Tessa’s heart was pounding, her skin blazing like the fires all over London. She had not felt desire like this since Will. She knew she would never feel it for anyone else; only Will or Jem. “Don’t go away from me,” she whispered. “Don’t stop talking to me. Don’t retreat into silence. Will you tell me how you were injured?” she asked, grasping his hand. He drew it against his heart. She could feel it hammering through his rib cage. “Please. Jem, what were you doing?”

Jem sighed.

I was looking for lost Herondales, he said.

“Lost Herondales?”

This was from Catarina, who stood in the bedroom doorway, holding a tray with two cups of tea. The tray rattled in her hands, as shaken as Tessa felt. She had not even thought of Catarina’s presence.

Catarina steadied her grip and quickly set the tray down on the dresser. Jem’s eyebrow quirked up.

Yes, Jem said. Do you know something about them?

Catarina was still visibly shaken. She didn’t answer.

“Catarina?” Tessa asked.

“You have heard of Tobias Herondale,” she said.

Of course, Jem replied. His story is infamous. He ran from a battle and his fellow Shadowhunters were killed.

“That is the story,” Catarina said. “The reality was that Tobias was under a spell, made to believe that his wife and unborn child were in danger. He ran to help them. His fear was for their safety, but nevertheless, he broke the Law. When he could not be found, the Clave punished Tobias’s wife in his stead. They killed her, but not before I helped her birth the child. I enchanted her so that it appeared she was still with child when she was executed. In reality, she had a son. His name was Ephraim.”

She sighed and leaned against the wall, knotting her hands together.

“I took Ephraim to America and raised him there. He never knew what he was or who he was. He was a happy boy, a good boy. He was my boy.”

“You had a son?’ Tessa asked.