Chapter Text
Magnus has had many hangovers before and woke up in many places he never recognised but none like this with a hangover like the one right now tearing at his brain cells, or maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was knocked to the ground. Magnus forced his eyes to peel open and chance a look at what’s before him. Nothing. Pitch black darkness.
He was seated on a chair with his hands and ankles shackled to the arms rests and legs. He pulled at them, testing their hold on him but with no luck at all he remained stuck to the chair.
His increased vampire senses did nothing to help him figure out where he was, no sound, no nothing. There was only the smell of dust and the feeling of the metal digging into his skin.
‘’Hello?’’ He called out into the darkness. Whoever took him here didn’t waste their time killing him so they must need him for something, and Magnus needed to savour all the precious time he could get to find a way out of here.
Faint footsteps could be heard beyond the room that Magnus was being held captive in, Magnus could not see the door but he supposed someone was coming to greet him. The footsteps were light, more like the clicking of heels rather than heavy steps. A sudden cold shock passed through his body as he guessed just who his kidnapper might just be.
The door clicked open and the light turned on making Magnus’ eyes ache and his ever present headache throb. He blinked hard a few times letting his eyes to get used to the light illuminating the room before he let his eyes land upon his captor.
Magnus looked up to be greeted by a beautiful woman, one of the most beautiful women that he’s ever seen. Dark hair, with dark eyes and beautiful pale porcelain skin to complement the bold red dress and lips. He smiled lazily up at her.
‘’Camille, beautiful as ever.’’ He let his eyes roam over her face. She was perfect, the way that strigoi were. Camille laughed as she took sly steps towards him. She laid her hand on Magnus’ face, her nails digging not so gently under his chin. Magnus did not flinch at the cold touch, there was a time where he longed for that touch, longed for Camille even after their separation, but during that time he wasn’t locked to a chair, with his heart free from her grasp.
‘’Magnus, long time no see.’’ She whispered, her voice sweet and levelled. Nothing has changed about her, not in her looks or her voice, he thought he could never get bored of Camille but she was stuck in time, stuck with her cold, inhumane demeanour.
‘’Yes, a very long time…not that I’m complaining.’’ Magnus replied with a conceited smile, Camille let his face go with a hiss. ‘’C’mon Magnus, why the sudden hostility? Did you forget the fun times we had?’’ She smiled from underneath her dark eyelashes.
Magnus was sat in a single chair that was the only object in the room. White walls, no windows and a single door. Magnus was trapped. He looked at Camille closely, he didn’t feel the anger or the sadness that he’d thought he’d feel, instead he felt lucky, lucky to have escaped this woman and her manipulative ways that tied him to her all those years ago.
‘’Oh I do remember, they sometimes come as nightmares on dark nights.’’ He couldn’t help insulting their so called fun times. He wanted Camille to see that he no longer yearned for her attention, that he no longer needed her.
She glared at Magnus with a tight smile.
‘’You must be wondering why you’re here then?’’ She levelled him with a look of superiority. Magnus looked around the room and with a careless shrug leaned back into his seat.
‘’I’m sure there’s a reason.’’ He sighed rolling his eyes. He could see Camille repress the urge to yell at him, instead, she flashed him a wide smile showing off her fangs.
‘’Well of course there is, would you like to hear it?’’ She exclaimed excitedly, there was a certain gleam in her eyes that was one step too close to danger. Camille had something planned and that was enough to make concern creep up Magnus’ skin.
‘’Please, enlighten me.’’ He tried to seem relaxed, as if they were having a casual chat in the park and not as if he was about to die at the hand of his crazy ex-girlfriend.
Camille walked behind him and leaned in to whisper into his ear.
‘’I want you to join me.’’ She said simply, Magnus ignored the shiver running down his back from the cold touch of her lips.
‘’Join you?’’ He questioned. Camille laughed as she let her fingertips run along Magnus’ neck.
‘’Surely you’ve heard of the murders? Haven’t you?’’ She peered at him innocently but he could see the pride brewing in her eyes, it made him sick.
‘’You were behind them I’m guessing.’’ Magnus replied turning away from her stare. Camille guided him by the chin to look back at her. She smirked at him.
‘’Yes, me and some other friends I’ve acquired.’’ There was a heavy silence lingering between them and Magnus gave up hoping that Camille would not hear the loud pounding of his heart.
‘’Friends?’’ He asked, he knew he had to. It’s how Camille liked to play. She stroked his cheek with a menacing smirk.
‘’The Hell Hound.’’ Magnus knew it would be him but hearing his nickname come from her lips made the situation very real very fast for Magnus, and now he wished nothing but to escape this room. He gulped against his wishes and Camille laughed without remorse.
‘’Don’t worry Magnus, he’s not here, not yet but he would like to see you…for obvious reasons.’’ She peered at him in amusement.
‘’You can tell him that I appreciate it but I will have to decline.’’ Magnus managed to reply even though the lump in his throat was suffocating him. Camille rolled her eyes as she fixed a loose strand of hair hanging in front of Magnus’ eyes.
‘’You know that’s not how it works, besides would you not like to see dear old-‘’
‘’Shut up’’ Magnus snarled and Camille pulled away, if she was surprised by his aggression she did not show it.
‘’You said you wanted me to join you?’’ Magnus tried again, hoping that he sounded more composed. His questions seemed to succeed in distracting Camille as she leaned down in front of him with fascinating speed.
‘’Yes I did, I want you to join me and help rid this world of those who try stand against me, those who threaten me and want me dead, but I can’t have you like this of course, we’ll need to make some changes.’’ She said it all slowly all the while inspecting Magnus’ face as if judging his value.
‘’Changes? What changes?’’ Magnus asked her, his head was spinning and he felt like his heart was ready to leap out of his throat. He was so tired. Camille smiled at him, a nice genuine smile that used to enthral Magnus like she was the centre of his universe and he could not defy gravity, the pull of her being, the only difference was that now he knew just how evil Camille was, just how full of cruelty and venom her heart is.
‘’I’m talking about you joining me Magnus, as strigoi, we’ll be the most powerful strigoi couple to ever walk this earth.’’ And with those last words she pulled Magnus’ neck towards her and let her fangs sink into his neck and then his world went black.
‘’Why weren’t you with him?!’’ Alec didn’t want to scream, he wasn’t the kind of person who outright expressed his emotions, he’d rather let his anger simmer quietly inside, but his emotions were all over the place as were his thoughts that carried images of Magnus’ dead body.
‘’Alec, let him go!’’ Izzy’s strict voice bellowed next to him. Alec glance at his sister and then at the guardian that he had pushed against the wall just moments ago.
Izzy placed her hand on her brother’s arm that was holding the petrified guardian pinned against the wall. He let his arms relax as he let the guardian go, who did not hesitate to shuffle away from Alec and hide behind Isabelle.
‘’Where is he?’’ Alec asked hopelessly. When he got the call that Magnus disappeared he did not let himself rest until he had the best of personnel on his case helping him track Magnus down.
He took Izzy with him, leaving Jace in the courts as he needed someone he trusted to report anything he heard about Magnus, with Izzy by his side and all the guardians he managed to recruit, they travelled to the residence of Woolsey Scott, a popular moroi that liked to host parties, a party during which Magnus was presumably taken.
As the guardian assessed the scene Alec did not hesitate in ramming a scared guardian named Randy against a wall and demanding him to tell him what the hell happened to Magnus. The young guardian claimed to have lost sight of Magnus, as the moroi kept evading them during the party and towards the end all the lights went out and everyone passed out due to a gas attack.
It was all calculated, the attack was planned, and someone went out of their way to take Magnus. There were no leads left, no clue as to whom could have taken him.
‘’We’ll find him Alec, I promise.’’ Izzy whispered into her brother’s shoulder as she hugged him.
‘’Izzy I can’t, if anything happened to him-‘’
‘’Nothing will happen to him, there was too much effort put into this attack, they took him alive because they want him alive.’’ It did little to assure Alec, but he couldn’t let his fear overwhelm him, not if he wanted to rescue Magnus.
‘’Guardian Lightwood, hello my name is Woolsey Scott I’m a friend of Magnus’.’’ The man looked tentatively as he reached out his hand towards Alec, Alec looked him over and shook the man’s hand.
‘’Is there anything, anything at all that you could tell us that could help us find Magnus.’’ Alec asked, his voice hard.
Woolsey Scott observed Alec with keen interest and nodded his head back towards one of the rooms.
‘’Some privacy?’’ Scott asked, at the same time Magnus’ ex guardian Raj entered with a scowl on his face.
‘’This is a public investigation, our top priority for missing person’s as administrated by the Queen, you cannot withhold any information and inform only one guardian.’’ Alec was glad to hear that Magnus’ disappearance was top priority, he knew Lisa would be worried.
‘’Shut up Raj.’’ Izzy glared at him, she nodded at Alec and Alec proceeded to a room Scott directed at. With Scott following behind him, they soon left the room of the guardians to a room of eerie silence.
‘’I don’t know where Magnus is, but I can guess who took him.’’ Scott supplied, looking intensely at Alec. Alec’s heart skipped a beat as his breath caught in his throat.
‘’Who?’’ He asked immediately. ‘’Camille Belcourt, surely you’ve heard of her.’’ Scott snorted at her name.
Alec should have guessed as much, and yet he dreaded the newly found information. The guardians have been tracking her for months and they never succeeded at detecting her, how is he going to find Magnus when the person holding him captive is impossible to find.
‘’Thank you, anything else?’’ Alec doubted Scott could give him the exact location of where Magnus was. Scott shook his head in defeat smiling weakly at Alec.
‘’He cares about you, and I see that you do to. Find him and bring him back.’’ Alec was not going to let his emotions cloud his judgement, his top priority was to find Magnus and nothing could get in the way of that.
‘’That is my duty.’’ He replied as he made his way towards the door.
‘’I’m sure that’s all that it is.’’ Scott called out to him but Alec did not turn around, he walked straight out of the building with Izzy behind him. He will let the rest of the guardian inspect the scene but he knew it would be useless, Camille is not stupid she would not leave anything behind.
‘’It’s Camille who has him.’’ Alec informed his sister as he sped back to the courts. Izzy spun around to face her brother.
‘’Ex-lover Camille, what does she want with him?’’ She questioned. Alec bit on his tongue as he accelerated.
‘’I don’t know, but it’s nothing good. Call Simon, get him to find everything he knows about Camille and anything that could help me find Magnus.’’ He instructed her, his sister pulled out her phone and dialled Simon. Soon she was recalling everything that Simon told her.
‘’Dammit, none of that is useful.’’ He banged the steering wheel in frustration.
‘’Just keep looking Simon, if you find anything just call me.’’ Izzy sighed into the phone as she hung up.
‘’Call Jace, see if he’s heard anything.’’ Alec barked out, his head was turning as he tried to think but thoughts of Magnus being hurt tortured his mind, when was the last time Magnus fed? He’ll be too weak to try to escape. Alec closed his eyes hard trying to shake himself off of negative thoughts.
‘’Jace, anything?’’ Izzy asked though the phone. She cursed at whatever Jace said.
‘’Nothing?’’ Alec asked in desperation. Izzy looked at him apologetically.
‘’Just tell him to keep an ear out and call if he hears anything.’’ He shook his head. Where are you? Please be okay, please just be okay.
‘’Alec, what are you going to do?’’ Izzy asked, looking at her brother with concern. Alec did not look at her. He can’t let his emotions distract him, he is a guardian his top priority is to find Magnus and bring him home safe. If he looks at Izzy, if he allows himself to see the ache fused in his sisters eyes, he will not be able to do this.
Somehow denying himself all these emotions makes him feel more stable because he has a feeling that if he were to give in he would be trapped in a hurricane of all these feelings, thrown from side to side so much that he will lose sight of his brain and end up following his heart, and at the moment it’s a risk he can’t afford to take, he can’t let the fear for Magnus keep him away from finding him.
‘’I will do whatever it takes for me to find him Iz.’’ He replied, squeezing the steering wheel.
‘’I’d rather die than join you.’’ Magnus sneered looking away from the pale face looming in front of him.
Camille scoffed with little to no amusement dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a blood stained handkerchief. Magnus’ blood, red and very vivid despite the rest of his surrounding turning over and over in a lazy motion.
‘’I think I can make you change your mind.’’ She smiled predatorily, slowly sinking her nails into the side of Magnus’ neck. He flinched away from her touch, like one would from a burning fire, only Magnus thought that maybe launching himself into a bonfire would be better than this. ‘’I know you liked the bite, you could never quite resist it.’’
Magnus would have rolled his eyes to the back of his brain if his head wasn’t spinning so much, he could still feel the gentle result of Camille’s bite buzz through his veins. He really did miss the odd yet deeply pleasurable sensation of the bite, feeling like there’s no ground beneath him to restrict him from wandering wherever his heart led him.
However, it doesn’t matter that his heart once went out for Camille, because now it’s only full of pity and regret. Magnus knew Camille was playing him, he knew that she wanted Magnus to succumb to her willingly, she wants to have full control over him before turning him, because having power over Magnus was just another validation for her that there is nothing Camille Belcourt cannot do. But there’s only one person that has a claim to Magnus’ heart, and he’d rather let Camille feed off of him time and time over again before he became as emotionless and cold hearted as her, he could never give up love, but most importantly he could never give up Alec, because loving him has given him a new perspective on life, being in his presence was unlike any bite, it was simply magic.
‘’I will not join you Camille, not now, not ever.’’ Magnus heaved out in a breath, his head didn’t seem to sit properly on his shoulders and he couldn’t exactly focus on anything as his consciousness hung on a thread, but he felt proud as he heard the hiss of Camille’s displeasure, and then once again, her fangs were buried in his neck sending him to a sweet abyss.
‘’You should get some rest Alec.’’ Maryse suggested putting her hands on her son’s shoulders to stop his from pacing.
He looked her in the eyes, darker brown than Magnus’, empty of Magnus kind of youth and laughter shielding all the pain and sadness. Alec looked away from his mother, and sat on the edge of his bed.
He was back in the courts, he sent Izzy away telling her he needed some time to think and that he’ll call her if anything happens, to which she nodded sadly and hugged her brother with enough force to knock him over. His mother later entered his room to congratulate him on a successful meeting, while also informing him on the numbers she dispatched to search for Magnus.
‘’I can’t rest. Magnus is still missing.’’ Alec grumbled into his palms covering his face.
‘’We have people-‘’
‘’Not enough.’’ Alec interrupted before Maryse could finish. He would never do that to his mother, but the fear he’s been trying so hard to suppress has been escaping bit by bit like solar flares.
‘’We can’t have all the guardians looking for one man, at the moment it is one of the biggest priorities as Magnus Bane is the queen’s closest friend, however he is just one man Alec, and he might be already-‘’ Maryse didn’t finish the sentence when her son’s head snapped up in quick motion with rage and fear burdening his eyes.
‘’There’s hope.’’ She tried to supply instead, taking pity on her son’s distress.
‘’I want to be left alone.’’ Alec spoke out more roughly than intended. Maryse hesitated before making her way to the door, she looked back at her son.
‘’Get some rest, you can’t help Magnus if you can’t stand on your own two feet. If there’s news about Magnus I’ll make sure you’re the first to know.’’ And with that she exited the room.
Alec was alone, the room around him clean and organized, so unlike anything at his home, with Magnus. He leaned back, laying his back on the hard mattress, he clenched his eyes shut as soon as he felt the burning sensation of tears threatening to spill.
He’s entering the hurricane and he never felt so lost.
‘’Alexander.’’ A soft quiet voice broke out behind the blurry screen.
‘’Magnus?’’ Alec spoke out to the shifting colours surrounding him. He reached his hand out unwillingly as if it was being pulled by some sort of string.
A hand clamped down on his wrist with a slap, Alec was about to pull away when he recognised the rings decorating the hand and just like that Magnus stumbled into his arms panting and heaving like he ran a hundred mile marathon, only that he looked so pale Alec wondered if he will quite literally fade from his grasp.
‘’Magnus.’’ Alec smiled as he hugged the man close to him, steadying him on his feet. It felt so real, it was unlike any other dream Alec had. He could feel the pressure of Magnus’ body against him just like would during their training practices, he could smell Magnus’ scent as if he was lying in a bundle of Magnus’ sheets, it felt so real, too real.
But Magnus was away, Magnus is missing and all that this is, is just a cruel dream melded by his mind to torment him.
‘’This isn’t real.’’ Alec shut his eyes and made to pull away, but Magnus held on.
‘’No Alexander, this is real, it is very real. You must listen to me.’’ Magnus breathed out shakily. Alec laughed, and started walking away but as he turned around, everything around him changed. He was no longer in a whirlpool of colours, he was in a room, with white walls and a single chair in the middle.
Magnus walked from behind him and leaned against the chair. Alec looked at Magnus and his heart sunk, Magnus looked like he was about to faint, his skin pale with beads of sweat gliding down his temples, his hair messed up and hanging loosely on his forehead, his eyes glazed and red as if he was crying for hours but his mouth was pulled in a gentle smile as he stared at Alec.
‘’Alexander, this is very real.’’ Magnus tried to walk towards him but his limbs failed him as he started crumpling down, but Alec caught him, once again pulling him upright against his chest.
‘’It feels real, but it’s just a dream. You’re gone and I don’t know how to find you.’’ Alec’s voice shook, he felt angry and disappointed but mostly hurt by how fragile Magnus looks.
‘’Alexander, this is not a dream, not quite. I am dream walking.’’ Alec’s heart stopped. Magnus reached out to him. Alec’s hold tightened on Magnus, he is actually here, he is talking to Magnus, and now he can find him.
‘’Where are you?’’ Alec almost screamed out as he grasped Magnus by the shoulders, his hands were shaking and his heart was beating a million miles an hour but Magnus was here, and most importantly he’s alive.
Magnus laughed even though it looked like it hurt him to do so.
‘’I don’t know Alexander, the room that were standing in is the room I’m being held captive.’’ Alec took a once over the room, damnit, nothing useful.
‘’Anything else? Anything at all?’’ Alec questioned, the room around him twitched as if it were alive.
‘’It’s Camille, she took me, I don’t know where but she has me. It’s her Alec, I’m so sorry.’’ Magnus mumbled faintly.
‘’Hey, hey, Magnus hey look at me. It’s okay I will find you okay?’’ Alec tried to reassure him as he grabbed Magnus’ face in his hands, gently stroking his cheeks trying to keep him awake. Magnus covered Alec’s hands with his own, smiling as he did so.
‘’ I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again.’’ Magnus’ eyes began to water as he spoke softly looking over Alec’s face as if trying to memorize every detail of it, as if it’s really the last time he will see him. It broke Alec’s heart.
‘’No, Magnus don’t say that. I will find you okay? I will.’’ Alec will find him, he will not let this be the last time they see each other.
‘’You’ll be too late, I’ll be dead by then.’’ How can he say that? How can he give up so easily?
‘’Don’t say that, what did she do to you Magnus?’’ Alec whispered gently, pushing Magnus’ hair back from his eyes. Magnus looked down, in shame.
‘’She’s feeding off of me, I’m losing a lot of blood which in turn makes me weak, I can’t hold this up much longer Alexander, it’s why the surroundings are fading, I’m losing my hold on everything, I didn’t think I could reach you at all.’’ Magnus whispered so faintly that Alec had to put his face next to his to hear him.
‘’I will kill her.’’ Alec gritted out as he let Magnus sink into his arms, he was fading and there was nothing Alec could do to make him stay.
‘’I’ll help.’’ Magnus laughed, or tried to.
‘’I will find you, Magnus, I will not stop looking.’’ Alec said, and he felt it, he felt this new energy alight in him, be it fear or anger, he was going to find Magnus and release him from this torture, even if it’s the last thing he did.
‘’She plans to turn me strigoi.’’ Magnus let out in defeat and with that he was gone, leaving Alec floating and suffocating in a heap of black.
He’s brought back into the waking world by sharp knocking on his door, he leaped from his bed and swung the door open to find Izzy and Jace.
‘’We have a lead on Magnus.’’ Jace shot out firmly, Alec grabbed his stake and jacket and flew out the door with his sibling tailing behind.
He fixed the silver stake close to him, this one is for Camille, he will make sure it will buried in her cold undead heart before he ever has to use it against Magnus.
‘’Wake up.’’ Camille singed in Magnus’ ear, resting her chin on his shoulder. Magnus tried to move his head away from her but she only pressed herself closer to him.
‘’Don’t be like that Magnus, sooner or later you’re going to beg me to turn you, that or you’ll just starve to death. How long has it been?’’ Camille whispered in his ear. Almost three days since he last fed, with Camille sucking out the blood out of him and no feeders available to him, Magnus is heading to one hell of a place.
Camille didn’t bother to hide the joy she felt at seeing Magnus so pathetically helpless as she described it, she kept tormenting him and absorbing every second of his pain into her system like dead plants salvaging for beams of sunlight. Only that sunlight would burn Camille to the ground, oh how Magnus hoped that the roof would just collapse.
The only thing giving Magnus life, motivating him to hold on was his Alexander. In a situation so hopeless who could blame him for ignoring all of his pride and dignity and simply letting himself settle in Alec’s arms. Magnus was not scared to show the raw emotions prickling under his skin to Alec. Alec who was so determined so confused and caring, Magnus would do anything, absolutely anything to relive that dream, just to lay in Alec’s arms and surround himself with the familiar loving comfort that comes with Alec’s embrace.
‘’Alexander? Alexander Lightwood?’’ What? Magnus looked up at Camille, she was looking down at him, confused yet intrigued. He must have spoken out loud.
‘’Alexander Lightwood? The dhampir guardian, is it him you’re thinking of?’’ She laughed, Magnus snarled at her. He didn’t want her to say his name, to taint it like that. It was a name Magnus thought of with love and kindness, it was a name he didn’t want associated with Camille.
‘’I’ve looked into him. Nothing special there, just another dhampir guardian.’’ She faked a yawn waving her hand in stiff motion dismissing Alec’s existence, just like that. It made Magnus furious, Alec was everything compared to Camille, but he can’t let Camille know that. He looked down at his lap.
‘’Why? Why do you mention him?’’ Camille questioned inching closer. ‘’Is he one of your boy toys?’’ Camille smirked lifting his chin to face her.
‘’No.’’ Magnus spat, ripping his face from her grasp.
‘’No? Well then what is he to you?’’ Camille inquired teasingly. Magnus looked away, Camille slid her hand to his thigh and sunk her nails into his flesh drawing blood. Magnus winced at the sharp pain but remained quiet.
‘’Perhaps a lover?’’ She smiled wickedly letting her nails twist deeper. Magnus kept his eyes locked onto his hands.
‘’He’s not though, is he? I would know. I know everything there is to know about you.’’ Camille ripped her hand away from his thigh, like one would rip an IV out.
‘’Not lover then, but maybe you wish he were one.’’ Magnus stilled.
‘’Ah yes, you do wish.’’ Camille pouted in mock sympathy.
‘’When will you stop falling in love so easily huh? Look where it got you?’’ She rolled her eyes as she motioned around him.
‘’I never loved you Camille, not truly.’’ Magnus said menacingly. Camille looked at him intently, seizing him up and down as if discovering him in new light.
‘’I guess I can’t force you to love me, but I doubt your little dhampir would love you when you’re strigoi.’’ She said slowly, tapping her chin. Magnus glared at her, he was weak and his body ached and yet if given the chance he would not hesitate to launch himself towards Camille and rip her head clean.
‘’Or maybe I can turn the guardian boy strigoi, huh? What do you think about that?’’ Magnus jumped from his chair only to have himself pulled back harshly by the restrictions fastened on his hands and legs.
‘’Don’t you dare go anywhere near him Camille, or so help me I will kill you with my bare hands.’’ Magnus growled, rage bringing flames to his veins and trembling to his fisted hands. This only amused Camille that much more, she clapped in glee.
‘’Well, well, well, we found Magnus Bane’s weak spot.’’ Magnus kept glaring at Camille, how could he ever be so blind? The woman in front of him could have never held a place in Magnus’ heart.
Camille’s features turned to that of annoyance, suddenly footsteps could be heard approaching the room and the door burst open to reveal a human man, with tan skin and dull blue eyes.
‘’Miss. Belcourt? There have been guardian cars spotted heading towards us, we must evacuate before they get here.’’ The man spoke urgently, his eyes not once drifting towards Magnus, eyes completely glued on Camille as if she’s the core of his existence, and he probably thinks she is.
Camille’s lips twitched just a tiny bit before walking towards Magnus, she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him roughly on the cheek.
‘’I’ll see you again my love.’’ She spoke as she left the room with her human subjugate. Magnus sank into his chair, they found him, Alec found him.
‘’Turn right.’’ Izzy instructed and Alec made a sharp turn, accelerating down a rocky road. Simon managed to track down the car Magnus has been taken in on road surveillance cameras, they have followed the car as far as they could, which led them to only one possible location. A small abandoned building just on the side of a forest, almost blending into the woods.
Magnus was there somewhere.
‘’Right there.’’ Izzy pointed through the window to a grey building peeking out from under the trees, it was small and obscured. Alec drove towards it with two SUV vans full of guardians behind him. They stopped in front of the building and waited for any sign of movement to indicate of strigoi presence. Nothing. Quiet.
Alec grabbed his stake and exited the car. He looked around more closely, looking into the woods, trying to get a presence of some sort. He motioned for everyone else to get out. Stake in hand, they slowly approached the building, with people going round the back, some staying back and Alec with Jace and Izzy as well as two other guardians making their way towards the front of the building.
Alec waited in front of the door.
‘’Everything is clear in the back, I think they might have left.’’ A guardian spoke up arriving back from the back of the building. Alec nodded and knocked the door down. They ran into the room, scanning all the corners but there was no one there.
‘’I think they left Alec.’’ Izzy spoke up, at the same time a scraping sound echoed from beneath them and Alec ran for the stairs. He jumped down the staircases and faced the only door illuminating light from underneath. He could hear the others coming down behind him.
He kicked the door a few times, and after the fourth time the door let loose and it tumbled to the floor. Right in the middle of the room was Magnus, sitting shackled to a chair. Alec’s feet couldn’t move fast enough as he raced for Magnus.
Magnus who was barely conscious lasted only long enough to gift Alec with a small half there smile before letting himself sink to unconsciousness. Alec worked fast getting Magnus out of the chair. By the time everyone came down Alec had Magnus is his arms and out the room.
Jace smiled at Alec, and Izzy leaned back against the wall in relief. They made way for Alec, he didn’t stop he got Magnus in the backseat of his car and seated himself next to him.
Finally, looking down at Magnus, Alec allowed himself to breath. He let his hands ghost over Magnus’ pale face as hot tears spilled silently down his cheeks, all the fear and anxiety finally let itself lose like a tight knot slowly unwinding into a simple puddle of thread. Alec leaned his head down into Magnus’ hair and put his arms around the other man’s shoulders.
‘’You’re okay now, you’re okay.’’ He whispered to him, but mainly to himself. Magnus was here, truly here, with him. Safe and alive. Nothing could take him away from Alec, nothing. He felt a gentle tug at his shirt, he looked down at Magnus to find him already gazing at Alec with tears lining his eyes.
‘’We’re okay.’’ He whispered and Alec smiled hugging Magnus tightly to his body, because right now it was Magnus who needed to feel safe and Alec was never again going to put him into a situation where he didn’t.
Izzy and Jace climbed to the front of the car, and with one glance back at Alec and Magnus, they started the car and drove out of the area.
‘’The hospital.’’ Alec instructed, tugging Magnus closer to him, he didn’t care that this wasn’t how he was supposed to be acting, he didn’t care about his position as a guardian, he didn’t care if Magnus will question this later, all he cared about was that the man he loved was safe in his arms.
‘’It was her…’’ Magnus croaked out in a whisper leaning into Alec. ‘’The murders, she’s behind them, Camille and Asmodeus.’’ Alec looked down at Magnus.
‘’Asmodeus?’’ He asked silently, frowning.
‘’Asmodeus is the Hell Hound…and also my father.’’ Magnus whispered looking at Alec eyes full of regret and guilt. Alec closed his hand over Magnus’ and squeezed it gently.
‘’Just rest for now, we’ll be at the hospital soon enough.’’ He smiled and let Magnus’ head rest in the crook of his neck as they drove to the hospital, bodies fixed together and hands intertwined, they’ll deal with everything tomorrow