Hearts and arrows

Chapter Four: The hunt.

Sharpening his seraph blade, Jace asked one more time, "So what's the plan again? Following two dumb teenagers—well, one dumb teenager and one dumb werewolf—to some stranger named Derek—who is also a werewolf—because they all could lead us to the Alpha, who is more likely to be the one killing people, unless it's Derek, unless it's the boys? Have you got other brilliant suppositions like that to make, Alec?"

"Hey, that's all I could do. What did you find?"

"Well I've found this pretty red-haired girl. Rather hot."

"A red-haired? Again?" Isabelle rolled her eyes. "It's always a red-haired. Last time in Brooklyn, when we had to hunt down vampires, it was also a red-haired, whatever her name was."

"Clary. It was Clary." He continued in a smile, "But this one is way smarter. She's called Lydia."

"Lydia?" Alec repeated, frowning. "If I were you, I wouldn't try anything with her."

"Of course you wouldn't," his sister replied in a sigh. "You're gay, Alec."

"No. I mean, have you seen her boyfriend? He would kill you if you touched her. He's the captain of the lacrosse team, and I bet he's three times more muscular than you are."

"I'm not afraid of him. Angel blood runs in my veins. He's just a mundane."

Their big brother shrugged and declared they were going. They quickly found Stiles's car's itinerary, leading straight to the forest of Beacon Hills. They soon had to leave the black and costly van, as the road became a trail of land and humid humus. Then they were guided by the teenagers' fresh steps in the ground, stopping in front of an old, scary manor, that had surely burned from ground to top in a fire.

"Wait. Does someone live here?" Isabelle commented. "I hope they at least have an unexposed place to put a wardrobe in."

"Shh," Alec cut her off. "They could hear us." He got his bow and arrows ready and beckoned them to enter the place.

When they did, they were struck by the austerity of the place. Nobody seemed to be there, although some prints of land on the floor reminded them that Scott and Stiles had entered the house.

They parted, to search the manor in order to find what—or who—they were looking for.

Isabelle, on her side, got to the basement, and heard voices. She smirked and headed toward them as quietly as she could, helped by runes she had printed on her own skin earlier.

"... why we need to find him before he finds us! He's gonna kill more people each time if we don't stop him," a teenager said. "But we need to find Derek first. He was supposed to be there!"

Isabelle took aim at one of the guys she could see behind the corner, but she didn't throw her knife. She had no right to, the adolescent had done nothing wrong. He hadn't even turned. She was waiting for a sign. She was waiting for the menace they had called Derek.

"So what exactly are you wolf-hunter trying to do?" someone asked behind her, preventing her from defending herself by immobilising her against the wall.

A tall, dark-haired man with strong cheekbones and a delicious mouth was staring at the young girl. Isabelle tried to free herself from his grip but he shook his head gently.

"You're not going anywhere 'til I know what you and your friends are up to. Scott! Scott number two!" he called, turning his head toward the teenagers but still looking into the brunette's eyes. "Bring your asses here and help me. There are two more in my house."

"Don't you hurt them! I know what you are!" she yelled.

"I know you do. But you have no proof."

"Wait until my brothers come and arrest you!"

"Oh, you mean, these two?" a teenager's voice replied a few yards away.

Jace had been captured by the same boy she had seen earlier—Scott McCall, she assumed—who held the blond's hands behind his back, deprived of his weapons. Alexander was just standing near the other hyperactive brown-haired adolescent, not even defending himself.

"Hey Derek, you never mentioned you had a younger brother," this one kid said. "He looks pretty much like you. Just as chatty as you."

"He's not my brother," the wolf replied calmly. "Otherwise he wouldn't be trying to kill me."

Noticing his brother was totally free, Isabelle desperately shouted to him, "Alec, do something!"

"There's no use, Izzy. I think Derek's not the problem. Or he wouldn't be allied to these two kids."

"Wait," Scott intervened. "I'm not following. You're not here for us?"

"Well," Jace said, pushing his holder's hands back, "you didn't kill anyone, did you? We're looking for the werewolf that's murdering the whole city."

"That should definitely be the Alpha," Stiles informed. "Not that there wouldn't be one person or two I'd like to murder." After an awkward silence, he continued, "But we don't exactly know who the Alpha is, in fact."

"The only thing we know is, he wants me in his pack," Scott mumbled. "And we still don't know how to stop him."

The three Lightwood siblings looked at each other and nodded silently. Alec spoke for all of them, "We might just be the help you needed. We'd be an element of surprise."

"Werewolves and hunters working together?" Derek clarified. "I've never seen that before, but... I guess we do need you."

"Perfect. And, by the way, it's Shadowhunters," Alec rectified with a wink to his partners.