Undone || Malec

FOUR

"Clary, don't." Isabelle sighed as the four of them sped towards Sebastian's apartment. Max watched the interaction curiously.

"No, I knew there was something off about Sebastian- or Jonathan. I should never had second guessed myself." Clary stated in frustration.

"He would have found his way into our lives one way or another. The only thing that matters now is taking Jonathan and Valentine out." Jace spoke up beside Max. Max stayed quiet, he knew they wouldn't find Jonathan but still felt something was off as they approached the apartment building. With Isabelle taking the lead as leader of the mission, she sprinted up the stairs to the front door. Max watched, impressed, as his aunt kicked the door open with frustrated force, staff at the ready. Max, Clary and Jace provided backup, scoping the room for any threat.

"Jonathan!" Isabelle shouted in warning. They turned to see the slumped figure of Sebastian at the table, Max immediately felt his blood heat up as he noticed the demonic energy in the room. That was definitely not Jonathan.

"Turn around and face us." Jace commanded. Max's fingers tightened on his blade, watching the body's every movement. He could sense the demon lurking under the surface but knew he couldn't say anything without solid evidence. He swallowed his warnings, trusting that his family could handle the surprise.

"Where's Valentine?" Isabelle asked coldly. The blond shadowhunter didn't respond and Max watched the confusion on his aunt and uncle's face. Jace relaxed his stance whilst Clary's stiffened, clearly dealing with the uncertainty in different ways. Isabelle stepped closer, staff inching closer to the body and turning the chair to face them. Max's nose wrinkled in disgust at the blackened edges of the Shadowhunter's mouth and the dead expression on his face.

"What, did Valentine kill him?" Clary asked in disbelief, staring at the black veins in shock.

Isabelle sighed in disappointment. "He's been dead for days."

"Tortured first." Max felt a shiver go down his spine at Jace's words. His family really had gone through some dark times. "This was the real Sebastian Verlac." Jace explained and went to close the Shadowhunter's eyes out of respect. Clary looked stricken and Max stood aimlessly, wishing to give comfort but not able to. "Ave atque vale." Jace recited.

"Hail and farewell." Max, Clary and Isabelle chimed in to give the Shadowhunter a respectful passing. However this seemed to trigger the demon as Max noticed the body start to twitch and shake.

"Jace!" Clary warned as Sebastian's eyes flew open and he shrieked. Jace immediately went into action, swinging his seraph blade. The demon moved quickly though and clung to the ceiling.

"It's a possessing demon." Jace supplied and Clary grit her teeth.

"The same kind that murdered my mum." Max felt anger for his family and threw a seraph dagger that lodged into the demon's throat. It screamed and slid down the wall.

"Then we know how to kill it." Isabelle concluded harshly and used her whip to drag the demon close enough for Jace to finish it off with his seraph blade. The demon burned through the angelic properties and evaporated into a black and amber cloud. "We'll make them pay for what they did to you." Isabelle promised Sebastian.

"We're going to make them pay for everything." Clary corrected with conviction. Max hated seeing his regularly-smiling aunt have such a vicious expression. He hoped they'd resolve things soon so they could start to heal.

"Nice response time." Jace praised the youngest Shadowhunter. Max smiled weakly and felt guilty considering he could have responded sooner.

"Let's report back to Alec and start tracking Jonathan and Valentine." Isabelle sighed.