"And from the whole she deduced this useful lesson, that to go previously engaged to a ball, does not necessarily increase either the dignity or enjoyment of a young lady."
-Jane Austen

It was uncomfortably quiet in the cab on the way to the prom. Lisa and Jonathan had been avoiding each other's eyes the entire ride. Jonathan stared out the window as she looked at the invitation for the umpteenth time, at nine o'clock in Castle Den Brandt. The driver turned and Lisa was shivering from the cold. She was unprepared for the cold winter weather in her thin dress and cardigan. Anna had put her hair up and she felt for a moment whether all the pins were still in place.

Lisa could feel the tension in the car as she cast another sideways glance at Jonathan. Because I love you. That sentence still hung unspoken between them. They would have to work together today with no distractions, their mission had to succeed at all costs.

"You can stop here." It was the first thing she heard Jonathan say since they'd left. The tires squealed as the car came to a stop, Lisa shoved some money into the frowning driver's hands, and together they got out as quickly as they could. They were standing in the main driveway of the castle, she stared at the big white building and Jonathan turned to her.

"What's the plan?" Lisa looked away from his blue eyes to make sure her weapons were still in place. She had two daggers buckled on her lower legs, that's all she could take with her. She also knew that Jonathan wore a gun belt under his blazer.

"We mingle with the guests as unnoticed as possible, then sneak off to rummage through Cassius's things." She began to walk down the driveway and looked at the beautiful fountain as Jonathan walked behind her.

"That's a terrible plan," he laughed, "we'll stand out with the runes and also because we're not invited." Lisa rolled her eyes and quickened her pace, the driveway seemed to be miles long. She regretted they hadn't been able to take a Portal, but Anna had noted that it wouldn't fit into their plan to be "subtle".

"Now is the perfect time to get into the High Warlock's house. We could never break in and he certainly wouldn't let us in." Lisa turned to Jonathan as they reached the stairs. "We're just looking for information about the scepter and the ancient language that Moira can't translate and then we skedaddle."

Jonathan's mouth turned into a wide grin and he bent his arm, Lisa sighed and locked arms. They climbed the stairs and politely rang the bell. A hunchbacked man with bat wings opened the massive door. It was Achiel, Cassius's servant, from him they had bought the mythological book at the shadow market. Lisa smiled uncomfortably and handed him the invitation. Achiel looked from the slip of paper at them with a raised eyebrow.

"Name?" he said in a cracking voice.

"Lisa Cartwright and Jonathan Starkweather," she said quickly. Hopefully, he was stupid enough to think they were welcome at the party.

"Starkweather?" shouted a voice from behind the door. Cassius appeared before them and pushed Achiel aside. The somewhat corpulent man grinned from ear to ear. Lisa found it hard to believe that he was one of the most powerful warlocks in the area. "If those aren't my favourite shadowhunters!" He patted Jonathan on his shoulder, she saw him clenching his fists. "Are you coming to ruin my party with Clave business?"

"No, we're just here to enjoy the festivities," Lisa said with her most innocent smile. Cassius seemed unconvinced and frowned. Lisa thought quickly, then wrapped her arm around Jonathan's waist, who tensed his muscles. "This is our first date," she explained. Cassius laughed like Santa would, two hands on his stomach and shoulders shaking. To her relief, it wasn't a mocking laugh, he stepped aside.

"All right, I have nothing against brash couples." He led them inside with a wide swing of arms and then began talking to Achiel about his first date. Relieved, she let go of Jonathan and looked around curiously.

An orchestra played classical music, to which the guests were dancing. Lisa let her gaze roam the crowd. She saw all kinds of benefactors, elves with flowers in their hair chatting together, Cassius's warlock friends were dancing in the hall, she also saw some vampires from Edwyn's clan. Lisa leaned her head back and looked at the gold chandeliers as Jonathan escorted her to the dance floor.

"We're not here for fun," she hissed. Jonathan took her left hand, placed his other hand on her back, and began to dance casually. When she looked up angrily, she saw him beckon to something behind her. He swung her around and she saw what he was looking at. Cassius was watching them. Lisa closed her eyes and swore in silence, slipping away unnoticed wouldn't be so easy. She listened to the music, it was Für Elise, she imagined Anna playing it for her. The thought calmed her and opened her eyes.

"Come on." Lisa pulled him away from the dance floor, she didn't care what Cassius thought. They came to a table full of fruit and snacks, Jonathan stared at it with hunger. Rolling her eyes, she took two glasses of champagne from the table and shoved one into his hands.

"I don't think it's a good plan to get drunk," Jonathan said soberly. Cassius was still looking their way as he talked to a fairy, her skin the same dark red as the glass of wine in her hands. A cold shiver ran down her spine, did the warlock see through them?

Without thinking she took a sip from her glass, the liquid tasted bitter in her mouth. Jonathan looked at her with a grin and took a sip too. She knew Jonathan was a good drinker and watched as he gulped down the entire contents. She gave him a hard tap on the arm as he reached for another glass. His cheeks turned red, she thought it was from the champagne.

Together they looked again at Cassius, who raised his glass in their direction. Lisa breathed a sigh of relief, he was convinced. Lisa took another sip, then set the glass a little too hard on the table. A werewolf gave them an annoyed look as she dragged Jonathan along and slipped into a hallway. She felt lightheaded and adrenaline rushed through her body. If they got caught now, they wouldn't have a good explanation.

"Where do we look first?" Jonathan crossed his arms and looked at her hopefully. So she was clearly in charge.

"We need to find the library or his office. Let's start upstairs." Jonathan nodded in agreement and they walked up the stairs. Which was not easy for Lisa, her feet were pinched in the heels.

At random, they opened a door, which led to a beautiful emerald green sitting room. With a sigh, she closed the door again and bumped into Jonathan. Startled, she looked up, it was the first time that day that she looked him straight in the eye. His pupils dilated, surrounded by light blue, which gave her a lump in her throat. She was about to step aside when he ran his hand through her hair, a shiver ran down her spine.

"You are very beautiful," he whispered softly. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block his words. "And I'm sorry," his voice was hoarse, vulnerable, "I should have respected your choice of Thomas." She opened her eyes, his words were sincere. It broke her heart.

She didn't know how, but the next moment she was standing on her toes, and her mouth touched his. Jonathan made a startled sound and gently held her waist. Even though she was standing on the tips of her toes, he still had to bend forward. Jonathan picked her up and pushed her back against the wall so they were at the same level. Her whole skin tingled as he whispered her name in shock. His lips tasted of apples and champagne from before. She still felt light-headed, as if she were dreaming.

But that dream was broken by the thought of Thomas, his face flashed by. Lisa broke away from him as quickly as she had hugged him. Suddenly they heard an all-too-familiar laugh.

"Ho-ho-ho." Jonathan quickly took a step back and they looked at the old man in disbelief. Cassius ran a hand through his white beard and looked at them with a grin. How long had he been standing there? Lisa felt her cheeks turn even redder and she heard Jonathan panting next to her. She hoped he wasn't going to kill him. That would be unsubtle.

"You shadowhunters are so hotheaded," he laughed, pointing to the door next to him. "Here's another spare bedroom." He winked at the duo and then walked on, smiling and shaking his head. Lisa had to do her best not to attack him from behind.

When he was gone, she walked to the door across from the bedroom and pulled it open.

"Lisa-" Jonathan ran after her and grabbed her wrist. She jerked her hand back and shook her head. She didn't want to talk about this. Ever.

She turned her head away from Jonathan's disappointed face and stepped into the room. It looked like they had found Cassius's office at last.

"Bingo." Lisa began to open the drawers of the massive desk and Jonathan grudgingly searched the cupboards. After a hot minute of searching, all the papers were scattered over the wooden desk. Nothing about the scepter, nothing about an ancient language. She was already starting to give up hope, had all this effort been for nothing?

"Lis." She cringed at the nickname he'd just whispered into her mouth. "I think I've found something." Jonathan rushed over to her and put a book on the table. His arm pressed against her shoulder in his enthusiasm, and she had to close her eyes to remain calm. She clearly didn't trust herself around him.

Had he kissed her because he had had too much alcohol or heard Cassius coming? She shook her head and opened her eyes again.

Jonathan pointed to the book and avoided her gaze. It looked like a dictionary, and to her delight, she recognized some words from the text. This would allow Moira to translate it. She closed the book and pressed it to her chest, as if it were a baby she had to protect.

"We have to get out of here." She opened a window and looked down. A mundane wouldn't come out of a fall from this height unscathed.

"Wouldn't Cassius miss his book?" Lisa shook her head, she could see from the dust layer on it that it hadn't been used for a long time. "And why did you open the window?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Lisa grinned and tossed Jonathan her heels, which he caught with one hand.

"We can't escape past Cassius," she said with a shrug. Lisa took off her necklace, making her wings pop out of nowhere. Jonathan still looked at her suspiciously. She stepped out the window and used the wings as a parachute, landing softly in the grass. Lisa hoped no one would notice and quickly put her necklace back on.

A second later Jonathan's face appeared through the window. He threw her heels down and followed shortly after. They both landed in a bush and Lisa laughed as he stood up disheveled.

"Let's go," she said, shivering from the cold. Jonathan took her hand and they ran as fast as they could.

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What did you think of this chapter? Be sure to let me know in the comments!
They've found the book, but will the kiss take an emotional toll?
Find out in the next chapter! -->

Also remember: trust no one