Peasants ♤ Jace Wayland

Everyone Gets Exposed

"You think he's going after ex-circle members?" Lydia questioned with her arms crossed across her chest, Alec was towering behind her as Luke explained the attack.

I snorted from my spot on top of one of the tables, where I had been eating my orange chicken peacefully. Milan was seated in an actual chair, squinting at the scrap of my fortune cookie trying to pronounce Pumpkin in Chinese. "More like wife stealers." All eyes turned to me in shock and I shrugged, my cheeks heating up. It's obvious that Jocelyn and Luke had something going on. "I mean yeah, ex-circle members."

"Let's just say our past is complicated." Luke broke the silence as we all watched him, trying to imagine how good his game was to steal Jocelyn. "But of course he could be going after the old crew." He spoke yet again when we all continued to stare at him half in awe and half in horror. It was no secret that ex-circle members were looked down upon in the shadow world, and the fact that Luke was one and stole Chucky's bride was insane.

Now it was Milan who let out a snort. "I don't know, if I was the abominable leader of a group of vandals I'd be more mad at the guy who stole my girl." He shrugged giving Luke an easy going smile. "But hey that's just me."

I nodded. "Yeah, you definitely won't die." I lied still eating as I eyed the corpse. "We'll come make rounds regularly and put extra wards on the institute." I confirmed, knowing full well that Luke would need it.

"Right for Hodge, just in case our theory is right." Alec agreed, looking relieved to get his mind off the twisted love triangle.

"And your parents." Lydia spoke cooly, arching her eyebrows as she looked Alec and I down. We both froze, the orange chicken I was getting ready to eat falling from my half open mouth. "Did they—" Lydia trailed off uncomfortably as we continued staring at her not knowing what to do. "Conceal that from you?"

"No, they're staring at you like you just killed their bunny because they like your hair." Milan deadpanned harshly, standing up and placing a hand on my shoulder, looking over at Alec. A serious look darkening his features as he composed himself taking charge of the situation. "Lets get the body back to the institute."

Great. This was just great, tell the two least emotionally stable of us that their parents had been hiding something from them their entire lives. I'm freaking out. And when I say I'm freaking out I mean I'm one loud sound away from peeing my pants. I tapped my foot impatiently watching my other three companions examine the body. I don't know how Alec has managed to stay so calm. While Milan had been sending me apologetic glances for the past thirty minutes.

"We need to make sure no magic was used to make this." Milan spoke decisively to which we all nodded along. It had been like this the entire time Milan and Lydia making decisions as Alec and I stayed in a trance, Alec only speaking when absolutely necessary. How were we supposed to react? The people who had raised us to be the perfect shadowhunters, who never failed to lecture us when we broke the rules, who wiped our noses when we got the flu had betrayed all of our values and joined a monster to corrupt life as we know it. I felt like our entire family identity had crumpled the second those words left Lydia's mouth. Keep in mind these are my adoptive parents, my heart breaks for Alec who was their biological son. "I'm calling the nearest warlock to come in to consulte."

"Magnus Bane?" Alec spoke weakly but his interest seemed to be on the discussion for the first time since the news. The corners of my lips turned upwards as I watched my very obvious brother. "Come here to the institute?" He stuttered nervously.

"Mhmm," Lydia nodded innocently. "Is there a problem?"

"No!" Alec cleared his throat awkwardly, making his voice go back to normal. "Not at all. Magnus is... quite magical."