“Is Jace with you?” “Uh, no,” said Alec. He wondered if Aline was asking for a specific reason. Aline and Jace had kissed in Alicante, before the war. Alec tried to think of what Isabelle usually said to girls about Jace. “The thing is,” he added, “Jace is a beautiful antelope, who has to be free to run across the plains.” “What?” said Aline. Maybe Alec had gotten that wrong. “Jace is home with his, uh, his new girlfriend. You remember Clary.” Alec hoped Aline was not too heartbroken.
