Even as he told himself it was ridiculous to blush over Adam almost holding hands with him, Alec couldn't hide his reaction. Keeping his head bowed he pretended he was focusing on keeping the color even instead of hiding the fact that he was acting like a Mundie teenager.

"Tone is what set me off before," he admitted, not sure if he had been justified in that reaction or not. "It reminded me of how my mother's reacted to everything. She's furious that she can't use me in a political marriage now."

Turning Adam's hand to make sure that the polish was even, he considered the best way to explain Jace's role in his life. "Parabatai are bonded warriors. We go through a ceremony and make certain vows to each other. We promise to fight together. We'll take care of each other's families." The part about dying probably wasn't something that Adam wanted to hear. Pausing, he remembered Clary's snide comments about how close he was to Jace. "We're literally platonic soul mates. Jace and I went through the ceremony when we were fifteen."