Love & Arrows (Shadowhunter Series #1)

Epilogue

EDITED - 04/06/19

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'They love each other,

they're brother and sister.

It's one for all, and all for one.

- Joe Siemba

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YVANNA

  I read the letter as Alec's in the bathroom taking a shower. We're heading to bed now and tomorrow we'll start the search for my brother. Speaking of my brother, I'm currently reading the fire message he sent me:

Abi,

  I am writing to tell you that I am fine. You don't have to worry about my condition right now. If you want to see me, you can just track me anytime. I'm writing in secret so that Valentine won't catch me. I'll try to keep you updated as much as I can without him catching me. Anyway, I'm sorry for breaking my promise.

  I'm sorry for leaving you when we just recently reconciled. I had to do this to find out about Valentine's plans. Please don't tell anyone about this fire message, they might think you know the location of where I am. Even I don't even know where we are, just that we're in the middle of a vast ocean.

  I've seen things that I have never seen before Abi. He has killed hundreds of mundanes just by turning them. He has an army of the mundanes that have survived. He's torturing me too but I can handle the pain because all I think about is you. You're my anchor and I want to be back for you as your brother.

  As you have said, we've been together for two decades. I'm not letting those two decades go to waste. You mean everything to me and you are the first girl I have ever loved. I'm sorry about the year we had because of Clary. I promise to make it up to you. Promise me that you won't put your life on the line just to find me.

  I can never forgive myself if you got hurt just to find me. Don't do it okay? I know you're just as hard-headed as me. Enjoy your married life with Alec. I don't really approve of your marriage as you married too early. But I know Alec won't hurt you as he has loved you for ten years.

  You think I don't know anything about your hidden feelings for each other before? At least something good turned out from it. Just promise me to not give me a niece or a nephew too quickly, you're still too young. I'm not ready to be an uncle just yet, maybe five years from now?

  Anyway, I love you Abi. Don't write to me as Valentine might see it. Be happy and always train so that we can take down this monster together.

Jace

  I fold the letter neatly before placing it in the drawer of the bed side table. I take out the other letter just as Alec steps out of the bathroom. "What are you reading there?" He asks while drying his hair with a towel. "Just a letter that I saw in my brother's drawer." I explain before showing him the letter.

  He gives me a smile before heading towards the closet to grab his sleeping attire. I start to read the letter:

Abi, if you're reading this there are two possible reasons:

  1. I left because of a mission and never came back or something happened or

  2. You're looking through my things...again.

  Anyway, this letter is addressed to you and only you my lil' sis. You know that I rarely express my feelings to the Lightwoods as I only express them to you. I know that you are in love with my parabatai – Alec Lightwood. I can see it in your eyes my dear sister and I want to say, go for it.

  If you want to be with Alec, I'll help you be with him just say the words. When I come back, I'll be there helping you out. But maybe by the time you're reading this it's either you have fallen for someone else or you and Alec got together already. I hope you get married at the age of 25 because I know you'll be very matured by then.

  I'm not saying that you're not matured as you're more matured than me and I'm your older brother. If you got married, please don't have children too soon. I don't think I can handle being an uncle just yet. But if you want to have children, I'd support you anyway because if having children will make you happy then I'll be happy.

  I know you want me to have a girlfriend, I prefer being single right now. I was in a relationship before, you knew how that turned out. It crashed and burned so I'm happy to stay single right now. I wrote this when it was a few weeks before our 18th birthday, time flies so fast huh?

  Just eight years ago, our father died. It feels strange that we're orphans but we stayed together through thick and thin. Remember our promise? I will make sure that I'll never break that promise. I will never leave you for my own gain, if I had to leave you it's for your own protection.

  I will always choose you before anyone else. I will always choose you before my own safety. You are my sister, my little sister. You are the most important girl I have in my life and you are the first girl I will and have ever loved. When the time comes for me to have a relationship, I will always turn to you for advice.

  Don't try to hide about your relationship with a certain vampire Abi, I was not happy when I found out about it. You were dating Raphael Santiago, seriously? Why didn't you tell me? Anyway, as you can see my penmanship is getting uglier as I am getting tired while writing this letter.

  I love you Abi, never forget that.

Jace

  I let out a sigh before placing the letter inside the drawer just as Alec lies down beside me. I turn to face him with a weak smile. "You alright?" He asks as I rest my head on his chest. "Getting better, reading that letter from Jace made me happy." I say before looking up at him. "We will find him." He promises before placing a kiss on my head.

  I know that I will find my brother and I have the means to find him. I know that Alec won't stop until he gets his parabatai back and we won't stop until Valentine is dead. I won't let my brother suffer because of Valentine's plans. I won't let him suffer because he wants to protect me.

  I don't care if Clary or Jocelyn wants us to be a family, I don't want that. Jocelyn abandoned us, we survived without her. I think we can survive again without her. I won't be that kind of mother to my children because I will be better than Jocelyn was to me and my brother. I just can't look at her and call her my mother. I just can't.

  As I've said earlier, she's happy without Jace and I. She has Clary, she has Luke and she also has Simon. The family I had left is Jace and he left to protect me. While I'm trying to adjust to my married life with Alec, I have to adjust with Jace gone for a while. I have to be strong for the both of us.

  I look up to see Alec sleeping peacefully before I pull the duvet up. I take in a deep breath before letting sleep pull me in. But before I could sleep, I hear a very familiar voice. "Wait for me to come home." Jace?

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