When Jace opened the greenhouse door, the scent hit Clary, soft as the padded blow of a cat's paw.

Jace flushed a slow, dark red. "It's not like that. If I thought it would help the Clave-but it won't. She'll just get hurt-" "Even if you thought it would help the Clave", Simon said, "you'd never let them have her." "What makes you say that, vampire?" "Because no one can have her but you"said Simon

We are chained to this life by a chain of gold, and we dare not sever it for fear of what lies beyond the drop.

Sorry,” she said breathlessly. “I got lost in the crowd.” “I noticed,” he said. “One second I was dancing with you, and the next you were gone and a very persistent werewolf was trying to get the buttons on my jeans undone.” Sebastian chuckled. “Girl or boy werewolf?” “Not sure. Either way, they could have used a shave.

He looked at her levelly. There was something in his eyes, a sort of quizzical admiration; she wondered if it was simply admiration of Jessamine’s looks. “No,” he said. “No, even though you are the perfect picture of Jessamine, I can see Tessa through it somehow as if, if I were to scrape away a layer of paint, there would be my Tessa underneath.” “I am not your Tessa either.” The light sparkling in his eyes dimmed. “Fair enough,” he said. “I suppose you are not.

Simon had never noticed before, but she wore a silver ring on her right hand, with a partner of flames around the band of it, and a carved L in the center. It reminded him of the ring Clary wore around her neck, with its design of stars. "It's the Lightwood family ring," she said, noticing where his gaze was fixed. "Every family has an emblem. Ours is fire.

If you do not help me," Tessa said to Jem, "I swear, I will change into you, and I will lift him myself. And then everyone here will see what you look like in a dress." She fixed him with a look. "Do you understand?