The clockwork creatures were invading the London Institute. Apparently, Mortmain could wait no longer.

"Tessa! Get out of here, it's you that Mortmain wants!" shouted Charlotte. "Will, Jem, go with her!"

"But what about you?" Tessa couldn't leave them here. They were the only real family she had left.

"Don't worry, help is on the way. You have to go!"

Will and Jem led Tessa outside, and they ran towards the horses. Jem helped Tessa onto Bailos and jumped on in front of her, while Will mounted Xanthos, and they raced off down the street away from the Institute. It was dark outside, and Tessa laced her arms around Jem's stomach and held on tight as they rode along. Almost no lights were on outside, as it was nearly three in the morning.

"Where are we going?" asked Tessa.

Jem responded without taking his eyes off the road. "We've had an emergency safe house just in case anything like this happened ever since Mortmain broke in the first time. The others will meet us there. Plus, we have an emergency kit just in case anyone is hurt."

"And we can't help the rest of them"

"The best thing we can do is get you away, since you are the one Mortmain wants," Will shouted from Xanthos.

They continued racing along the road, and turned off onto a path into the woods. The safe house must be well hidden, then, Tessa thought. She leaned into Jem, who had ducked low enough that they could both ride without hitting any low branches. Suddenly, Tessa noticed a galloping sound coming from behind her, which obviously wasn't Will: he was in front.

"Jem! I think we are being followed!" Tessa shouted over the pounding of the horses. She turned around and saw that she was right. Jem relayed the message up to Will, and they began to push the horses off the path.

"We have to lose them before we make it to the safe house or they will have us surrounded," Jem yelled back. Tessa held on tighter as they pounded through the woods.

Bailos reared back without any warning to Tessa, forcing her to fight to stay on the horse. She peeked over Jem's shoulder and saw that there were now horses in front of them and behind them, and Will and Xanthos were forced next to them. They were surrounded.

She saw in the corner of her eye a group of seven or eight clockwork creatures dismount the horses and come towards them, but the only thing she truly focused on was the one man who did not dismount his horse. Mortmain.

"I swear, if you don't let us go right now we will destroy ever last one of the heartless beasts here, INCLUDING YOU!" Will threatened, currently locked in a stare down with Mortmain. Mortmain only smiled.

"But Mr. Herondale, you misunderstand me," he said patronizingly, "I am not here to kill you. In fact I have no desire to do so. But I want Miss Gray, and I plan to have her. Maybe tonight, maybe not. It all depends on the outcome here." Mortmain signaled to one of the clockwork men, and they swarmed the horses. Before Will or Jem had time to kick them into action, the three of them were ripped from the backs of Xanthos and Bailos. They picked themselves up in a hurry, and Will and Jem surrounded Tessa. Will handed her a dagger "just in case," but with the boys she really didn't need it.

They fought for almost ten minutes straight when two unnoticed clockwork creatures grabbed Will and Jem and yanked them over to Mortmain. The creatures were strong, and neither Will or Jem could break their holds. Tessa was left alone, standing in the middle of a circle of things she hated while watching as the monsters held knives to Will and Jem's throats.

"I told you, I have no wish to kill you all," Mortmain said in a lazy tone, "but I must make myself clear to Miss Gray. To do so, I will send her home with one of these two men, where they can discuss the matter of joining me. But it is impossible for all three of you to return to the Institute tonight." Mortmain smiled, and stared into Tessa's eyes. "Your choice, dearest, which man will be returning to you, and which will be left to my friends… devices?"

Tessa looked at both of the boys, and knew suddenly she could not make this choice. She began to search for loopholes. "You said," she began, "that all three of us would not return to the Institute tonight, that it could only be two of us." She paused, not wanting to show how much her voice was shaking. Mortmain smiled and nodded his agreement. She glanced back at the boys, and she saw by the horrified look in their eyes that they caught her meaning.

"Tessa, no—" Will began, but was promptly silenced with a hand over his mouth. Jem just stood there trying to mouth her the words over and over: no no no no no no please no

She took a deep, steadying breath. "If I decide to come with you, will you let both of them go?" Both the boys shook their heads rigorously, unable to speak through the hands covering their mouths. "But, I want a contract. If I go with you, I want you to leave Will, Jem, Charlotte and her baby, Henry, Jessamine, Sophie, Cecily, and everybody else I care about—and I KNOW you know everyone if I am forgetting—alone as long as I am in your home or none of them come to rescue me. If you agree to my terms, I will come with you freely and I won't even try and escape. Think carefully, Mortmain. This is an offer you might not want to refuse, as it will not ever be offered again." Tessa was shaking, but she finished. She could almost see the metaphorical gears of Mortmain's head spinning. He needed her, she knew, and he needed HER specifically. No one else could do what he wanted her to do.

"I believe we have a deal, Miss Gray," Mortmain said with a smile. He reached into his bag and pulled out a paper. He wrote out the contract, and when Tessa deemed it acceptable, both he and Tessa signed. He also made a copy for Will and Jem to take home to the Institute. "Now, Miss Gray, if you will accompany me on my horse to my… humble abode," he said as he made a mocking gentlemanly bow.

"Can… can I at least say goodbye to them?" She nodded over to Will and Jem, who were still being restrained and were futilely trying to get away. Mortmain hesitantly nodded, and signaled to his inventions to release the boys while keeping a close circle around them. They rushed over to Tessa and wrapped her in a tight hug. They started talking at once.

"Why would you—"

"What do you think—"

"—do that, you and Jem could—

"—you are doing, you should have—"

"—have gone away and married—"

"—saved Will, I only have so long—"

"YOU CAN'T GO WITH HIM!" They ended at the same time with the same words. "Tessa," Jem began, "you don't know what he is going to do to you, you should have just let one of us go—"

Tessa stopped him. "Listen," she said, "I can not let either one of you die. Mortmain won't kill me, he needs me too much, and doing this will prevent anyone else from dying as long as no one tries to break me out." Tessa emphasized the last part, staring at both of them. They both began to protest when Mortmain called out that her time was up. "You have to let me go, this is my choice!"

"Tess," Will started.

Tessa interrupted. "Jem, I am so sorry this means we can't get married. But you have to know I love you so much." Tessa stopped because she was crying, and Jem leaned in and kissed her. "Will, you have to know I love you, too. I can't let either one of you go with him." She handed the contract to them.

"Tessa, there has to be another way!" Will shouted. But there wasn't, because at this point, the boys were wrenched away from Tessa still yelling.

Tessa turned and walked towards Mortmain, who was quite interested in the way that the events were playing out. She turned around one last time. "I'm so sorry." Then she mounted the horse behind Mortmain, and they rode away.