Unfinished Business • Alec Lightwood

Chapter 73

Leona let out a noise of annoyance as they all squeezed into a small elevator that led to Camille's apartment. From beside her, Simon grinned trying to lighten her mood.

"I thought the underground parking was nice." Simon nodded causing Leona to shake her head at the vampire.

The doors quickly opened and the group followed Camille as she guided them into what looked to be her study.

Leona stood eyes wide as she glanced around the room; antique paintings, portraits of Camielle, and a variety of books upon books with a large amount of shelves. Camille's place reminded her of the mundane libraries she'd go to with her mother as a child.

"Wow. You've got a lot of books." Alec spoke in as just amount of awe as Leona was.

"I've got a lot of time on my hands," Camille replied before her butler walked up to the group.

"Welcome home, Madame Belcourt." The man spoke.

"She has a butler." Leona nudged Isabelle with a frown. "We should get one."

"What would you do with a butler?" Isabelle asked her friend with laughter.

Leona shrugged, still looking around. "Don't know, but wouldn't it be cool?"

From beside her Leona saw Alec scoff in amusement.

"Besides, this place creeps me out," Isabelle said, her face forming into a frown.

"Yeah. Let's check the perimeter." Alec told the others.

Leona nodded before walking off in the direction of one of the bookshelves. After a few moments, she saw Alec standing beside her.

Leona glanced at him before looking at the books in front of her, eyeing the spines as she read them, trying to find the Book of the White.

"Sorry for earlier by the way," Alec spoke up causing Leona to turn her head to look at him.

"What?" Leona asked in confusion.

"Grabbing your arm and pulling you, back at Magnus'" Alec pointed out. "I just didn't want Camille near you but I didn't mean to like...manhandle you or anything."

Leona let out a laugh at Alec's words. "You didn't manhandle me. You were looking out for me, I mean you saw her take a grab at my neck."

Alec let out a hum. "Yeah I know, I just don't want you to think that I don't think you can't handle yourself. Especially after what we talked about before the whole wedding thing."

Leona turned her body to face the Lightwood, showing him her full attention. Alec stood with his arms crossed as he braced his side up against the shelves near them.

"Alec, we're friends," Leona told him assuringly. "I trust you, you trust me. Believe me, after everything we've gone through these past few weeks, it's not like how things were when I first got back."

Alec looked at Leona with a small smile.

"Things have changed, they're different now. We've argued and bickered and made up again and again." Leona said with a smile, thinking back at all of the times she and Alec have had to work out their problems. "You don't have to be skittish around me anymore. I'm not around you."

"You're not?" Alec asked with slight surprise.

"You're not an emotionless co-worker to me anymore," Leona told the Lightwood as if it were obvious. "You're important to me."

Before Alec could respond, Leona watched as his calm expression shifted into one of alert but before the Lovelace girl could ask she felt a cold blade around her neck.