Smoke and Mirrors ▹ Alec Lightwood [1]

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
BEFORE THE STORM

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     "I can't believe you scolded me for running late when you aren't even packed," Jace said from where he was sprawled across Adrian's bed, chin in his hands as he watched Adrian move around his room. Adrian wasn't bothering to fold his clothes. He was just throwing jeans, shirts, underwear, and jackets into the large duffel stretched out beside Jace. None of them knew how long they'd be in Idris, so he didn't want to risk running out of clothes. Once he was done with the clothes, he threw a set of daggers on top. His stele was hanging out of his hoodie pocket. He shoved it back in as he looked over his bedroom. He felt like he was forgetting something, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He frowned, then looked at Jace, who was waiting patiently for a response.

"Do as I say," Adrian said, bending to flick Jace on the nose, "not as I do, Jace." Jace jerked back, rising to his knees as he swatted Adrian's hand away.

"Well, I don't know about that," Jace said, watching as Adrian rifled through his duffel bag. He glanced up at Jace, curious, as Jace looked over his room, as if searching for anything Adrian had forgotten. "I've never been with a guy before." Adrian straightened in surprise, blinking a few times. He opened his mouth, closed it, then let out a small laugh.

"If only you'd said that to me before I got a boyfriend," he teased, making Jace raise his eyebrows. "I would've been happy to volunteer."

"So suave," Jace drawled, leaning back on his hands. His golden eyes had brightened, and Adrian was glad. He'd been down since the day before, eyes hooded and dark when he had entered Adrian's bedroom earlier. "I daresay it even rivals myself. Stop it. I'm blushing." His voice was flat, but when Adrian started laughing, a smile broke out across his face.

"We have a weird relationship," Adrian noted, still chuckling as he attempted to organize the contents of his duffel bag. He picked up the sheathed daggers and placed them in the holsters around his hips. He doubted they'd run into any trouble, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Glancing at the time, he sighed and started pulling the clothes back out, folding them as fast as he could.

"I prefer to call it supportive." Jace moved across the bed and started helping. "So! What are you and Alec going to do in Idris?" Adrian shot him a questioning look, raising an eyebrow when Jace grinned. "Take a dip in Lake Lyn? Sneak off into Brocelind Forest? Break into one of those old abandoned houses that everyone claims is haunted?" The way Jace raised his eyebrows suggestively made Adrian roll his eyes and hit him with a folded pair of jeans. Jace laughed.

"I..." Frowning, Adrian glanced away, suddenly uncomfortable. "I don't know. I try to stay in the background when I'm there. Everything I do finds its way back to my dad, so I don't..." Adrian paused in his folding, then forced himself to shrug his shoulders. "I don't know." Jace was silent for a moment.

"Take him on a date," Jace suggested. They were halfway done with the folding now, and Jace started packing the folded pieces of clothing back into the duffel.

"To where?" Adrian asked in disbelief. "It's going to be crowded. No matter where we go—Alec isn't comfortable enough in his own skin to go to any of Alicante's restaurants, not with so many people around. And all the usual 'alone' spots are taken whenever the Clave calls a meeting. It's like people can't help but go on dates and fuck out in the open when they're in Idris."

"Well, it is a beautiful place." Jace thought for a moment. When he didn't speak for a while, Adrian continued.

"And I'm not going to skinny-dip in Lake Lyn, Jace." Jace scowled at that, opening his mouth to no doubt argue with him about it. Adrian made a sound to shut him up. "You're not, either. If I find out you did, I'm going to kick your ass. And I can fucking take you, okay, I'm not afraid to punch you in the face." Jace scowled even more, crossing his arms over his chest, leaving Adrian to pack the rest of the clothes into the bag.