a mission unless there's an ax flying above it. You've got to keep your surroundings in order."
Clary looked up again just in time to see a girl on her left who had coupled herself with two smaller men coming to climax. Her moans of lust were not enough to pierce the tirade of groans and yelps that inundated the entire club, but Clary could pick out exactly where the girl's high pitched keening settled in the cacophony.
"This is a demonic brothel," Alec seethed. Magnus was looking around curiously.
"These aren't demons," the warlock said curtly. "Though I can smell the stench of the soul-less a mile away, and this place reeks of it. I'm guessing they're hiding in the basement, or in the back."
Isabelle unreeled her whip and held it loosely beside her as a number of men approached her. Clary could see her group get separated by a sea of gyrating bodies; she was being pushed by a man of hulking stature, and an impossibly top heavy woman pulled at her arm, inching the two of them near the closest duvet. Losing her balance, Clary fell on top of the large breasted woman and found herself face to face with a woman around her mother's age. Recoiling and springing up from the bed, Clary looked around to see Jace by her side. She backed into him and grazed her hand across his own, which was now holding his own stele in a discrete fashion-only the tip of it stuck out beyond his index finger, the rest of it was hidden behind his wrist. Clary felt a jolt of electricity shuttle through her body from her fingers to her chest, then radiating downwards towards less mentionable parts. This was definitely not the time to be thinking about pleasure.
Clary looked to Jace and could see that his thoughts mirrored her own. Shaking her head minutely, Clary turned back to find Isabelle standing beside them.
"Magnus spotted an incubus in the back," she said curtly, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the ruckus. "Are you two done dilly dallying?"
"Show me," Jace growled. His mood had been obviously soured. As they approached the back of the club, what looked like an employee threw herself in front of them with a tray of brightly colored drinks.
"Please, refresh yourselves, you look parched," the girl mewled. Isabelle pushed her aside and moved onwards. The employee didn't give up. "You, gorgeous," she sighed, placing her hand on top of his and giving his a hard squeeze. "You sure you don't want anything? I'm positive I could arrange something... and probably with the best looking girls in here. Or does that not suit your taste? Are you more into the male variety?" Jace looked like he could have spat at her. Not even dignifying her with a response, he took Clary's hand and shouldered his way past her. The employee tugged at Clary's shirt as they were attempting to depart. "You must be really fantastic in bed, if that guy's yours," she cackled, clasping Clary's cheek tightly now. Clary could feel her skin getting singed under the woman's touch. Ripping the hand from her face and blushing madly now, Clary pushed the two of them through the crowd after Isabelle.
Jace said nothing, and Clary felt somehow miserable. The two of them had never had... well, they'd never consummated their relationship. Not yet. Clary was certain that they would, but the timing was never right, and either Jocelyn or Luke or Amatis would always come barreling in through the door before things could get really hot. What the woman said was ringing in her ears like a constant reminder of her celibacy; it disgusted her in a way, that she wasn't more experienced for him.
Isabelle looked peeved. "What took you so long? I can't find Magnus, but Alec already bow-and-arrowed the demon before we even arrived." She looked unhappy that she hadn't had a crack at it. Clary sighed and leaned into Jace. "I'm sure there are more where that came from," said a voice from behind them. It was Alec, looking slightly sweaty and perturbed. "Have you all seen Magnus? I haven't seen him since we split up."
"I though he was with you," Isabelle began, but Clary began plodding away from the Lightwoods and into the fray of glistening bodies, her hand still in Jace's.
Clary was beginning to tune out. It was a bizarre feeling: it was as if she were both weightless and extraordinarily heavy at the same time. Her skin seemed especially impressible, and everything she touched was new and exciting-but nothing more enticing than Jace himself. Once they were in the middle of the dance floor, Clary pulled their hips together and swung them around to the beat; the music playing was impossibly tantric, and with the erotic din all around them adding to the carnal mood, well, getting a little hot and bothered was the least of Clary's worries. In the distance Clary could see Isabelle waving to them fretfully, but the redhead took no mind of it and began to trace a mark that went down the side of Jace's neck with her lips. He groaned and suddenly his hands were all over her back, tugging her towards him until they were chest to chest as well.
Jace pulled his neck back from Clary's mouth and leant his forehead against her own. Both their eyes fluttered with desire, and Clary nudged her nose against his own.
"Clary," Jace whispered huskily. Clary took a deep breath in through her nose and appreciated his heady scent before Jace broke their silent swaying. "Clary, something's wrong." Clary could tell that it pained him to say it, but something struck true in the words he said. The moment he'd finished speaking, however, he'd captured her lips with his own, promptly distracting her from any cohesive thought. All Clary could feel was Jace's tongue delving into her mouth, licking the insides of her teeth and dueling with her own pink tongue. Jace pulled back and began nibbling at her ear lobe. Clary could hear these bizarrely erotic sounds all around her-heavy panting and moans of lust-and barely recognized that those moans were coming from her own throat. In a moment Jace had pushed the two of them onto a duvet in a back room that they had been mysteriously lead to by a familiar hand.
"Enjoy," said a voice from above Clary's right shoulder, but the Shadowhunter didn't turn to express her gratitude... instead she flipped on top of Jace and began disrobing him of his hunting gear. His shirt came off quickly, as did her own. Now she was covered only by a black lacy bra (Isabelle's, though Clary had the presence of thought to snag it before dressing for the mission that afternoon); Clary could feel Jace's eyes devouring her curves, and he brought her back to him, flesh to flesh.
"Something is very wrong here," Jace groaned, kissing her collarbone and then her sternum. "We're supposed to be-" he kissed her side- "fighting succubae and incubi-" he pulled down the lefthand strap of her bra and began kissing the red indentation it had left behind- "supposed to be helping-" another kiss- "Isabelle, Alec, Magnus-" hands fumbled at her bra clasp for a brief moment, and then she felt herself freed from its confines. Jace practically threw the delicate lingerie across the room in his haste. "This isn't how it's supposed to be-" he started, cupping Clary in his hands and rubbing his thumbs across her nipples. She groaned and thrusted her hips towards his own.
"I think-" Clary hissed in pleasure as Jace began a path around her right breast- "that we've been drugged... something that woman did-" But all thought was giving way to this manic lust that was simply driving Clary over the edge...
"But how?" Jace asked as he unbuttoned her leather pants with a familiar agility. "We didn't drink anything." And then her pants were off. Clary did the same for Jace, noticing the large bulge as she unzipped him.
"I think when she touched us-" Clary began, as she shimmied him out of his pants and then began planting kisses up his thighs- "something topical-like LSD- it must be from the succubae..." Jace gathered her up in his arms tightly.
"We're stopping this," he grunted, adament. Clary mewed and struggled to break free of his grip. "Not- here," he huffed as she fought her losing battle. "Clary, something's going on that's bigger than this."
The door burst open, and Alec stood in its threshold, looking far worse for wear. A large cut over his right eye was obscuring his vision at least partially, but a blind man practically could have seen what was going on between Clary and Jace.
"Get some damn clothes on, the both of you- I swear! This is the last time Isabelle gets to choose the mission," he grumbled. Motioning with his left arm, Alec left and was replaced by Magnus Bane, who was looking down on the two of them with a mixture of amusement and pity. He had a black eye and a large hickey on his neck.
"You've both been poisoned by a rather clever succubus," he sighed as Clary finished re-clasping her bra, embarrassment boiling under her skin not unlike the fire of desire that still lurked within her, waiting to be set free. "She secretes it through the pads in her fingertips, and Shadowhunters easily absorb it through the pores in their skin-no consumption necessary, if that's what's got you confused. I've got a spell that will, temporarily, put you two on task... but the poison will have to run its course. Only time can heal you two for good." Jace nodded curtly; Clary noticed that he was already back in his Shadowhunter gear. She saw Magnus muttering something under his breath and placing his hand on the back of Jace's neck for a minute; suddenly, Jace's eyes widened and his lungs seemed to open up, for he took a huge gulp of air, as though he'd been under water for a long while and had just resurfaced. Magnus took a step towards Clary, who was fully dressed now. He put a hand on the back of her neck, and Clary took one last covetous look at Jace, reaching out her fingers towards him for one last touch-
And then the spell hit her as though a bucket of water had been dumped on her head. She gasped for air, and Magnus nodded his head, sighed and said, "Let's go kill some demons."
*
They burst out of the door into a newer spectacle: Isabelle was in the middle of the floor, whip flashing through the air, striking out at barely clothes demonesses who hissed at her in guttural tones. Most of the mundanes had made their way out of Pandemonium, but a few still writhed in ecstasy on the duvets. Clary unsheathed Zuriel and rushed forward, slicing through the throat of a tall incubus, who fell to the ground with an ear-piercing scream. Now at Isabelle's side, Clary muttered a small apology, but Isabelle's face was tight.
"Let's just say you owe me one, Clarissa," Isabelle gritted out through her teeth. "You and the wunderkind over there." Isabelle gestured with her left hand towards Jace, who was cutting through succubae like a knife through butter. "Pity you couldn't get here sooner!" Isabelle shouted over to him. Jace lifted up his middle finger in response, but Isabelle grinned. All would be well.
An idea struck Clary all of a sudden. "I'm going to the back rooms again, to see if Arthur and Gertrude are trapped there," Clary yelled over the mayhem. Alec nodded. "Bring Magnus!" Tugging at Magnus's sequined tank top, the two set off into the galley hallway that connected a dizzying amount of "close encounter" rooms. The first few doors Clary opened revealed emptiness, but every so often she'd hit upon a hoard of incubi, which were rather easy to kill, once she'd done it once or twice. It wasn't until she was sweating with the exertion of the fight that she found them. In the thrall of the succubae, Clary could see two bodies, unclothed on the bed in front of them. Magnus sighed. "This is where I come in, isn't it," the warlock grunted, entering the room with a look of distaste on his face. Calling out their names, Magnus worked his spell on them as well.
"They would have come to their senses in a few hours," Magnus sighed. "The poison seems to only last a week."
Clary blanched. "A week?"
Magnus grinned at her as he led Gertrude, half-clothed, and Arthur, shirtless, into the main battle in the front of Pandemonium. "There are worse things. I'm sure you'll have fun with it."
Clary gulped.
*
Pandemonium was a wreck after they left. Clary only felt a little guilty about it, for she had other things weighing rather heavily on her mind. Jace hadn't looked at her once since they're little incident, and it made her worry... but not as much as what Magnus had told the two of them: "It's only temporary."
"We're staying at the Institute tonight," Alec had decided with finality. "Getting back to Alicante can wait a few days." Magnus bid everyone a grand farewell, giving Alec a peck on the cheek before walking away into the early dawn.
The trudge back to the Institute was long and quiet. Clary felt as though she desperately needed a shower as soon as humanely possible, perhaps even faster. Opening the thick wooden doors of what had been home not so long ago, Clary and the others limped inside.
"I need to shower," Clary sighed, marching towards the living quarters.
"Great idea," Isabelle grunted, following suit. "Just don't start getting frisky in the bathroom, Miss Fray. Poison or no poison, we all know I don't swing that way." Clary's jaw dropped and she could faintly hear Jace chuckling at the bottom of the staircase the two girls had just climbed.
Showering had been both a good and bad idea. To get the grime and sweat off felt absolutely fantastic, and it additionally helped Clary clear her head. She was just beginning to wrap her mind around the fact that for the next week, she’d be… well, horny as hell. There was no way she could live under her mother’s roof like this; she’d have to stay at the Institute for the rest of the next seven days. Maybe if she was alone, she could handle it without loosing herself like she did at the club…
Clary felt her head swirl just thinking about what had happened. Her mind was full of Jace, the way he had felt beneath her roaming hands, the way he had cupped her breasts, so gently… and also, the way that he had been able to stop. He was stronger than her in that respect. At the time, she would have stopped for no man, woman, beast, or angel. Perhaps he had known the nature of suffering better than she had, known it well enough to endure it, at least for that long moment before Alec had come to save the day.
Clary stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a taupe terrycloth towel, cinching it upon her sternum. She could feel the effects of Magnus’s spell beginning to wear off. Cursing her luck, she was running practically at a sprint to her room when she ran into Alec.
“Hey, I think Jace is looking for you,” he said with a start. Clary’s eyes were now lidded, and she looked up at Alec for one long moment before darting into her room, slamming the door shut, and bolting the door.
“Take that,” she grinned triumphantly. Turning to an empty closet, Clary frowned. She must have left her pajamas in another room.
A bang on the door.
“Clary, open the door.” The voice was low and husky. Clary groaned when she heard it and clutched her towel tightly to her body, still dripping from the shower. Shuddering, she approached the door.
“Wait,” she said aloud, hand now resting on the deadbolt. “We’re not ourselves right now, Jace. Is this really the right thing to do-”
“Clarissa Fray, if you don’t open this door right now, I will kick it down,” Jace growled. Balling her hand into a fist, Clary unbolted the door and ran to her bed, sitting down upon it and feeling very small.
Jace practically kicked the door in anyway. He was shirtless, but still in his Shadowhunter pants. Clary had the feeling that he’d been struck by the succubus’s urge mid-undressing.
“I don’t know about you, but that spell-” he began, racing towards her. “Pretty much worn off about now.” Clary’s heart raced as Jace got down on his knees in front of her and reached his hands for her own. She struggled for a long moment, and then gave in to her long buried passion. Attacking him with her lips, she found herself getting lifted as he rose into a standing position. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her eyes caught sight of the door, wide upon for onlookers to see.
“Jace-” Clary moaned. “The door…”
In one slick motion, Jace had slammed the door shut and bolted it, all the while pinning Clary against it with his chest.
“This could be,” Clary laughed, as Jace unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down with his boxers in quick succession, “a blessing in disguise, you know?”
Jace grinned mischeviously and ripped her towel away.
“At least we have an excuse for doing this all week,” he murmured, lifting her up and allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist once more. “After that, though… do you think we should specialize in succubae cases?”
With Jace thrusting into her at long last, all Clary could enunciate was a small, “Oh yes.”
Character(s): Jace Wayland, Clary Fray, Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood, and Magnus Bane.
Pairing(s): Clary/Jace, Magnus/Alec, minor Isabelle/Simon and Maia/Simon
Rating: R (sensuality)
Spoilers: Spoilers for City of Glass! You have been warned!
Word Count: 4,486
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters or the setting; all of that belongs to Cassandra Clare.
Summary: When Clary and company are called upon to battle an infestation of succubae and incubi, Clary and Jace are thrown into an unexpected thrall that only time can heal.
We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another. ~Luciano de Crescenzo
“It feels strange to be back in New York,” Alec said, squinting up into the inky blackness of the night sky. “I thought that we would never see this city again.”
It had been three months since the final battle with Valentine. Clary herself could not believe their luck that the assignment given to them by the Clave had landed them in New York City, her hometown that she had missed so dearly.
Isabelle clasped his shoulder with her hand, nails painted dark red. “Cheer up, you party pooper-you should be on your hands and knees thanking me for getting us this wonderful opportunity to enhance our experience in the field,” Isabelle sighed. “Besides, even Alicante gets a bit boring after a while.” And then, quieter: “Far too few Downworlder visas are getting approved, anyway.”
“Oh, so that’s the ticket,” Magnus grinned, peeling Isabelle’s hand off Alec’s shoulder and replacing it with his own. The warlock had had met them at the other end of the portal that he himself had created to bring the group of Shadowhunters from Alicante to Manhattan. “You’ve exhausted the Downworlder population to date in the Glass City, and thus you’re imbibing your pool of prospects by broadening your scope. Touché, my dear, touché.” Even Alec had to laugh at Isabelle’s half-hearted cries in denial.
“Or maybe you’re just itching to see Simon again,” Clary teased. Isabelle’s face darkened, and Clary grinned, having hit the nail on the head. “The last time I heard from him, he was in Milan…”
“You know how he likes to travel these days,” Magnus grinned. “He’s been bitten by the bug of wanderlust, if you'll pardon my French; he’s rather abused his passport as of late, has he not?” Clary’s eyes dimmed slightly and she retreated from the forefront of the conversation, instead receding to Jace’s side, clasping his hand with her own. She still hadn’t overcome the guilt of drawing the Mark of Cain on Simon, even though she knew that at the time, there had been no other way to save his life. As a result, however, just like Cain from the bible, Simon had felt compelled to roam far beyond his quaint abode. Clary sighed and refocused, her unoccupied hand drifting to her stele-she had named it Zuriel in the confines of the Lightwood mansion while they had been gearing up for the long haul. It felt good to be included in the missions, but it felt even better to be with him. Alec’s eye trailed down her arm to her hand, clasped in Jace’s, and saw a small smile twitch upon his cheek.
“Was Maia included on this little excursion?” Isabelle asked lightly, but Clary knew to choose her words carefully.
“You’d have to ask Luke…” Clary muttered as she averted her gaze from Isabelle’s Amazonian glare, feeling the heat of her fury just beginning to spool. Boy, would Luke not be pleased with her once he’d gotten the news that she’d deflected Isabelle’s fury onto him...
“If you think Luke would let one of his most valued pack members go gallivanting off to Milan of all places when she could be here in New York and or Alicante, helping Downworlders get visas? I highly doubt he’ll be letting Maia out of his sight for a long time. And that means no travel plans for her, unfortunately,” Jace finished, effectively ending the conversation. Clary looked up at him through her lashes in gratitude, and he gave her hand a squeeze. When the blonde looked away, Clary took a moment to take the young Shadowhunter in: a few long steles hung from his sturdy leather belt, which shimmered in the streetlights that hung above them; the tips of his hair, curling slightly in the summer heat, were still wet from a last minute shower; and then there was his Shadowhunter gear that fit him like a glove, though Clary knew from experience that maneuvers were facile in the material as well. It was perfect combat garb, and she wore it as well, though on Jace it seemed to exude… well, it exuded something that Clary enjoyed immensely. She felt herself get distracted by the lines of his hips…
Out of the corner of her eye, Clary could see the warlock touch his lips to Alec’s temple and whispered something that made Alec go pink from chin to forehead. Clary grinned and shook her head, turning back to Isabelle-now really wasn’t the time for that sort of thing-and Jace interrogated Isabelle regarding their mission.
“So what exactly are we going up against,” Jace asked while rubbing his calloused fingers over Clary’s knuckles. Despite the fact that Clary knew they were about to put themselves in more danger than she had seen in a couple months, Clary felt… well, safe in her boyfriend’s hands.
Boyfriend. Clary didn’t think any other word in the English languages could make her heart sing like that one could. She couldn’t think of a day since Valentine’s funeral that she hadn’t spent with Jace, wandering the roads of Alicante, training with the Lightwoods in the mansion, and then… then there were the quieter moments, in the darker corners of the house, when it was just the two of them… when all that Clary could comprehend was the presence that was Jace: Jace Wayland, Jace Lightwood, just plain Jace… but not Jace Morgenstern. Not Johnathan Morgenstern. The thought made her soul croon in utter rapture. She loved those moments when they were alone.
“Well, it looks like a succubae and incubi infestation-” Isabelle began.
“Which could have been taken care of by a kindergartner,” Jace interrupted, impatience brewing in his gut.
“They did send a pair of Shadowhunters on a search and destroy mission a few weeks ago, Jace,” Isabelle reminded the group of them, slitting her eyes at Jace in annoyance. “If you’d let me finish-” She paused for effect, and Jace rolled his eyes and slipped his hand out of Clary’s to grab his stele; he began twirling it in his hand. Isabelle got the message.
“Anyway, they sent them over a week ago-you remember the older Lawrence brother, don’t you? Arthur Lawrence and his betrothed, Gertrude Lusignan-and haven’t been heard from since they went through the portal at the Gard,” Isabelle said, quickening her pace. Something in Clary’s gut twisted ominously.
“What exactly have the succubae infested?” Magnus drawled, his hand sloping down Alec’s back and finally landing on the Shadowhunter’s backside. When Clary heard Alec’s voice give a small “yip,” she was positive that someone’s nether regions had been given a squeeze. Smiling slightly, she turned back to Isabelle, who was determined to get to… wherever they were going.
“Isabelle? Where are we going?” Clary asked Isabelle’s figure that continued to advance into the dark in front of them-but suddenly the lights illuminated the streets in such a way that sent old, cherished memories rushing back to Clary.
“Pandemonium? I thought that place was mostly harmless,” the redhead murmured.
“It is-for us, at least. But with a demonic infestation, who knows what they’ve turned the place into,” Isabelle said. There was a pause. “Arthur and Gertrude were good Shadowhunters. We can’t let our guard down.”
Alec drew away from Magnus and towards his sister. “You don’t know what happened to them, they could be right as rain,” he said in a rather poor attempt at comfort, but Isabelle shook her head. She kept silent for a moment.
“Come on Izzy, there’s not much we can’t handle,” Jace affirmed, passing her in stride and entering the club first. Clary raced after him, the sound of her footsteps loud in her ears, though she could have sworn that she’d heard Isabelle say the words “they were very good” before the redhead found herself inside that familiar haunt of hers.
*
Pandemonium looked different on the inside, though it had maintained its old appearance on the brick façade that enclosed it from the outside world. The lights were dimmer (if that were even possible) and the décor somehow otherworldly. The club was flooded with people; it seemed that its popularity had not fallen in their absence. There weren’t any seats for they had removed the old couches and replaced them with large duvets that were placed haphazardly throughout the floor. And on those duvets were... well, certain scenes of ecstasy were occurring there that Clary believed would make even Magnus blush. Isabelle looked flushed and slightly intrigued, while Alec kept on moving his gaze every few seconds, hands clutching tightly at his bow. Clary herself was beet red in embarrassment and worked hard to avert her eyes from her surroundings.
"No, Clary," Jace hissed. "You never keep your head down in the middle of a mission unless there's an ax flying above it. You've got to keep your surroundings in order."
Clary looked up again just in time to see a girl on her left who had coupled herself with two smaller men coming to climax. Her moans of lust were not enough to pierce the tirade of groans and yelps that inundated the entire club, but Clary could pick out exactly where the girl's high pitched keening settled in the cacophony.
"This is a demonic brothel," Alec seethed. Magnus was looking around curiously.
"These aren't demons," the warlock said curtly. "Though I can smell the stench of the soul-less a mile away, and this place reeks of it. I'm guessing they're hiding in the basement, or in the back."
Isabelle unreeled her whip and held it loosely beside her as a number of men approached her. Clary could see her group get separated by a sea of gyrating bodies; she was being pushed by a man of hulking stature, and an impossibly top heavy woman pulled at her arm, inching the two of them near the closest duvet. Losing her balance, Clary fell on top of the large breasted woman and found herself face to face with a woman around her mother's age. Recoiling and springing up from the bed, Clary looked around to see Jace by her side. She backed into him and grazed her hand across his own, which was now holding his own stele in a discrete fashion-only the tip of it stuck out beyond his index finger, the rest of it was hidden behind his wrist. Clary felt a jolt of electricity shuttle through her body from her fingers to her chest, then radiating downwards towards less mentionable parts. This was definitely not the time to be thinking about pleasure.
Clary looked to Jace and could see that his thoughts mirrored her own. Shaking her head minutely, Clary turned back to find Isabelle standing beside them.
"Magnus spotted an incubus in the back," she said curtly, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the ruckus. "Are you two done dilly dallying?"
"Show me," Jace growled. His mood had been obviously soured. As they approached the back of the club, what looked like an employee threw herself in front of them with a tray of brightly colored drinks.
"Please, refresh yourselves, you look parched," the girl mewled. Isabelle pushed her aside and moved onwards. The employee didn't give up. "You, gorgeous," she sighed, placing her hand on top of his and giving his a hard squeeze. "You sure you don't want anything? I'm positive I could arrange something... and probably with the best looking girls in here. Or does that not suit your taste? Are you more into the male variety?" Jace looked like he could have spat at her. Not even dignifying her with a response, he took Clary's hand and shouldered his way past her. The employee tugged at Clary's shirt as they were attempting to depart. "You must be really fantastic in bed, if that guy's yours," she cackled, clasping Clary's cheek tightly now. Clary could feel her skin getting singed under the woman's touch. Ripping the hand from her face and blushing madly now, Clary pushed the two of them through the crowd after Isabelle.
Jace said nothing, and Clary felt somehow miserable. The two of them had never had... well, they'd never consummated their relationship. Not yet. Clary was certain that they would, but the timing was never right, and either Jocelyn or Luke or Amatis would always come barreling in through the door before things could get really hot. What the woman said was ringing in her ears like a constant reminder of her celibacy; it disgusted her in a way, that she wasn't more experienced for him.
Isabelle looked peeved. "What took you so long? I can't find Magnus, but Alec already bow-and-arrowed the demon before we even arrived." She looked unhappy that she hadn't had a crack at it. Clary sighed and leaned into Jace. "I'm sure there are more where that came from," said a voice from behind them. It was Alec, looking slightly sweaty and perturbed. "Have you all seen Magnus? I haven't seen him since we split up."
"I though he was with you," Isabelle began, but Clary began plodding away from the Lightwoods and into the fray of glistening bodies, her hand still in Jace's.
Clary was beginning to tune out. It was a bizarre feeling: it was as if she were both weightless and extraordinarily heavy at the same time. Her skin seemed especially impressible, and everything she touched was new and exciting-but nothing more enticing than Jace himself. Once they were in the middle of the dance floor, Clary pulled their hips together and swung them around to the beat; the music playing was impossibly tantric, and with the erotic din all around them adding to the carnal mood, well, getting a little hot and bothered was the least of Clary's worries. In the distance Clary could see Isabelle waving to them fretfully, but the redhead took no mind of it and began to trace a mark that went down the side of Jace's neck with her lips. He groaned and suddenly his hands were all over her back, tugging her towards him until they were chest to chest as well.
Jace pulled his neck back from Clary's mouth and leant his forehead against her own. Both their eyes fluttered with desire, and Clary nudged her nose against his own.
"Clary," Jace whispered huskily. Clary took a deep breath in through her nose and appreciated his heady scent before Jace broke their silent swaying. "Clary, something's wrong." Clary could tell that it pained him to say it, but something struck true in the words he said. The moment he'd finished speaking, however, he'd captured her lips with his own, promptly distracting her from any cohesive thought. All Clary could feel was Jace's tongue delving into her mouth, licking the insides of her teeth and dueling with her own pink tongue. Jace pulled back and began nibbling at her ear lobe. Clary could hear these bizarrely erotic sounds all around her-heavy panting and moans of lust-and barely recognized that those moans were coming from her own throat. In a moment Jace had pushed the two of them onto a duvet in a back room that they had been mysteriously lead to by a familiar hand.
"Enjoy," said a voice from above Clary's right shoulder, but the Shadowhunter didn't turn to express her gratitude... instead she flipped on top of Jace and began disrobing him of his hunting gear. His shirt came off quickly, as did her own. Now she was covered only by a black lacy bra (Isabelle's, though Clary had the presence of thought to snag it before dressing for the mission that afternoon); Clary could feel Jace's eyes devouring her curves, and he brought her back to him, flesh to flesh.
"Something is very wrong here," Jace groaned, kissing her collarbone and then her sternum. "We're supposed to be-" he kissed her side- "fighting succubae and incubi-" he pulled down the lefthand strap of her bra and began kissing the red indentation it had left behind- "supposed to be helping-" another kiss- "Isabelle, Alec, Magnus-" hands fumbled at her bra clasp for a brief moment, and then she felt herself freed from its confines. Jace practically threw the delicate lingerie across the room in his haste. "This isn't how it's supposed to be-" he started, cupping Clary in his hands and rubbing his thumbs across her nipples. She groaned and thrusted her hips towards his own.
"I think-" Clary hissed in pleasure as Jace began a path around her right breast- "that we've been drugged... something that woman did-" But all thought was giving way to this manic lust that was simply driving Clary over the edge...
"But how?" Jace asked as he unbuttoned her leather pants with a familiar agility. "We didn't drink anything." And then her pants were off. Clary did the same for Jace, noticing the large bulge as she unzipped him.
"I think when she touched us-" Clary began, as she shimmied him out of his pants and then began planting kisses up his thighs- "something topical-like LSD- it must be from the succubae..." Jace gathered her up in his arms tightly.
"We're stopping this," he grunted, adament. Clary mewed and struggled to break free of his grip. "Not- here," he huffed as she fought her losing battle. "Clary, something's going on that's bigger than this."
The door burst open, and Alec stood in its threshold, looking far worse for wear. A large cut over his right eye was obscuring his vision at least partially, but a blind man practically could have seen what was going on between Clary and Jace.
"Get some damn clothes on, the both of you- I swear! This is the last time Isabelle gets to choose the mission," he grumbled. Motioning with his left arm, Alec left and was replaced by Magnus Bane, who was looking down on the two of them with a mixture of amusement and pity. He had a black eye and a large hickey on his neck.
"You've both been poisoned by a rather clever succubus," he sighed as Clary finished re-clasping her bra, embarrassment boiling under her skin not unlike the fire of desire that still lurked within her, waiting to be set free. "She secretes it through the pads in her fingertips, and Shadowhunters easily absorb it through the pores in their skin-no consumption necessary, if that's what's got you confused. I've got a spell that will, temporarily, put you two on task... but the poison will have to run its course. Only time can heal you two for good." Jace nodded curtly; Clary noticed that he was already back in his Shadowhunter gear. She saw Magnus muttering something under his breath and placing his hand on the back of Jace's neck for a minute; suddenly, Jace's eyes widened and his lungs seemed to open up, for he took a huge gulp of air, as though he'd been under water for a long while and had just resurfaced. Magnus took a step towards Clary, who was fully dressed now. He put a hand on the back of her neck, and Clary took one last covetous look at Jace, reaching out her fingers towards him for one last touch-
And then the spell hit her as though a bucket of water had been dumped on her head. She gasped for air, and Magnus nodded his head, sighed and said, "Let's go kill some demons."
*
They burst out of the door into a newer spectacle: Isabelle was in the middle of the floor, whip flashing through the air, striking out at barely clothes demonesses who hissed at her in guttural tones. Most of the mundanes had made their way out of Pandemonium, but a few still writhed in ecstasy on the duvets. Clary unsheathed Zuriel and rushed forward, slicing through the throat of a tall incubus, who fell to the ground with an ear-piercing scream. Now at Isabelle's side, Clary muttered a small apology, but Isabelle's face was tight.
"Let's just say you owe me one, Clarissa," Isabelle gritted out through her teeth. "You and the wunderkind over there." Isabelle gestured with her left hand towards Jace, who was cutting through succubae like a knife through butter. "Pity you couldn't get here sooner!" Isabelle shouted over to him. Jace lifted up his middle finger in response, but Isabelle grinned. All would be well.
An idea struck Clary all of a sudden. "I'm going to the back rooms again, to see if Arthur and Gertrude are trapped there," Clary yelled over the mayhem. Alec nodded. "Bring Magnus!" Tugging at Magnus's sequined tank top, the two set off into the galley hallway that connected a dizzying amount of "close encounter" rooms. The first few doors Clary opened revealed emptiness, but every so often she'd hit upon a hoard of incubi, which were rather easy to kill, once she'd done it once or twice. It wasn't until she was sweating with the exertion of the fight that she found them. In the thrall of the succubae, Clary could see two bodies, unclothed on the bed in front of them. Magnus sighed. "This is where I come in, isn't it," the warlock grunted, entering the room with a look of distaste on his face. Calling out their names, Magnus worked his spell on them as well.
"They would have come to their senses in a few hours," Magnus sighed. "The poison seems to only last a week."
Clary blanched. "A week?"
Magnus grinned at her as he led Gertrude, half-clothed, and Arthur, shirtless, into the main battle in the front of Pandemonium. "There are worse things. I'm sure you'll have fun with it."
Clary gulped.
*
Pandemonium was a wreck after they left. Clary only felt a little guilty about it, for she had other things weighing rather heavily on her mind. Jace hadn't looked at her once since they're little incident, and it made her worry... but not as much as what Magnus had told the two of them: "It's only temporary."
"We're staying at the Institute tonight," Alec had decided with finality. "Getting back to Alicante can wait a few days." Magnus bid everyone a grand farewell, giving Alec a peck on the cheek before walking away into the early dawn.
The trudge back to the Institute was long and quiet. Clary felt as though she desperately needed a shower as soon as humanely possible, perhaps even faster. Opening the thick wooden doors of what had been home not so long ago, Clary and the others limped inside.
"I need to shower," Clary sighed, marching towards the living quarters.
"Great idea," Isabelle grunted, following suit. "Just don't start getting frisky in the bathroom, Miss Fray. Poison or no poison, we all know I don't swing that way." Clary's jaw dropped and she could faintly hear Jace chuckling at the bottom of the staircase the two girls had just climbed.
Showering had been both a good and bad idea. To get the grime and sweat off felt absolutely fantastic, and it additionally helped Clary clear her head. She was just beginning to wrap her mind around the fact that for the next week, she’d be… well, horny as hell. There was no way she could live under her mother’s roof like this; she’d have to stay at the Institute for the rest of the next seven days. Maybe if she was alone, she could handle it without loosing herself like she did at the club…
Clary felt her head swirl just thinking about what had happened. Her mind was full of Jace, the way he had felt beneath her roaming hands, the way he had cupped her breasts, so gently… and also, the way that he had been able to stop. He was stronger than her in that respect. At the time, she would have stopped for no man, woman, beast, or angel. Perhaps he had known the nature of suffering better than she had, known it well enough to endure it, at least for that long moment before Alec had come to save the day.
Clary stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a taupe terrycloth towel, cinching it upon her sternum. She could feel the effects of Magnus’s spell beginning to wear off. Cursing her luck, she was running practically at a sprint to her room when she ran into Alec.
“Hey, I think Jace is looking for you,” he said with a start. Clary’s eyes were now lidded, and she looked up at Alec for one long moment before darting into her room, slamming the door shut, and bolting the door.
“Take that,” she grinned triumphantly. Turning to an empty closet, Clary frowned. She must have left her pajamas in another room.
A bang on the door.
“Clary, open the door.” The voice was low and husky. Clary groaned when she heard it and clutched her towel tightly to her body, still dripping from the shower. Shuddering, she approached the door.
“Wait,” she said aloud, hand now resting on the deadbolt. “We’re not ourselves right now, Jace. Is this really the right thing to do-”
“Clarissa Fray, if you don’t open this door right now, I will kick it down,” Jace growled. Balling her hand into a fist, Clary unbolted the door and ran to her bed, sitting down upon it and feeling very small.
Jace practically kicked the door in anyway. He was shirtless, but still in his Shadowhunter pants. Clary had the feeling that he’d been struck by the succubus’s urge mid-undressing.
“I don’t know about you, but that spell-” he began, racing towards her. “Pretty much worn off about now.” Clary’s heart raced as Jace got down on his knees in front of her and reached his hands for her own. She struggled for a long moment, and then gave in to her long buried passion. Attacking him with her lips, she found herself getting lifted as he rose into a standing position. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her eyes caught sight of the door, wide upon for onlookers to see.
“Jace-” Clary moaned. “The door…”
In one slick motion, Jace had slammed the door shut and bolted it, all the while pinning Clary against it with his chest.
“This could be,” Clary laughed, as Jace unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down with his boxers in quick succession, “a blessing in disguise, you know?”
Jace grinned mischeviously and ripped her towel away.
“At least we have an excuse for doing this all week,” he murmured, lifting her up and allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist once more. “After that, though… do you think we should specialize in succubae cases?”
With Jace thrusting into her at long last, all Clary could enunciate was a small, “Oh yes.”