Valentine's Arrow

35: Truest Blood

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

REBECCA

"No," Rebecca said desperately, resisting the urge to look behind her, to make sure Jace and Clary were alright. "I won't stay here - you must have known that..."

"You belong here with me, Rebecca." He was almost pleading.

"Why me?" she whispered.

"Because I love you," Sebastian said. He looked - uncomfortable. Tense and strained, as if he were reaching for something he couldn't quite touch. "I don't want you hurt."

"But you've already hurt me!" Her voice was tight. "You killed someone I loved! You kidnapped and brainwashed Jace - you - you tried to kill Isabelle! And you turned me into - into this - this monster, someone her own family can barely look at-"

"It doesn't matter if I hurt you," he interrupted. "Because you belong to me. I can do what I want with you. But I don't want other people touching you or owning you or hurting you. I want you to be around, to admire me and to see what I've done, what I've accomplished. That's love, isn't it?"

"No, Sebastian," she said softly. Her heart felt like it was lined with lead. "That's not what love is."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "Don't patronize me, Rebecca. You know that we have the same darkness inside of us-"

"That's because you made me that way!"

Sebastian shook his head. "You still don't understand. Do you have any idea what is going on in Alicante right now?"

A cold feeling began to spread in her stomach. "We're in another dimension," she said. "There's no way to know."

"Not exactly," said Sebastian, and his voice was rich with delight, as if she had fallen into precisely the trap he had wanted. "Look into the window above the eastern throne. Look, and see Alicante now."

She looked. When they had entered the room, she had seen only what seemed like the starred night sky through the eastern window, but now, as she concentrated, the surface of the glass shimmered and rippled.

She was looking at the inside of the Accords Hall. It was full of children. Shadowhunter children sat and stood and clung together. There were the Blackthorns, the children huddled tightly in a group, Julian sitting with the baby on his lap, his free arm stretched out as if he could encompass the rest of his siblings, could pull them all in and protect them. Emma sat close by him, her expression stony, her golden sword gleaming behind her shoulder-

The scene resolved into Angel Square. All around the Hall of Accords was a boiling mass of Nephilim, and ranged against them were the Endarkened in their scarlet gear, bristling with weapons - and not just the Endarkened but figures that Rebecca recognized with a sinking heart as faerie warriors. A tall faerie with hair of mixed blue and green strands was battling Aline Penhallow, who stood in front of her mother, her sword drawn as if ready to fight to the death. Across the square, Helen was trying to push her way through the crowd toward Aline, but the crush was too great. The fighting penned her back, but so did the bodies - bodies of Nephilim warriors, fallen and dying, so many more in black gear than red. They were losing the battle, losing it-

The scene faded. Rebeca whirled around to face Sebastian. "What's happening?"

"It's over," he said. "I requested that the Clave turn you over to me; they didn't. Admittedly because you'd run off, but nevertheless, they were no further use to me. My forces have invaded the city. The Nephilim children are hiding in the Accords Hall, but when all the others are dead, the Hall will be taken. Alicante will be mine. All of Idris will be mine. The Shadowhunters have lost the war - not that there was much of one. I really thought they'd put up more of a fight."