That seems like stealing, doesn't it?" Simon pulled a cup toward him. He drew the lid back. "Ooh. Mochaccino." He looked at Magnus. "Did you pay for these?""Sure," said Magnus, while Jace and Alec snickered. "I make dollar bills magically appear in their cash register.""Really?""No." Magnus popped the lid off his own coffee. "But you can pretend I did if it makes you feel better. So, first order of business is what?
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.
You dated a vampire? A girl vampire?" (Simon)"It was a hundred and thirty years ago," (Magnus)"I haven't seen her since." (Magnus)"Why didn't you tell me?" (Alec)"Alexander, I've been alive for hundred of years. I've been with men, been with women -- with faeries and warlocks and vampires, and even a djinn or two." (Magnus) He looked sideways at Maryse, who looked mildly horrified."Too much information?" (Magnus)
You could dress it up with a sequined headband,” Magnus suggested, offering his boyfriend something blue and sparkly. “Just a thought.” “Resist the urge, Alec.” Simon was sitting on the edge of a low wall with Maia beside him, though she appeared to be deep in conversation with Aline. “You’ll look like Olivia Newton-John in Xanadu.” “There are worse things,” Magnus observed.
Jordan doesn't really care about the blood," Simon said now. "His whole thing is about me being comfortable with what I am. Get in touch with your inner vampire, blah, blah."Clary slid in next to him onto the bed and hugged a pillow. "Is your inner vampire different from your...outer vampire?""Definitely. He wants me to wear midriff-baring shirts and a fedora. I'm fighting it."Clary smiled faintly. "So your inner vampire is Magnus?
Raphael's hand tightened on the hilt of the knife. His knuckles were white. He spoke to Magnus. "I have no soul," he said. "But I made you a promise on my mother's doorstep, and she was sacred to me.""Santiago- " Sebastian began."I was a child then. I am not now." The knife fell to the floor. Raphael turned and looked at Sebastian, his wide dark eyes very clear. "I cannot," he said. "I will not. I owe him a debt from many years ago.
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...
Magnus deeply disliked people who were early to business meetings. It was just as bad as being late, since it put everyone out, and even worse, people who were early always acted terribly superior about their bad timekeeping skills. They acted as though it were morally more righteous to get up early than to stay up late, even if you got the same amount of work done in the exact same amount of time. Magnus found it to be one of the great injustices of life.
Whatever," said Ragnor. "Raphael would never date a Shadowhunter.""Of course, why would he, when you two are in looove?" Magnus asked. "'Oooh, Raphael is always so professional.' 'Oooh, Raphael brought up the most interesting points in the meeting you forgot to attend.' 'Oooh, Rapheal and I are planning a June wedding.' Besides, Raphael would never date a Shadowhunter because Raphael has a policy of never doing anything that is awesome.
Magnus stood up and went to the window. He pushed the curtain back, letting in just enough light to silhouette his hawklike profile. "Blood," he said, half to himself. "I had a dream two nights ago. I saw a city all of blood, with towers made of bone, and blood ran in the streets like water."Simon slewed his eyes over to Jace. "Is standing by the window muttering about blood something he does all the time?""No," said Jace, "sometimes he sits on the couch and does it.
Simon rolled his eyes. “It’s a good thing we know the person who’s dating Magnus Bane,” he said. “Otherwise, I get the feeling we’d all just lie around all the time wondering what the hell to do next. Or trying to raise the money to hire him by selling lemonade or something.”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.
Warlock,” he said. “I know who you are.”Magnus raised his eyebrows. “You do?”“Magnus Bane. Destroyer of the demon Marabas. Son of—”“Now,” said Magnus, quickly. “There’s no need to go into all of that.”“But there is.” The demon sounded reasonable, even amused. “If it is infernal assistance you require, why not summon your father?”Alec looked at Magnus with his mouth open.
It's Simon. He's missing.""Ah," said Magnus, delicately, "missing what, exactly?""Missing," Jace repeated, "as in gone, absent, notable for his lack of presence, disappeared.""Maybe he's gone and hidden under something," Magnus suggested. "It can't be easy getting used to being a rat, especially for someone so dim-witted in the first place.""Simon's not dim-witted," Clary protested angrily."It's true," Jace agreed. "He just looks dim-witted. Really his intelligence is quite average.
Alec flushed. "I think it's more important for you to go than me. You're Valentine's son, I'm sure you're the one the Queen really wants to see. Besides, you're charming."Jace glared at him."Maybe not at the moment," Alec amended. "But you're usually charming. And faeries are very susceptible to charm.""Plus, if you stay here, I've got the whole first season of Gilligan's Island on DVD," Magnus said."No one could turn that down," said Jace. He still wouldn't look at Clary.
They're still looking at him," she said to Magnus under her breath. "At Will, I mean.""Of course they are," said Magnus. His eyes reflected light like a cat's as they surveyed the room. "Look at him. The face of a bad angel and eyes like the night sky in Hell. He's very pretty, and vampires like that. I can't say I mind either." Magnus grinned. "Black hair and blue eyes are my favorite combination."Tessa reached up to pat Camille's pale blond curls.Magnus shrugged. "Nobody's perfect.
