Smoke and Mirrors ▹ Alec Lightwood [1]

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
PENHALLOW MANOR

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     Jace was gentle as he set a bleeding Simon on the floor. Adrian immediately knelt at his side. There was a lot of blood, an alarming amount, and Adrian didn't like how pale Simon looked. He may have been a vampire, but that didn't mean he couldn't die. If he didn't get blood in him soon, he would, but it wasn't like there was a blood bank in Idris. Adrian cast Jace a panicked look, only to see that Jace was staring at him with the same expression. Neither knew what to do.

"Is everyone alright?" Maryse asked. She was staring down at Simon with pursed lips, hands on her hips. Adrian didn't know if she was angry at Jace for bringing him through the Portal, or if she was preparing herself for the inevitable backlash his presence in the city would cause. Jace hadn't had a choice, it was clear by the deep gash in Simon's abdomen, but the Clave wouldn't see it that way. "Adrian?"

"What?" Blinking, Adrian pulled away from Simon and remembered the blood coating down his right arm. He waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. But Simon isn't fine. He's bleeding out." Jace, kneeling on Simon's other side, reached forward and pressed his fingers under Simon's nose, waiting for a breath. After a moment, he let out a relieved sigh and pulled his hand back.

"I can feed him my blood," Jace whispered after a moment of tense silence. They all looked at him. The last time Jace had fed Simon his blood, Simon had gained the ability to walk in the sunlight. None of them knew what would happen if Simon consumed his blood again. "I've done it before."

"That's not an option, Jace," Maryse cut in when she saw him reach for a dagger at his belt. Jace paused, shooting Maryse a glare. Adrian kept staring at Simon. He felt utterly useless. He hadn't even known Simon was there. His mouth twisted, and he pressed his palm against it before he leaned against Isabelle, who had come to kneel by Simon's side as well. Alec was behind him, still on his feet. Every now and then, Adrian felt the brush of fingertips against his shoulders, his upper back, the back of his neck. It was the most Alec could do with Maryse there, but part of him wished he would do more. "Not when we're here."

"We can't just let him bleed out," Isabelle snapped. Her voice was rough. When Adrian looked at her, he saw her eyes were rimmed red, like she was holding back tears. "He'll die." Her voice cracked. Alec disappeared from Adrian's back. A moment later, he was kneeling by his sister, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"What about animal blood?" Alec asked. Adrian had never thought Alec had cared much for Simon, but now he was pale, jaw clenching every time he had to look at Simon. He kept his gaze on his mother instead. "There's a restaurant a few blocks from here." Isabelle sucked in a deep breath before she was pushing Alec away and rubbing the heels of her palms against her eyes. She got to her feet quickly, picking up her whip from the floor and wrapping it back around her wrist.

"I'll go," she decided. No one argued with her. It was clear by her tone of voice that it wouldn't do any good. She tugged at the lapels of her jacket, then reached up to smooth out her hair, eyes flickering up to her mother's. She quirked an eyebrow, and suddenly she wasn't vulnerable anymore. Adrian shook his head. Jace and Isabelle had a talent for hiding their emotions. Adrian had always wondered how they did it. "Are we still staying at the Penhallow Manor?"

"Yes." Maryse nodded, then frowned. "Hurry." Isabelle twisted on her heel. She didn't bother walking; instead, she broke into a fast run despite her heels. She could put on a mask all she wanted, but that didn't mean she suddenly couldn't feel anything. Adrian watched her go. When he looked back at Maryse, he saw her looking down at Simon, still frowning. "You shouldn't have brought him with you, Jace." Jace glared, and Adrian's mouth twisted in disgust. He kept his mouth shut. The last thing he needed to do was snap at Maryse. Simon was the priority.