i never asked to be saved [r], mortal instruments - Seren

[Yunalesca]

Having been still half asleep when she'd been talking to him she had missed his comment on her bottoms, that was until she closed her door and remembered it. She quickly pulled the door back open and glared down the hall, seeing he had already put quite the distance between them. A growling sound of discontent came from her throat before she closed the door again and made for her armoire to find something to wear. Seeing as they weren't going out yet, they were discussing the details she assumed, she pulled out a pair of black leggings and a red and white striped tunic sweater. It wasn't what she usually wore, the colors mildly bright in comparison to her preferred Shadowhunter clothing, but she had yet to do laundry. Not to mention a good amount of her clothes had become ruined ever since Eli had shown up. Was that because of him or due to the fact she had become more reckless? She had spent more time pursuing her mothers trail and threw caution to the wind several times. It all resulted in scrapes and shredded clothing. It was her own fault, but she still amounted it to being mostly Eli's fault. He had been driving her mad, had made her -feel- for him, and she had gone out to do the only thing she knew that would leave her mind free of him. It had been her form of running away from it all, before she had actually taken her bike and ran. I will protect you with my life his voice echoed in her mind as she pulled the sweater over her head then fitted a leather belt into place around her middle, her stele sliding into a small pocket that was outfitted in the leather. I can't let him do that she thought as she sat on her bed and pulled some boots on.

She left her room after brushing her teeth and combing the snags out of her hair, the blonde and black bob falling flat on her head once more. Her boots thudded softly as she tested herself in taking steps two at a time as she ascended to the greenhouse, noting nobody else was awake yet. Of course they're not, it's ungodly early she thought in her head as she turned the handle to the greenhouse and stepped through the threshold. Eli was already waiting nearby with tea kettle and fixings on a tray. She felt herself pause momentarily as she took in the scene. She could have this, every day, if she chose. She closed the door softly behind her and sighed on the inside. It wasn't something she deserved and certainly not the path she would ever see herself on. She was a loner and always would be, she'd just been a bit off track lately. He had tried making her feel a part of something when it wasn't her place in life. She had to remember this after tonight. She had to remember what her true purpose was and to not be distracted with him and his promises. she brushed it all away as she started towards him, her leather boots clicking softly on the floor as she went before she stopped in front of him. "My sleep pants are just fine. I don't know where you get off thinking..." She started, remembering what he'd said earlier, but paused mid sentence as she looked down at the tray and could smell the tea brewing as he prepared it. Her expression softened along with her stance as she realized how perfect he had made her tea. "You remembered. Nobody remembers." She said softly before she was lowering herself to take a seat across from him.

She took the teacup from him as he handed it off and felt something in her chest tug. It was the simplest of gestures and yet it seemed to mean the most to her in that moment. How had he remembered? Why had he taken the time, even? Because he cares about you came that voice again in her mind, the one she didn't recognize and wasn't sure it was even a part of her. She took a deep breath of the tea vapors before sipping the hot liquid. It sent a warmth through her almost instantly and she forgot about the voice that had cooed at her. "It's almost uncanny, creepy even, that you got the portions right." She said quietly after the sip. She brought her eyes up to him then, those familiar walls she had placed around herself coming through as transparent in her eyes while they locked to his. She wanted to play it off as though it were weird that he recalled how she liked her tea,, yet that wasn't the expression in her eyes. it was a look of gratitude and something else, something she'd never shown anyone. The moment she realized how transparent she was, she lowered her gaze and set the tea down in front of her. They weren't here to discuss tea and these possible feelings they felt for each other. This was to be about business. They hadn't talked since dinner the other night and had lost several days worth of planning when she'd left unexpectedly. She also didn't want to open that can of worms again. As pleasant as it had been to talk of simple matters and feel his hand around hers when they'd had breakfast at the diner, those moments were gone and if she were to stick around it would be best to not talk about it again.

"i think between the two of us we should be able to map out the factory. Jarek gave me a little insight into where they're keeping your brother and possibly a way of entrance. I just hope he doesn't remember the incident at all. He's not supposed to." She said the last bit out of accident and more to herself than to him. She was mildly concerned that he would remember her, remember what she'd done, and all the information she'd learned would be useless. She wasn't particularly trusting of witchcraft, especially considering their origins. But the witch had sworn and seemed eager enough to be trustworthy. She wanted her blood, badly, for some reason and Audrina felt she wouldn't risk a bad draught. As she thought about that,, the warning las went up again, reminding her something had been terribly wrong about that situation, but once more she couldn't pin point it. She shook herself from her thoughts and returned her attention to Eli as chances of discussing them or her had dissipated. This was about his brother and nothing else. "When we get close enough you can use the stone to pin point Travis' exact location. I can run your cover when you go in to retrieve him. I feel that all will be the easy part. It's convincing the alpha to release him that will be the struggle." She said softly, thinking on what they could possibly trade for Travis' life. From what Eli had said, there was nothing to trade for him. The alpha liked to inflict pain and she knew it would come down to a fight. She paused then, something coming to her mind. "We could grant him clemency. He turned a Shadowhunter against his will. That's cause for execution in some jurisdictions. He might consider that deal." She offered, though all she could think about was how he could just kill them all instead. They were going to have to be sly in their dealings. She had managed to drug the second in command. Surely she could come up with something clever against the alpha.

[Serendipity]

Eli had reached the top of the stairs in the greenhouse to find that Audrina hadn’t arrived yet. It gave him a chance to set the tray of tea, coffee and biscuits down on the top landing of the steps, in the centre so he and Audrina could sit either side of it. He looked worriedly down at her tea cup for a moment, still hoping that he’d gotten the portions right. He was sure he had, he had a good memory when he wanted to put it to use and could remember even the littlest things. Although making Audrina’s tea right seemed like such a big thing though for some strange reason; she liked her tea, preferred it over coffee and he suspected it was both calming and rejuvenating for her to drink it, and there would be nothing worse than drinking something that wasn’t made just the way you liked it. It was also his way, as subtle as he could manage, to let her know that he paid attention to things she liked and didn’t like, he noticed things that perhaps no one else did. He wondered, in that moment whilst he waited for Audrina to appear, if anyone else in the Institute knew of her fuzzy purple pajama bottoms, that seemed like something a child might wear to bed rather than a grown adult, it was endearing still.

He pulled himself out of his reverie, before his thoughts wandered too much, as he heard footsteps starting up the stairs towards him. He knew immediately who it was, and not because he was expecting her; he was becoming more aware of her presence. If he walked into a crowded room he was almost positive he’d be able to pick her out of it within moments. He knew he was getting to close, had known for a long time, but it was far too late to stop it. It was like a train that had lost the use of its brakes, out of control and picking up speed too quickly. Eli, at some point at the sound of Audrina’s arrival had picked up the tea and cradled it between his hands whilst he waited for her to appear around the other side of the spiral staircase. A smile spread across his lips as he saw her, and only grew as he saw a faint look of annoyance upon her features as though there was something she wanted to say to him. Amusement sparkled in his blue eyes as she spoke, speaking of her choice of pajamas. “I said they were nice didn’t I?” He replied although she hadn’t quite finished her sentence before she noticed the tea cup he was handing to her.

She seemed surprised that he could remember how she took her tea, he hoped pleasantly and not in an annoyed way. Her voice had softened though and with it so had her expression, his amusement dimmed to more of an affectionate look as she stated that no one remembered how she had her tea. He looked away briefly, only to pick up his own cup of coffee, and looked across at her whilst she spoke again. “I wouldn’t call it creepy. Just attention to detail and a fairly good memory.” He half chuckled as he took a sip of his drink, watching her thoughtfully over the rim and not missing the look of gratitude and something else in her smoky grey orbs. Whatever it had been, she must have realised she didn’t have her guard up and just as quickly as it had flashed in her eyes it was gone.

Eli stifled a sigh as the look left her eyes and she promptly changed the subject to their rescue mission. He would be lying if he’d said he wasn’t disappointed that all they’d been talking about lately was this mission, as selfish as it sounded, he wanted to talk about other things with her like they had been at the diner. But she was right to change the topic, it was something they needed to discus, vitally important details needed to be talked over. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about his brother and want to get him free, he did, desperately, but he knew that this time he was spending with Audrina wouldn’t be there once Travis was safe. He would have no reasons to get her alone and talk with her, any conversation they’d have would be minimal and quite possibly in front of the others which meant they couldn’t really talk. “Let’s hope he doesn’t remember,” Eli nodded.

At the mention of the stone he absently placed his hand in his pocket and curled his fingers around the item, reassuring himself that he still had it. “I’m still not sure how we’re going to achieve that.” He agreed, more to himself then for Audrina’s sake. He brought his cup to his lips and took a long slip as Audrina continued speaking. His brow quirked slightly as she offered an idea and he thought on it a moment before responding; they could try at least to convince the alpha to let Travis go with the promise of clemency, it certainly couldn’t hurt. “He may agree, he may not, but it’s a starting point and at least we would have tried to reason with him.” He set his cup aside then and shifted a little more so he was facing her almost directly.

“You’ll..ah...We will have to let Hodge know that we’re planning to go tonight,” He said, although it wasn’t what he’d started to say before quickly changing his mind. Audrina didn’t like marking herself with Runes, she’d almost died because of it in the past. She would need runes tonight, at least the minimal, but he wasn’t sure how to bring the topic up without sounding demanding about it; telling her that she needed runes would simply result in her not marking herself. “He might need to send the others out so we can gear up without them questioning where we’re going.” He explained. “And I’ll need a stele...in case mine has been destroyed by now.” He added as more of an afterthought.

[Yunalesca]

It was a foreign feeling that erupted inside her when he seemed to approve of her suggestion. It was one of elation and satisfaction, as well as a warming sensation in the pit of her stomach. It made her feel like...she supposed the term would be a school girl that was crushing on someone. She'd gotten approval from him on an idea and it made her feel good. She brushed the feelings aside quickly in favor of the issue at hand, but it still lurked in the back of her mind. So rarely did she work with others on anything and when she did, she hardly ever offered suggestions. If she did they were often sarcastic and never approved of. It was entirely new to hear someone actually giving her plan a chance. He'll kill you all, he won't accept the offer a voice warned in her head and she brushed it away as well. They had to begin somewhere and an offer was a viable solution. If the Clave did come down on them, they could at least say that they tried to reason with the alpha in a civilized manner. And this was assuming they got out alive. She honestly couldn't say what she felt was a worse prospect. Dying at the hands of a werewolf or the Clave's hammer coming down on her. She would never slay her mother if she got the Clave's attention honed in on her. It was something she had to do, there were no other options. She couldn't just let her mother continue to live a subverted life. There was a distinct difference between her mother and Travis. Both had been subverted against their wills, but Travis still had a soul, could still be human. The mother she knew was gone and thrived on the death of others. She swallowed her thoughts and brought her attention back to Eli.

She caught his stammer as she brought her tea to her lips again in an attempt to soothe away the painful thoughts of her mothers fate. Clearly he had meant to say something else, but had stopped himself and went another way. She wondered what it was. Maybe it would have offended her and that was why he had stopped. He seemed to know her better, or so he thoughts, and was gauging his words before he spoke. Thus far he hadn't slipped as he normally would and she was grateful. She wasn't sure if she was in the mood and they couldn't be fighting before they were to be going to rescue his brother. This meant she would also have to work with him, work to control her short temper. She'd given her word that she would help him and she would. She had returned to assist him and would see it through no matter how frustrated she could become with him. A man's life hung in the balance. They would have to be a cohesive unit. "Hodge..."She said after she sipped her tea and set it down once more, eyeing the biscuits he'd also brought up on the tray, wondering who'd made them and if they were edible. "He does know all, doesn't he? I suppose I can speak with him. We will need the diversion or the others will ask questions. I for one would not look forward to Alec coming along, spouting his incessant babble about my mortality." She said with a sigh, not thinking better of the statement beforehand. That was another subject she had been trying to avoid in front of Eli. Discussion of her mortality always led to discussion of her mother and now was most definitely not the time for that.

With a sigh she quickly reached for a biscuit as a distraction and broke off a small piece. She sniffed it experimentally before slowly placing it in her mouth. It seemed edible enough and she began to chew before washing it down with more tea. "You said Travis would help, right? I've no qualms about knocking him out and carrying him if it comes down to it, but having his aid would greatly help in our escape." She said as an afterthought as she managed to finish a biscuit. She had her doubts she could actually carry him despite her statement. Werewolves were heavy and she struggled at times under Eli's weight when she had to assist him. The memory of helping him at the club flashed through her mind and she felt a heat rise up her neck as she recalled how she'd gently pressed her hands to his washboard abdomen to check for injuries. She wondered anew of how much he exactly remembered of that night. He had recalled that he'd gotten in a fight over her and that he'd said something inapropriate to her in his drunken stupor, but she wondered if he remembered how they'd danced or how the Mundane had hit her. Don't bring it up a voice warned and she averted her gaze. Continually her mind was wandering away from the task at hand and to Eli, or more specifically, herself and Eli. It was getting increasingly harder to be cold toward him and to shut him out. She found she liked his touch, liked how he'd held her when she'd slept, liked how he kissed her. All of it was something she should think negatively on and she felt the opposite. His brother, remember this is for his brother her conscience whispered and she heeded it.

"Um...how are you going to mark yourself? You can't fit many runes on your arms and its hard to accurately burn your...uh...abdomen." She said, his bare chest flashing in her mind and making that heat return and causing her slight apprehension in her question. Never had she been so distracted and especially not where a man's body was concerned. She'd always shied away from human contact, but now that she'd touched him, seen him, she found she couldn't get the images out of her mind. "Jace would...question if you asked him." She said, steadily losing her voice as she said it and the heat continued to spread. She rolled up the sleeves of her sweater as thought it would help and had to avert her gaze while trying to get her breathing under control. She was better than this. She never fawned over anyone nor did she stammer or lose her voice. She didn't need to inflate his ego further, heavens knew it was steadily catching up with Jace's. She also didn't need to give him reason to think she cared about him or even mildly desired him. She felt their chemistry constantly humming in the background when they were around eachother but decidedly chose to ignore it. He was not a one woman kind of guy, she suspected, and she'd never taken anyone as her significant other. It wasn't her nature. She was alive to slay and nothing more.

[Serendipity]

Eli had wondered if he should reassure Audrina that the biscuits he'd placed on the tray for them both had come from a packet and were not homemade; he sensed her pondering if perhaps Isabelle had made them and that's where her hesitation in trying them was coming from. She decided on her own however to try one anyway without his reassurance, picking one up and breaking a small piece of it off before putting it to her mouth. It was then that Eli realised he'd been watching her closely, almost staring and his eyes had dropped to her lips. He cleared his throat lightly and returned his gaze to the black liquid in his cup, bringing it up to take a sip to distract himself of where his thoughts were starting to drift off to. The way her lips had felt on his, warm and soft; unyielding at first before they'd become accommodating to his own. Don't think about that, concentrate! He quickly scolded himself, feeling heat rise into his cheeks. Thankfully he had a little more colour to his skin then Audrina did and it would hide the redness if there were any.

"It's probably best if only one of us speaks to Hodge, if we both go to him they will know something's up. You can speak to him if you wish, or I can." Eli prompted, taking another sip from his cup. He didn't mind either way which of them went to Hodge to inform him of tonight's task, but if they both went and the others saw them or found out it would certainly cause suspicion. He smiled lightly at the mention of Alec's incessant babble, and Audrina's mortality, but he couldn't bring himself to smile fully. He didn't want to think of her mortality, knowing how she would risk it to slay her mother. It was not a subject they should be discussing and he forced himself to ignore the comment. "I wouldn't want that either, it is a rather annoying habit of his." Was all he said on the matter before the conversation turned to his brother.

He could not help the bubble of laughter that forced its way out at Audrina's next statement. She had not said the words jokingly, he knew she had said it with all seriousness. She was a lot smaller, in height and build, then both brothers and imagining her trying to lug Travis dead weight on her own with mere grit and determination was amusing even though it should not have been. "Travis will cooperate," Eli nodded, sounding more sure this time of his brothers cooperation then the last time they had spoken of it. "No need to knock him out," He assured with a small smile that faded slightly as he sensed something change in Audrina. She appeared as though she was suddenly lost in her own thoughts, something about what she'd said reminding her of another past event. He saw the traces of a flush start on her cheeks, his brows knitting together in slight bemusement of what she could possibly be thinking of. Eli couldn't come to any final conclusion of what it was she could be reminiscing on, though whatever it might be he guessed it was the reason for Audrina's next comment.

He wasn't expecting that she would be the one to bring up the topic of marking ones self before they went out tonight. He'd been about to bring up the subject before but hadn't because he knew it was a touchy subject for her. She disliked marking herself even though most runes for battle faded afterwards. However she wasn't speaking if marking herself now, she was asking how he would mark himself on his own. Eli briefly glanced towards his left forarm which was twined with swirling black runes and his right was much the same, and there even runes peaking up from the collar of his shirt and one on the side of his neck. He had no room for anymore on his arms, she was right, but the fact that she noticed suggested that maybe she had taken her time to study his body whilst he'd been unconscious and she'd clean the blood from him. Or maybe those times when he'd dared to walk around without a shirt she had been looking. Eli turned his gaze back over to the blonde, trying to keep the grin from his expression. He may have achieved more then he'd thought, if she were taking notice of which parts of his body held runes. She was struggling for the right words to come out, a little flusteredly which only made his eyes twinkle with mild amusement. "Hmm..." He pondered her question a moment before answering.

"How accurate is your mark drawing?" He questioned thoughtfully keeping any traces of mirth from his tone. If she thought he were asking the question to get a reaction out of her, hinting that she should mark him, touch him, then she would only become angered even if he suspected she'd been thinking the exact same thing. They had to be serious about this even if he did want to comment cockily on how much attention she must have been paying to certain parts of his anatomy more then others; now was not the time for that. The thought of Audrina's fingers brushing his skin as she drew marks on him sent a small spark of pleasure through his veins, heating them and making him desire her touch more then ever. "You can...mark me if you like; there'd only be one or two you'd have to do, I could manage the rest." He said, distracting himself from where his thoughts were headed.

He took a breath, "You'll need some too," Eli pointed out quickly whilst they were on this topic then he may as well come out an say what he'd been going to before he'd changed his mind. "They will fade," he added softly, to remind her that the marks she'd need would not be permenant. He would have to ask her one day why she shied away from marking herself, though he feared he already knew the answer as to why she didn't embrace her shadowhunter heritage. "Would you at least consider it?" He had yet to get an answer from her yet about the marks she would need before he was asking another question. Pushing her into or demanding she marked herself would only backfire, it had to be her decision. A month ago though he wouldn't have realised this about Audrina and would have pushed her to it, but he did know her better now...at least a little.

[Yunalesca]

Her breath caught harshly in her throat, the sound noticeable even, when he spoke. He acted as though he had to think of the question, but she knew better. She had half a mind to point out he had been waiting for her to ask that exact question so he could back her into a corner. How much had she given away when she’d asked him, she wondered. Now that she thought back on it she began to flush. She realized now exactly how it had sounded when she’d been questioning how he would mark his abdomen or even his back effectively. She had been noticing where his runes were on his body and, despite her desires to think otherwise, had admired how he looked without a shirt on. A new flush spread from her neck upward, making her cheeks turn pink as her eyes shot to his. “I’m not practiced. You wouldn’t want me marking you. I’d probably draw something that would kill you rather than help you.” She said with the faintest of voices as she felt herself losing her voice again. The thought of running her hands over his skin as she pressed her stele to him made her pulse hammer and nerves bundle in her stomach. She’d had to mark Jace once and had never felt these sort of affects. You’re attracted to Eli, that’s why a voice teased and she flushed further. It was the truth of it especially considering how she reacted to the mere thought of touching him, but it wasn’t something she liked to admit to at all.

The flush receded quite dramatically when he spoke again, saying the one thing she had feared he would come out with. If she was to properly defend herself against the werewolves she would have to do exactly as he said, but she didn’t like it. That heated expression that had entered her eyes changed to something different, bordering on a line somewhere between upset and afraid. She’d marked herself before and it wasn’t the pain she was afraid of. It was the fact she would be embracing who she was that she feared. She’d never wanted this life and it’d been forced on her. She always tried to get around battles with as few marks as possible, fully relying on her training and weapons alone. She didn’t need a rune to be quick or precise. She didn’t have a chance to erupt on him as his voice softened, urging that they would fade. “I know that.” She bit harshly as she felt herself pulling away from him. She liked being backed into this corner even less than admitting she felt something for him. Both were dangerous, though she felt this to be the worse of the two. She looked away as she felt her eyes glazing over with emotion, it coming out of her uncontrollably.

She kept her eyes averted when he spoke once more in a voice that bordered on pleading. He was concerned and he probably had every right to be. If she didn’t mark herself she very well could be a liability. Shadowhunters were blessed with angel blood, but they weren’t much of a match against Downworlders without their runes to assist them. Imagine what it would be like to be turned into one of them. It will happen if you’re not careful. They’d do it to hurt him… that foreign voice sounded in her head again causing another headache to spike at her temples. She closed her eyes for a moment and it dissipated. With a heavy sigh she felt her stance against marks and the Shadowhunter lifestyle be defeated by a simple voice. “I’ll consider it.” She said softly and kept her eyes away for another few moments to allow herself recovery before looking back at him. She didn’t want to give him any hints as to why she didn’t like to be marked. She didn’t feel it was open to discussion at this point. It was something that sat too close to her for her to be giving to him, to anyone. She’d let him suspect and guess all he wanted but she wasn’t going to confirm anything.

When she finally did bring her eyes around to him again her expression was neutral and didn’t betray any of her thoughts . “You can go to Hodge, I’ll be following your lead on this. While you’re doing that I can address your need for another stele.” She said almost abruptly and without little thought. She had three sitting in her room that weren’t being used, though the emotional attachment to them all made her keep them hidden away as special treasures. She’d never thought to let anyone else own them, use them, but there was a need and it was greater than her own pain and memories. She felt it reflecting in her eyes as she thought about it and had to lower her gaze before any more became apparent. She could part with one for him. It was something her father would want of her. Clinging to memories long since gone in favor of the life going on around you was one thing he had frowned upon. He’d fought to teach this lesson to his daughters and it seemed it was about to pay off. “I have one that should work for you. It hasn’t been in action for a long time, but I believe it’ll work with you.” She said softly as she recalled the icy blue stele of her father’s sitting at the bottom of the box alongside those of her sister and mother. Adrean’s personality was more liken to Eli’s than that of her sister or mother. That and she wasn’t quite so ready to be parting with those two pieces. Her father had been dead for longer and that had become more accepted to her, less painful.

She slowly brought her eyes up to his and almost felt she could read his mind in that moment. He was connecting dots it seemed and could probably guess where this stele would come from and possibly who it would belong to. “Don’t. You need it and it’s doing no good sitting in a box collecting dust. Stele’s are meant to be used, not stowed away like some visual treasure.” She protested quietly before he could say anything. She didn’t know where else they could get one on short notice and usually the Shadowhunter piece was handed down throughout families. Finding someone to actually make one would be extremely difficult and not something they had time for. She could part with her fathers. That chapter had closed long ago and though she may not be entirely at peace with it, it didn’t cause quite the pain other parts of her history did.

[Serendipity]

He wanted to be encouraging, tell her that whatever Runes she marked him with would be fine; they wouldn't harm him, but it would only seem that he was eager for her to be the one to mark him...to touch him. His need to be intimate with her, even in the smallest of ways, was starting show when he knew he shouldn’t be allowing it too not if he wanted her help tonight. Hodge could do it; his marks would be clean and precise after years of practice and it was the logical choice. If he insisted she do it she would know his intentions and it would only irritate her and she would pull further away from him again; he couldn’t afford -for his own sake- for her to become more distant with him. There was something about the way that she’d looked at him though when he’d suggested she could mark his skin that had him wondering if he asked her to do it she would because she wanted to touch him too. He told himself he was imagining the look, it was ridiculous to think that she could possibly want that...could she? He broke away from that thought, it was better not to think about it too much, and decided that he would put his own selfish wants aside and not ask her to mark him.

Eli hadn’t realised he’d been holding his breath that whole time whilst he waited for her response to his asking that she consider marking herself with runes tonight until he, slowly, let it out. She must have sensed his worry for her and instead of snapping at him that it wasn’t any of his business if she marked herself or not, she spoke softly telling him that she would consider it. Although it wasn’t entirely the response he’d been hoping for from her on the issue, he was glad that she was prepared to consider marking herself. She would need them and it would give him at least some peace of mind whilst they were battling the rogue Were pack that she would be alright, that she would have some protection. He smiled and nodded, accepting and respecting that it was her decision to make and he could not force her to use runes if she were truly against them. He had yet to determine why she disliked marking herself but now was not the time to delve into that conversation.

“Alright,” He nodded again as she announced that he should speak with Hodge about tonights events. His brow furrowed slightly at the mention of her addressing his need for a stele, he had assumed Hodge would be the one most likely to help him obtain one. However as she continued, explaining that she had one that should work for him, one that obviously wasn’t her own it slowly began to dawn on him that the stele she was referring to might be one of her family members. She had kept their steles, he realized, even after they were gone; it wasn’t that strange of a thing to do, a lot of shadowhunters kept the steles of their family members that had since left this earth. His breath hitched upon the realization that she would be giving him a stele that belonged to her father, who was the most likely choice out of her deceased family members, and Eli found himself shaking his head quickly, trying to find his voice to tell her he couldn’t possibly take it even if it was just to borrow for the time being.

He stopped shaking his head abruptly at her firm ‘Don’t’ as she saw the realization forming behind his eyes. He swallowed the dryness that had formed in his throat as he tried to form his own protest even as she explained that the stele was just sitting in a box collecting dust and that they were meant to be used. Audrina seemed determined that he was going to have the stele she would give him, and that she wouldn’t put up with is protests, and he was just going to have to accept it whether he liked it or not. “Okay.” He finally said and gathered his composure again. “Thank you.” He knew he should have said more, though what exactly he didn’t know, but more than just a thank you. Thank you was all he had however.

Silence followed after that, only a short amount of silence between them before Eli placed his coffee cup down on the tray between them and prepared to stand up. “I should see Hodge, he’ll want to know our plans as soon as possible.” Eli stated as he straightened. “And time to think of a plan to get the others out of the Institute,”

[Yunalesca]

She let go of the breath she’d been holding when Eli finally accepted her offer, though it wasn’t really an offer to begin with. She hadn’t left it open for discussion and had practically strong armed him into taking the stele from her, but she couldn’t see that they were left with many other options. Stele’s were difficult to make and she for one had no clue how they were indeed made. Hodge likely knew and may have even been able to assist in the matter, but she knew they didn’t have the time for it to be properly done. She would rather give him one that she knew worked than risk having a chancy one made. His life could depend on the utensil and she trusted her father’s more than one that would be made in a matter of hours. In that moment she realized she was afraid he would die or be turned tonight. It was hidden away in the deepest recesses of her mind, but it was there nonetheless. She had threatened to kill him on several occasions and yet when death seemed to be lurking around the corner she found she was terrified for him. He was standing when this realization came to pass and she hoped he missed the expression that’d crossed her face. He couldn’t know how she felt or the whole night could fall in shambles. They had to rescue his brother and she had to walk away. There was no time for her to sort out her feelings or to be professing them to him. He was already distracted enough and she didn’t want him thinking about her when they were breaking into the factory. Distractions got people killed and feelings were some of the biggest distractions known to angel and man.

When her thoughts were firmly under control she brought her eyes up to Eli, scaling his frame before she found his eyes. “Yeah.” She said simply to him as she found she almost couldn’t breathe as she sat there and the sun poked through the plants, halo-ing him in light before it faded away with a twinkle. He’s not for you she thought in her head before she felt herself breathe again. “I’ll take this back to the kitchen then get the stele. Just…meet me at my room when you’re done talking to Hodge. And make sure whatever plan he comes up with doesn’t involve Luke. Clary would be able to tell something was up if he just slipped away.” She said, though she wanted to smack herself in the forehead after it came out. He knew not to involve Luke with the distraction. She lowered her eyes and sighed heavily at herself as she felt mildly embarrassed for even saying that. Her mind was fogging up with emotions and all these thoughts of how horribly wrong this night could go. Not to mention that nagging feeling that’d been prodding at her ever since she’d drugged the Were the other day. Something’s wrong kept echoing in her head, but she ignored it. She had too many other things to be worrying about that involved life or death. A ‘feeling’ of something being wrong was not at the top of her list right now. She unfolded her legs from beneath her and placed her teacup on the tray to be transported back to the kitchen and taken care of. She could only hope nobody else was up and would see her as she made her way to the kitchen. She didn’t know what would be worse, them thinking something was up or thinking something was going on between her and Eli. They already think that a voice echoed and her brows furrowed as she rose to her full height with the tray in hand.

“I’ll see you in a bit.” She said rather lamely to him before she turned away and started for the exit with brisk steps. She had to get away from him before she said anything else that was stupid. He flustered her without even trying. This time it wasn’t even his fault, but all she knew was she had to get away from him to properly clear her head. She couldn’t be like this tonight when they would possibly be fighting for their lives. You won’t be the voice whispered and she nodded to herself as she started down the stairs toward the kitchen. A good fight always cleared her head and if she hadn’t been in such rough shape from the Werewolves attacking her she probably would have gone out and staked a few Vamps to psych herself up for tonight. She rinsed out the cups and put them in the dishwasher once she reached the kitchen, luckily having not seen anyone else about in the process. She ziplocked the remaining biscuits that they hadn’t eaten and stored them in the fridge before leaving the kitchen and going to her bedroom. Once inside she flicked the lock and stood with her back pressed against the wood for a few moments.

Taking a breath and sighing away her concerns, she pushed off the door and knelt down beside her bed to grab hold of the wooden box she hid beneath the frame. She sat on the edge of her bed and set the box down on the covers, her fingers tracing the design on the lid before she flipped the latch and set the lid back against the fabric of her comforter. The picture of her family stared back at her as she sat frozen before gaining the courage and ruffling beneath the few items to the bottom where the stele’s lay preserved. She knew each by touch, having spent hours studying them after her family had left her as though it would bring them back. The familiar etchings of her father’s stele ran under her fingers before she wrapped her hand around the cylindrical piece and pulled it out from under the objects that rested over it. The icy blue stele held her stare as it lay in her open palm, the object heavier than she remembered. Dad her heart called longingly as the fingers of her other hand ran over the runes etched into the crystal. She remembered when he’d made this one after the one his own father had given him had been destroyed in a battle. She couldn’t have been more than four when she’d watched him at his desk while he etched the runes into the crystal and gave it life. The memory was surprisingly vivid considering how old she had been when it had happened, but the few memories she had of her family were cherished and locked safely away in her mind. She took a breath and sighed again, brows furrowing as her fingers left the stele and closed the lid of the keepsake box. “I hope I know what I’m doing.” She whispered to herself and to the instrument as though it would speak back to her, assure her.

[Serendipity]

Eli watched Audrina hurry down the steps, tray in hand, his heart doing a rapid pitter-patter in his chest as his gaze followed her until she was entirely out of sight. There had been something in her smoky grey eyes just before she'd turned to leave that had set his heart beating a little too fast; he thought he saw affection in her gaze as she'd looked at him, affection mixed with fear and concern. Concern for him, he realized. What shone in her eyes reflected how he felt about the task ahead to set his brother free. Fear and concern; fear that it would all turn out horribly wrong and Travis would remain stuck there forever, and concern, almost overwhelmingly so, for Audrina's well-being and safety. He suddenly wanted to rush after her and beg her not to go with him tonight, he would convince Jace instead and make him promise not to mention anything to anyone else, swear him to secrecy. Though it was far too late to convince her to back out, they were both in this together - neck deep in it- and there was no backing out for either of them. He'd look quite pathetic pleading with her not to go at the last minute, like a silly little boy begging his mother on his first day at school not to go and leave him with strangers.

Eli sucked in a deep steadying breath, his fingers sinking into his dark hair and gripping firmly as he closed his eyes a moment, telling himself to get a grip before he slowly exhaled. His hands dropped to his sides as he made his way down the steps finally and out of the greenhouse altogether. Enough time had passed between Audrina's departure and his own to ensure he wouldn't run into her. He couldn't get distracted again by seeing her, he would see her later, and needed to find Hodge to tell him of their plans that would unfold at sunset. It was still early enough, although from the windows he walked by the sun was fully in the sky, that the others weren't up yet but he guessed it wouldn't be too long before Jace was up and searching for him so they could train like they had the past few mornings. Eli debated whether he should still participate in training with Jace this morning, pretend everything was normal, then decided he was far too distracted to train with the younger shadowhunter. He would have to come up with a good enough excuse to get out of it, but he could worry about that later. He was now outside Hodges study and knocking on the door. At first there was no answer and he thought perhaps the man was still asleep, which meant he'd have to come back later, but the door opened as he was about to turn and leave. He expected to see Hodge, but it was Jace, smirking at him, who met him on the otherside of the door.

"Your up early." Eli found himself blurting in surprise at the sight of the younger male. He was met with a shrug and more smirking before Jace announced, "I'm always up early, but I'm surprised to see you up; usually I'm pounding on your door to get you up for training." There was a silent question in Jace's words, Eli knew he wanted to know why he was up early and coming to see Hodge, though he could ask Jace the same thing. Instead he only shrugged as Jace had done and stepped aside so the boy could step through the doorway. "I take it if your here to see Hodge so early then you won't be training this morning?" Jace prodded and raised a brow. Eli had started to say something when Hodge appeared behind Jace and gently nudged the boy out of the way.

"It is rude to stand in a doorway, blocking someone's entrance. Move along Jace. Elijah wishes to speak with me and you've had your turn." The older shadowhunter said with more affection then annoyance at the blonde. Jace's brows furrowed as he looked at Eli then turned to look at Hodge, he held the others gaze firmly for a moment before he heaved a sigh and moved out of the way. "Fine, fine! I'll drag Alec out of bed for training then, maybe if I throw a bucket of icy water on him he'll actually get up this time." Jace was saying, mostly to himself, as he departed down the corridor. Eli simply chuckled and shook his head slightly walking into Hodge's study as the man gestured for him to come in. "I think I might actually feel sorry for Alec if he does."

Hodge smiled and gave a small chuckle of his own closing the door once Eli was through. He gestured for Eli to take a seat, indicating the plush leather armchairs in front of his desk, and went around to the other side to sit in his own chair. This time, unlike the last time when he'd remained standing, Eli sunk into one of the armchairs, leaning right back into it as he looked across at the director of the Institute who was leaning forwards and folding his hands together on top of his desk. "I believe I might know why you're here to speak with me so early this morning. It is time to infiltrate the rogue pack and free your brother." It wasn't a question but a statement; it was clear that Hodge didn't miss a beat with the happenings of the Institute he ran. "It is..." Eli nodded and paused, staring across at the man for more then a few seconds before he started again and informed the other as best he could of the details of their plans to rescue Travis. Hodge listened intently, not once did he interrupt Eli as he spoke, ocassionally nodding to show he understood what was being said. Only when it appeared that Eli had finished did he say anything. "I appreciate being kept informed and I can be on standby here at the Institute ready for when you bring Travis in." Eli was aware that Hodge couldn't leave the Institute for whatever reasons so his offer to remain here and be on hand with anything they might need once Travis was brought in Who knew what injuries they all might sustain tonight, he hoped fir minimal but there was no way to be sure. Having Hodge ready immediately with whatever medical help they might need was reassuring.

"There is an issue with you not having a stele, however. I might have time to obtain one for you-" Hodge had continued before Eli quickly interrupted him, a little flushed and breathlessly. "I have one. I-I mean I'm borrowing one, from Audrina." The look Hodge gave him, curious and intensely thoughtful, had Eli flushing further. Hodge knew, more then any one, of what he felt for the sassy blonde shadowhunter he shouldn't be embarrassed or flustered by it but it couldn't be helped especially since Hodge would be aware that Audrina would be giving him one her family's steles which were not something you could give away to just anyone. "I see. Well I would never have expected that." Hodge responded lightly and Eli could see him storing this bit of information away for later recollection. Eli cleared his throat and promptly changed the subject. "We do need your help with one thing...the others, if we are to prepare for tonight without being questioned of where we are going, can't be here. Is there anyway you can distract them, get them out of the institute this afternoon and keep them away long enough until we are gone?" Eli asked and was pleased to see Hodge nod straight away. "Certainly, there is something I have been meaning to get them to investigate and now seems like as good a time as any."

"Thank you," Eli had began to rise from his seat, all he'd needed to discuss with Hodge had been discussed and he had told Audrina he would meet her back at her room soon. Hodge quickly lifted a hand to get him to stop and Eli sat back down wondering what else Hidge might want to talk over with him. He didn't have to wait long to find out, Hodge got straight to the point and ignored Eli's shocked, angry, expression halfway through. "Magnus can help you, in fact I have already sent word to him that you two might be stopping by soon. He owes Audrina for foolishly listening to Alec and trying to wipe her memories. He is remorseful and I believe he and Alec have had a rather heated discussion over it." Hodge explained, taking a quick breath before he continued and before Eli could interrupt. "He assured me he would have something prepared for you by now that will help with rescuing Travis, no charge if course so don't worry about that. Though I am not sure what it might be exactly, it'll be a good idea to pay him a quick visit on your way to meet up with Luke." Hodge finished firmly and Eli had a feeling that arguing with him over this matter would be pointless. "In fact, I demand that you do so, no arguments." Eli was correct in his thinking, he realized and sighed softly before he nodded and Hodge waved him away. "I'll see you this afternoon once I get the others out of the Institute."

Eli nodded once more and this time managed to stand fully before he turned away from Hodge's desk and exited the room. Once he was out in the corridor he started immediately for Audrina's room, not noticing the glint of a gold head ducking out of view in one of the Institutes many alcoves as he hurried by. Audrina's door was closed when he reached her room, but then she never left it open, liking her privacy too much, and he knocked lightly waiting for her to open it. He wasn't looking forward to telling her that Hodge had ordered them to seek out Magnus Bane, who wasn't either of their favorite person right now, who would assist them with Travis's rescue. He also still didn't know how he felt about taking Audrina's fathers stele from her, although she had strong armed him into accepting it. It would be precious to her, a part of her father, all she had left of him apart from his memory. Eli knew what that was like, he had a trunk full of his mothers and fathers things in his room back at the London Institute he couldn't part with. It had been difficult for him to pass on his fathers stele to his brother, he hadn't been able to bare keeping it for himself and had had another made for his own use. His fathers favorite long sword also sat in that trunk, along with a dagger of his mothers and her stele.

He blinked out if his reverie as the door open, hoping Audrina wouldn't see the dazed look on his face as he'd recollected the things he had of his parents waiting for him back in London or that the thought of going back to London was an upsetting one.

[Yunalesca]

”Why are you putting A.D.?” The young girl asked as she peered over her father’s desk and watched him put the last of the runes into his stele before turning it over one last time to etch two letters into the base of the instrument. Her father looked up then with one of his smiles before he beckoned her to sit on his lap. She stealthily moved around the corner of the desk and into her father’s hands that lifted her on his knees. With his arms around her he showed her the stele, the instrument already taking on a blue glow as it filled with the soul of its user. She looked up at him in question before turning her attention back to the stele, the color fading to an icy blue and staying that way.

“It’s my initials. Adrean,” He pointed to the ‘A’. “DuPaige.” He then pointed to the ‘D’ and the girl smiled, understanding now. “It could go to you some day, Audrina.” He said after a moment and she turned her small head to look at him again with her brows scrunched slightly before a tiny laugh escaped her. “But I’m a girl.” She stated firmly, not feeling she could live up to her father’s expectations if he gave her his stele. She didn’t know very much about Shadowhunters or how women had only been accepted into warrior ranks recently, but she was aware of norms based on someone’s sex. A man’s stele couldn’t be transferred to a girl, surely it wouldn’t work in the hands of the opposite sex. Her father’s quiet laugh stopped her train of thought, however, before his face turned more serious. She recognized this face, it was how he looked when he was about to say something important or she was about to get a scolding. He adjusted her on his lap so she could look at him better as he placed the stele in her hand.

“You are a girl, but you can do anything, Audrina. Nobody can tell you otherwise. If you want to be just as capable as any man, you will be. Remember that.” He said and tucked a lock of long hair behind her ear as she looked down at the instrument in her hand. Her father’s fingers gently wrapped around the stele then and removed it from her palm before setting her back down on the floor. “Now run along and see if your mother needs help with Aurelie.” He said and sent her off running.

She was pulled from her memory by the rap of knuckles on her door. Her intake of breath was sharp in her ear as she didn’t even remember slipping into the memory. She felt a stinging in her hand and looked down to see she’d wrapped her fingers around the instrument tightly, enough so that the corners bit into her hand. She released her hold before stepping up to her door and flicking the lock before opening it to Eli who stood on the other side. Having been dazed slightly herself she didn’t notice his expression until she’d effectively recovered from her thoughts, her face a clean slate devoid of emotion. “Eli,” She said softly as though she were surprised to see him even when she knew he was coming to her to get the stele. She glanced behind him to see nobody else in the hall, much to her relief. “You should come in so nobody sees anything.” She added before stepping aside and letting him come in before she closed the door firmly behind him, flipping the lock once more in case someone chose to barge in. Nobody had ever done it, but then again Jace had come in the middle of the night to silence her night terrors. The memory made her cheeks flush as she turned her back to the door and looked to Eli.

The last time he’d been in here they’d cuddled on her bed and she couldn’t say she hated it. Her eyes flicked to her bed then quickly back to him in dismissal of the memory. It’d been a one time thing that neither of them could afford to repeat. Hearts would be broken if they even remotely began going back down that road. She took a breath and released it before extending her hand to him, her father’s stele glowing in her palm. “It was my dad’s, but you can keep it if yours is gone. I don’t need it anymore.” She explained rather quickly as the memory flashed through her mind again. It was all she had left of him, everything else was still untouched in her abandoned home in France. She didn’t foresee ever returning to that place for anything. She wouldn’t be surprised if her blood was still stained across the kitchen floor to this day. After her sister’s death she hadn’t taken much time in gathering things and fleeing. She averted her gaze at the thought before wiping that memory away as well. That’d been a long time ago. She forced her eyes back to Eli after regaining control, seeing underlying thoughts flash through his eyes before he too recovered. She wished they could just talk about it like they had at the diner, but that wasn’t what would happen. Ever. Some part of her knew there wasn’t much time left and it was cruel to bond with him before she was lost forever. It was better this way.

The thing was that she wasn’t entirely convinced of that as she stood alone with him in her room, it all feeling a lot more intimate than it maybe should have. It was because he’d been in here before to comfort her and hold her against him as she slept. She remembered how she’d molded herself to him and let him envelop her with his scent. Stop her mind called and she had to take another deep breath. It’d be entirely too easy to do it all again right then, but she managed to restrain herself. She didn’t need him and had to remember that she was as her father had said, capable of anything. “Eli,” she started, breathing almost painful to her. “Tonight the main focus has to be your brother. We have to forget everything else or it’s never going to work. You can’t be worried about my safety and free your brother. I’ll have your back the whole way, but the ultimate goal is getting him out of there…at any cost.” She ended, feeling the cracks streaking through her heart as she said it so coldly, managing to separate herself from her emotions. It had to be said and he had to believe that –she- believed every word. Her cold exterior was the one thing that always kept people at bay and she was steadily marching it back into place to provide a convincing guise when in reality everything inside her was breaking.

[Serendipity]

He always liked the way she said his name, whether it was jest or scolding, surprise or annoyance; and even once he recalled how it had sounded coming from her with a hint of affection behind it. Whenever she spoke his name, however she spoke it, he felt strangely elated by the sound, the way her lips formed to speak the word, his name. Eli’s tongue flicked out quickly over his dry lips before he smiled, pushing thoughts of his possible return to London out of his mind. As she told him he should come inside so no one would see them talking and form suspicious thoughts he glanced quickly left to right, making sure no one was in the corridor but him, and stepped through the door into Audrina’s room. It wasn’t the first time he’d been in this room, although it was the first time that he had actually been invited in. He moved to the side by the door, but didn’t proceed further into her room as his gaze caught sight of her bed and halted his steps. The memory of lying in the bed, with Audrina curled into his chest, flashed across his mind; and then another memory of her looking up at him dreamily whispering that she’d liked the kiss they’d shared in the training room before her lips had met with his and they were kissing again.

He tore his gaze away from the bed before he lost himself in those memories and turned to face Audrina who was just flicking the lock in place on her door and turned, her gaze catching his a moment before travelling across the room to the bed as though she had guessed his thoughts. But she didn’t recall the second kiss they’d shared on that very bed, she had thought she was dreaming and Eli still hadn’t told her that she hadn’t been. Now it seemed far too late to mention the kiss, he had kept it to himself for such a long time it had become his, his memory to recall, to treasure. He didn’t want it ruined by the anger and coldness he’d see in her eyes if he did tell her about it. He wanted to remember her as she had been, free of the darkness she carried around within her and happy; happy to be in his arms, happy to be kissing him.

He drew in a shaky breath, not sure if it was from the memory of that kiss or from the stele, that had belonged to her father, she was holding out for him. His gaze had dropped to the cylindrical object glowing in her hand before quickly looking back to her face as she explained that he could keep it if his own was truly gone. As he reached out to take it from her, her eyes became glassy with memory and he hesitated before picking it up carefully from her palm; he didn’t want to take this from her, but she would insist he did until she was blue in the face. Gently he held it in his own hands, carefully twisting it around to get a good look at it, feeling its weight, appreciating where it had come from and whose it had been. He tilted it so the base of the stele was facing him, his thumb lightly tracing the initials carved into it, A.D. He realised then, that he didn’t even know her father's first name, or even her mothers, but he had been told by Hodge her sister’s name had been Aurielle. “Thank you,” He choked and cleared his throat, a rush of emotions came with the knowledge that she was giving him a part of herself, a part of her family; he wondered if she knew that she was, and wanted to ask but thought better of it.

Eli lifted his blue eyes up to her smoky grey ones as she said his name, a hint of pain behind it that had him frowning a little. He still held her father’s stele in his hands, carefully, tenderly as though it were a piece of fine china and would shatter into a million tiny pieces if he held onto it too firmly. His grip tightened on it however as a string of words he had heard before followed after his name and he felt the corners of the stele bite harshly into his skin. He ignored the sting, the bite of pain from clutching it too hard almost welcome, pleasant even, compared to what Audrina was saying. She was doing it again, making out that her life compared to Travis’s was insignificant to him; but both were equally important and he wished she could see that. He was silent whilst she spoke and even afterwards, his dropping from hers to the stele gripped tightly in his hand before he tucked it away in his back pocket. He wasn’t quite sure what came over him as he looked up at her once more, maybe it was this room and the memories with her in his arms, or maybe it was the gift of her fathers stele, but whatever it was it had him slowly stepping towards her.

His movements were fast but not threatening as, against his better judgement, he came to stand directly in front of her, his hands lifting to cup either side of her face gently. He saw the flash of confusion and hesitancy in her grey orbs, saw her fighting with herself to step back from him, to slap his hands away but there was also something else keeping her in place. Her expression still remained cold, cold as she had made her words sound, cold because it was her weapon of choice when it came to pushing him away. But this time, and even he wasn’t sure why, it hadn’t worked. His thumbs brushed against her cheeks and he tilted her head gently upward, his blue eyes locked on hers and he was completely calm on the outside even as his heart hammered harder than ever inside his chest. “I know you want that, for me to not worry about you, to focus solely on my brother and getting him out...” He whispered with a shake of his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes as he did so but he didn’t move his hands from her face to wipe it away.

“But some costs are too great.” It was quite possible the biggest mistake he could make right now, being this close to her, whispering those words; once more refusing to let her think that she meant little to him. He guessed he had nothing to lose; if he was pushing her too much then she could run again which would mean she wouldn’t be a part of this and wouldn’t get hurt, or if today was the last day he had with her (because perhaps none of them would come out alive) then he wasn’t about to hide the fact that he cared for her or resist even the slightest intimacy he might have with her. Really, what did he have to lose? Audrina. For good. She might not ever forgive you for this, His mind tried to reason with him but he ignored it. “You are too great a cost for me.” Eli’s head lowered as he spoke, and his mouth brushed lightly over Audrina’s forehead before finding their way to her mouth. His lips were feather light on hers, he knew not to force anything onto her, even know when he was thinking he had nothing to lose. It was only a brief, delicate kiss, before he was pulling away, but it set his heart racing even faster and warmth spread through his entire body, heating his skin.

[Yunalesca]

She had dropped her eyes away from him and so didn’t notice him coming towards her until he was almost stopped right in front of her, close enough to her to reach out and touch. Her eyes slowly came back as she felt her breathing turn shallow in response to what she was feeling. Normally she would have felt threatened by his advancing on her, but his posture was the opposite of any threat and the look in his eyes made her heart skip. It was when his hands came to her face to hold her steady that her breath hitched and her lips parted slightly in surprise. He was going to ruin everything, she could feel it before it would even happen. He was going to show her that he cared about her, that she wasn’t just some girl he wanted to bring to bed for a night or two. She wanted to pull away before it happened, but found she couldn’t move. He wasn’t holding her hard enough to keep her and so she knew it was her own doing that kept her rooted to the spot. She was frozen in a state of confusion even knowing what would come from him. Why did she of all people attract his attention?

She felt herself turning warm as his thumbs rubbed gently at her cheeks before his hair was falling in his eyes again. She wanted to bring her hands up to brush it away, to delve her fingers into that silk again, but she still couldn’t move and almost felt appalled for thinking of him that way. When he spoke, however, her expression softened and her brows furrowed in a look somewhere between concern and affection. It was his final statement that made her eyes widen in shock. He’d hinted at feeling for her before, but to actually hear him say it was something else entirely. She didn’t have long to think about it as she felt his lips on her forehead before they softly came down on her own. Her eyes had begun to close under the pressure of him at her forehead, but they shot wide once more when she felt him kiss her. It was so fast she wasn’t even sure if it’d actually happened until he separated from her and was gazing at her through strands of his hair. Her chest heaved as her heart pounded, her body trying to catch its breath as a million things ran through her mind. Back away, a voice warned, but it was lost to her as her hands finally came up and gripped his hair, holding him from retreating further.

She only looked at him for a moment before she was returning his gesture and pressing her lips to his with a gentle force. Her lips moved against his, begging for his mouth to open to her, before she was kissing him with as much want as they had in the training room those days ago. She pulled herself into his body, molded to him, as she tilted her head and kissed him deeper, fingers entwining in his hair and trying not to pull too hard. As she took a breath from him she felt that voice in her mind prodding hard to remind her of what she was doing and how she shouldn't be. She broke from him then, though she stayed molded against him, her eyes slightly downcast as she began to loosen her grip on his hair. "Eli..." She started between pants for air. She swallowed the lump in her throat before she completely unthreaded her fingers from his hair and began to back away from him. She stepped into her nightstand and placed her hands behind her on the wooden stand to steady herself. She looked at him as her chest heaved while she continued to try to catch her breath. Every time she kissed him it was like this. Electric. Alive. Things she'd never felt before. Most of all she felt the danger in giving herself away to someone, risking her already broken heart in hopes that person wouldn't rip it from her chest.

"We can't do this." She breathed at last, her eyes finding his as she said it. It hurt to even think it, to actually pull away from him again, but this would only complicate things and it put them both in a sensitive position. She was quiet for a few moments after that as she gauged his reaction, seeing that same desire she'd felt in his eyes beginning to dwindle away. She shouldn't have kissed him and knew she was to blame, but after he'd pressed his lips so gently to hers she couldn't stop herself. He was dangerous in the fact of what he could do to her. Nobody else had ever had this kind of control over her and it was frightening. She wasn't even sure if he really knew what he did to her and she couldn't tell him now. Every time she came close to that brink she barely managed to pull herself back. There were a million things she wanted to say to him, but couldn't. She wanted to tell him she didn't know what she was doing, that she'd never had a relationship with anyone, that she cared about him and feared he'd get hurt because of her. Yet none of it would come out.

"It'd be best if we just forgot this happened." She said and turned her eyes away to look out her window though she wasn't seeing anything. It meant nothing was what she wanted to add, but that wouldn't come. It was a lie and she was finding she couldn't bring herself to lie to him even if it would convince him to stop. Every time they touched it meant something to her and she couldn't run from that anymore. All she could do was try to prevent it from happening anymore. She had to remember the end goal and that they were a huge liability to each other. If anyone even sensed there was something between them it would be exploited and it would bring them down.

[Serendipity]

He was prepared for her to step out of his hold, recoil at the touch of his lips on her skin and push him away when his mouth finally found hers in a chaste kiss; she did none of those things, although he felt her stiffen slightly in shock, her eyes widening surprised at his blatant display of affection. Eli’s gaze locked on Audrina’s; his blue eyes shining with emotion and searching her own for a response, waiting for her to let those walls she’d built so high around herself to come down. She knew now for certain how he felt about her; his feelings for her were real and she wasn’t merely fleeting infatuation for him. Eli of course wasn’t expecting her to fling herself into his arms and reciprocate -or more importantly allow herself to reciprocate- his feelings, but he was hoping for something; some hint that she really did have feelings for him and he hadn’t been imagining it all. Even as he got his wish, her hands lifting to slip into his hair, he was still surprised by it; he had been expecting something else entirely.

He stifled a groan as she lifted her lips to his, his eyes fluttered closed as he felt the gentle pressure of her mouth, moving against his and begging for his lips apart. In an instant, as his mouth parted for hers, the kiss had gone from something gentle and sweet to a kiss that was full of desire, heating the blood that coursed through his veins and making his chest tighten with the need to have her closer. Talk about rescuing his brother and what they would be up against tonight completely escaped his mind and all Eli could focus on was this moment. As his mouth moved against hers, he felt her press closer to him and his fingers slipped into her hair before he angled his head just the right way at the same time that she had tilted hers, their kiss deepening and he couldn’t hide his groan this time. His whole body felt like it was about to go up in flames and she’d no doubt feel the rapid beat of his heart now that she had molded her body against his own.

Eli’s control was slowly slipping away the longer the kiss lasted, it was taking everything he had to keep his hands in her hair and not let them wrap around her waist to hold her against his, to press her soft curves into the hardness of his body, to run his hands up and down the length of her spine. But he didn’t want it to end, feeling like he could stay this way with her forever, that he didn’t need air to breathe, food to eat in order to survive and he could survive off of kissing her alone. If only that were the case, but it wasn’t and soon she was pulling back to catch her breath and so did he. He saw it in her gaze before she even spoke the words, he knew what was coming and before he could catch her lips in his agains quickly in hopes of distracting her thoughts she was backing right out of his grip. Eli made to step forwards, to reach out and catch her hand and pull her back to him, but in those few seconds that they were no longer close enough to touch he gained some of his sense back and stayed put.

His chest heaved as he breathed unsteadily and gazed at the blonde who had been kissing his only moments ago. His hands lifted to run through his hair, pushing it back from his face and shook his head slightly as he heard Audrina speak. Why? He wanted to ask, no, demand, why can’t we? He kept quiet though, still trying to steady his racing heart and get air into his lungs. Even though she had just said that they couldn’t do this, be close, form a relationship, he saw the reluctance in her eyes and heard a hint of it in her voice. She was uncertain if that was truly what she wanted and he had a feeling it would be easy to close the distance between them and kiss her again. He didn’t move; as much as he wanted to be kissing her again, he knew that now was not the time for kissing, for breaking down any more of her walls; they had much bigger things to focus on, Travis was relying on them both.

His eyes widened slightly for a split second, as she announced that they should forget about what had just happened between them. Forget? How on earth was he supposed to do that? He couldn’t for the other times they’d kissed and he definitely wouldn’t be able to this time. “Like its that easy,” He scoffed lightly with a quick shake of his head. “If you can, then I commend you for it. But I can’t. I won’t...” There was the slightest bit of sarcasm in his words before they trailed off on a breath and he was dragging his fingers through his hair again.

“But for now, you’re right, we can’t do this. I-” The words ‘I’m sorry’ were on the tip of his tongue, he’d been about to apologise for distracting them both by kissing her first, but realized as he was about to say them that he wasn’t sorry at all, only annoyed at himself for choosing that moment to do it when they had bigger issues to worry about than their feelings for each other. “I’ll go.” Eli finished and went for the door, it was best if he left and gave them both a couple of hours of space, to collect their thoughts and they could regroup later before it was time to leave to meet up with Luke.

[Yunalesca]

Her eyes closed when she heard him speak in sarcasm, a tone she was familiar with, but hearing it from him now bit into her and made her brows furrow in slight pain. She would never be able to forget it nor would she be able to forget every other intimate moment of theirs. It would be easier if she could, but escaping it wasn’t a possibility. The offer kept coming up to her, a chance at something normal and to not be so utterly alone, but she continually turned away from it. She didn’t deserve it, it wouldn’t last, she’d get hurt, all were excuses she used to protect herself from the risk. She wanted nothing more than to turn back to him and kiss him once more, show him she felt for him like no other, to bring him down over her on the bed and let his hands run over her like they always seemed to want to. But she didn’t and the moment passed when her eyes finally opened once more as she heard him finish whatever it was he’d been trying to say. She knew ‘I’ll go’ wasn’t the intended phrase, but hearing it still snapped her from her reverie though she couldn’t turn her face to him as he turned to leave. She was feeling too much and didn’t want him to see. Her walls had fallen, shattered even, and she couldn’t reassemble them so quickly. If he saw this from her now he would close that distance and take her in his arms as she wanted. They didn’t have time for this and she was still too utterly confused to allow it.

“I’ll come find you before we go.” Was all she could say before she let him go and stayed leaning against her bedside table looking out her window. She flinched as she heard the door click closed and his footsteps receding down the hall. I shouldn’t have done that she thought continuously before she removed herself from the table and ran her hand through her hair as though it’d wipe away what she was feeling. It would never be that simple, however. She’d actually kissed him, made it apparent something was there, and he wasn’t the type to just let that go. She hadn’t said a word of what she felt, but actions clearly spoke louder than words in this gesture. After his brother was rescued he would likely come back to talk to her about it and try to push her into admitting it. He’ll never let you go after –her- that foreign voice soothed and she rolled her shoulders as her eyes closed. He wouldn’t if he knew he had a chance in persuading her away from the path. He likely could break down her resolve with time, but remembering there was more after she assisted with Travis made her snap out of the sorrow. She may feel for Eli, but she knew the best way to protect him was to leave after his brother was returned to him. She had to go after her mother alone. She wasn’t going to let anybody else get hurt in her pursuit of the woman and she knew she was very close. Her brows furrowed in determination before she turned away from her room and made for the bathroom to shower and wash away Eli’s scent that was wrapped around her, distracting her.

*

Her walls had been rebuilt by the time she did leave her room and made for the kitchen in a change of clothes, half her Shadowhunter gear in place in the form of leather leggings, over the knee boots and a black tank that would be under her jacket when they left. Were any of the others lurking about to see her she could play it off as a staking. She was fully mended from the Were attack and it was a plausible excuse to be dressed as she was. She wasn’t playing around with the Vampires anymore and would be getting her answers without seducing them. Word had to be going around that someone was killing them so there was little need to be flirting with them any longer. They would flock to her when she was pounding on their front door. Her mind left the subject as she began making herself food high in carbs for the run tonight that would surely call for all her strength and stamina. Her appetite had been dwindling as of late, but she could force herself to eat. It was hard to say no to garlic chicken alfredo and hand-made basil and tomato biscotti. It was only after the fact that she realized she had made more than a portion she could handle even if she had seconds of her preferred small plate. She stared at the food and bit on her lip. She could Tupperware it for someone else later, but then another thought occurred to her, one that she was not entirely open to, but she wasn’t the only one that needed to be loading up on nutrients before the night came. Eli, her own voice echoed softly in her mind, causing a sort of pained reaction in her chest.

Against her better judgment she plated them each with food and trayed it along with a bottle of her wine and glasses, also against her better judgment. She found that wine calmed her nerves and the thought of having dinner with Eli again along with how tonight could go badly was cause enough for a drink. Not to mention something else she had been considering that she wasn’t entirely sure she could follow through with. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind as she nudged her way out of the kitchen with her hip and still balancing the tray in her hands along with the bottle of wine under her arm. She’d become crafty about carrying things over the years and had little doubt she could make it to his room, where she presumed he was, without dropping the wine. And not to mention of all the things she carried she valued the wine the most. She noted how she hadn’t seen a soul besides Eli and wondered if Hodge had already sent them out on errands to get them away when she left with the new Shadowhunter. Once she reached Eli’s door the thoughts dissipated and she stood before it silently for a few moments, her breathing harsh in her ears. She remembered how he’d tasted as she’d kissed him, the memory coming back in a flash before she shooed it from her mind once more. Professional was what they had to be for the rest of the evening. Their thoughts or feelings had to be put elsewhere in favor of rescuing his brother. She felt she could achieve this.

With a breath she lifted one of her legs and tapped at his door with her foot, not daring to remove a hand in case it sent the food and wine across the floor. All she could hope for was that they could sit and eat without conflict. They had yet to discuss the full details of the evening and now they would have to. There was little time left before they had to make for Luke’s and start for the factory with the pack in tow. As far as that was concerned she sincerely hoped they wouldn’t need their assistance.

[Serendipity]

He might have left her room, closing the door behind him without another word, but he remained on the other side, his back against the wood. His head fell into his hands as he lifted them up, cursing himself silently for being such an idiot. He didn’t regret what he’d said to her or that he’d kissed her, he only regretted his timing. He had such bad timing it was unbelievable; today was not the day to confess his feelings for Audrina and fight like hell to get her to admit her own. They only had a few hours of daylight left before they had to start preparing for their mission tonight and their time couldn’t be spent on displays of affection and arguing about why they couldn’t see where things went. He wanted to have that discussion with her, sooner rather than later, but not now, now was not the time. With a sigh he pushed himself away from her door and started down the corridor towards his own room. Eli’s room was several -five to be precise- doors down from Audrina’s but it still felt too close, too easy for him to find his way back to her room if he wanted too.

Let her be. A voice, a warning, whispered in his mind as he found his way into his room and shut the door behind him. The voice was right, he needed to let her be; she needed space and he needed to respect that. With great difficulty, Eli moved away from his door, slipping his boots off before he did the same with his shirt and then unbuckled his belt. His shirt held Audrina’s scent and it was only a reminder of how she’d molded herself to fit against him, so close her scent had transferred onto his clothing and because of that it needed to go. His belt and shirt were tossed to the side, landing on a small pile of old clothes that was starting to increase in size; he really should do some laundry, but his mind was not centered enough to be able to focus on doing laundry at the present moment and wouldn’t prove a great enough distraction to get his thoughts off of a certain blonde for Eli to even consider it either.

A shower, to rid himself of the memory of her, instead was in order, but even as he thought of showering his feet took him towards his bed. The dark haired shadowhunter sat down on the mattress and stared at the wall in front of him for a moment before he leant back against the pillows, refocusing his stare onto the roof above him; his hands came up to rest between his head and pillows. Don’t think about her or what just happened, focus on your brother. Eli told himself and sighed because he doubted he’d be able to focus on anything right now, not even his brother and freeing him. It was then, through a mixture of muddled thoughts and flashes of memory where Audrina was concerned, that he remembered he hadn’t told her about going to see Magnus Bane before they met up with Luke and his pack. He sat up, legs swinging over the side of the bed before he was standing on his feet and striding over to his door.

He didn’t quite reach the door before he realised he was shirtless and barefoot, and his jeans were slung far too low on his hips without a belt; hastily he changed direction and headed for the bathroom instead and stripped off completely. Eli went to step into the shower cubicle when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror; his bare arms almost completely covered in runes and tiny white scars where others had been before they’d faded, his upper torso was the same and his abdomen was dotted in those same tiny white scars. He didn’t usually stare at himself, naked, in mirrors but Audrina’s mention of how he would need someone to help mark runes on his skin tonight came rushing back. He’d forgotten to ask Hodge if he’d be willing to place the runes needed on his skin, there would be room on his back and perhaps even his sides. But he didn’t want Hodge to be the one to do it, he wanted...Eli shook his head quickly, snapping himself out of where his thoughts were headed and scowled at himself in the mirror. He turned back to the shower cubicle and turned on the cool spray, stepping beneath it to cool the heat coming from his skin at the thought of Audrina’s hands on his body.

Vigorously he scrubbed himself down with soap, angry at himself for not being able to get thoughts of the blonde out of his mind. Hot water mixed in with cold as he rinsed himself off and then turned off the spray. Eli toweled himself dry and then moved from the bathroom to his room and over to the wardrobe, pulling bits of his shadowhunter gear out to dress in. He could wear dark jeans, and his black t-shirt for the time being and the others wouldn’t think anything of it if they happened to see him. But he set the rest of the gear out onto his bed so it was ready for him to put on when the time came. Eli was just buckling his belt when there was thud at his door, the sound of someone’s boots tapping against the wood instead of a quick rap of their knuckles. His brows furrowed and he reached for the shirt he had yet to put on as he went to see who was at the door.

Usually he would fling the door wide open, but this time he was cautious of who it might be and if he opened the door too wide they would see the rest of his shadowhunter gear spread out on his mattress. Opening the door just a crack he peered through, seeing Audrina on the other side. Her presence was a surprise he wasn’t expecting her so soon, and without thinking he started opening the door further, but stopped when he realized he still held his shirt in his hand and if he opened the door fully she would discover him bare chested again. “Ah. Hang on,” He muttered and quickly slipped one arm into his shirt before the other, opening the door the rest of the way with his foot just as he pulled the hem of the material down over his stomach. “I wasn’t expecting you until later,” He said, though it was more of an outspoken thought then a statement.

Even despite the way they had left things earlier, he found his lips twitching into a slow smile as his gaze took her in and noticed she held a tray of food in her arms which would be the reason why she’d used her foot to knock he realised. His heart was already racing in his chest at the sight of her, it was something he was quickly discovering couldn’t be helped despite his mood. Remembering his manners, Eli carefully took the tray she was holding from her grip and stepped aside so that she could come inside. “Did you make this?” He asked although he already knew the answer to that, of course she had, anything that smelled that good had to come from her cooking.

[Yunalesca]

One of her brows quipped in question as Eli hesitated in opening the door fully, then told her to wait as he did something behind the door. It occurred to her then that he may not be fully dressed. His hair was still damp which suggested he had just showered. She wondered then if he had done it for the same reason she had; to get a scent off him to stop reminding him of what had occurred between them not too long ago. At the thought her eyes dropped and she took a breath to keep her mind on the right track. Thinking about having kissed him would push her back more steps and land her in the same pot of hot water she’d just jumped out of. What she had been feeling quickly erased from her features when he opened the door fully and she brought her eyes back just in time to see a small flash of skin before his shirt fell over him. His short statement made her eyes flick to the side and away from him as she thought about how maybe she should have waited longer to come find him. She hadn’t exactly thought this all through and she was almost beginning to regret it.

The emotion faded, however, when he took the tray off her hands and seemingly invited her in by stepping aside for her. She paused for a moment, remembering the last time she’d stepped in here, before actually doing so and grabbing hold of the head of the bottle of wine. He wouldn’t pull her on top of him again and say dirty things like previously. They were partners at this point and she didn’t think he would ruin that hours before they were to rescue his brother. Not to mention he wasn’t drunk and he’d already apologized for what he’d said though she wasn’t entirely sure he still remembered that entire night. Her memories of it were broken when she heard his voice and she turned her head to him, a small smile coming over her lips for reasons she wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe it was the tone in his voice, it not sounding upset or sarcastic as it had earlier. “I did. Do you honestly see Isabelle or even Jace accomplishing that? I think not.” She said with a mock superior tone before the smile broke into a small laugh. “I figured you could use the carbs for tonight and this will help my nerves.” She stated as she brought the bottle of wine up to show him. She wasn’t sure if he’d actually have any, but that wasn’t going to prevent her from it. Maybe her problem over the last few days was that she hadn’t had any, something uncommon for her as a glass of wine had accompanied her evening meal often over the last few months she had come back to the Institute.

As Eli moved to set the tray down somewhere she closed the door softly with one hand, standing still and facing it for a moment as she took a few breaths to steady herself. She was alone in his room with him, the realization hit her, and the last time they’d been alone they had kissed. Exhibit better control a voice whispered and her headaches from earlier came roaring back. She blinked a few times and tried cracking her neck in hopes that would make it go away. It didn’t work however and she started peeling away the foil around the top of the wine while she turned around to face Eli. “I think I’ll start with the honors.” She said as that feeling of something being wrong probed at her while she reached for the corkscrew on the tray Eli had taken from her, quickly twisting it into the cork of the wine. She lowered the bottle to her thighs and squeezed her muscles around it so it wouldn’t slip, not even thinking of how this would look to Eli if his attention returned to her. She gripped the head of the corkscrew tight before she pulled, the muscles in her arm and shoulder flexing before the familiar ‘pop’ came, indicating the cork was free of the bottle. She dropped the screw with the cork stuck in the end on the tray before offering the bottle up to Eli. “Want a glass? Not very often I share this.” She stated before glancing at the bottle’s label. “Especially not this year.” She said more to herself as she read the year the wine had been produced. It was only bottled five years earlier but she remembered what the flavor had been in that year and recalled she had particularly favored the dry, tart taste the grapes had given.

Your guard is coming down again the voice whispered as she realized that had indeed been happening. She’d allowed herself to momentarily forget the possible discomforts of being alone with Eli again. He was easy to speak with again and it almost made her forget why she was really here. She hadn’t brought him food just to be nice and have small talk. They couldn’t avoid the subject matter any longer. She took a breath and poured them both a glass of the wine before setting the half empty bottle on his nightstand beside him, taking in a sharp breath as his scent hit her. She was dangerously close to him again, but she refused to bring her eyes to his as she realized this. She could control herself, she assured. She rose back to her full height and stepped slightly back from him to give each their own space. The kiss from earlier was still fresh in her mind and being that close wouldn’t help matters. “We should probably talk about what we’re going to do, shouldn’t we?” She asked, even knowing the answer. They didn’t have time for small talk and she assuredly wanted to avoid talking about having kissed him earlier. Some other time maybe. Or never, that was also a viable option.

As she asked this her eyes had slowly come up to meet his, almost afraid of what she’d see in those blue eyes. He had to be thinking like her, that there wasn’t time for emotions about eachother and the focus had to be his brother. They had to be getting on the same page and talking about whether or not she felt something for him wouldn’t be constructive. Based on what he was wearing she could see that he was ready for tonight, at least physically, but he had to be there mentally as well. All of this was things she wanted to say to him, but held back. He wasn’t stupid and wouldn’t need the lecture from her.

[Serendipity]

Although he hadn’t been expecting Audrina to come find him until much later in the afternoon, seeing her now was not an unwelcome sight and he could never stay angry or annoyed with her for long; she’d discover this soon enough, no doubt, and he’d be screwed. If every time they had an unpleasant conversation, or an argument over something she had done or said that might have upset or angered him, and he couldn’t stay mad at her afterwards she could very well use that to her advantage later on. Although the memory of whatever they’d been arguing about would still be there and resurface easily enough if she pushed to remind him of it. Audrina had a tight hold over him, and she didn’t even realize it or if she did she was keeping that knowledge to herself. He wondered if this was what it would always be like with someone you cared about, that it didn’t matter how much you fought or disagreed with each other in the end you could never stay mad, and those feelings would never falter.

Eli had taken the tray from her hands not only to be gentlemanly, as he took it and stepped aside so she could enter his room, but so he could use it as a distraction. Only a short while ago they had been in her room where he had abandoned all reason and kissed her, a light brush of his lips against hers before he’d pulled away only to have her lips return to his with more force before he could completely pull away. Eli wondered if he had his hands free now would he pull her back against his long frame like before and kiss her again. It was very tempting, and he wouldn’t have cared that the action would have sent the tray and its contents scattering to the floor. Remember why she’s here. A voice broke through his thoughts, reminding him that she was not here to share another intimate moment with him; they had important things to discuss and they would have discussed them earlier if he’d executed more control over his own desires.

“Very true,” He laughed softly in agreeance when the blonde mentioned Isabelle or Jace’s unable to accomplish a task such as cooking a decent meal. He heard the small, easy, laugh that came from her lips and noted that she didn’t appear annoyed or angry at him either. At least that was something, he never liked it when she was angry at him, which was quite often. “This looks a lot better then the sandwich I was thinking of making,” Eli smiled and was about to turn away so he could set the tray aside somewhere, but Audrina was reaching for the bottle of wine and he waited a moment so she could pluck it from the tray before he looked for an appropriate spot to set it down. It was as his eyes scanned the room that he realized that although it wasn’t overly messy, it wasn’t very neat either. A clothes pile in one corner of the room, his bed unmade, his boots strewn carelessly in the middle of the room and a collection of books were scattered about and left in odd places. He often paced when he read, unable to sit still in one spot long enough and wherever he was standing at the time was where he left the book once he’d finished with it.

Quickly he set aside the tray on the side table beside his bed as Audrina announced she would do the honors of opening the bottle of wine, and then tugged the sheets of his bed up, smoothing them out. He collected his boots from the middle of the floor next as she was had finished unwrapping the foil from the top of the bottle and had placed it between her thighs so she could hold the bottle still and uncork it at the same time. He paused, boots dangling in his hands as he watched her tug on the corkscrew which had since pierced through the cork and couldn’t help the amused looked that filtered across his expression. He was about to ask if she’d like some help, although it would put them both in an awkward situation if he did, when he heard the ‘pop’ of the cork already coming out. “Since you’re willing to share this time, I won’t say no.” He answered after she asked if he’d like a glass. It might help with his sudden nerves of her being in his room, and with the door closed; the last time she had been in here he had been drunk, although he didn’t remember all of the finer details he had remembered parts of that night, and that he’d said...things to her that were very inappropriate. So it was a little ironic now that they would be sharing a bottle of wine together over a meal in this very room.

He was aware that he was still holding his boots in his hands and deciding it was far too late to tidy his room, she had already seen the state of it, he tossed the shoes aside and moved back over to his nightstand as she poured two glasses and handed him one. He heard her small intake of breath, and wondered if it was because she’d realized how close she had actually came to stand as she set the bottle of wine on the nightstand beside him. He stilled himself, gripping the stem of the glass firmly and dropped his gaze to the contents in the glass a moment before he brought the glass to his lips as a distraction. Audrina had already stepped back a little from him after he’d taken a sip of his wine and he was relieved that she had, having her that close, her scent teasing his nose, muddled his thoughts and his perceptions.

Eli’s gaze came back up to hers as she asked that they should probably be discussing their plans for tonight. He knew the answer immediately, they should be talking about their plans, making sure they both understood everything so no mistakes could be made, but an entirely different answer came very close to spilling from his lips and if he hadn’t of brought the glass back to his mouth for another sip she would know just how unfocused he truly was. “We should,” He nodded after he swallowed what was in his mouth and then quickly moved around her so he could take a seat on his bed, putting a little more distance between them. “We can multi-task, eat and talk before all of this goes cold,” He indicated the tray and the two plates of food.

He wanted to make sure she ate something before they left to meet up with Luke, but he also needed to eat and whilst they were busy eating and talking about their plans for tonight there would hopefully be no room for any other unwanted thoughts on his part. Eli decided that he would tell her about Magnus, he had to tell her, but he was unsure of how to bring it up and if he brought it up right now would she simply become too angry at the thought of the Warlock to even eat?

[Yunalesca]

Audrina brought her own glass of wine to her lips as a needed distraction when he moved around her, the air moving and dropping a load of his scent on her again. She took in a breath and closed her eyes, reeling from what his natural scent did to her. She had to remember to focus or things would end very badly this evening. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions get in the way of things and with the help of half her wine glass being gone, her resolve tightened. “Right, multi-tasking.” She said quietly as she turned to face him, setting her wine glass on a table and taking one of the plates from the tray. She pressed her back against the wall across from him, a few feet decidedly between them as though it would help them both concentrate on the matters at hand. Her expression softened slightly as she looked at him, tensed up as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t. “You didn’t have to clean on my account. Have you seen Isabelle’s room? This is a godsend in comparison.” She said, indicating that she had indeed noticed him trying to discreetly pick his things up. Her room was generally spotless and orderly only because she was rarely in there. She had a large pile of laundry to be done at this point and what things she did have lying about were due to her having been taking up residence there more often. And it had been to escape Eli most of all.

She smiled at him slightly before dropping her attention to the alfredo and skewered a piece of chicken and noodles to eat. She let the flavors sit in her mouth before swallowing, enjoying the taste of the sauce along with the spices she had added to the equation. Ultimately she was satisfied with it and hoped Eli felt the same. She was looking for his approval even though she had just been telling herself to put distance between them again. His opinion mattered to her and it was just one more sign stating that she did feel for him even though she didn’t want to say it out loud. Then again, like she had thought earlier, actions spoke louder than words and she had kissed him back not long ago. She took another bite of the food to distract herself further before meeting his gaze again, adjusting her back against the wall she was leaning on. “So the plan is to meet up with Luke then go there? You sure you’re ready to hop on that bike again?” She questioned with slight flirtation, what she had been trying to say to herself obviously not sinking in.

She paused then, something else coming into her mind as her fork swirled her food around. It was something they had talked about earlier that had made her slightly uncomfortable and she wasn’t so sure she should bring it up. “You didn’t get Hodge to mark you, did you?” She questioned, already feeling she knew the answer. This was the point in which she should back off and forget she’d said anything, but she found she couldn’t oddly enough. Her eyes met his and she knew he could see what she was thinking before she even said it. “I’ll do it. You need the marks before tonight and I think I can handle my repulsion of your naked torso.” She said rather seriously, though they both knew it wasn’t repulsion she felt for his nakedness anymore. It was the opposite and she could feel a bit of color coming to her cheeks as a result of thinking about her hands pressing to his bare skin again.

She took a breath and lowered her gaze, already knowing what would come next. He was going to bring it up again mainly because they were running out of time for her to be dodging the subject and it would be suicide for her to not go in protected again. Her brows furrowed as she stared at her food without actually seeing it. He would have to mark her and the thought of it was both something she wanted to shirk from and embrace. He hadn’t ever really touched her like he would be if she let him mark her and the thought sent a new thrill coursing through her blood. Her eyes came slowly back to his, clouded with what she was feeling. “You’ll have to mark me. Two at the most, hidden somewhere. You’ll be able to get the feel for my father’s stele then.” She was saying slowly, her eyes not leaving him while she said it. They were crossing bounds she never thought they would and she was reluctant to let him, or anyone else for that matter, mark her. But she had to remember that his brother’s life was on the line and it could be lost if she went down because she refused the assistance of a few runes.

[Serendipity]

Eli put his glass of wine aside, back onto the tray and reached for the second plate of food after Audrina had selected hers; she had retreated to the furthest wall she could find to lean against whilst she ate. He remained seated on the bed and balanced the plate on his lap and became aware that this was the third or fourth meal she had cooked for him since he’d been at the Institute. Each meal had been different, but all of them had tasted better than any he’d had before and certainly better than what he could make for himself. He had to be careful not to become reliant on her cooking and not expect it all the time, he told himself as he cut into the chicken, tasting that first before he tried some of the noodles. His gaze met with hers as she told him he hadn’t had to tidy up on her account, reassuring him that she had seen worse and shrugged a little sheepishly. “I know, I just didn’t want you tripping over anything.” He replied after swallowing his food and saw that she was looking at him now, untidiness forgotten, expectantly as he continued to eat some more. She was looking for approval, he realized suddenly, “Another delicious meal,” Eli voiced quickly upon this realization and smiled across at her.

Eli smirked uncontrollably at the flirtatious tone in her voice as she spoke next, mentioning the fact that they would have to ride her bike in order to get to Luke’s and she was aware of his dislike for the vehicle. Not for the vehicle itself, but for the driver of it; the few times he’d been on it with her she’d driven like a bat out of hell and he’d been certain he was going to come tumbling off of it. “Yes and...yes. No better way to get the adrenaline pumping than a fast bike and a...never mind,” He quickly shook his head from what he was about to say, doubting she would appreciating being referred to as ‘hot’. “The bike will be fine,” He finished and ate some more of his food, giving himself an excuse to drop his gaze from hers. Even with the distance between them, the tension in the room was still extremely heightened and he was very aware that only a few quick strides on his part would bring him directly in front of her in a matter of seconds.

Her next sentence, whilst it distracted him from where his thoughts were headed, had him choking on his food. Eli reached for the glass of wine he’d set aside and gulped some of it down to help ease the rest of his mouthful down his throat. They had discussed the marks they would need for tonights mission earlier, and he’d thought the conversation was closed, but she’d just reopened it obviously knowing he hadn’t asked Hodge to mark him yet. He’d completely forgotten. He would have told her that he could still see Hodge before they left and get him to do it, but Audrina had already come out and said she would do it. When her thoughts had changed on the matter he wasn’t sure all he knew was that this morning she had been against adding runes to his skin, saying any marks she used would likely kill him. Obviously that had just been an excuse, so why the sudden change of heart, he wondered. “Not yet,” He answered anyway though she already knew the answer and had already stated that she would mark him instead.

Eli, who had recovered from half choking on his food, quirked a brow at the blonde’s next statement. She’d just referred to his naked torso as repulsive, but even as she’d said it he hadn’t believed she truly felt that way; he’d seen the way she’d looked at him the times he’d been shirtless, there was nothing repulsive about how she’d looked at him then. “Oh, you think so? It’d be terrible if you suddenly became ill at the sight of me,” He quipped lightly and added a smirk with his raised brow. But despite the teasing tone, his heart had set another rapid pace in his chest at the thought of her hands on his skin, and he had to take another sip of his drink to rid the dryness in his throat. He set the now empty glass aside, almost wishing there was more in it, to give him more courage when it came to saying what he was about to bring up. Audrina needed runes too and he had yet to find out if she was willing to mark herself yet or not.

Though it seemed the blonde shadowhunter was being forward enough for the both of them, coming out and saying what he suspected she could guess what was written all over his expression as he tried to find the right words to use and he needn’t have bothered. He swallowed away the dryness, food forgotten on his plate at the moment, “Okay,” He nodded quietly. He was pleased that she had decided she needed to mark herself after all and that she was willing to do it, but cautious to be the one to do it. Oh yeah, because it’s not what you wanted is it? A sarcastic voice grilled in his head and he swatted it away with an invisible hand. He wanted to touch her, that was a given, but marking her was far different from simply running his hands over her bare skin. It was not a go ahead to freely touch her if he wanted, he reminded himself firmly, and he would have to execute completely control. It probably would have been easy enough to do if he hadn’t already kissed her and she him, but now he was thinking not.

“We’ll do it soon then, after we’ve eaten.” He said, hoping by the time he’d finished eating he would have better prepared himself for the task ahead.

[Yunalesca]

She’d been watching his expressions closely for signs of apprehension, anything that would make her back out of her offer to him. She may have said it authoritatively as though he didn’t have a choice, but if he didn’t want to mark her she wouldn’t make him. It would be less marks she would have to cover and agonize over. However, his expression was more of surprise than anything else. He hadn’t expected her to take marks much less suggest he do it. She realized they would be touching each other, though it wouldn’t be intimately per say, but she’d learned over time that when they touched everything turned to electricity and heat. Great care would have to be taken or something would erupt and further distract them from Travis. She took a breath and nodded to him. “Afterwards.” She agreed in a steady voice though her pulse was pounding and her blood was warming at the thought of his hands pressed to her before the stele burned into her skin. She could handle it, she assured herself. She would –have- to handle it for the sake of Travis and his return to his brother once more. She may not fully understand affection or relationships, but he did understand family and how much they meant, especially when you were left with only one.

Her eyes averted for a time after that, her attention on eating and drinking the wine from her cup, trying not to drain it too quickly as she should only stick to the one glass. One thing she didn’t want to be was too relaxed when they left the Institute. Too much wine and she might become useless in their fight to save Travis. Eli couldn’t do this alone and would need her. “Did Luke happen to divulge how many Were’s we might be sneaking around tonight before we find your brother?” She asked after a few moments of silence. She had to bring her thoughts back around to what they were really meeting about and away from thoughts of feelings. They had to discuss tactics before moving toward entry into the meat factory and the time to do it was now. They had to multi task, plucking the words from Eli. The daunting aspect of how horribly wrong this night could go still throbbed in the back of her mind like a bad headache. They could die, be turned, or worse. She was fully aware of what could be worse for her if they noticed there was something between her and Eli. If they sensed they were losing the battle they would do anything it took to hurt them before they got away with Travis and the best way to hit two birds with one stone was a deplorable act that she doubted the alpha was above doing.

She stifled a shiver at the recollection or an earlier fear of being pinned to the ground and forced upon by a rabid Were who only sought to inflict pain. If the second in command remembered her she wouldn’t doubt he would try to do it if given the chance. Of course the thought of being raped brought back the memory of Eli promising her he would protect her. In those moments he had seemed to read her mind and moved to assure her that it wouldn’t happen to her under his watch. But how fair was that to have his protection when they were trying to free Travis? It was a lot to juggle and she didn’t feel anyone, not even Eli, would be able to focus on so many components. It wasn’t fair for her to expect it from him, though she wondered if he realized she didn’t expect anything of him. She’d lived half of her life alone now and never expected help from anyone. You have to have eachother’s back tonight the voice reminded her as she brought her eyes back to him after they’d shifted away. Regardless of what she felt, she would have to rely on him tonight and he her. Luke was also available, but she sincerely hoped it didn’t come to that for the sake of an innocent.

She was hopeful this night would go off without a hitch, but wasn’t naïve enough to actually believe that to be so. They were going to run into complications no matter how well they planned this out. “I wish we could get him out of there without confronting the alpha, this would be a lot easier that way.” She said with a slight sigh, the comment giving insight to her inner turmoil of the bad things that could happen tonight. There was going to be death, that she had no doubt about, but who would die was what frightened her. As a reflex she took the wine glass in hand and drowned her thoughts in the warming alcohol, her nerves relaxing once more. The cup was set back down and she returned her attention to her food, noticing half of it was gone and mildly surprised to see she had eaten that much without her stomach protesting. She’d been dropping weight for some time due to her lack of eating and subsequently couldn’t handle eating as much as she normally should. She wondered if Eli had noticed which in turn brought about another round of internal sighs at herself. Her thoughts kept travelling back to Eli and not in the way they should be. She was supposed to be viewing him as a temporary partner, but she kept thinking of him in a different light. One that was dangerous.

[Serendipity]

The mood turned slightly sombre as they both agreed to mark each other after they had finished eating, both concentrating on their individual plates and only occassionally glancing towards the other. Eli was trying tp put thoughts of marking Audrina to the back of his mind while he ate; he didn't want to think about it too much and what it meant that she was allowing him to mark her and over thinking it would only give him a headache and possibly result in Eli coming to the completely wrong conclusion. Although he was hungry, after a while he couldn't taste the food that was going into his mouth, his whole body building with a nervousness he hadn't felt since he was a teenager. He managed to eat more of the chicken and noodle dish down, knowing he needed the sustaince from the meal, before he set his under half full plate back onto the tray it had come from. In replace of the plate he took his empty wine glass back in his hands and poured himself another drink, needing the courage it would bring him since he didn't have a rune for it, but he only half filled it because he had no intention of becoming drunk off of it. He needed a clear head tonight and wouldn't drink any more then the glass and a half; the wine would also help to take the edge off of his nerves, nerves over putting marks on Audrina rather then the difficult task ahead of rescuing his brother.

Eli was setting the bottle back down on the nightstand when Audrina's voice caught his ears and he looked back up at her, giving her his full attention. She was right to bring up conversation about how tonight was supposed to play out, the needed to discuss it so they were both on the same page when it came to the plans. "Just under half, but that still means there is a possibilty that there will be close to twenty Were's around, including the alpha. Luke chose tonight because his pack reported that a lot of Maddox's wolves were portaling somewhere, mine and Luke's guess is Idris." Eli divulged and shrugged at the last part, he didn't care where most of Maddox's pack had gone as long as they stayed gone long enough for he and Audrina to get Travis out. He brouoght the wine glass to his lips and swallowed a mouthful then set it back down on the tray. Whether it was the wine that relaxed him or the topic returning to thier plans tonight and not marking themselves, Eli placed his hands behind him on the mattress and leant back, this gave him an easier view of the blonde shadowhunter in his room and also served to stretch any kinks out from his back.

The Insitutes lighting system ran off of witchlight and occasional candlelight and in affect it made his room not very bright, at least not in the part of the room Audina was standing in. From his relaxed position it made it hard to see her face and know what she was thinking, not that he had ever been ableto successfully guess what she'd been thinking in the past but studying her expressions whenever he could was helping some. He had his own witchlight, though it was tucked away in the top draw of his nightstand along with her father's stele and the locating stone, but from this distance it wouldn't hep anyway unless he made it blindling bright and she'd wonder why he needed his room so filled with light. He might not have been able to see her expression clearly, but he did get a sense of apprehension from her and it made him sit back up. He remembered telling her just the other day when they were at the park that he would protect her and there was no need to be afraid; Eli suspected what her fear had been over and sensed the same fear again. He wanted to reassure her once more that he wouldn't let that happen, but he also remembered how it had turned out last time when he'd promised such things. She'd taken off for three days without a word and come back very worse for wear.

"It would make it simpler if Travis wasn't bound by Maddox's law, it'd be straight forward rescue mission." Eli agreed, but they both knew that they needed Maddox there at the time because he was the only one that could release Travis to them whether willingly or by force. "You mentioned before that there's been some difficulties between certain pack members, we can play on that if we need to and if there's an opportunity to do so." He added whilst they were on the topic of Maddox and his pack, although he didn't like thinking about how Audrina had come across this information. "And we can signal Luke's help if we need it." He reassured, but wasn't certain even to himself if that was something to be reassured about since it would mean involving Luke's pack further and more lives would be lost.

"I wish I could say it would all be alright and everything will go as planned, but I can't" Eli sighed softly as he leant forwards looking like he might get to his feet but instead rested his elbows on his knees. And I wish I could convince you not to come... He wanted to add, but bit his tongue before the words could come out.

[Yunalesca]

All she could do was nod silently when Eli did respond to her, her mind travelling elsewhere in an attempt to find an easier way to go about this. One that wouldn’t require Luke’s assistance when things went south, and they would there was no doubt about that, and one that wouldn’t risk their lives. Of course nothing did come to mind that would be of use. Their plan was the best one they could come up with and there were several holes in it. Oddly enough that was convenient considering these things rarely went to plan. She’d gone to the vampire lair with intentions to burn it to the ground and that obviously hadn’t happened. If the others hadn’t come she’d probably be dead, or worse, at this point. Eli had saved her then as well and she realized she probably had never thanked him for it. She set her half finished bowl of food on the tray and looked to him, taking a breath to say thank you at last, but stopped herself when he spoke.

As he leaned forward he looked tired and dismayed. Coupled with his words she felt herself step forward without thinking, detaching herself from the shadowy wall to come up in front of him, close enough to extend her hand to his shoulder but far enough he would have to reach to pull her closer. She was unsure of their boundaries again and chose the middle ground. “It will be alright in the fact that Travis is coming out of there with us alive. I’m not leaving until that happens.” She informed, throwing her full support into the mission without thinking of the consequences. She didn’t know his brother, but seeing how he looked when he spoke of the younger sibling reminded her of her sister and the bond she had lost. She couldn’t turn her back on this if she tried. She had lost her sibling when she was young and didn’t feel Eli deserved to have the same empty feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t given up in his search of Travis and that should be rewarded, not forsaken. Her thumb ran comfortingly over his shoulder in gentle motions to reassure him. She wasn’t confident about this, but had to make him think she was. If they both went in without any faith they would fall quickly into the hands of the Were’s, and likely not come out again. As much as she hated her Shadowhunter life she didn’t think she could live with being a Downworlder, even a Were.

As her hand stayed on his shoulder she realized how warm he was and how quickly a simple gesture of comfort could turn into something much more if she allowed it. Her eyes were locked onto his as she thought about it, her pulse beginning to speed up as a result, before she stifled it. There wasn’t time for her to be thinking about this again. He was her comrade at arms tonight and nothing more. She had to momentarily forget everything that had happened between them. It was a daunting task considering she had offered to mark him and be marked in return. They would be touching each other and had to exercise restraint. In her mind it was Eli that would have to learn to control himself, but in reality it was much the same for her. She may have actively shied away from his touch before, but now that she’d had a taste she thirsted for more somewhere in the deep recesses of her being. He’d affected her, broke through her walls, and she wasn’t even sure he knew it. Telling him now would only complicate matters. Why tell him at all? a voice questioned and her thumb stopped running over the contours of his muscle. It would be cruel to admit feelings for him then run off on a suicide mission, likely to die. It seemed she had one more secret to be taking to the grave with her and this one was for the protection of someone else, not herself.

Her eyes lifted to his window to see the sun had been steadily receding from the sky while they had been eating, a signal that their time was coming to an end before they met up with Luke. Her eyes reverted back to him and any emotion she had felt was wiped from her face in favor of something more serious. “I think it’s time I mark you. The sun’s setting.” She said quietly, simply, as her hand withdrew from his shoulder and went to her waistband where her stele was tucked, it already glowing purple from her touch. I can handle this she repeated several times in her mind as she thought of where he might ask her to put them, or even what he would be asking for. She hadn’t seen a Gray Book in her youth as her fellow Shadowhunters had. The few things she did know had been handed down to her from her parents, their teachings rather introductory to a reluctant girl who wanted nothing to do with the life they had chosen for her. She was supposed to go to Alicante to learn when she got a little older, but her father’s death had stopped that and her mother’s hands had been full with her being rebellious and her sister being over eager to learn the Shadowhunter ways. Aurelie would be a better choice to be doing this, but she was long gone and Eli would never meet her. She had to do it, had volunteered to, and now she would have to go through with it.

She took a breath to steady herself as she looked at him, something warming in her stomach and working its way up. "You have any runes in mind...or..where you want them?" She questioned, slowly losing her voice throughout the question as she imagined her hands pressed to his abdomen once more. She could hardly say his physique repulsed her even though she had said that out loud to him as a sort of cover to what she really felt. Any girl would be lucky to have him and yet she resisted, even after having seen him half naked and heard him profess his affections for her.

[Serendipity]

There must have been something in the tone of his voice, or the expression on his face, that had Audrina stepping away from the wall she’d been leaning on; Eli watched in what felt like slow motion, his breath hitching, as the blonde came to stand in front of him, only close enough to extend her arm out to put her hand on his shoulder, but still close enough to set his heart flipping in his chest. The effect she had on him was like none other, he couldn’t remember feeling this way, both giddy and nervous when she was around, for anyone else. The weight of her hand on his shoulder was reassuring as were her words and brought a small smile to his lips as he tilted his head so he was looking up at her. Her support meant more than she could ever know; she didn’t even know his brother, had never met him before in her life, he was a stranger to her, yet here she was offering her full support in freeing his brother; she only had his word to go on that Travis was worthy of being saved after all. “Neither am I,” He murmured, at least she would know despite his wavering faith in what may happen tonight, he was determined to get his brother free and sometimes determination could override everything else; at least in this case he hoped it would.

Eli continued to stare up at the woman standing in front of him, wanting to place his hand on her hand that was now running over the contours of his shoulder as warmth spread from her hand into his shoulder and shot straight down to the pit of his stomach. This small display of affection from Audrina was rare and he could only soak up as much as she was willing to offer, and placing his hand on hers, feeling her skin beneath his fingers would only turn this gesture into something far more intimate and they simply didn’t have time for it. He saw sense enough to realise that even if a voice in the back of his mind was telling him to reach out and pull her closer. He only broke his gaze from hers when she turned her head to the window and his gaze followed hers, his brow furrowing slightly, he’d thought they’d had more time. Time had almost gotten away from him, both of them it seemed, and the sun had already started setting.

He felt her hand withdraw from his shoulder as she announced it was time to mark him with the runes he needed and reached for the stele in her belt. Eli found he could only nod, words getting stuck in the back of his throat. He’d wanted this, but now he wasn’t so sure if it was a good idea, having her fingers brush his skin as she drew the black marks required. Taking a small breath he stood and there was enough distance between them so she didn’t have to step back as he did. He figured it might be less...awkward if he was standing and not sitting on the bed. He wasn’t even sure if he should take his shirt completely off or just pull the hem of it up so she could reach his side or abdomen. Or maybe he should get her to put the marks on his back where it wouldn’t feel like such an intimate act. Get a grip, be professional. A professional shadowhunter. He told himself firmly.

Eli was quietly pleased to know that Audrina seemed just as nervous about marking him as he was of marking her, at least he wasn’t the only one, although he felt rather silly being this nervous; he’d had women touch him before, both romantically and not, and it had never resulted in a flutter of nerves in his stomach or the unsteadiness of his pulse. “I’ve had a few in mind: Fortitude, Soundless, Stamina and Heightened Speed.” He answered, those were the temporary runes he’d need for tonight, and could only apply the strength rune himself if he needed a boost. “You can…” He cleared his throat and shrugged sheepishly before he continued. “put them wherever you’re comfortable with,” Eli finished softly. It wouldn’t matter where they went, wherever there was room he supposed, though most places where there was room he couldn’t reach - which was why he had to have someone else do it.

[Yunalesca]

As he stood a new form of apprehension was fluttering over her, the grip on her stele increasing as she reminded herself she couldn’t back out now. She had given her word and they would both need the marks if they were going to survive this night. She took a breath as her gaze dropped for a moment to collect her thoughts as she half expected him to remove his shirt right there. The memory of him standing in his doorway in nothing but a towel flashed in her mind, further disrupting her breathing pattern as she pointedly recalled where those black marks had been splashed across his abdomen. It showed that there was something between them considering how his marks were coded into her memory. She couldn’t remember where Jace or Alec’s marks were if she tried, but Eli’s? It was effortless to recall that harsh color across his skin. Focus. Think of him as Alec her mind pressed and she almost scoffed. She held no attraction to Alec whatsoever, but she couldn’t picture Eli as him if she tried. Alec was all bristled with muscle and much stockier than Eli who was thin in comparison, his muscles reflecting differently than the other Shadowhunter. Her eyebrows knitted in frustration as she could so easily define Eli in comparison to anyone else. Apparently she’d been noticing him a lot more than previously thought.

Her eyes slowly came up as she wiped the thoughts from her mind while he spoke. All were runes that she thankfully knew and could put on him without any problems. She had to admit that she would be mildly embarrassed if he rattled off a rune she didn’t know and had to confess it. It would just be one more insight into her and she wasn’t entirely comfortable with giving that much of herself away to him even though he knew her favorite color and a few stories from her youth. Those had been impersonal to her, nothing too important that it could come around to hurt her later. Him learning how much she had never wanted this, had revolted against her parents as they tried to teach her, was extremely personal and explained a lot of her behavior. She was sure people had their thoughts on why she was the way she was, but she highly doubted they suspected the truth. They all loved their lives, considered themselves blessed to have been born Shadowhunters. Audrina had always felt the opposite. This life was a curse and she would never fully embrace it. She used it to get what she wanted and that was it. Partaking in marking her skin or even going to Alicante were things she shied away from. It came too close to actually accepting her life.

She cleared her throat quietly and nodded to him. “Easy enough. You..uh…want to sit in a chair or stand?” She asked, her voice wavering once more as the reality of the situation was coming back to hit her in the face. She was grateful he had moved from the bed, the very bed he’d uttered those words to her, in favor of something less intimate. She may have cuddled up close to him in her own bed, but this felt different. What they had done had been very affectionate, but marking was something else entirely. It was a bonding more than anything. Regardless of the fact they were your general runes that most Shadowhunters possessed he would still be holding her marks and she his. Her eyes flitted to the faded mark from Alec on her shoulder from the first night she had met Eli. That hadn’t been intimate in her mind, especially with the way he had jabbed his stele to her skin, but with all that had occurred between her and Eli this would be on some level. “Your back will do. It’s less marked.” She commented, then stopped breathing for a second, realizing what she had just said. She admitted to having noticed his body those times she’d seen it without clothing and it had been unintentional. She could see that familiar grin on his face before her eyes which caused a flush to rise to her cheeks. She gritted her teeth and dropped her eyes for a second. Idiot she thought in her mind before sighing heavily and gripping the stele tighter, her eyes coming up once more.

As she watched him she also realized he would have to take his shirt off for her. She wasn’t sure why this hadn’t come across her mind before, but it was now and it led to more color coming to her face despite her attempts to stifle it. She wasn’t sure if it was due to embarrassment at having to ask him to take it off or embarrassment at how she was acting in front of him. In the past he had taken her reactions and run with them, much to her dismay. She could handle the mild teasing that would likely come from him at this, but if he stepped too far she would probably back her way out of the room and tell him to find someone else. When she felt cornered or humiliated she responded with anger and discontent. He needs you, learn to control your temper a voice filtered through her mind and she narrowed her eyes in response. Her temper would have to be saved for later when it would actually come to good use. She took another breath and sighed quietly to get a calm to run through her. Maybe she would need more to drink before she did this. She couldn’t afford to be shaky as she pressed her stele to his bare skin. Confidence was what she needed and at this moment she didn’t have a whole lot of it. “You’ll have to take your shirt off.” She commented with no emotion before she turned away from him and poured herself another glass of wine despite what she had thought earlier on only having the one. She actually needed the alcohol to steady her hand or he’d have some butchered rune across his back that would do him no good.

She downed the glass in one long drag, lowering it to the tray and pressing her hand to the table as she waited for the wine to take effect. It didn’t take long for the alcohol to pass through her system and begin to warm her. Her eyes closed momentarily before opening again as she turned around, her prior inhibitions fading away under the influence of the wine. “Ready?” She asked him a she gripped her stele and tried to keep any emotion from her face as she gazed at him. She should relish these moments to touch him, but a girl like her didn’t know how to do that. You’re old enough to grow up and get over it her conscience mocked and she rolled her eyes at it on the inside. She could handle this, she just had to think of something else as she did it.

[Serendipity]

“Stand,” Eli answered, his throat a little hoarse and he cleared it again so when he spoke next it would be normal. He still couldn’t believe this was really happening, it almost seemed a part of a dream, in his dreams were the only times Audrina touched him and in them he was allowed to touch her. Thankfully her next words distracted him from falling into thoughts of the latest dream he’d had of her only a few weeks ago. His brow quirked at her comment, again bringing his attention to the fact that to know where his other runes had been placed she’d had to have paid more attention to his anatomy then she’d let on. The thought of her smoky orbs travelling over his bare skin, taking note of where his marks were, made his cheeks grow warm. Had she liked what she’d seen, he wondered and not for the first time. He wasn’t as stocky as Alec and a little taller then the boy, but he wasn’t as slender as Jace either, falling somewhere in between; Eli’s limbs coiled with muscle, hard beneath his marked skin, creamy in color though not tan or pale.

“Correct,” A grin flashed across his lips after her comment and his eyes shone with mild amusement. He knew teasing her about it was not a good idea and said nothing further on the matter, he had a feeling his grin would say it all anyway. Eli had started to turn so that she could reach his back and his hands had moved to the hem of his shirt ready to pull it up, not sure if he should take it completely off or not. Audrina clarified that for him soon enough though, telling him it would be easier to place the marks with the garment off then having him hold it up for her. He had turned his back to her now but was aware of her reaching for the bottle of wine to pour herself another drink, to calm her own nerves perhaps, whilst she waited for him to remove his shirt.

By the time she’d swallowed the entire contents of the glass and had turned back towards him, Eli had removed his shirt and was dropping it onto the bed where he could easily pick it up again when she’d finished. There was only a single rune, placed years ago, marked into his skin on Eli’s back; it sat over the blade of his right shoulder, a rune of mourning. His brother had put the mark on him after their father's death -now it represented both their parents deaths- and even in the location it was in it was easy enough for him to put his stele too whenever he needed to remember his loss. He shivered a little once his shirt was off and wasn’t sure if it was from the cool air of his room washing over his bare skin or in anticipation of Audrina tracing runes over his back. “Ready,” He breathed and his eyes closed as he sensed her moving closer, preparing to put her stele to his flesh.

Eli was glad he had his back turned to her now, at least she wouldn’t be able to see his expression; his eyes remained closed but his features were slightly flushed and he was filled with anticipation for the feeling of her fingers brushing over his back. She’s not doing this because she wants to, a voice quickly reminded, though he was no longer sure if that was really the case anymore. As he felt the tip of Audrina’s stele press to his skin, he tensed just for a moment before forcing himself to relax and concentrate on his breathing which had begun to turn slightly shallow.

[Yunalesca]

Her heart was pounding in her chest as Eli affirmed he was ready, the muscles in his back and shoulders etched out starkly with the glow of the receding sun. Her eyes trailed over the distinctive mark on his back and nearly reached out to trace it, recognizing it as one in the same to what was on her right forearm over the scar that ran lengthwise with her vein. Her eyes dropped quickly to the scar now, remembering her sister almost bleeding her dry after opening the vein, but quickly snapped out of it. It seemed they were more similar than she had previously suspected. The mark of mourning faded over time and had to be re-applied. Like her, it seemed, he was still mourning someone. She wondered who, realizing she didn't know all that much about him. It could have been for his brother, but that would insinuate he had believed Travis to be dead and she never got that vibe from him. A worse story started coming across her mind and she took a deep breath, hoping he hadn't lived through something similar to her own story. Losing Shadowhunter parents at a young age wasn't entirely uncommon, most died very young due to the nature of the job, but regardless of that fact it was still hard to go through. She blamed this life for the loss of her family even knowing her father's death, and possibly her sister's, was due to uncontrollable circumstances. Demons killed Mundanes every day as they stole their essence. It could've happened even if her family wasn't of Shadowhunter blood. Though she sincerely doubted that.

"Just...relax" She said quietly as she stepped up to him and managed to distract herself from his corded back. Before she pressed her hand to him she pulled back and warmed her hands with her breath as an afterthought, thinking that her cold hands might jolt him and erase the ease of the situation. Confident she wouldn't send a cold flash through him, she gently began pressing her left hand to his back to steady herself, starting with her fingertips and slowly pressing down from there until her palm was firmly against his warm skin. She felt her pulse thrumming wildly in her throat as she tried to breathe steadily, knowing he could feel the rhythm on his back with every breath she took. It's not like you're going to embrace him she chastised in her head before she began lowering her other hand to his skin and the faint burning began. She kept the tip of her stele soft against his skin, the purple glowing brightly across his back as it responded to contact and began doing what it was meant for. She started lower on his back, just to the right of his spine and a few ticks south of his shoulder blade where she felt it might not hurt as much. 'Fortitude' began spilling from her stele with precision, the mark being recalled easily in her mind as she worked to make it definitive against him. She completed it quickly enough, pulling her stele away to observe a perfect mark etched starkly against his cream skin. She glanced up at his mark of 'mourning' then back to her own, noting how elegant hers was in comparison to the hard lines drawn up on his back. She wondered if that was somehow his own hand or someone elses, or if he would mind the almost whimsical slant hers seemed to take on as she worked. She erased it from her mind and moved her left hand up, her palm sliding over the smooth skin of his back as she took to his left shoulder blade and took another steadying breath.

"Just let me know if I'm pressing too hard." She said quietly in his ear before pulling her head back and taking one more breath as her stele pressed to his skin once more. Her stele ran over his skin fluidly as she was careful of the depth in which the point pressed into his skin. She moved at a marginal pace, trying to keep a middle ground so the marks would turn out good, but also not to cause him more pain than needed. She knew after the first burn started that your mind turned the burning pain into a numbness, but she was careful nonetheless. Somewhere between the second rune and the third she completely forgot she was marking Eli and concentrated fully on her work. It was as her stele curved off the last of his marks that she remembered while pulling the utensil away from his skin. Her eyes stayed on it as she found it hard to pull herself away from him after seeing her marks stretched over his back, it painfully obvious that someone else had added these in comparison to the one he already had. She took another breath and finally separated her hand from him, his warmth pulsing through her as she took a step back. "All done." She said with the faintest of voices with her hands still coming down to her sides. Her pulse had quickened once more as she looked him over and expected him to observe her work in a mirror. She was slightly fearful he would hate it and state his distaste even though he'd never shown such behavior to her before. She hadn't marked anyone in a very long time and hoped that didn't reflect in the runes etched over his back now, though she found them to be good enough in her book. Just because she hadn't liked doing it didn't mean she wasn't skilled. Her father had made her learn and though he was a kind man, he was harsh in the fact she must know how to properly do things.

Her breathing began to slow to a normal level as he started to turn and she couldn't see the marks any longer, though now his abdomen was blazing in front of her and reminding her of his fine physique. She swallowed the lump in her throat and averted her gaze, her stele being stuffed into her waistband once more as the purple glow began fading. It was then that she remembered it was her turn and she hadn't even thought of what runes to have let alone where to put them. Her skin was virtually unmarked except where Alec's was faded at her shoulder and the mark of the Angel on her back just below the base of her neck. The Voyance rune that was generally the first of the runes ever placed on a young Shadowhunter was discreetly hidden at just the base of her palm. It was small and practically unnoticeable thanks to her father's expert hand. She had been too young to fight him when he drew it on her, still not really knowing what it was for. Considering her distaste in being flashy, the places left for her to be marked were minimal and would require him to put his hands more intimately on her. It was either her back of her abdomen that would take his runes and both locations made her nervous. She knew he would be careful, but the temptation to pull her into him, or to be pulled into him, was far greater in these two areas. her arms were utterly bare in comparison to him and left plenty of space for him to work with, but marks were much more visible there. She took a breath and looked to him, knowing he could read the look in her eyes as she did so. She was mildly frightened by this and felt like she was backed into a corner once more. He won't hurt you her internal voice reminded and she averted her eyes once more.

"You'll have to mark my back...or my abdomen. I don't want the marks to be seen." She said softly, not meeting his gaze as she did so. She took a deep breath before her fingers came to the hem of her tank and lifted the fabric. She let the fabric cling to her chest and stay there, not so willing to completely take her shirt off. He would have to deal with the space provided as she wasn't going to strip down to her bra for him. She'd never done that for anyone and wasn't going to start now. Her hands rested tensely at her sides as her abdomen shrank back from the wave of cool air that hit the exposed flesh. It's just a few marks. Alec's forced them on you before the voice reminded, but she was unconvinced. Alec was completely different from Eli. She didn't feel the same towards the brunette, didn't feel anything in comparison to the Shadowhunter she stood before now. He made her heart race, made a heat rise up from the pit of her stomach, made her stumble over her own words. He was different from the others she had been living with and he was dangerous in the fact he could make her feel this way about him.