Clary's perspective- Continued of City of bones

About a month has passed since the war and Valentine's beyond evil plan. My brother still hasn't been found so I'm hoping he is dead—no matter how bad that may sound. I suppose he did try and kill my now boyfriend and would of killed me if had the chance.

Alicante is still on the verge of recovery but the progress is phenomenal. Maryse, Robert, Magnus, Alice, Izzy and Simon have all returned to Brooklyn and are staying in the institute. Jace and I on the other hand have made our own country house just out of the main city of Alicante. The view is absolutely beautiful and life has been nothing but perfect.

I woke to the sound of birds outside and the sense of someone looking at me. I opened my eyes to see Jace staring at me with a breath-taking smile that made my heart race.

"Good morning, beautiful" he said.

I smiled shyly and looked down. He placed his finger on my chin and slowly lifted my head to face him. He bent down and kissed me softly before pulling me in close to his chest and holding me in an unescapable brace—not that I was complaining.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Jace asked.

"Hmm… training" I said innocently.

"Of course you'd say that… C'mon Clary we've been training for days, how about some fun?" Jace suggested slyly.

"Okay just one hour of training… then I'm all yours for the day" I smiled up at him.

His eyes flickered of an emotion I couldn't quite decipher before he went back to his detached, sarcastic expression.

"Very well" he said calmly whilst he perched me up in his lap and kissed me a little more intimately. I pulled away, using all of the strength I had mentally, and got up out of bed to get inyo some clothes. I decided jeans and a singlet were a better option since we were only training for a short time.

When I came back into the room Jace was changed and sitting on the bed waiting. How could he do things so quickly, but manage to look immaculate? He looked over me in an adoring way and propped his head towards the large glass door opening up to our bright green garden.

Jace went through some techniques and runes and soon we were training against each other. I saw him crouched behind the flowerbed we'd planted—much to Jace's dismay. I crept up behind him, surprised at my newly develeoped silence whislst attacking, and that fact that he was oblivious. I was about an inch from pouncing when he spun faster than my eyes could process and in a split second I was pinned flat on my back on the soft grass. Jace hovered over me with a confident smirk on his face.

"W-w-what? Jace—how?" I stuttered, hoping he'd some how understand.

Jace chuckled, " Clary do you honestly think you could sneak up on me that easily?"

"No, but—that's not fair" I pouted my lips and frowned up at him.

He smiled a beautiful smile and leant down to kiss me. After a few minutes he pulled back and hovered above me. I looked up and noticed he still had bruises across his jaw from the night with Jonathon and Valentine. I frowned and sat up to look at him properly. He still had a lot of bruises. I knew he'd wanted to keep them to begin with but I didn't see the point now. He was only with me. He looked back and seemed to half realise what I saw. He looked away.

"Jace… use a healing rune?" I asked half pleading.

"Clary its fine ok" he said sternly.

"No its not. You have no one to impress, your just making it worse for yourself".

"I am perfectly fine" Jace repeated.

"Jace, you're not. It still hurts you, I can see it. Please use the rune, I can't stand to see you like this…you don't realise how hard it is".

"Hard? Clary, how can you find it so concerning. I mean honestly, what's wrong?"

Anger and pain filled my voice and I felt tears come to my eyes. The look that came to his face as he stared at me made it even worse, but I knew I had to just say it.

"I-I" my voice cut off as a tear drop fell down my face. Jace wiped my cheek so softly I could hardly feel it and hinted with his eyes to keep going.

"I saw you die Jace. Right in front of me! Stabbed through the heart by my own father, whilst I sat there paralysed…unable to speak or make a sound. I saw you suffer one of the worst pain imaginable and drop to complete stillness in a second." Tears were now streaming down my face as I recalled the memory. "I just can't stand to see you in pain. Not right now. I'm not ready! I just…"

Jace sat stiffly, still staring at me. He opened his mouth to speak and shortly closed it, handing me the stele on his belt. He lifted his chin— an invitation. I draw a healing rune smoothly on his neck and soon all the bruises faded away.

"Thankyou" I said quietly whilst staring at the ground, somehow ashamed of forcing him.

"Clary, you can always tell me these things. If I'd known how you felt I would of used a rune much earlier."

I smiled wryly and he pulled me up to my feet. He seemed to want to leave the conversation that upset both of us greatly.

"Now come on, it's my choice on activities for the rest of the day" He winked and held out his hand. I took it, feeling the true security I felt when I was with him.