All that darkness, and all that pain, and Magnus was somehow still a blazing riot of life and color, a source of joy for everyone around him.

The Clave tells us not to trust Downworlders. Despite the Accords, despite everything, we all get indoctrinated, and we—” He broke off, looking up at the clear, cold stars. “I used to follow the rules because I thought it would keep everyone I cared about safe,” he said. “But I’ve started to realize that ‘everyone I care about’ is a bigger group and a different group than the Clave was built to accept.

Since Shadowhunters, however loving, were all reckless lunatics.

My boyfriend is a Shadowhunter, for heaven’s sake. Literally, for heaven’s sake.

Alec’s breath caught. He found he could not stop holding it, as if he could save it for the child Magnus had been.

I know warlocks and Shadowhunters are very different, and there is a divide between your worlds that can be hard to cross. But as someone once said to me, the right man will not care. You can build a bridge over the divide and find each other. You can build something much greater than either of you could ever have built on your own.

I’ve changed my mind,” Catarina announced. She put her arm around Alec’s neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I like you.” “Oh,” said Alec, looking baffled. “Thanks.” “Please take care of Magnus,” Catarina added. “I try,” said Alec. Catarina gave Magnus a delighted look over Alec’s shoulder. “At last,” she murmured. “A keeper.

He and Jia occasionally made cutting remarks about various Clave members to each other in Mandarin. She was a nice lady.

The compass of Magnus’s soul spun freely within him, and he’d long been used to that.