The world is not as safe as it seems. That is the lesson Rosalie Gray learned after crossing the sea with her sister, Tessa. The world is also full of dark, mysterious secrets.
With her world turned upside down, Rosalie Gray feels as if she has now...
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It was horrible to watch, far worse than Rosalie had ever imagined it to be. Nate sat beside Jessamine on one of the couches near the fireplace; he was flirting rather shamelessly with her, and she seemed to be over the moon about it. Tessa seemed to like it even less than her sister; her rounded eyes were glued to the pair, silently judging them. Rosalie wondered what exactly was running through Tessa's mind at this moment and made a mental note to ask her about it later. Rosalie's stomach churned at the sight of Nate. She truly had been wrong about him. No matter what horrible events he underwent, he would always go back to being the same Nate. He would never think of the bigger picture, his focus would always be on the immediate future. Maybe that made Jessamine his perfect match. Except Jessamine seemed capable of looking ahead to plan for her future. That is what she was doing with Nate, after all; using him as a way to escape from her dreaded life as a Shadowhunter. Not that she ever acted like one of them. Jessamine worked hard to set herself apart from the rest of the Nephilim; she bore no Marks on her skin and carried no weapons- other than the parasol Henry had made for her. The loud tolling of a bell sounded throughout the Institute, drawing the attention of everyone in the drawing room. Nate, who had drawn slightly away from Jessamine, looked perplexed. "I thought this wasn't actually a church," he began slowly, "so why are there bells?" "That was the summoning bell." Will answered flatly. "That means there is someone downstairs looking for a meeting with Shadowhunters. And since James and I are the only ones here..." he stood up from his seat, Jem doing the same. From the corner of her eye, Rosalie could see Will eyeing Jessamine- as if he was waiting for her to say that she's also a Shadowhunter. She said nothing, of course, she didn't even seem to be aware of the conversation happening around her; all of her attention seemed to be devoted to Nate. As the two left the room, Tessa's eyes followed after them. It almost looked like she wanted to go with them; instead, she walked over to the window to watch them from above. Rosalie, deciding to join her, crossed the drawing room in quick strides. She was more than eager to see who- or what- was standing on the other side of the grand door of the Institute. It came as a bit of a shock when she saw a normal man standing before Jem and Will on the front steps; just a regular man wearing a long tailcoat, a white waistcoat, and a top hat made of silk. Tessa inhaled sharply and grabbed ahold of her sister's arm. "Rose, look!" she indicated toward the carriage behind the stranger with her index finger. It was a business carriage; tall and painted black. Mortmain and Company. Rosalie's eyes widened as she quickly glanced back at Nate; he didn't even seem to remember that they were there. He had returned to Jessamine's side and was whispering, what Rosalie assumed to be, sweet nothings into her ear. "That must be Nate's former boss." Rosalie whispered when she turned back around. She looked down at him once more, watching the broad gesturing of his arms. "You don't think he's come looking for Nate, do you?" "I would hope not." Tessa replied quietly. Her eyes were glued to the conversation happening below them. Her mouth had been pulled down to form a deep frown, and her eyebrows were slightly furrowed. "And even if he is, it won't matter. He cannot see our brother." without another word, Tessa hurried out of the room.
