“Alec looked horrified, as if she'd asked him to put on a tutu and execute a perfect pirouette.”

“Alec," Magnus said. He put a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder; Alec was standing still, staring angrily at the floor. "Are you okay?"Alec looked at him. "Who are you again?"Magnus gave a little gasp; he looked — for the first time Simon could remember — actually unnerved. It lasted only a moment, but it was there. "Alexander," he said."Too soon to joke about the happy memory thing, I take it," Alec said.”

“Instead of replying, Alec reached down and took Magnus's hands. Magnus let Alec pull him to his feet, a questioning look in his eyes. Before he could say anything, Alec drew him closer and kissed him. Magnus made a soft, pleased sound, and gripped the back of Alec's shirt, rucking it up, his fingers cool on Alec's spine. Alec leaned into him, pinning Magnus between the table and his own body. Not that Magnus seemed to mind.'Come on,' Alec said against Magnus's ear. 'It's late. Let's go to bed.”

“Alec looked merely irritated by this comment. "The only way you could raise enough money to hire Magnus by selling lemonade is if you put meth in it.”

“How many other people?" Alec asked. "Roughly."Magnus shook his head. "I can't count, and it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how I feel about you.""More than a hundred?" Alec asked. Magnus looked blank. "Two hundred?""I can't believe we're having this conversation now," Magnus said.”

“Why don't we talk about your love life? Clary countered."What about you and Alec?""Alec refuses to acknowledge that we have a relationship, and so I refuse to acknowledge him. He sent me a fire message asking for a favor the other day. It was addressed to 'Warlock Bane' as if I were a perfect stranger. He's still hung up on Jace,I think, though that relationship will never go anywhere. Aproblem I imagine you know nothing about...”

“Mother." Alec's voice as he interrupted his mother was firm, implacable, and notunkind. "Father. There's something I have to tell you." He smiled at them. "I'm seeing someone."Robert Lightwood looked at his son with some exasperation. "Alec," he said."This is hardly the time.""Yes, it is. This is important. You see, I'm not just seeing anyone." Wordsseemed to be pouring out of Alec in a torrent, while his parents looked on inconfusion. Isabelle and Magnus were staring at him with expressions of nearly identical astonishment. "I'm seeing a Downworlder. In fact, I'm seeing a war—"Magnus's fingers moved, quick as a flash of light, in Alec's direction. There was a faint shimmer in the air around Alec — his eyes rolled up — and he dropped to the floor, felled like a tree.”