Alec was so caught up in his conversation with Izzy and making sure that the polish was even that he didn't look up when someone entered the room. Usually only Jace or Max came to her room without announcing who it was so he'd have time to move away and Izzy could pretend that her big brother hadn't been playing with her makeup.

Expecting his parabatai, Alec went still when he saw that it was Adam who had entered the room. Slowly he capped the polish. He tried to ignore how uncomfortable Adam looked, but couldn't. He'd been civil when he left. At least he thought he'd been civil. Adam looked afraid of him.

"It's okay. I should go. There's reports I should review." He shrugged, and he automatically slouched in an attempt to take up less space. to seem less threatening. "And you two will want some privacy."