When Jace and I finally made it to the kitchen through our fits of laughter, Izzy was pouting at the table while Magnus fixed plates of Taki's breakfast foods for anyone.

"Oh, come to join us, have you?" Izzy drawled. "Got carried away with your relentless flirting? Lost track of time?"

"Somebody's grumpy," I sneered, patting her on the shoulder before grabbing a slice of bacon from the container, ignoring Magnus' grunt of protest.

"I'm serious!" Izzy snapped as she waggled an accusing finger in my direction. It took tremendous effort not to burst out laughing again. "You two, always pretending you hate each other, even though Jace never stops looking at you and it's really obvious that you're always thinking about him. Well, I say please take it outside once in a while so the rest of us don't have sit here stewing in your shared love-hate."

Jace looked Izzy up and down. "This over food?" he asked.

Izzy scoffed, rolling her eyes and looking out the window.

"No," Alec answered for her. "Simon hasn't been answering his phone."

I turned back to Izzy, probably risking my life in asking her, "When did you start dating Simon? Or I suppose I wouldn't have noticed due to all the flirting I've been doing."

Izzy ignored me. I guessed it was for the best.

The Institute Bell rang out through the massive structure. Magnus' eyebrows furrowed. "Weird," he said. "Someone's here."

"I'll check on it," I said, wanting to move, wanting to get Jace's words clear of my mind.

"No, I'll-," Jace began to protest, but I shot him a look, and he simply said, "Careful."

I nodded, heading out toward the entry hall. They weren't expecting anyone, and my blood momentarily chilled when I confronted the idea that it could be Valentine, standing at the door, ready to steal me and portal away, world by world. But I tamped those worries down, telling myself it was far too secret for Valentine's explosive tastes. My father was evil, and more than that, he liked to put on a show.

I finally reached the doors of the Institute, their handles cool in my fingers. The doors looked as if they would weigh thousands of pounds, but they opened easily under my pull. All my worries about Valentine came rushing back as a crumpled scream came shattering out of my throat.

. . .

There lay Simon, his body bloody on the front steps of the Institute. I could barely make out his face beyond the bruises and the cuts. His clothes were torn into shreds, even missing in places. He had one shoe on, though it was in bad shape. I was quite sure that three out of the five toes on his other foot were badly broken.

I clapped a hand over my mouth just as Magnus, Alec, Izzy, and Jace appeared out of thin air behind me. I sensed the magic of the portal but didn't comprehend it. Jace rushed immediately to me. His hands frantically grazed over my body, trying to meet my gaze.

"Are you alright? What happened? Talk to me. Where are you hurt?" he demanded.

"Jace," Alec said weakly, trying to get Jace to turn around a see Simon. Izzy lay beside him, checking for a pulse.

Jace ignored Alec and kept searching my body until I let out a tiny noise and pointed down, in the doorway, at Simon.

He finally turned, and barked a curse.

"He's alive," Izzy said, and I almost started sobbing. For some reason, I wasn't even crying. Maybe it was shock. "Let's get him to the infirmary."

"Magnus already left," Alec said, pointing back into the halls of the Institute. "He went to get help. We're just going to have to carry him."

"What about a portal rune?" I asked. Why hadn't they thought of this?

Jace looked over at me with a look in his eyes like I was a five-year-old who had just asked if the moon was green. "That doesn't exist, Clary. Only warlocks can make portals."

What were they talking about? "Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Jace, I know what I'm doing," with that, I whirled on my heel and pulled out my stele, drawing the familiar rune on the wall.

When the portal opened, seconds later, I stood back with my arms crossed over my chest and motioned for them to get Simon through it. He most likely didn't have much time. But they were all gaping at me, then at the rune that still shone brightly above the portal.

"Clary…that rune…" Alec trailed off.

"It doesn't exist," Jace repeated.

"What are you talking about? I just proved that it does!"

"He means," Izzy interrupted me. "That it's not in the Gray Book."

Silence. Then I said feebly, "It's not?"

Three heads shook in response.

. . .

The four of us loaded Simon through the portal and onto a bed. Magnus emerged moments later, trailed by Raphael.

"Where's Izzy?" Magnus asked Alec.

"Went to get herbs to make a healing potion."

"Nonsense," Raphael cut in.

"Why are you even here?" Jace asked, his eyebrows narrowed.

Magnus furrowed his brows in return, and asked quietly, "Didn't you see?"

This was not good. Very, very, not good. "Didn't we see what." Not a question, but a demand. I barely recognized my own voice, but I liked it. For a split second, I allowed myself to remark on how strong I sounded. My voice hadn't been that unwavering in a long time. Perhaps becoming a Shadowhunter was not the worst thing in my life.

Wordlessly, Magnus stepped forward, dragged down the collar of Simon's ragged shirt, and revealed two, deep, circular, identical puncture marks.

Raphael said the word before any of us could, but it was free of the fear that mine would have been laced with.

"Vampire."

. . .

"Let me get this straight," I said through impressively gritted teeth.

Raphael had been explaining the Simon's options for the past hour. Currently, Simon was unconscious on a bed in the infirmary. His cuts had been cleaned and any broken bones splinted. He was in bad shape.

"He could either be buried, and would therefore come back alive—well not…alive. But, as a vampire?" Raphael nodded in confirmation of my words.

"Or-," I choked on the sentence, and Jace reached around to put a hand on my back. I shrugged him off venomously. "Or I can let him die?"

Raphael nodded again, though more hesitantly. Like he cared.

"And I have to make this decision?" My voice, unfortunately, broke on the last word.

Nodding heads.

And unwanted opinions.

"Clary, he won't even be human anymore. He'll be a kind of monster." –Izzy.

"I take offense to that." –Raphael.

"Me, too, by association." –Magnus

"Clary, you have to bring him back. It could help us find Valentine. Which will help us find Jocelyn and Luke. Don't you want that?" –Alec.

I cut a glance toward Jace, who remained silent. "Nothing from you?" I questioned.

He shook his head. "I'll be here for you; whatever choice you make." I scoffed at him.

"What is this buffoonery?" –Magnus.

"C-could you just—maybe—repeat that? Please." –Alec.

"I don't believe it. No unwanted opinion to contribute? No stupid plan to formulate? Someone get the pope, for the devil has taken over his body!" –Izzy.

"The pope? Really? That's your go-to?" –Magnus again.

And again, Jace stood by, silently watching. When I looked at him, he shrugged and gestured at me, as if saying, it's all you.

I bit my lip, staring at the bloodstain on the floor. Simon's blood. Depending on my decision, someday, that kind of thing might even be appetizing to him.

I shuddered.

"Come on," I said, heading in the direction of the infirmary where Simon was slowly dying.

"Where?" Jace called, a spike of interest in his tone. I suppose he did care.

I waited for him to catch up with me before I replied, "To the graveyard."

A quick intake of breath. My heart speeding up. "Why," Jace asked, barely perceptible.

"Because it's exactly what Valentine expects me not to do."