“This is about Ku’Sox, isn’t it,” I said, more of a statement than a question. He made a sighing groan, and I knew it was. “Then you’ve met,” he said, his thoughts clearly on the day-walking demon. “Funny, you don’t look dead.” His hand touched my chin, shifting it so he could see where I’d been pixed, the blisters itchy and red. “I’m surprised you survived the little designer dump. I nearly didn’t.”

“It’s me,” he said, and cleared his throat. “I could understand if you didn’t believe me, but I swear on the Angel, Iz, it’s me.” Alec said nothing, but his grip on Jace’s hand tightened. “You don’t need to swear,” he said, and with his free hand touched the parabatai rune near his collarbone. “I know. I can feel it. I don’t feel like I’m missing a part of me anymore.”“I felt it too.” Jace took a ragged breath. “Something missing. I felt it, even with Sebastian, but I didn’t know what it was I was missing. But it was you. My parabatai.”

“She smiled at him. “How did you know just what I’d want to see?”“How could I not?” he said. “When I think of you, and you are not there, I see you in my mind’s eye always with a book in your hand.” He looked away from her as he said it, but not before she caught the slight flush on his cheekbones. He was so pale, he could never hide even the least blush, she thought — and was surprised how affectionate the thought was.”

“I’d been unable to stop questioning if I knew what I was doing, even just kissing, and I’d sort of sheepishly apologized for my inexperience. Lucius had drawn back, a strange look in his eyes and a half smile on his lips as he’d said, 'I don’t think I could allow another man who’d touched you to continue walking this earth. The only reason Zinn survives is the debt that I owe him.' He’d smiled a little more broadly, joking, 'Your inexperience saves lives, Antanasia.”

“Please don’t do this—don’t do this to me. If anything happened to you—”He looked at her with surprise. There was already a red stain on the white bandages that wrapped his chest, where his movements had pulled his wound open. “I…”“What?”“I’m not used to you loving me,” he said.”

“I like you too, Zack,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder, so I could look up at him. “You’ve sort of had me . . . enamored, I guess is the right word . . . since we met.”He laughed. “You were enamored with me?”I nodded. “Yeah, I was. It’s sad, but I was completely enamored with you. I blame your eyes, and your stupid guitar playing. I’m a sucker for a guy with a guitar.”“Don’t forget my kissable lips,” he said, as he kissed my neck, trailing his lips down to my collarbone. I sighed, a long, deep, satisfied sigh.”