Smoke and Mirrors ▹ Alec Lightwood [1]

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FORMALLY ADDRESSED

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

     "You know what I could use right now? A huge ass box of pizza."

Those words were the first to be spoken ever since the dragon demon had been put down and they had left the abandoned hotel. Alec and Jace were stubbornly refusing to acknowledge Adrian and Isabelle for laughing at them, and since Alec was also angry with Jace for dragging them into the hunt for the dragon demon in the first place, things were a little too tense in their small group for Adrian's liking. He had tried to start small conversations with Isabelle, but she was sulky because her brother wasn't talking to her, so Adrian had given up halfway home.

Now they were in the elevator, going to the second floor where all of their rooms were, and Adrian was sick and tired of the silence.

"With cheese sticks," Isabelle said, too busy fixing her hair in the reflection of the elevator wall to look at him. Adrian grinned at her from where he was leaning in the corner. Alec was beside him, looking extremely uncomfortable with all the dirt on his skin.

"With cheese sticks," Adrian echoed.

"Can we get that cookie cake thing too?" Jace asked hopefully, seeing a chance to slide into the conversation. Adrian raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you gonna pay for it?" he asked. Jace scowled at him.

"You didn't ask Izzy if she would pay for it!" he argued, motioning a hand at Isabelle, who was still looking at her reflection. Adrian gave Jace the sweetest smile he could have possibly given. All it did was make Jace scowl even more at him.

"Izzy," Adrian said sweetly, "didn't lead us into an abandoned building to kill a demon she didn't even know how to kill in the first place." Jace raised a finger as if to make a few points, opening his mouth to defend himself—and then he stopped, and his hand dropped to his side.

"Yeah, fair point," Jace conceded, pouting now as he withdrew into his own corner of the elevator. Adrian snorted, leaning his head back against the elevator and sending a look at Alec. He reached out tentatively to tap on his arm with his finger. The touch was light, but Alec jumped like he was electrocuted anyway. Adrian's smile widened.

"You want anything specific, Alec?" he asked. Alec shook his head and cast an annoyed look around the elevator. As usual, it was going at a snail's pace, making the trip far longer than it should have been. The only reason why they didn't take the stairs was because they were all exhausted, and they knew Maryse would pitch a fit if they got mud and dirt caked on the carpeted steps.

"No, I'm good," he said, voice just as clipped as it had been before. Adrian snorted, eyes going to Jace, who was staring at Alec in disbelief and exasperation.

"You're not still mad, are you?" Jace asked him. Adrian lifted his head from the elevator wall, tilting it instead in order to get a better look at Alec's face. He was scowling.

"Nope," Alec forced out, crossing his arms over his chest. Adrian grinned again. He couldn't help it. Everything about Alec endeared him.

"Yes, you are," Jace said, shooting Adrian a look as if he could help him in this situation. "He's still angry at me." Alec let out an exasperated breath.

"I'm not angry at you," he argued, "even though you told me dragon demons were extinct."

"I said mostly extinct."