Page 36 (1/2)

A gasp ran through the roo toward Tessa Her screah their bloodlust De Quincey wasat her, dazed and staring, as if wondering if her screaony

Will, his finger on the button of the Phosphor, hesitated His eyes met Tessa’s across the roolance As if he could read it, the look on his face changed, and he swung his hand up to point directly at Will

"The boy," he spat "Stop hiaze fro to their feet, er Will looked past the at Will with fury There was no fear on Will’s face as his gaze met the vampire’s--no hesitation, and no surprise

"I am not a boy," he said "I am Nephilim"

And he pressed the button

Tessa braced herself for a flare of white witchlight Instead there was a great whoosh of sound as the fla Sparks flew, scattering the floor with glowing e in the curtains, in the skirts of wo black sh-pitched and horrible

Tessa could no longer see Will She tried to dart forward, but Magnus--she had nearly forgotten he was there--caught her firmly by the wrist "Miss Gray, no," he said, and when she responded by pulling away harder, he added, "Miss Gray! You’re a va wood--"

As if to illustrate his point, at thatIt burst into flames With a cry she tried to rip it from her head, but as her hands caht fire as if they were made of paper instead of skin In less than a second both her ar, she raced toward the door, but the fire was faster than she was Within seconds a bonfire raged where she had stood Tessa could just see the outline of a blackened screa inside it

"Do you see what Ito make hi this way and that, trying to avoid the flao!" Tessa shrieked De Quincey had leaped into the e, apparently unconscious, only hishim to the chair "That’s nus stared at her Taking advantage of his confusion, Tessa jerked her are The roo to and fro,toward the doorway The vaet through it first; others had turned course and were streaarden

Tessa veered to avoid a fallen chair, and nearly ran headlong into the redheaded valared at her earlier She looked terrified now She plunged toward Tessa--then seemed to stumble Her mouth opened in a scream, and blood poured fro in on itself, the skin resolving into dust and raining down froray; the skin of her ar shriek the vay heap of bones and dust lying atop an eed, tore her eyes away from the remains, and saw Will He stood directly in front of her, holding a long silver knife; the blade was smeared with scarlet blood His face was bloody too, his eyes wild "What the hell are you still doing here?" he shouted at Tessa "You unbelievably stupid--"

Tessa heard the noise before Will did, a thin whining sound, like a piece of broken ray jacket--the hu at Will, a high-pitched wailing sound co from his throat, his face s a torn-off chair leg in one hand; the end of it was ragged and sharp

"Will, look out!" Tessa shouted, and Will spun He moved fast, Tessa saw, like a dark blur, and the knife in his hand was a flash of silver in the s on the ground, the blade protruding from his chest Blood welled around it, thicker and darker than va doas ashen "I thought …"

"He would have killed you if he could," Tessa said

"You know nothing of it," Will said He shook his head, once, as if clearing it of her voice, or of the sight of the boy on the ground The subjugate looked very young, his twisted face softer in death "I told you to go--"

"That’stoward the back of the room Nathaniel was still unconscious, li froht he was dead "Nathaniel In the chair"

Will’s eyes widened in astonishet a chance to finish his question At that lass filled the room The French s burst inward, and the roohting gear They were driving before theroup the vaarden As Tessa stared,in frosheep into a pen De Quincey staggered before the other vampires, his pale face smeared with black ash, his teeth bared

Tessa saw Henry aer hair Charlotte was there too, dressed like a ear, like the women pictured in Tessa’s Shadowhunter book She looked sly fierce And then there was Jely pale, and the black Marks on his skin stood out like ink on paper In the crowd she recognized Gabriel Lightwood; his father, Benedict; slinus, blue sparks flying froestured

Will exhaled, so to his face "I wasn’t sure they’d co" He tore his eyes away from his friends and looked at Tessa "Go attend to your brother," he said "That’ll get you out of the worst of it I hope"