"Come on, Clary, you've only got half an hour left."

"Alec, if I finish this session, I swear, I'm going to collapse," Clary panted, hands on her knees. "Besides, I've already beat you twice," she grinned.

"That was only because you cheated. Using your ability to create runes against me isn't fair play," he insisted.

"You know it is and you're just being a sore loser. It's how I would fight, had you been a real demon. I think you're being unfair."

"Fine, fine, go. You're dismissed." He waved his hand at her dismissively.

"Thanks," she smiled and raced off in the direction of her room. Nothing sounded more appealing to her than a hot shower right then.

"Whoa! Slow down in the hallways, would ya, Clary?" Magnus called over his shoulder as she passed him. She chose to ignore him and headed straight for her room. When she came out of the steaming shower, dressed in jeans and a tank top, she hardly expected to see Jace, lying on her bed.

"God, Jace, give me a heart attack, why don't you?" she exclaimed, a hand over her heart. He merely sat up and smirked at her.

"I hear you skipped out early on training."

"It was only half an hour! And besides, I knew that Alec was meeting Magnus today, so I used their infatuation to my advantage. Had it been any other day, Alec never would've let me go."

"Ah, cunning," Jace grinned.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked, sitting down on the bed facing him, cross-legged.

"I went to Taki's to get everyone food but I ran into a Rakmon demon on the way home." Clary raised her eyebrow.

"You ran into one, Jace? We are talking about Rakmon demons, the ones who mostly dwell in sewers and only come out on the winter solstice, right?" Jace sighed and nodded. "You went after one didn't tell any of us? What if you had run into a nest of them Jace? None of us would have had a clue where to look for you! God, you can be so impulsive sometimes, it drives me crazy."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" His infamous cockiness laced his words. Clary glared at him before punching him in the arm as hard as she could and then leaving her room. "What was that for?" Jace demanded, catching just outside her door in the hallway.

"Jace, one of these days, you're going to get yourself killed, and then you'll see why everyone around here is so petulant with you all the time." She walked down the hallway to the elevator, where Church was waiting patiently for her.

"Wait, where are you going?" he demanded, sticking his hand in front of the elevator doors.

"I'm going to Simon's. Who knows, maybe I'll run into a Greater Demon somewhere and take him on. I'll let you know when I get back." She glared at him and smacked his hand away from the door. They slide shut on his astonished face and her satisfied one.