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“Alec!” Isabelle shouted. "We need to fall back!“
Alec grunted his acknowledgement, ducking under another blast of magic from Magnus, and spinning to cover Jace’s left side. That had been true for almost an hour now, and wherever their backup had gone to, it was obvious now that it wasn’t coming.
He looked up at the rift and saw another demon step out of it. "Fuck,” he swore, looking around. Even if they did manage to clear out the rest of the demons, there was no way that Magnus had enough energy to also close the rift.
“Isabelle’s right,” Jace snapped, slicing through another demon. "We need to get the hell out of here before we can’t.“
"I know!” Alec growled, slicing his way to Magnus, right as a wave of demons was blown back by a wave of angry red magic. "Magnus!“
"I’m here,” Magnus panted, holding his hands out in front of him, his glamour down. "I’m here, Alexander.“
Alec felt the tension in his shoulders ease the tiniest bit and he looked to Jace. "You and Isabelle clear a path behind us. Magnus and I will hold them off.”
Jace nodded and gave Alec’s arm a squeeze before he turned and shouted to her, wading through the demons already pressing close to them again. "Move!“ he ordered.
Magnus looked over at Alec, at the way a calm certainty had settled over him and felt something twist inside him. "Alec?”
“If I thought you’d actually leave, I would have told you to go with them,” Alec said, tightening his hands on his blades, watching the demons approach the both of them.
Magnus’ breath caught and he swore. "We’re going to get out of here, Alexander.“
Alec shook his head. "No. We’re not. Even if we manage to escape, we’d leave the rift open.”
“Live today, fight tomorrow,” Magnus snapped, glaring at his boyfriend. "Don’t you dare do anything stupid.“
Alec leaned over and stole a hard kiss from Magnus’ lips. "No promises,” he whispered, his eyes roaming Magnus’ face before he turned back to the demons, the light of his seraph blades more than enough to illuminate the path forward.
“Alexander!” Magnus shouted, but then there was a Ravener between them, and he could see Alec’s blades spinning. He looked behind them where Jace and Isabelle were almost to the door. They could get out, they had to!
Magnus looked at the demons around them, and then to the rift standing in front of him and watched another few demons step through. His skin was crawling with the familiar feeling of the realm just beyond it, and he knew where they were coming from.
Edom.
Magnus heard Alexander grunt in pain and closed his eyes, magic ripping over his skin in waves, starting to bleed off of him as he focused. This close to Edom, he could taste the sulfur, he could hear the sound of his father’s voice, but more than that, he could feel the power that was there, waiting for him to reach out and take it.
With a flick of his wrist, Magnus’ arms were wreathed in black flames and the rush of power, wild and unfettered, ran through him for the first time in centuries. The demons quieted around him and Magnus let a low, threatening growl escape his throat, his eyes flaring bright gold in the darkness.
“Magnus?”
Magnus heard the voice, and that was what he had to protect, what he had pulled this power for. Instead he focused on the demons, whose attention had all swung to him and the power he was emanating.
“You dare,” he growled, low and rough in the language every edomite knew. "To enter a realm under my protection? To attack the ones I protect? You dare…" Magnus voice became a roar as the black flames twisted higher, licking around his entire body. "You dare touch what belongs to the son of your King?”
Magnus let the power explode out of him, even as the demons attempted to run. He sliced through demon after demon, destroying them with barely more than a thought. His body was singing with the power cascading through it, and the destruction of these demons was child’s play, was nothing more than a test sent by his father.
By the time they were gone and silence had descended on the warehouse, Magnus could feel the burn in his veins that told him he would regret pulling on the power this way. He forced himself to ignore it and stalked to the rift, pressing his hands to either side of it.
“Magnus!”
Magnus couldn’t afford to lose focus now, and he would not. He had those he had to keep safe. With a final push of the power he’d borrowed from the realm on the other side of the rift, Magnus pressed the rift shut and sealed it, the power backlash enough to have him tumbling across the floor where the burn suddenly became so much more intense and painful.
He whimpered and curled up, trying to breathe through the pain, his fingers flexing, his breath coming in harsh, desperate pants. There were no words, he couldn’t speak.
“Magnus! Magnus, hold on!”
The familiar voice and the even more familiar touch were enough to remind him that he’d succeeded. He’d protected what was his and they would live to fight another day. Magnus let his head rest against a strong shoulder and closed his eyes, letting the next wave of pain take him into unconsciousness.
~!~
“Jace! Izzy!” Alec shouted, kneeling next to Magnus, an arm wrapped carefully around him. Magnus had gone limp, but there were still sparks of black flame shooting across his body, and every time they did, a small moan of pain left Magnus’ lips.
“What the hell did Magnus do?” Jace asked, hurrying back towards the door. "I’ve never seen magic like that before.“
Alec shook his head, carefully adjusting his hold. He tucked an arm under Magnus’ knees and around his shoulders before lifting him, glad when Magnus’ head stayed pressed to his neck. Like this, it felt like Magnus weighed nothing at all. "We need to get him to the medical wing, and we need to call Catarina.”
“We don’t know if the rift is sealed,” Izzy protested, looking down the hallway, even though it was empty now.
“Whatever Magnus did is hurting him, and I am taking him to be looked at, now,” Alec snapped, striding past her and towards the exit. Magnus was trembling in his arms and Alec tightened his hold, hurrying out of the warehouse.
“Hold on,” Alec whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of Magnus’ head. “Hold on, Magnus, I’ve got you, I promise.”
Alec carried Magnus back to the Institute, calling Catarina the second he’d made sure that Magnus was stable. He explained the situation quickly and asked her to please come and make sure Magnus was all right. Magnus was still far too pale and had started shaking minutely now that he was resting on the bed. Alec took his hand and squeezed it, trying to breathe through the fear making his chest clench.
“Alec!”
Alec looked up in relief at the sight of Catarina flanked by Izzy. “Catarina, please, I don’t know what’s wrong.”
Catarina immediately stepped forward, magic dripping around her hands as she hovered them over Magnus. A spark of black magic jumped from Magnus to her and she hissed, taking a step back in pain.
Alec squeezed Magnus’ hand tighter and stared up at Catarina. “What’s going on? Why is his magic attacking you?”
“He’s magically exhausted. It’s a defense mechanism. The last thing he remembers is being attacked, so it’s going to try to defend him,” Catarina explained. Her eyes drifted to where Alec was holding onto Magnus’ hand. “Isn’t his magic hurting you?”
“The black stuff?” Alec asked, waiting for her nod. “No, it doesn’t hurt at all. Feels the same way his magic always does.”
Catarina blinked and tilted her head, staring at the shadowhunter. “It does?”
Alec nodded, tightening his hand on Magnus’. “Yeah, feels the same.” He watched a spark of the black magic jump to his hand and smiled, watching it dance around his hand before returning to Magnus. “See?”
Catarina looked down at him and gave a faint smile, waving her fingers to widen the infirmary bed and make it something much more comfortable. “You should climb in with him. You’re making him feel better.”
“Will that help?” Alec asked, looking up at her, his eyes shining.
“Yes, I believe so,” Catarina said, watching as Alec scrambled to crawl into bed next to Magnus, pressing in close to him. When her friend immediately turned into Alec’s arms, reaching out for him, she relaxed. “Was his magic reacting to protecting you?”
Alec looked up at her and flushed. “It might have been.”
Catarina nodded. “I can tell. He’ll be all right, but he needs time to recover,” she said, staring him down. “When he does wake up? Don’t…” she paused.
“Don’t what?” Alec asked, lifting his eyes to her.
“Too many in his life have feared the power that he can wield. Do not be one of them, Alec Lightwood,” Catarina warned, summoning a portal for herself.
Alec watched her go through the portal and turned his attention back to Magnus, carefully wrapping an arm around the warlock, holding him close. He pressed a kiss to Magnus’ forehead. “I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, tightening his hold.
~!~
Magnus came back to himself to a distinct lack of pain. He blinked in surprise and felt an arm immediately pull him closer. He relaxed into Alexander, smiling faintly before realizing this wasn’t their bed and he wasn’t in his loft. He sat up, staring around and watched a prickle of black magic peel off of him and hit the floor, making him wince.
“Fuck,” he swore, taking a deep breath. He could still feel the last vestiges of the magic he’d pulled burning in his veins and his fingers twitched with it.
“Magnus?” Alec muttered, his eyes opening slowly before he looked up at the warlock. “You okay?”
Magnus wanted to laugh. The last thing he was was okay. How the hell was Alec curled up in bed with him like this? Why wasn’t he terrified and running as far as he could. He covered his face in his hands, fighting down the trembling, well aware magic was roiling over his skin again.
“Magnus, look at me,” Alec ordered, reaching out to take Magnus’ arm gently, trying to grab his attention.
Magnus eyes flew open and he yanked his hand back, but not before some of the magic had reached Alec, jumping across his skin. He watched it and waited for the wince, or shout of pain, but Alec hadn’t looked away from him. He blinked and looked down at where the magic suddenly jumped back to his own skin. “It doesn’t…hurt?”
“Of course not,” Alec said, relaxing. “Your magic never hurts me.”
The matter of fact statement shouldn’t have been enough to calm the roiling center of his magic, but it did and Magnus let himself fall back to the pillows and into Alec’s arms when he was pulled close. “You’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” Alec whispered, pressing a kiss to Magnus’ forehead. “More than fine, thanks to you. You saved us all with what you did.”
Magnus winced and sighed as he remembered. He’d called on all of his powers as a Son of Asmodeus and wielded it like he’d been doing it for decades. “I’m glad you’re all safe.”
Alec tightened his arm around Magnus, pulling him in close, pressing a kiss to the back of Magnus’ neck. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” Alec whispered. “But I want you to know that I’m here when you want to tell me. You haven’t scared me away, and I’m not going anywhere.”
Magnus tensed. “Alexander.”
“I’m here,” Alec promised, kissing Magnus again. “For now, rest, and recover. Pull from me if you need to. It’s okay.”
Magnus exhaled hard and closed his eyes, sagging into Alec’s arms. He couldn’t help the faint sense of fear still niggling at the back of his mind, but for now, he’d recover and deal with all of that when he woke again.
“Rest,” Alec whispered. “It’s my turn to protect you.”
Magnus’ last fleeting thought before he drifted back to sleep was how nice that sounded.