Secret (Alec Lightwood)

Chapter 19

"Stay away from me," I say in fright as the vampires enter the door to my room.

"We just want him," one of them says while motioning to Jake.

"Then never mind, don't stay away from me. You'll have to go through me first."

"Charlotte-" Jake begins, but I but him off.

"No. I won't let them hurt you."

A vampire jumps at me and throws me against a wall. They race to me, bearing their fangs.

"No!" Jake yells as he slashes his claws at the vampire. Wait... Why does he have claws?

The door opens, and my brother Fred runs in. "Mom! Dad! Henry!"

The rest of my family runs in to see Jake and I fighting vampires.

My mother grabs the one that's pinned me to the wall by the back of the neck, pulls them away from me, and shoves a seraph blade through its stomach.

Another of the vampires grabs my mother, pushes her against a wall while smashing the blade from her hand, and bites into her neck.

"Mom!" I yell as tears begin to form in my eyes. I look around the room and see Henry already laying on the ground, pale as a ghost. "Henry!"

Another vampire jumps at me and pins me against the wall. I use all my strength to push him off of me, grab my mother's seraph blade, and stab it.

"Charlotte!" Fred yells as a vampire bites into his neck.

I run over to the vampire and stab it, but I'm too late. Fred falls to the floor, his body pale as a ghost.

"We're full right now," one of them says to Jake, "but we'll be back for you." They all depart out the window, one of them dropping my father's dead body along the way.

I turn to Jake. "Get out."

"Charlotte I can-"

"GET OUT!" Tears stream from my eyes as I scream. "GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET-"

My eyes fly open, and I see Alec standing above me. "You okay?"

I look around, taking deep, gasping breaths. Thank God, I'm in the Institute. "Just a bad dream."

"You wanna talk about it?"

I sigh. "I-I watched them die again. The whole scene with the vampires."

He sits down on the edge of the bed and grabs my hand. "It's okay, Charlotte. It'll be okay."

"It was probably seeing... Seeing him again that brought it on."

"I wouldn't doubt it." He squeezes my hand. "You gonna be okay?"

I take a deep breath and nod. "I think so, yeah."

He squeezes my hand again then lets go. "I just wanted to come show that I'm alive, if you don't wanna be alone I can send Izzy in-"

I shake my head. "Could you stay?" I ask quietly.

"What?"

"I don't mean for like, I don't mean to sleep with me. I meant can you just... Sit in here?"

"For like, the night?"

I shrug. "At least until I'm back asleep."

He nods. "I'll be right, I'm just gonna change."

I nod as he exits the room, and I wipe tears from my eyes. I'm supposed to be strong about this. I made a promise to myself, I have to stay strong.

He returns a couple minutes later, wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a plain black t-shirt.

I scoot over on the bed, and he sits beside me.

"If I get caught-" he begins to speak, but I cut him off.

"If you get caught, I'll tell them the truth."

"I was gonna say that if I get caught, I'll take the blame."

I shake my head. "No. I can handle it."

"So can I."

"I never said you couldn't."

"Neither did I."

I lay down on the bed and look up at him. "Thank you."

He smiles at me. "No problem. Would it be weird if I laid down?"

I shake my head, and he lays beside me. I put my head on his chest and smile slightly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

We sit in silence for a moment, and after about fifteen minutes I think he's asleep, but then he speaks.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything, Alec."

He sighs. "When you saw that Jake guy earlier... what were you thinking?"

"What do you mean? Do you mean do I still have feelings for him?"

He sighs. "Yes."

I tilt my head, so I'm looking up at him. "There was a time when I loved Jake. But that was a long time ago, he had his chance. I'm in love with you now. And I love you more than I ever loved him. Plus, seeing him brought back that memory I've been trying so hard to suppress for so many years. I can't even see myself having another conversation with him. So, no, I don't still have feelings for him."

"Just wanted to check."

"Well, you don't need to worry about it. I'm not gonna leave you. Especially not for him. Just... if you get bitten by a werewolf, let me know?"

He chuckles. "You'll be the first."

I smile slightly at him. There's been a large hole in my heart, ever since my family was murdered. And this is the first time I feel as if it weren't there at all anymore.