24

Jace slid into the back and sat on the floor behind the passenger seat hidden from view, while I started up the drive, trying to put up all the walls and barriers I had let down since meeting Jace, purposely making myself take steadying breaths. As the farm house came into view, the door of the house opened, and Valentine walked out onto the porch.

"Shit. Stay hidden." I mutter to Jace as I pulled the car to a stop a little way from the porch, so Valentine wouldn't see inside the car. I killed the engine and left the keys in the ignition as I got out. The rain was still coming down heavily, soaking me even more.

"Clarissa," Valentine chimed making my stomach twist.

"Hello dad." I said

"Leave your phone in the car." He said watching me closely from the porch, and I'm suddenly grateful for the rain, stopping him coming any closer. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and threw it onto the front seat of the car, consciously not looking in Jace's direction.

"Now take your coat off, lift your top and turn around?" Valentine said as he raised one hand and made a circling motion. What the hell? Why do I need to do that? Then it clicked.

"I'm not wearing a wire. I didn't tell the police, they don't know I'm here." I said as I took off my coat and threw it in the car on top of my phone. My t-shirt was soaked through within seconds as I lifted my top showing my stomach and turned in a circle, feeling sick and praying Izzy and Alec hadn't jumped the gun and told early, I needed to find Seb first.

"Whose car is that?" he asked after he was satisfied I wasn't wearing a wire. He pointed his hand towards the car and it was the first time I noticed what he had in his hand.

"I borrowed off a friend." I said quickly not able to take my eyes off the handgun he was holding. "Dad, where did you get a gun?" I said clearly praying Jace heard the warning.

"Luke was kind enough to let me borrow his." Valentine smiled nastily, and my inside twisted in fear. "What friend? That boy from the mall?" Valentine asked suddenly looking angry.

"who? Jace? No I haven't seen him since we got moved to a different foster home." I say ignoring his first question. "can we go inside please, I'm getting really cold and wet." I add quietly giving Valentine a small timid look, hoping it looked genuine. I needed to get him away from the car so Jace could find Seb.

Valentine just looked at me, it was like he was deciding whether or not to let me out of the rain,

"where's Sebastian?" I ask after valentine still hadn't answered my question.

"He's inside." Valentine finally answered. "Come." He motioned with the gun and I slowly moved towards him. My fear and dread building with every step. I could feel my panic rising but I forced myself to breathe deep steady breaths. As I climbed up the porch steps Valentine moved towards the front door leading the way inside. I left the door ajar for Jace as I followed valentine inside. He didn't look back to see if I was following as he led the way to a room at the back of the house. He knew he was in control, he knew he had the power as long as he had Seb. As we entered the room I saw movement out of the corner of my eye; there tied to the radiator was Luke. He was badly beaten, gagged and was bleeding from what looked like a bullet wound to the leg. His eyes went wide when he saw me, a look of fear on his face.

"Clary!"

I turned at the sound of my name and saw Seb huddled on the sofa on the opposite side of the room. I rushed towards him, but valentine grabbed me by the hair, pulling me back to him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Valentine sneered into my ear, the stench of stale alcohol suffocating me. I didn't answer, I just looked at Seb. He had blood running down the side of his face, from a cut near his hairline. A split lip and was holding his left arm protectively against his body. I felt my anger rising at the sight of Seb's injuries.

"What did you do to him?" I snapped

"He needed to learn some respect!" Valentine replied icily, "Something you have clearly forgot." He added angrily, and his hand moved around to my throat as he threw me up against the wall, hitting my head hard against it; my vision blurring for a second as I crumbled to the floor. I saw a flash of gold from the hallway, Jace. I needed to get Seb away from Valentine. He started to pull me back up from my hair, I felt me fear and dread swell, but my anger was stronger, and I swung as hard as I could and punching him in the groin. He doubled over in pain releasing me. I ran to Seb.

"You stupid Bitch!" Valentine seethed through the pain. I didn't look to see if he was recovering, I just ran dragging Seb to the door, just as a hand grabbed me.

"Run!" I shouted at Seb, looked at me terrified, frozen in place as Valentine grabbed me around the waist, lifting me as I struggled against his hold. "NOW!" I yelled, and I saw Jace's arm appear grabbing Seb and dragging him out of sight. Luke watched helplessly struggling against his restraints. I managed to get my arm loose from his grip and elbowed him hard in the face.

"AAARRRRGGGHHH!" he yelled before hitting me hard over the head with something, nearly knocking me out. he pinned me against the wall again holding the gun to my throat, his anger rolling off him in waves as he stared at me. Blood trickling down from his nose from where me elbow had hit. My fear rose at the feel of the gun pressed against my, but I couldn't help the small smile and feel of satisfaction I felt to see him bleed.

"HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME!" he roared inches from my face and I couldn't help flinching from the magnitude of his anger. "You think that now you're a woman you have the right to defy me!" he yelled again wiping the blood from his face. He smacked me across the face with the gun and I felt blood in my mouth, but I barely had chance to register it before he was punching me in the stomach. I doubled over from the pain and he grabbed me by the throat pulling me back up again. His whole body pinning me to the wall this time. I felt sick from the stench and closeness of him, but where I would normally be cowering in fear, all I felt was rage.

"Your mine!" he growled inches from my face and I just spat the blood pooling in my mouth in his face. He roared in anger again and smacked me across the face again, this time letting me fall to the ground as he paced in front of me trying to gain some control over his anger. As I sat back up I could see Luke struggling hard against his restraints again mumbling through his gag, Valentine must have noticed to as he suddenly stopped his pacing and strode straight over to him, held out the gun and shot him. Luke fell back against the radiator as the sound of the shot still rung in my ears.

"No!" I yelled scrambling to my feet running to Luke, his breathing ragged and his shirt quickly being soaked with blood. I placed my hands over the wound on Luke's upper chest trying to apply pressure to slow the bleeding. Luke looked at me with glassy eyes and I felt mine feel with tears before I was being dragged off of him by my hair. "Get off of me!" I shouted trying to pull myself free of Valentine's grasp. He grabbed me by the back of the neck pulling me up and I kicked him hard in the knee making him cry out in pain, but he didn't release his grip, pointing the gun straight in my face.

"What you going to kill me now too!" I spat angrily at me, all the memories of him hurting me flashed through my mind, images of my mom laying in a pool of blood, Luke's sad glassy eyes all fuelling my anger Valentine moved his hand to my throat again staring at me

"Your just like your mother." He spats with a look of disgust on his face.

"Good. I'd hate to be like you.!" I spat back. His hand moved to hold my jaw in a vice like grip.

"You will not defy me again!" he ordered venomously as he poked the gun into my cheek, it was still hot from just being fired.

"Let her go!"

JPOV

"You're ok Seb." I said trying to calm him as I sat him in the back of the car trying to assess the severity of his injuries while panicking of leaving Clary. I had reversed the car down the drive, so it was hidden from view of the house.

BANG!

The sound of the gunshot washed over me like a bucket of ice. Clary!

"Seb. Stay here." I quickly sat him on the floor behind the driver's seat, "Hide and don't come out." I threw Clary's coat over him. Seb looked at me panicked, terror clearly on his face. "I have to help Clary!" I quickly said "Your safe here. Don't move." I quickly shut the door and ran back up to the house praying Clary was ok.

"Good. I'd hate to be like you.!" I heard Clary say angrily as I got closer to the room I'd last seen them in. Relief washed over me, at hearing her voice, she was ok.

"You will not defy me again!" Valentine ordered venomously as I finally reached the room, he had Clary by the throat as he poked the gun into her cheek. My eyes flashed to the blood all over Clary, oh god she was hurt.

"Let her go!" I said loudly my anger rising at the thought of Clary hurt.

Valentine's head snapped towards me and Clary took the advantage and punched him hard in the side of his chest under the arm that was holding her jaw and he automatically released her as he bent over in pain, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled it down and went to knee him in the face. He blocked it just in time, shoving her backwards so she smacked into the bookcase, I started to move to where Clary had slumped on the floor when Valentine turned on me holding the gun up pointing straight at my chest, stopping me in my tracks.

"What? you're ok hitting women and small children, but when it comes to someone your own size you need a gun?" Igoaded as I saw Clary pulling herself up out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't tell where all the blood was coming from, she had a few cuts on her face that I could see but nothing bad enough to produce that amount of blood.

"I don't need a gun to put you down boy." Valentine spat

"Jace!" Clary gasped shaking her head at me, panic and fear in her eyes as she finally stood back up. Valentine glanced at Clary when she spoke, and I took the advantage to step closer.

"So, you're the reason she defies me." Valentine said icily as looked at me, disgust and anger clear on his face.

"Leave him out of this Valentine." Clary snapped

"That's dad to you." Valentine snapped, back handing her across the face

"Touch her again and I will end you." I snap furiously as I take another two steps closer while he wasn't looking. Valentine laughed and grabbed Clary by the hair.

"I'd like to see you try boy." He laughed as he pulled Clary to him, wrapping his arm around her neck and shoulders pinning her body to his as he pointed the gun at her temple. My fear and anger rising as I looked at Clary and she mouthed Seb at me.

"Yes, where is that son of mine." Valentine sneered clearly seeing Clary's silent question. "Sebastian!" Valentine yelled.

"Yell all you want, he's not here." I shrugged, and I saw the look of relief flash across Clary's face. That girl is incredible, she's bleeding, and her life is in serious danger but she's more worried about everyone else. Valentine glared at me, clearly not impressed.

"Jace go." Clary pleaded quietly as she struggled against Valentines grip on her, conscious of the gun to her head. Yeah like that's going to happen. It was hard enough watching her fight Valentine and leave when I had to get Seb out, I'm not leaving her now.

"you defy me over the love for a boy." Valentine said angrily at Clary shaking his head, my stomach flips at the word love, does Clary love me? I glance at her but she's not looking at me. "Well you will learn not to defy me." Valentine spat angrily.

"NO!" Clary yelled as Valentine pointed the gun at me as she fought against Valentines hold.

BANG!

"CLARY!" I screamed as I heard the gun go off as I flew into Valentine, knocking us to the floor. I punched Valentine hard in the face again and again making him drop the gun as he tried to fight me off. The images of all of Clary's scars and injuries flashing through my mind with each punch, before Valentine smashed something into my head, disorienting me enough to roll us so he was on top punching.

"Leave him alone!" Clary yelled her voice breaking. Valentine glanced up as he threw the next punch and froze. "Get off him!" Clary said clearly, and I glanced up to see Clary leaning against the bookcase holding the gun and pointing it straight at Valentine. Who slowly moved off me as he kept his eyes on Clary. I quickly got up and moved towards Clary.

"Oh god. Clary." I gasped as I saw the fresh blood seeping through her t-shirt across her stomach. I pulled my t-shirt off and quickly scrunched it up holding it against the bullet wound, Clary flinching in pain as I applied pressure, but she never took her eyes off Valentine.

"You're not going to shoot me Clarissa." Valentine smirked at her as he sat back on his knees.

"I wouldn't test me on that." She spat angrily. "you killed my mother, hurt Seb and shot Luke. I won't have any more people hurt."

"Well if you didn't defy me I wouldn't have to keep teaching you respect." Valentine said coldly as he looked from the gun pointed at him to Clary.

"This has nothing to do with respect." She snapped spitting the word 'respect' like it was poison. "it never has been about respect…your just sick in the head and enjoy beating people up to feel in control." her anger boiling up again. Valentine bared his teeth angrily at her, but she didn't care the dam was broken and it was all pouring out, "I don't know what happened to you, to make you change from the father I used to know and personally right now I don't care. I hate you for what you've done to me and Seb. I hate you for taking mom away from us…I used be so afraid of you, the mere thought of you used to send me into a panic…but now I just feel anger, hate and disgust…maybe I am more like you than I would want to admit..." she shrugged, and I shook my head in disagreement, she'll never be like him, she is such a loving person; she cares more about other people than about herself. "…But I will try for the rest of my life to cleanse myself of anything that makes me like you." She spat, I can feel her trembling, and I don't know if it's from her anger or from the lack of blood. "You do not control me anymore!" she shouted at him watching the anger flare up on his face. Her hands were starting to shake, and she was getting paler by the second, my t-shirt already soaked through with blood, I moved to sit closer and Clary flinched in pain and Valentine lunged forward.

BANG!

Valentine fell like a ragdoll at my feet just as the room suddenly filled with police, but I couldn't focus on them, as Clary collapsed, the gun falling to the ground.

"Clary!" I said panicking as I caught her in my arms.