Chapter Seven

When Alec woke, consciousness came to him slowly and he felt like he was swimming up from the vast depths of the ocean, desperately trying to break through the surface before he ran out of air. He heard a steady beep, beep, beep of something in the room and low, familiar voices mumbling between themselves, their words undistinguishable to Alec’s still hazy mind. It took a few minutes but eventually, he blinked slowly, his eyes trying to focus in the too-bright lights. 

 

“Alec,” said one of the voices next to him, and he now recognized the speaker as Jace. “Fuck. We thought we lost you.”

 

There was a sob and he realized that Isabelle was sitting on his other side. “You idiot. What did we say about waiting? About not trying to be the hero? Alec, we’ve already lost Max, we can’t lose you too.”

 

Alec’s body was screaming in pain despite the undoubtedly strong painkillers he was sure he was on due to the fog that wouldn’t clear in his mind and the fact that he felt like he was floating. His throat was scratchy and dry from the medication and when he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. 

 

Jace raised a cup of water. “Take it slow, brother. They had to do some pretty serious surgery to stitch you back together. You got lucky, any farther to the left and it probably would have punctured your lung.”

 

He needed to know how long he’d been out and everything that had happened after he lost consciousness. Did they get Valentine? Were they able to stop the demon? Instantly, he became aware of one person who was missing from his bedside. Now that his throat no longer felt like the Sahara Desert, he could finally ask the question he’d been so desperate to know the answer to, even if he hadn’t been entirely certain he was trying to ask it. “Magnus?” He whispered, his voice cracking despite the water. 

 

He noticed Isabelle’s face falter and he knew it wasn’t good news. He tried to push himself up, determined to get out of bed. He wasn’t sure what his plan was but he knew he couldn’t rescue Magnus if he was trapped in a bed. He pulled the IV out of his arm and started trying to remove the other pads and wires attached to him. “Alec, stop! You’re going to hurt yourself. You were shot twice, you need to take it easy for a little bit or do you want to pop your stitches and start bleeding to death again? How can you help Magnus if we have to take you back in for surgery?”

 

His sister was pleading with him and Jace nearly threw himself over Alec to keep him from trying to get. “Just calm down, Alec. Give us a chance to explain, alright? You just woke up. You can’t go running in guns blazing if you don’t know what happened after you blacked out. You like plans, right? You can’t make a plan if you’re missing information.”

 

“Tell me,” he croaked, his voice slowly working itself more normal. “Everything. Now. Tell me.” Jace helped him into a more upright position and Alec made himself still at his siblings’ request, despite every instinct in his body telling him he needed to go and take care of his family. 

 

“First off, you’ve only been unconscious for about fourteen hours, we’re lucky Luke thought about bringing Catarina because she was able to slow the bleeding until we could get you back to the Institute. You pretty much went immediately into surgery. You had a hole in your shoulder but despite all the blood, it didn’t hit anything vital. The one on your arm just grazed you. Lucky you, they’ll both probably scar,” Isabelle started. 

 

Jace picked up when she left off. “Hodge and Valentine were gone by the time. The woman he was trying to sacrifice…she’s in rough shape. Way worse than you are but she regained consciousness a little before you did. Catarina went to check on her. We thought that maybe Valentine had been successful and that’s why there was no one there when Isabella and I showed up but the woman — Sadie her name is — said that whatever you did before you collapsed stopped it. Valentine faltered and the spell was broken. The demon disappeared and then when he realized he failed, Valentine high-tailed it out of there before the rest of us showed up like the vile rat that he is.”

 

“Shot him,” Alec mumbled. “Didn’t know if I hit him or not. I was already losing consciousness when I fired.”

 

“Well, I think you got him — we found blood at the scene that didn’t belong to you, Hodge, Magnus, or Sadie. The fact that we didn’t find a body means that the injury likely wasn’t fatal.”

 

“Magnus, Izzy, please,” Alec begged. 

 

“We found no sign of him,” Jace answered. “No sign of Hodge either. He knows he’s been made, he’s not going to try and come back. Since we weren’t there and we didn’t find a body, we can only assume they took him, though for what reason we don’t know.”
 

“Hodge said he wanted to teach him a lesson,” Alec replied, though he knew his mentor’s words were in reality much crueler than that. “And he wasn’t happy that we ruined their carefully laid plans.”

 

Alec’s own memories of the confrontation at the sugar factory were becoming clearer and clearer. “Hodge held a knife to his throat, put a collar on him, and told him if he didn’t comply he’d shoot me. The bullet that grazed me…” he glanced down at the bandages wrapped around his arm. “It was a warning shot. He said he’d make the next one fatal. I was already starting to fade in and out. I was bleeding and in pain. I tried to shoot Hodge, anything to get him away from Magnus, but I couldn’t be sure I wouldn’t shoot the wrong person. I couldn’t live with myself if I made a mistake like that. I failed Magnus because I wasn’t strong enough.”

 

“Alec, stop,” Isabelle said, placing her hand on his uninjured arm and giving it a slight squeeze. “You were in an impossible situation without backup. You and Magnus couldn’t take on Hodge, Valentine, and a demon alone. This is not your fault and I’m sure Magnus doesn’t see it that way either.”

 

Alec’s eyes fell to his hands and he tried to blink away the tears that he could feel forming. “You don’t understand, Iz. Magnus…he’s had some really traumatic stuff happen in his past. Being taken like that? Being forced into obedience? That’s his greatest fear. I can’t leave him out there, Iz. I can’t. I owe it to him to bring him home.”

 

“Oh, Alec,” she said softly. “You have no idea, do you?” She asked cryptically but before he could ask what she meant, she’d already moved on. “We’ll bring him home, I promise. Simon’s already trying to figure out their next move. Hodge left his car at the factory, we can only assume he knew somehow that we were watching it. Simon was able to find some CCTV cameras from a construction site next door that showed a black Chevy Tahoe leaving the scene. He managed to track it outside of the city but that’s where we lost visibility. Far fewer cameras to tap into once outside the city proper.”

 

“I’ve asked Andrew to contact all the police departments in the surrounding areas and put a bolo out on the vehicle. The footage from some of the cameras was really grainy — we only have a partial plate but hopefully that’s enough,” Jace added. “Not to mention, Jia’s unlocked both Hodge and Valentine’s records for us. We have everything that we weren’t able to access earlier. We haven’t had a chance to go through it yet, we’ve been too busy trying to organize everyone from here. We weren’t going to let you wake up alone.”

 

Two thick files were plopped on Alec’s lap. “I also figured you’d want to be there when we started going through these.”

 

“Clary is still with her mother,” Jace said as Alec opened the top one — Hodge’s file — and began to scan quickly through the first couple of pages. “She’s going to see if Jocelyn knows anything that might help us track Valentine down. It was one thing when we knew the murders were isolated to the city but now we don’t have a place to start.”

 

“What makes you so sure he’s not in the city?” Alec asked. 

 

“He was spotted leaving the city — and Simon hasn’t seen his vehicle re-entering. Besides, we were that close to catching him. The city was convenient for him but Luke doesn’t think he’d risk trying the summoning so close to home again. He was close, he didn't want to chance us getting in his way. He’ll want to put some distance between us and the ritual.”

 

“I’m not going to sit here idly while you all work on this. It’s my case, Magnus is my partner. I need to be out there helping and pulling my own weight,” he argued, realizing that he was given the files in an attempt to keep him both busy and in bed. His siblings knew him too well. They knew they’d have to play dirty.

 

“Alec, you just got out of surgery recently. I know you want to be out there putting boots to the ground but you need to rest. Please. I’ll send Catarina in here and she can rip you a new one for trying to get up too soon if you want. Look, give it another day, alright? We’ll see what the doctor says tomorrow but you’re going to have to take it easy. No more heroics, alright? If you want to bring Magnus home, we’re going to need you at your best. That means you need to rest and heal.”

 

Alec’s hand flexed and he bit back a growl of frustration. He knew his siblings were right even if he didn’t want to admit it. He needed to give his body time. He couldn’t face Valentine again while he was still only halfway functioning. “The minute I can get out of this bed, I’m out,” he finally said. 

 

“Agreed,” his siblings said at the same time as Luke came into the room. 

 

“Good to see you up, Alec. I gotta say, you gave us quite the scare. I think Catarina is going to tear you to pieces for your stupidity once you're back on your feet again,” the werewolf said with a sad smile. 

 

“And I will gladly stand by and watch,” Isabelle added with a roll of her eyes. “He deserves everything she gives him and so much more.”

 

Alec glanced up at Isabelle and tilted his head toward the door. They didn’t need words for her to understand what he was asking. She grabbed Jace’s hand and pulled him out of the room. “Come on, let’s go check on Simon and see if he has anything new for us.”

 

When they were gone, Luke dropped into the chair that Isabelle had vacated. “You look like shit. How are you holding up?”

 

“I’d be better if I wasn’t bound to this bed,” Alec answered before closing his eyes with a sigh. “I failed him.”

 

“You didn’t fail him, Alec. I don’t think that. Catarina doesn’t either. I’m sure wherever Magnus is, he’s not blaming you for what happened. Our jobs are dangerous, we all know that. It could have happened to anyone.”

 

“But it didn’t happen to anyone. It happened to Magnus. He told me what happened to him…what his father and Camille did to him. And I just…I just let that happen to him again. He must hate me. I told him I’d be there for him and I wasn’t.” Alec was nearly sobbing at this point, the drugs and the pain, Magnus being missing, Hodge’s betrayal, he was feeling far too much of everything right now. He was glad he asked his siblings to leave the room. He didn’t want them to see their big brother being so weak.

 

“You were bleeding out on the floor, Alec,” Luke said gently. “I don’t think Magnus is going to hold it against you. Even the most decorated agent would have problems in that situation.”

 

“I’m going to bring him home. I don’t care if they try to tell me that my recovery is going to be weeks. I am going to bring. Him. Home.”

 

Luke grinned, his smile a little too toothy to be entirely human. “Good, that’s what I want to hear. I can’t imagine anyone better bringing our boy home.”

 

“Do you think he’s okay? Wherever they have him, whatever they’re doing to him… do you think he’s still alive?”

 

“Magnus is tough, don’t forget that. He’ll know we’re coming for him and he’ll do what he needs to hold on until that comes.”

 

Alec closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, trying to push his anger and anxiety and absolute fear to the side. He needed to be calm. He needed to be strong. Magnus needed him to be strong. If he had any hope of bringing his partner home and stopping Valentine, he couldn’t afford to be a mess. When his nerves settled even the slightest bit, he opened his eyes and looked to the werewolf. “What else? My siblings have caught me up on some of it but I don’t think they’re telling me everything. I think they believe that keeping some details from me will keep me in bed.”

 

The corner of Luke’s mouth ticked up slightly and Alec could tell that he had come to the right conclusion. “Jia knows everything. We had to tell her the full story when you came back in on a gurney with Magnus missing. She suspended Hodge’s access, of course, and Dr. Holland was taken into custody. They’ve got people interrogating him now but thus far he’s been unwilling to talk. I figure it’s only a matter of time, however, he’s not a very strong-willed person. Valentine or Hodge were probably calling the shots and he just went along with it. I’ve asked her to let me in there with him — laying on the Alpha werewolf tends to frighten even humans — but she said we’ll use that as a last resort.”

 

“I want to be there when you do,” Alec said. “I deserve a chance at him too.”

 

“You’ll be the first to know,” the werewolf said with a chuckle. “Raphael and Ragnor have been over the scene at the church at least a dozen times in the last day, trying to pick up anything that may give us a clue to where Valentine’s heading. About the only thing useful is a heavy scent of pine…but this is New York, we’ve got pine trees everywhere.”

 

Alec hummed as he considered that tidbit of information. “You think he’s stationed somewhere else but driving into the city.”

 

“Honestly, it would make a lot of sense if you think about it. He wants somewhere nice and secluded where he can do his research and prepare the spell. Why risk setting a demon loose in your own home, however, if something goes wrong? Besides, it’s much easier to take someone off the street in the city than it is in the middle of nowhere. You wouldn’t have to worry about kidnapping someone, transporting them, and holding them until the ritual is ready. They’re just there.”

 

“Does Valentine have any property that we know of?” Alec asked, though he figured it was a moot point. The Institute would have tracked that down when they were first looking into the case. 

 

Luke shook his head. “None on record and Jocelyn said there was nothing she was aware of that might be off the record either. He’s found somewhere though — it’s how he’s hidden from us all of these years.”

 

“What about Dr. Holland or Hodge?”

 

“Nothing that we’ve found so far but Simon’s currently using that high-tech computer of his to scan through family records to see if anything pops out at us. Other than that, not much else that you probably don’t already know.”

 

Alec sighed and glanced back down at the folder on his lap. “I guess I’ll start actually contributing and begin digging through these. Keep me updated the minute you hear any news.”

 

“I will, son, you know that. You just focus on getting better. Magnus will need you when we get him back.”

 

Luke studied him for a moment, his face twisting into the barest hint of a smile. “What?” Alec asked, instantly suspicious of the look. 

 

“Nothing,” the werewolf said, p[pushing himself to his feet and heading toward the door. “Like I said, Magnus is going to need you by his side when we bring him home.”

 

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The last thing Magnus saw before he was dragged outside by the collar around his neck, was Alec bleeding out on the concrete floor, trying to reach out to him but far too weak to actually do so. Hodge’s grip on the band around his neck was tight and the werewolf struggled to breathe. Two shots rang out from inside. There was a pause and a third one sounded. The agent growled. “You best hope that was Valentine taking care of a problematic Lightwood and not the other way around.”

 

The car waiting around the back of the building was not a standard issue Institute charger and was instead a nondescript black Chevy Tahoe. It was a little bit beat up but other than that nothing that outwardly screamed ‘this vehicle contains an evil villain.’ Hodge opened the trunk and Magnus stilled at the site. 

 

The vehicle was outfitted for Valentine’s kidnappings. There was a large cage in the back and various instruments they may need to pull an unwilling victim off the street. The agent grabbed a length of rope and twisted Magnus’ hands behind his back, securing them before he had a chance to react. When he realized he’d been further bound, he started to struggle, only to be slapped across the face hard enough that he dropped to his knees in the gravel lot. “Stay still, mutt, or I’ll go back inside and finish the job on Lightwood. A bullet between the eyes would suffice, don’t you think?”

 

The picture of Alec with a hole in his head, bleeding out even more on the floor of the sugar factory terrified Magnus and it was only with that image in his head, did he comply. A gag was added, preventing him from making a sound, and he had to be thankful for small miracles. It could have been worse — it could have been a muzzle. Magnus remained still, trembling under the other man’s hands, wondering what was going on inside. Had Alec been shot? Did reinforcements arrive? Was his partner able to take down Valentine? He couldn’t risk Hodge going back in and staying true to his word. For now, he had to play the game and hope for the best.

 

With the gag fastened around his mouth, Hodge’s attention turned back to the collar around his throat. “Someone should have brought you to heel ages ago,” the agent spat as he grabbed a leash from the back and clipped it to the o-ring of his collar. Magnus’ wolf was screaming at him to run and fight back — he couldn’t allow himself to be captured again — but he ignored it. If he wanted Alec to survive, he couldn’t follow his instincts.

 

There was a movement from the door they’d exited and Magnus looked up, hoping to see Jace, Isabelle, or even Alec himself. Instead, it was Valentine, limping toward them with a hand trying to put pressure on a bleeding wound on his stomach. “The brat shot me and ruined the spell,” the man growled. “You should have finished him when you had a chance. Your care for the boy makes you weak.”

 

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Hodge replied, showing weakness in the face of the man truly calling the shots. “It won’t happen again.”

 

“No, make sure it doesn’t, or I’ll end you myself.” It was then Valentine turned his attention to Magnus, kneeling bound by Hodge’s side. “And just what is this thing doing here?”

 

“We tried to take him before but they thwarted our attempt. We’ve, I’ve, been given a second opportunity to bring him in. You wanted to test the serum, now you have one to test it on and if the serum works, you’ll have a fully obedient and controllable monster by your side. Could that really hurt?”

 

Valentine seemed to consider that for a moment before commotion from the front of the factory caught their attention. “That would be their backup, likely Lightwood’s siblings. He’s too smart to come alone even if he did respond foolishly in the moment,” Hodge explained.

 

Valentine swore, casting one more glance in Magnus’ direction before limping toward the front of the vehicle. “Get him inside, our time is up. We need to get out of here before they come exploring.”

 

Knowing that help was so close made Magnus’ heart start pounding with anticipation. Any moment, Jace or Isabelle would burst through the door and put a bullet in Hodge and Valentine. Any moment now he would be free…

 

There was a blinding pain in his stomach and the smell of burning flesh wafted toward his nose. Magnus fell to his side. His eyes blurred as he glanced upwards toward his kidnapper. Hodge was holding a cattle prod in one hand as he stared down at the wolf with a look of utter disgust on his face. “We can’t have you calling out for help. Even with the gag, I’m sure you’d find a way. You're like a bad itch that just doesn’t seem to go away no matter what you do to it.”

 

Magnus watched as the man opened the cage and set the cattle prod back on the hook before reaching down and manhandling Magnus into the vehicle. The leash was pulled through the slats and secured on the outside of the cage, tied short enough that no matter what position Magnus tried to put himself in, he was forced to keep his head up lest he choke himself. The door was shut and a lock was added, just in case, he figured, he managed to get his hands free of the ropes and tried to let himself out. “We’ve got a drive ahead of us so I’d settle in if I were you. In a few hours and we’ll be in your new home. You won’t get five-star treatment there like you are getting here. Consider this the last luxury you’ll ever have.”

                                                                                                                                        

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The trip was long and each minute that ticked by did nothing for Magnus’ growing anxiety. Despite his restraints and prone position, Magnus was able to watch the scenery change outside the window. They’d long since left New York City and at this point, he wasn’t even sure they were in the same state when they finally pulled off on a long gravel drive that seemingly went on for ages with no end in sight. 

 

Eventually, however, a farmhouse came into view and the bottom of Magnus’ stomach dropped. He could only imagine what was in store for him in such a remote location. The car came to a stop and Valentine and Hodge got out, taking a moment to converse. While his enhanced hearing should have picked up their words, Magnus found that his heart was pounding in his ears, drowning out the muffled sound of their voices outside of the vehicle.

 

After a few minutes, Valentine left to go inside, his hand still pressed to the wound on his side, and Hodge walked around the back, opening the trunk and unlocking the cage. “I know we’re worlds away from your boyfriend but it would be in your best interest to behave. There are still members of the Circle employed at the Institute, reporting back on everything that’s happening inside. I hear Alec made it through surgery but I’d hate for him to take a turn for the worse, wouldn’t you? All it would take is one unnoticeable injection of a toxin and Alexander Lightwood would be no more.”

 

Despite his captivity, Magnus nearly breathed a sigh of relief to learn that Alec had in fact survived. Alec was okay. That’s really all that mattered. Magnus had been through this before and he could make it through again. He took a deep breath, struggling to inhale through his nose, and tried to calm himself. He just needed to bide his time. The pack would come for him, Alec would come for him. He just needed to wait.

 

Hodge’s hand hovered over the lock on the cage. “Remember. A single foot out of step and it’s over for Alec.”

 

He didn’t understand why the agent was so frightened of him when Magnus was currently so helpless. The cage was unlocked and Magnus was pulled out and to his feet. He stumbled, trying to keep his balance, knowing that Hodge wouldn’t help him if he were to fall. When it was clear he wasn’t going to faceplant, the agent grabbed the cattle prod out of the back of the SUV as a clear reminder of what would happen if he didn’t behave and gave the leash a forceful tug. “Heel.”

 

Magnus rolled his eyes but followed obediently. If he’d been able to speak, he would have told the man that the harsh order wasn’t necessary. He wasn’t a dog and didn’t fancy choking himself — he had no choice but to follow where he was led. 

 

They walked around the back of the house and their destination became instantly clear. Close to the treeline there appeared to be a row of kennels. The three on the end were destroyed — the metal warped and twisted and the ground beneath it scorched. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Valentine had tried to keep the hellhounds here but the flimsy cage hadn’t been a match for hellfire and raw power. 

 

Hodge led Magnus to the one on the very end — farthest away from the destruction wrought by the hellhounds. The door was opened and he was pulled inside. The space itself wasn’t large but Magnus knew that dogs weren’t meant to have five-star accommodations. The cage was 10 x 10 at max and made out of rusted chain link. It was clear that the metal had seen better days so it was no surprise the hellhounds had torn through it so easily. There was a nearly dilapidated dog house in the farthest corner and two empty bowls in the other. A heavy chain was staked in the back and he could tell that the length would now allow the creature on it to get too close to the kennel door. 

 

He was roughly shoved inside and dragged to the back where the chain attached to his collar and a padlock was added — preventing him from both removing the leather band and reaching the door in any attempt to escape. A harsh tug on the heavy chain brought him to his knees. “Don’t move,” Hodge ordered and Magnus held his breath, afraid of what was about to come next. 

 

Magnus held still as the other man took out a knife, wondering briefly if they’d gone through all this trouble of getting him here just to end him when he was at his weakest. Instead, the ropes around his wrist were slashed through and the gag was removed from his mouth. Magnus worked his jaw, trying to rid himself of the pain caused by having it forced open. Hodge glanced down at him with narrowed eyes. “You can scream all you want — no one will hear you. The closest neighbor is about twenty miles away. You’re on your own here. If I were you, I’d accept your fate. This is your life now.”

 

“Why?” Magnus asked, knowing that in reality the answer really didn’t matter. A madman needed no rhyme nor reason for his insanity. 

 

The agent’s face twisted into a wicked smile. “Valentine is working on bringing his tame demon into the world, but why tame one monster when you can tame them all? We’re going to show the world that only a true god can tame the beasts that are out to bring them harm. No one will stand in our way when we can order the monsters to do whatever we ask with a snap of our fingers and part of that starts with you.”

 

The way he said that sent a shiver down Magnus’ spine but Hodge continued before he could dwell much longer on that statement. “That silver solution that you were given was just the first of many serums that we’ve developed to help control your beasts. Obviously, that one will need to be tweaked since it was supposed to keep you immobile and in pain. It doesn’t look like it was strong enough since you managed some miraculous feat of escape. No matter, there will be plenty of time to make some adjustments and test them all again.”

 

Hodge’s smile only widened. If he were a wolf he’d be showing far too many teeth at this point. “We’ll have others to try as well — and when we find the perfect one that makes you blindly obedient then maybe we’ll let you off your leash if you can prove yourself useful to us. Until then, I suggest you settle in. The walls of this cage are all you’ll see until you can be brought to heel like the well-behaved mutt I know you can be.”

 

The agent turned on his heel and left, leaving Magnus alone in the kennel. Despite his inability to reach the door of the cage, another padlock was added just in case he was able to free himself from the chain. A few seconds later, Hodge disappeared inside the house and Magnus was finally well and truly alone. 

 

Crickets and frogs sounded from the woods and the occasional hoot of an owl let him know that night was about to fall. It was unlikely he’d see either Hodge or Valentine again that night. If he was lucky, he wouldn’t see them tomorrow either. 

 

Now that he had some solitude, he could finally begin to process everything that had happened over the course of the day. Their gamble of following Hodge had worked and they’d gotten to the scene of the crime right as the men were making their move. They hadn’t counted on an accident delaying the rest of the team and Alec and Magnus had been forced to go in alone. They’d known it was a stupid choice but when faced with waiting or possibly saving a woman’s life and catching a serial killer, it was ultimately the only one they could make. 

 

The fight itself happened in flashes and before Magnus knew it, the woman they’d tried to save was apparently dead, Alec was bleeding out on the floor, and there was a collar around his neck. At that moment, he assumed they’d kill him as well. He never expected that Hodge would decide to take him with them. Apparently, he was more useful to them alive.

 

His anxiety was beginning to grow again and he had to force himself to take a few deep breaths to try and steady his rapid-fire heartbeat. Panicking would do him no good right now. He needed a clear head and he needed to come up with a plan.

 

Magnus closed his eyes. In. Out.

 

Now that he was calmer, he reached out, looking for the pack bonds to try and cling to something familiar. At this distance, the bonds were thin threads that he could barely feel but if he focused hard enough, he could still feel the rest of the pack. Luke was pushing a feeling of comfort at him, likely well aware that Magnus would not be in a good place wherever he was. As the Alpha, his connection with Luke was strongest but he could still get a vague sense of Raphael’s fury, Catarina’s worry, and Ragnor’s calm but stubborn determination. 

 

A few years ago, before Magnus had a pack and friends and a family of his own, he would have assumed that this was the end for him. He would have believed that he was on his own and that if he wanted to survive he’d have to figure a way out of this situation on his own. He would have truly believed that no one would bother coming for him but now…now he knew that wasn’t the case.

 

The pack looked after each other. He didn’t have to try to convince himself that they would come for him because Magnus knew they would. There was no way that they would leave one of their own to the metaphorical wolves. They would come for him. They wouldn’t stop until they found him and brought him home. All Magnus had to do was keep himself alive and uninjured until they got here. 

 

And then there was Alec. He hadn’t known Alec very long but he knew that Alec would be coming for him as well. There was no way his partner would leave him to the mercy of Hodge and Valentine. He hadn’t known Alec long but he did know that Alec was fiercely protective of his family. He’d seen the look of sheer panic in his partner’s eyes as Hodge was dragging him away. Now that he knew that Alec had survived his gunshot wound, he knew that the other man would be trying to get to him as soon as he was back on his feet.

 

He could do this. All he needed to do was wait. 

 

When he opened his eyes, he glanced once more around his new, hopefully temporary home. The ground was bare of grass, likely due to the forest next to the kennels blocking out the sun. The first day it rained, he could tell that it would become an unbearable pit of mud he’d have to do his best to avoid. The kennel was closed in from the top as well - though there was more chain link in lieu of an actual roof. When that rain did come, his only shelter would be inside the dog house and the very thin overhang that its roof provided. 

 

Luckily, the dogs who had previously called these cages home must have been on the larger side. While the dog house would be anything but comfortable, he would, at the very least, be able to fit his body inside to stay dry. He picked himself off the ground, and leaned against the wooden side of the doghouse, figuring that the solid boards would be just slightly more comfortable on his back than the rusty metal. He was at his kidnapper’s mercy now. There was nothing he could do but wait.

 

----------

 

Alec’s infirmary room became a flurry of activity and he could only be thankful that his siblings had enough sense to ask for something semi-private. They still weren’t sure who else was involved outside of Dr. Holland and Hodge but until they eliminated the possibility of everyone, they had to keep everything within the core little group they’d built. Isabelle and Jace had dragged in a couple of extra chairs and a folding table (and Alec wasn’t even going to bother to ask where they’d even procured that) making the space a cramped but semi-functional office.

 

It was late into the evening, Alec’s phone told him, his siblings had been up for two days so he’d sent them to get a few hours of sleep. Luke had finally been given the go-ahead by Jia to sit in on Dr. Holland’s investigation so the rest of the pack had gone with him to observe. For the first time since Alec had regained consciousness, he was well and truly alone. 

 

He sighed and flipped another page in the file, the words on the page blurring together in front of his eyes when a quiet knock came from the door. When he looked up, his eyes widened. He hadn’t expected Jia to pay him a visit. 

 

“They tell me that you’ll make a full recovery but that you’ll need to take it easy or you’ll risk permanent injury to yourself,” She said as she took a seat in the vacant chair that Isabelle had left at his bedside. 

 

“That’s what they tell me too,” Alec agreed. 

 

“And, knowing you, take it easy isn’t a word in your vocabulary. I’m well aware of Lightwood stubbornness. I’ve worked with your parents for years, after all.”

 

He could hear a hint of amusement in her voice so he didn’t think she was saying it in a threatening fashion. “Magnus is still out there. I refuse to let him stay in their hands any longer than is absolutely necessary.  He’s my partner and I’m not going to let him down. Not again.”

 

Jia studied him for a moment. “He’s just a wolf, Lightwood.”

 

While those simple words made Alec’s blood boil, it was the way she said it that truly caught his attention. There was something about her tone that had him choosing his words carefully, rather than spitting out an angry response. “He’s an agent, just like I am. If one of us went missing, the Institute would nearly trip over itself to bring us back. He deserves the same courtesy. Being a wolf doesn’t mean he’s any less human. If anything, it means he’s more.”

 

The woman said nothing for a moment and Alec was bristling, thinking that he’d need to further defend Magnus’ worth to the Institute’s director when she finally spoke again. “There are many around here who wouldn’t believe that.”

 

“Then maybe they aren’t the kind of people that we want working for us,” he replied with a growl. “The Institute has always been about protecting people. We’ve just learned there is more going on in our world than we ever imagined. Werewolves, demons…we need all the help we can get. If the wolves — hell, maybe even the demons, we have no idea what the future will bring — have the same goals and philosophies that make a good agent, we should treat them no differently and we should welcome them with open arms. Look at Luke — he’s no different than he was before he chose to share his secret. He still embodies everything that makes a fantastic agent. And if there’s anything this case has taught me is that sometimes our greatest enemies are actually closer to home than you would think.”

 

“That’s a bold pronouncement, Mr. Lightwood, but I do find myself agreeing with you. Times are changing rapidly and we can only do our best to keep up with them. If the hellhounds proved anything, it’s that we still don’t know what else is out there,” she said finally, pushing herself back to her feet. “Good people are good people, despite whether or not they turn into a wolf on the full moon, and those are the types we need with us as we move into the future. When this business with Valentine is behind us, I think we have some policies and regulations to take a closer look at. Please do your best to keep yourself in one piece over these next few days.”

 

With that, she left the room and Alec was left alone once more. He blinked, trying to process the incredibly strange conversation that had just taken place. He’d been prepared to fight to change things for Magnus and the pack once they dealt with Valentine but it seemed…it seemed he wouldn’t have to. Jia agreed with him and if the Director of the Institute was on his side, then change wasn’t a question. It would happen, sooner rather than later. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Magnus’ face when he told him the good news. 

 

Magnus. 

 

Alec’s excitement was gone almost instantly. They were still no closer to finding Hodge and Valentine, and by extension Magnus, than they had been when Alec had first woken up. Despite Simon’s intelligent and expensive computer program, actually reading through the physical files that he’d been provided was proving to be more fruitful, albeit barely. 

 

He’d learned that Valentine was both a charismatic and intelligent individual, which explained how he’d so easily manipulated his fellow Academy graduates to join him in his cause. Like all Institute agents, he was subject to a yearly psychiatric evaluation and the doctor who did his noted that he was narcissistic, machiavellian, and possibly sociopathic if left unchecked. Knowing all that, Alec wasn’t surprised that he’d slipped so easily into demon summoning and ritualistic murder.

 

Another knock on his door proved to be Alec’s doctor — an older woman with gray hair and a gentle personality by the name of Dr. Mulder — with Catarina at her side. “Well, Alexander. Since you’ve proved that you won’t keel over and die at any moment and there doesn’t appear to be any complications from the surgery, I’m discharging you. Don’t think this means you're free to jump back into danger. I know you want to find that wolf of yours but your body still needs time to heal. You are to go straight home. I don’t want to hear you’re back in the field anytime soon. Catarina has kindly offered to help you get home and to keep you out of trouble.”

 

There was a mischievous glint in the werewolf’s eye that had Alec immediately suspicious. Dr. Mulder signed a few sheets of paper and handed them to Catarina before reaching into her lab coat and pulling out two pill bottles.  “These are for the pain since I’m sure he has some that he’s trying to hide. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that they need to be taken with food, not on an empty stomach.”

 

“Of course, Dr. Mulder. You can leave him in my very capable hands,” Catarina said with a smile on her face. The woman nodded and left the room, no doubt to visit other patients since Alec was sure he wasn’t the only one. “I don’t like that look on your face,” Alec said, as Catarina began to help him pack up the various files that were spread out throughout the room.

 

Luckily, his sister had stopped by his place and gotten him some clothes so he wasn’t being sent home in a hospital gown. “Nothing bad, I promise. We’re moving our base of operations to your place. Everyone else will meet us there.”

 

“And how did you draw the short straw to help me?”

 

“I volunteered, seeing as I was the one trying to keep you from dying out in an old sugar factory, let’s just say I have a vested interest in your wellbeing. Besides, we’re going to need you fighting fit to bring our boy home,” Catarina answered as she offered an arm to help Alec out of the hospital bed.

 

“I thought you were with Luke watching the interview.”

 

“I was,” she confirmed. “But he didn’t need all of us there. Ragnor went to see if there was anything that he could do to help Simon, though I give him less than an hour before he runs away to hide from all the newfangled technology in the room. Raphael was the only one who stayed behind. I think he’s wishing that he could be in the room with Luke. I figured I was far more useful as your babysitter, at least until your siblings join us.”

 

“I am an adult, you know. I don’t need a babysitter,” he argued.

 

“If I wasn’t glued to your side, I have no doubt you’d be shuffling down the hallway to grab your gear and go looking for them even though we all have no idea where they are.”

 

“I would not.”

 

“You can’t lie to a werewolf, Alec,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Now come on. I’m sure you want to get out of here as much as I do. All the antiseptic in this place burns my nose.”

 

She helped him down the hallway and out into the parking garage before a thought crossed his mind. “Wait, do you need to talk to someone before we leave? Get permission or whatever bullshit thing they have you doing?”

 

The werewolf shook her head. “Strangely enough, Jia came to find us not too long ago and told us that until we solve the case, we all have blanket permission to come and go as we please. It seems she already approved the same for Magnus but with him missing, she figured we would need to fill in.” She paused, cocking her head slightly to the side. “I don’t suppose you have something to do with that?”

 

“Yes,” Alec replied quickly but he shook his head at the same time. “No…I don’t know. I did get permission for Magnus to leave. I think the entire permission thing is ridiculous and I didn’t want our investigation to get held up because of bureaucratic nonsense but I’m not sure if I had anything to do with Jia’s overall decision. She was in the room right before you and it seems she agrees with me that things need to change. I believe there’s going to be some regulation changes after we lay this thing with Valentine to bed.”

 

It seemed that somehow Alec’s Discovery made it back to the garage — no doubt at the hands of his brother or sister — and it was that, rather than his Charger that he went for. He moved toward the driver’s seat but Catarina stopped him. “Na uh, Dr. Mulder said take it easy. You’ll be the passenger, I’ll drive.”

 

Alec wanted to protest but the expression on her face told him that she wouldn’t be hearing any of it and he handed over the keys.

 

“Thank you,” she said, as she opened the passenger door and helped him inside before climbing in herself. “You’ll have to direct me, Alec. Unlike Luke and Magnus, I have absolutely no idea where you live.”

 

Alec gave her turn-by-turn directions to his place and they made small talk while she drove. When they finally pulled into the parking garage underneath the building, Alec found himself relieved. He did enjoy Cat’s company but he hadn’t realized how nice it would be to be home. 

 

The elevator was thankfully but unsurprisingly empty. This particular elevator only serviced the higher floors and there were only a handful of people besides himself who lived up here. When he unlocked his front door and let them in, Catarina whistled. “Phew — look at that view. I can’t imagine what a place like this costs. I find it hard to believe that the Institute pays you that well.”

 

“It was my grandfather’s place,” Alec replied as he shuffled inside. “He bought it back in the twenties and it’s been in the family ever since. He left it to my uncle, who left it to me.”

 

“Your grandfather had good taste. Look at that view.”

 

Alec found himself smiling. “There wouldn’t have been a view when he bought it. If he only knew what it would turn out to be…” A wave of pain shot through his body and he stumbled. 

 

“Fuck, Alec, sit down. You’re supposed to be taking it easy,” Catarina ordered, grabbing one of his arms to stabilize him and lead him to the couch. “The others will be here shortly but in the meantime, just tell me what you need. I’m here to help you.”

 

As Alec collapsed into the couch, a memory flitted through his mind of the last family game night and something Simon had said. Alec hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time but maybe he should have. “Fuck,” he muttered, his head falling to his hands. “Fuck.”

 

“Everything alright, Alec? Do you need some of the pain meds Dr. Mulder prescribed?”

 

“No,” Alec replied bitterly. “But Simon was right and he’s never going to let me hear the end of it. In the closet in my bedroom, there’s a wooden box. Can you bring that to me?” He asked, waving a hand in the vague direction of his bedroom. 

 

The werewolf disappeared from sight only to return a few moments later carrying the requested box. She set it in front of him with a thud. “What do you have in there? A ton of rocks?” Alec snorted but opened the box and Catarina peered inside. “Well, I can’t say I honestly expected it to be a literal box of rocks.”

 

“They might be rocks now but they won’t be when I’m through with them,” Alec said, rummaging around in the box for the handful of already completed points that had yet to be connected to a shaft and setting them to the side before sorting through the various components that went into his handmade arrows and piling them together by type.

 

Catarina took one he set on the table and turned it over in her palm. “What are you, Robin Hood?”

 

“Please, do I look like a cartoon fox to you?” Alec replied with a roll of his eyes. “When Magnus first told me his theory about the demons and I shared it with my siblings it was during our family game night. Simon mentioned that you wouldn’t be able to kill a demon with something as mundane as a handgun. I thought he was just being Simon but I think he has a point. I tried to shoot that thing Valentine was trying to summon twice and the bullets did nothing.”

 

“And you think a paleolithic stick and string will be more successful?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe, but it’s more about the arrows I think. You know how there are all sorts of superstitions around plants and trees and stuff? Hell, the Victorians had an entire language for flowers. An arrow has three parts — fletching, head, and shaft. What if we found what feathers and wood and stone was best for warding off evil and just sort of…bound them all together?”

 

“You really think that will work, Lightwood?” She asked though she didn’t sound entirely convinced of the fact. 

 

“No idea but I mean…it couldn’t hurt? Valentine was nearly successful in bringing that demon through from the hell dimension it came from. I’d rather be safe than sorry. We know bullets don’t work and what are we really out just trying something different?”

 

“Alright,” she said after a moment, like she’d just resigned herself to helping with Alec’s hair-brained idea. “What do you want me to help with?”

 

He nodded his head toward the kitchen. “My computer is on the table over there. Do you want to get it and we can start figuring out if we’ve got anything in this box that might be worth a damn when up against a demon?”

 

----------

 

Two hours later with Catarina’s help, Alec had a small pile of various materials that according to the beliefs around them may actually do something against a demon. He’d learned that jasper was said to ward off evil and that the wood from a Rowan tree was both a symbol of protection and was supposed to repel evil and maliciousness. The feathers, however, proved more difficult but eventually, it was Catarina who stumbled on the tidbit that the dove was the one bird into which the devil could not transform. Alec figured that it was sacred enough to keep the devil himself at bay, it would work on a Greater Demon as well. 

 

“Why do you have all these materials?” Catarina asked as she watched him wrap some sinew around the shaft of the arrow to hold the head in place. “Surely there’s not that much need for handmade arrows in this day and age.”

 

“There’s not,” Alec answered, focusing on keeping his hand steady as he worked. “I taught myself a while back. At first, it was just a way to keep my hands busy. I don’t like to be idle and I don’t really have any hobbies. I couldn’t spend all day at the range no matter how badly I wanted to. Eventually, I realized that the repetitiveness of the knapping and assembly was a good way to keep my brain occupied when something was bothering me. Then I ended up with dozens of arrows so I started giving them to people as gifts. When those were gone, I started making them custom for special occasions. Jace and Isabelle each got one made from Onyx and Purpleheart when they graduated from the Academy, for example. So I’ve just started collecting things — woods and stones that are unique, feathers that you wouldn’t typically see. Anything I could possibly use in the future.”

 

“Well, your hoarding tendencies and your unique hobby really may be the key to destroying a demon,” she mused as the front door opened and the rest of their little group strolled inside. 

 

“I wanted to knock,” Luke started, trying to defend himself even though Alec hadn’t accused him of anything. “But Isabelle said she had a key.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Alec replied. “That’s pretty much par for the course for either of them. At least I’m home this time. Jace likes to stop by and eat me out of house and home when I’m not around and he’s in the area and feeling peckish.”

 

“I do not,” Jace protested weakly, though he was making his way toward the kitchen as he spoke and Alec was never more grateful that he’d hid the last of the Girl Scout cookies after family game night. He knew that they would be the first thing he’d go for if they were left out and Alec refused to share.

 

“You do,” Alec answered. “Don’t try to deny it either.”

 

“Catarina, I thought you were going to keep him out of trouble,” Isabelle said, her eyes trailing over the absolute mess Alec had created on his coffee table.

 

“If he’s anything like Magnus, trouble will find him one way or the other. Besides, he made a very convincing argument as to why he’s doing what he’s doing. Apparently, Simon mentioned not being able to kill a demon with bullets and he figures our favorite geeky technician has a point.”

 

Isabelle’s face twisted into a grin and Alec groaned, knowing his sister well enough to already know what was coming next. “Simon was right, was he? Oh, he’ll be thrilled to hear that. It’ll just make his day. In fact, I think I’ll text him now.”

 

“I didn’t realize you were an archer,” Luke said, thankfully saving Alec from further embarrassment at his siblings' hands.

 

“Yeah, you should see him in action,” Jace replied with his mouth full as he returned from the kitchen with a box of Honey Nut Cheerios in his hand. “He competed all the time when we were kids and nearly went to the Olympics but our parents went crazy and pushed him too hard so he quit. Well, not really quit quit but pulled himself from the running and stopped shooting for a while. He wanted to do it on his own terms, not theirs.”

 

“And the arrows?” The Alpha asked as he picked a finished one up off the table and inspected Alec’s work.

 

“Rowan wood, jasper, and dove feathers,” Alec said before launching into an explanation of the research he and Catarina had done before the others arrived. “I’m sure there’s more we could do but we really didn’t know where to start. How did the interrogation go? Dr. Holland give us anything worthwhile?”

 

Raphael snorted softly. “He squealed like a pig as soon as he got a glimpse of Luke’s wolf. Piercing green eyes and a hint of a snarl was all it took.”

 

Luke grinned slightly, not even trying to deny it. “Apparently the demon summoning was all Hodge and Valentine. Dr. Holland was brought on board just to make a serum that would make wolves obedient and controllable. The serum that Magnus was dosed with was supposed to make him immobile. They wanted to bring him in to test Dr. Holland’s work and figured he would be the easiest target since he was the youngest. Hodge hired the hunters — none of them counted on you but they have no idea you’re the reason Magnus got away.”

 

“Good,” Isabelle said as she relaxed into one of the armchairs and propped her feet up on the table. “Let’s all hope it stays that way too.”

 

“Did he give you any indication that he knows where Magnus might be?” Alec asked hopefully despite knowing that if Luke had any idea where his partner was, they wouldn’t be sitting around Alec’s living room.

 

“Yes and no,” the werewolf said with a sigh. “He knows that Valentine has a property — some old farm up north — but he doesn’t know where it is. Oddly enough, if they’d been able to successfully take Magnus into custody, he would have been called out to do the testing. You turning around and coming back was both a blessing and a curse.”

 

Alec rubbed his temples, feeling a migraine starting to form. “There has to be something we’re missing. Valentine can’t just disappear into thin air. There has to be a trail somewhere.”

 

“We’ll find it, son, I promise. Dr. Holland did confirm the involvement of a few others. Jia’s recalling Nicodemus Proudfoot from active duty as we speak. Apparently, he’s responsible for Stephen Herondale’s death — it wasn’t an accident in the line of duty as we previously thought. Stephen discovered some of Valentine’s true plans and Nicodemus murdered him to keep him quiet.”

 

“Look, let’s spread out everything we have and add in everything new we’ve learned. Maybe something will stand out to us now in a way that it didn’t before,” Catarina said, trying to push Alec’s arrow materials to the side to give them some table space to work. 

 

“Alright,” he finally agreed. “Let’s get to work.”