Holding her was a comfort. Having her in his arms felt too real to be another part of his dreams. They'd both escaped. They were safe. The nightmares had just been his fears coming alive in his unconscious mind.

Meeting her gaze, he managed a small smile. Magnus would understand. She had seen what Sebastian had done and even before she'd distracted the man from Alec, she had been the target for his amusements. "It'll get better." Not just for him, but for her as well.

As Magnus told him the main reasons for her actions, Alec didn't pull away. His parents had been charmed by Valentine, becoming members of his circle so he knew that it was easy to become caught up in something horrible without realizing it until it was almost too late. The fact that she hated Sebastian was a relief since he didn't want her loyalties to be conflicted but he did momentarily wonder if she might be lying.

But if she was, he had the feeling she would have been playing up those visits more to gain his sympathies. His instincts told him that her words were honest and she had been horrified by what Sebastian had done. If she hadn't been, she would have let Sebastian attack him.

Brushing his fingers lightly over Magnus' hair, he tried to think of how to answer her. Whatever attempt at comfort he might give wouldn't be enough. "I don't know why I would be the reason for you to break your oath, but thank you."

Patiently he waited for her to meet his eyes again, and his smile became reassuring. "Whatever breaking your oath might mean, I'll do everything I can to protect you."