Blood rained down around her, a thick mist of scarlet. Skylar turned her face toward the sky, closing her eyes against the downpour of crimson.

"What do you expect me to do?"

"You are stronger than you think," said the unearthly voice that had haunted her dreams since the day she was born. "Learn the secrets of your family, and protect future generations from the Darkness."

Sky woke with a start. She looked around wildly, trying to recall where she was. A flash of glitter reminded her as Magnus Bane entered the room. Her half-brother smirked when he saw her.

"The sister of the High Warlock of Brooklyn," he tsked. "What a waste."

Out of her flicked fingers a dagger was tossed. It lodged itself in the wooden door. "Leave me alone," she snarled, burying her face in her pillow.

"I have a better idea." He sounded infuriatingly smug. "Hey Alec! Remember how I said there was something I wanted you to see? She flew in from Tulsa last night."

Alexander Lightwood came in more hesitantly. Sky groaned, sensing the Shadowhunter rather than looking up. She knew him as a little kid, black hair and blue eyes like ice. There was a certainty in his step now, although he clearly did not like the situation. Dark brown hair covered her face from his gaze when she drew back from the pillow. Sunlight slanted into the room as Magnus opened the curtains. Platinum sparks flew from her fingers, snapping the curtains shut.

"Don't," she growled. "Just leave me alone."

Recognizing her by her voice, Alec took another cautious step toward her. "Sky? You're a warlock?" His voice was laced with disbelief.

"Partially," she muttered. "I'm mostly a Shadowhunter like you. But you knew that."

"I…" He looked astounded when she dared to look at him. Raking her messy hair from her face, she met those icy eyes that could be supportive or plunge you into suffering. Alec had never known his potential, and she didn't intend to tell him. "I haven't seen you in five or six years," he managed at last.

She snorted sarcastically. "Seven."

The way her brother left the room abruptly, Sky knew something had happened between the warlock and the Shadowhunter. Alec kneeled beside the bed, careful to keep some distance from her. "I didn't know you were a warlock," he breathed, his blue gaze locked with her gold. They were more silver than Jace's, she had been told, but the Angel himself had touched her. So had Lilith. The way Alec looked at her now, with concern and love, was a harsh reminder to what she had walked out on.

"Not many people know," she whispered.

Suddenly he stood. "You should come back to the Institute with me. Izzy would love to see you again."

"I'm sorry about Max," she cut him off before he could say anything. "And I heard what happened with Jace and Sebastian. Is he okay?"

"He's fine." Alec held out a hand to her. "Come on. You need to reconnect with your family." He looked around the spare room of Magnus' apartment. "And it's clear to me that this isn't your home."

Once at the Institute, Sky sensed the presence of two angel-blessed fighters. Her heart pounded. One of them was Jace, because she would know his energy field anywhere. The other could be none other than Clarissa Morgenstern, who she was almost afraid to meet. She knew Sebastian on a personal level.

She hoped his sister was nothing like him.

Izzy gave a start of surprise when she saw Alec and Sky get off the elevator. Her dark eyes drank in her old friend, and in the next instant, Sky let Isabelle hug her. "I thought you were dead," she rasped.

"With what's been going on the last few months, I'm not surprised." Sky drew back. "Let me guess: The Silent Brothers won't let visitors in."

When a red-haired girl ducked out of the infirmary, she turned her brilliantly green eyes on the Lightwoods. "That was interesting." Her smile faltered when she saw Sky. "Who are you?"

"A friend of the Lightwoods," she answered. She pushed past Brother Zachariah into the infirmary; Brother Zachariah didn't stop her.

Jace was propped against a mound of pillows. His tawny eyes widened when he saw who entered. "Sky," he breathed. She sat on the edge of the bed and hugged him tightly, carefully, avoiding the newly-formed scar she knew was across his chest. He rasped her name over and over. "I thought…" When he buried his face against her hair, she felt the heat of Heaven's fire. So the rumors were true.

"I'm back," she murmured. "I don't intend on leaving again. I love you, all of you, and I don't know how I thought I could run away."

He kept his arms locked around her, but he pulled back enough to lock gold on gold. "You still have a ring of silver around your pupil," he observed with a smile. Realization dawned on his face. "I'm not burning you!"

"Are you supposed to be?" she queried innocently.

"By the Angel," he whispered. "You… Sky…"

"Raziel?" She spoke his name like she was mentioning a friend. "Yeah, I know he saved you from death once and actually personally brought you back another time."

Brotherly love shone in his eyes. "That's not what I was getting at. He saved you, too, didn't he?"

"In a way," she replied softly, shifting so that they sat side by side and resting her head on his collarbone. "But in a way, I've changed a lot." She squeezed his hand. "I'll tell you when I see you again, okay? Get some rest." There were few people Jace trusted and/or listened to. She happened to be one of them, even after all these years.

When he settled back with a smirk, she smiled back at him. "Don't forget," he teased.

"Believe me," she replied good-naturedly. "I don't think you'll let me."

But when she walked away from the Institute, alone, she had only one person on her mind.

His black gaze focused on her the instant she stepped into his hideaway. "I wasn't sure I should have trusted you before," he commented by way of greeting. "I'm glad to see you haven't let me down."

"There are a lot of things I can prove to you in the future." And the others, she added to herself. Her life had changed in Tulsa, it was true. And it was about to change even more.

In front of Skylar Bane, sister of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, stood Valentine Morgenstern's son. His fathomless eyes seemed to brighten.

"Jonathan." She tilted her head slightly to the side, the Marks on her shoulder blades burning as her magic rose up inside her.

He smiled, a cruel, mirthless show of teeth. "You may call me Sebastian."