Chapter 2: Care
The human as well as the animal in Alec panicked when Max's unconscious body slumped into his arms and for a terrifying moment, all he could do was cradling her protectively against his chest, lowering himself to the floor with her.
Only the reassuring faint sound of her heart beating, albeit irregularly and alarmingly slow for a transgenic, and her shallow breath kept him from going all nuts. It still worried the hell out of him but it at least allowed the soldier in him to come forward and take control.
Clenching his jaw, Alec quickly made a preliminary exam of her injuries and condition. It wasn't pretty. There was a hole in her side, obviously from a big caliber, her left arm seemed to be broken, she had a small bleeding wound on her head, a few ribs seemed to be broken also, her skin was too cold, her torso was blue and yellow from heavy blows she must have suffered and judging from various small incisions and burn marks, he guessed she had been tortured for at least a couple of days. Which meant she had been captured. Which in turn meant that she was most likely followed.
Damn it.
That meant he couldn't bring her to a hospital. Whoever had had her (he guessed White. No human could have inflicted this many still so very apparent bruising like she sported on a fast healing transgenic) was most likely searching the hospitals in the area already. Not to mention that now, that the secret about transgenics was out and the fear and hate among the ordinaries so big, it wouldn't be a good idea to bring her into a hospital anyway.
Damn.
Carefully picking her back up into his arms, Alec quickly scanned the surroundings for any enemy activity before he leapt forward, keeping in the shadows, blurring towards his apartment. He could take care of the superficial injuries, hell, he could even take care of the bullet wound, getting the bullet out and stitching it up. But everything pointed towards internal damage as well and that was just beyond his extended first aid training. She needed to be checked out properly, by a real doctor and soon. For now though, he would see to it that she was safe and then do for her what he could until he found a doctor for her.
Human and animal in him screamed at him to get her into his apartment as soon as possible, but the soldier nonetheless stayed put for a moment when he reached his street, carefully checking the perimeters out before he used the back entrance to bring her up. He also entered his apartment vigilantly, quickly checking out his rooms, before he put Max down onto his bed and then went to lock and secure it properly. Not wasting more time, he returned to Max, cutting her clothes away until she laid naked in front of him.
So not how he had imagined and dreamed this happening. There she was, finally naked in his bed, and he couldn't enjoy it for a single second. His eyes hardened as he got an even better look at Max's battered, tortured body and anger and rage started to form a tight knot in his stomach and heart.
If he got his hands on the bastards who had done this to her...
The soldier though went to work, cleaning out the many wounds, treat them heavily with disinfection, applying a healing ointment on the bruises, hell pretty much all over her body, got the bullet out, stitched it up and finally bandaged it all up, her broken arm included. Her right shoulder was dislocated as well and he set that one straight also, before he finally set up everything for a blood transfusion. Though not bleeding heavily anymore, he could see the signs for heavy blood loss. Besides, the blood would help her heal better. Starting the transfusion, Alec tiredly sat propped up beside her and at last reached for his phone.
"I haven't found a trace of her yet. Have you got something?" Logan said straight out when he picked up, sounding worried.
Alec looked down at her and closed his eyes briefly. "Yeah, I've got her. Looks like someone got to her. My bet is White."
Logan gasped. "She okay?"
"No, not really. You know a doctor that could help her, don't you?" Alec asked, pretty sure May had mentioned something along that way at some point.
"Dr Shankar, yes, but if she's so bad that she needs a doctor, shouldn't you rather bring her straight to the hospital? Harbor Lights..."
"No. A hospital is too dangerous. White will have them watched and with the transgenic situation generally, she'd be more in danger there than here," Alec interrupted him, impatiently. "I've got her and here I can keep her safe. Just send the doctor to my apartment. Tell him to knock two short times, one slow, two short again. If he doesn't, he'll receive a bullet straight between his eyes upon entering, so he better not forget it."
"Now, Alec, don't..."
"We're not having a discussion about this, Logan. I'm the one who's in charge until she's back on her feet so you better get used to it. She's pack and she's hurt so my patience is thin and annoying me right now would be a really bad idea," Alec told him very coldly and calmly, seething inside though. There was no time for this bullshit right now. Max needed help. "This is also the only warning I give you. Understood?"
Silence.
But Alec waited, not really patiently, but this needed to be cleared right now. Insubordination was not an option. Until Max was back to her bitchy self, he was in charge and responsible for her safety and well-being. He wouldn't tolerate Cale challenging him on this.
Finally, at last, Logan responded, in a tight, flat tone. "Fine."
"Good. Now, after you've sent the doctor on his way, I need you to go get Joshua and bring him here as well. I'm giving her blood right now but I think she'll need more, so we need Joshua." Plus, he could need the back-up. The attack on Max left him uneasy. He hadn't found any tracker on her, then again, maybe she carried it under her skin. Or she hadn't any at all. Anyway, he was on high guard now but taking care of Maxie and be on guard 24/7 all alone was not the best option. Not to mention that he had the strong urge to have his pack together until they knew that the coast was clear. "Hurry," he added in that sense and then disconnected, not bothering to wait for Logan's response. The human would be pissed, but he honestly couldn't care less.
Looking down at Max again, he smoothed her hair, still sticky with blood, back, his fingers brushing over her cheek. He thought her clammy skin already felt a bit warmer, but he honestly couldn't say if that was indeed so or only whish thinking on his part. He was fairly sure that she'd be okay with time, yet, there was this small doubt that caused so much fear.
If he lost her...
Despite all the problems they had had and danger they had faced since Manticore had burnt down, this was really the first time he was directly confronted with the possibility of actually losing her and it terrified him. Sure, he had already known that she was pack and therefore important to him - but not like this.
This was...
He blinked, shaking his head. No. Now was not the time to analyze all these unfamiliar feelings. For now, all that mattered was that he kept her safe. Glancing at the door, he cradled his gun closer. He hadn't been kidding earlier on. He was shooting anything and anyone that dared to come through this door or the window uninvited. A second gun and a knife were at hand as well. And then he had his own body of course. Manticore had made sure that everyone of them were walking, deadly weapons. He just wished he knew what he was up against exactly. Was it White and his Familiars or was it some other threat after all? Glancing back at the still unconscious Max, he sighed. He guessed she wouldn't answer his many questions for a while yet.
Again he caressed her cheek, purely instinctively though, without any conscious thought. He just needed to touch her, reassure himself that she was here and though not well, at least still alive. It calmed the still reeling human and animal in him, if only a little. His body remained tense, alert, wary of anything that could further hurt her, taking her away from him.
"What happened to you, Maxie?" he whispered, desolate.
The doctor, Joshua and Logan all arrived at the same time. Logan probably had just rounded them all up and brought them over. Alec knew they were here to help, hell, he had ordered them here himself, and yet he found himself very reluctant to let anyone else but Joshua in. He mustered the doctor critically before he nodded towards his bedroom. "She's in there."
Dr Shankar nodded and went into the bedroom without another word. His body tensed even more when he saw the unfamiliar person approaching Max, even if it was a woman and not a man, something he was thankful for, but the soldier snapped at him to not be stupid and let the woman do her work. So he managed to restrain his sudden inexplicable urge to kick the doctor out again. He did move so he could keep a better eye on her though.
"Little fella hurt?"
Not taking his eyes off the doctor, Alec nodded. "Yeah, Josh. But don't worry, I'm sure she'll soon kick ass again," he soothed the worried dog-man, hoping he was right with his assessment of Max's condition.
But really. She was a transgenic. They weren't that easily killed. Especially not his Maxie.
Thank Heaven for that.
"Someone hurt little fella?" Joshua then asked, a dark, low growl that made even Alec's hair stand up. He briefly glanced at the big guy, nodding solemnly.
"White?"
"That's my best guess," Alec answered, returning his vigilant eyes back to the doctor.
Joshua was silent after that and Alec let him be. Max was like his little sister and it hadn't been the first time White had hurt people Joshua cared about or considered family.
Logan had followed the exchange quietly so far, but when he started towards the bedroom, Alec suddenly found himself blocking his way. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked, well, growled really.
The ordinary looked at him with exasperation and irritation. "I just want to check on her. Now if you could please get out of my way."
"You're not going into that bedroom," Alec heard himself say before he could actually think about it.
Then again, he wasn't thinking anymore, solely acting on instinct, as he realized. He fought against it, because he was in control, damn it, but this time, his instinct wasn't relenting. Of course, Logan wasn't much of a help either, trying to push past him. "I won't touch her, I just want to see her, how much she really is hurt."
His first instinct was to shove the ordinary away, which probably would have flung him across the room and shatter into the wall, but some last sane part held Alec back in the last second. Logan's wish to see Max wasn't so extravagant after all. He was supposed to love her and frankly said, would it be the other way around, Alec would not let himself be stopped until he had reached Max. He knew all that. And yet the urge to throw Logan out (in the best case) was overwhelming. Instead, he backed away to stop directly in the doorframe, effectively blocking the way in, hoping that would save him from doing something really stupid that would earn him a lot of pain, once Max got wind of it.
But he couldn't help it, he just couldn't stand yet someone else being too close to Max. The doctor was bad enough, anyone else was just not acceptable. Especially not Logan.
"What is wrong with you?" Logan wanted to know, incredulously and pissed as hell. "Now let me through!"
"No," Alec insisted, once again speaking without any help of his conscious mind. But he did ask himself that same question as well. What was wrong with him indeed? He recognized his antics as highly territorial behavior, but he had no clue what exactly had triggered it. Okay, so Max was hurt and she was pack, leaving him in charge while she was out of it, but still - this was just not normal anymore. He just knew that he couldn't and wouldn't let Logan anywhere near Max, not without tearing his throat out and that was that. Some instincts you just couldn't fight, no matter how hard you tried.
Unfortunately though, he doubted strongly that Max would be okay with him tearing Logan's throat out. And yeah, perhaps he would regret it also. A little. But all this still resulted in him not able to allow Logan to get any closer.
Now, another transgenic would have known not to try to get past him again, pushing at him. Logan wasn't a transgenic though and obviously blind to the warning signs, so he did just that.
Falling completely still, Alec did push Logan back this time, holding himself somehow back enough to not really hurt the human though, only sending him toppling into Joshua's arms. "Joshua," he ordered through clenched teeth and then whirled into his bedroom, locking the door behind himself, knowing that it wasn't safe if he remained in the presence of the annoying ordinary.
He just hoped Joshua could talk some sense into that stupid ordinary.
Taking a few deep, calming breaths, he focused back on Max and the doctor and slowly, he managed to push Logan out of his crazed mind, reigning in the animal. For a moment, he stared at her oh so unnatural still form, before he lifted his eyes towards the doctor. "I took the bullet out and stitched u the wound. I was afraid if I waited any longer her body would start to heal over it. And I gave her some of my blood." He looked at her still closed eyes. "She should have woken up by now."
Dr Shankar straightened back up with a sigh. "You've done a good job, son, don't worry. As for her still being unconscious... Admittedly, I have little experience with transgenics, my main patient having been only Max so far, but I did some research and from what I gathered, your bodies have truly amazing healing abilities. Her injuries are grave and if she were only human, I'd say even fatal, but I can tell the healing process has already started within her. My guess is that her body has sort of shut down, giving her the opportunity to heal herself while it's the most less painful for her."
Alec thought about that for a moment. They had been trained to ignore pain and keep on fighting, trying until the last breath to finish the mission if necessary. Surely not to shut down like this in order to heal themselves. That could have catastrophic consequences when out in the field. But then again, the rules had changed with the downfall of Manticore, he guessed. Who knew what their bodies could do when not under constant supervision? Like any good little soldier (and boy was that going to irk the always so adamant wanting to be normal transgenic), Max somehow had dragged herself from wherever they had held her back to the city, to safety. She had been heading for Jam Pony, for him, he was sure about that. She had only collapsed when she had known that he was there now.
When she had known that she was finally safe, he realized suddenly with a start, his eyes running over her, his heart constricting at that warming thought a bit. She trusted him to keep her safe. He knew they had come a long way ever since their first, fateful meeting in a cell in Manticore, especially lately, having started to form a pack together and with Joshua. But he still had had his doubts if she really had changed her opinion of him that much, trusting him to this extend.
That she had come to him when hurt like that meant a lot.
And thinking about it now, he did think that he had already heard of similar reactions from other badly hurt transgenics falling into a deep unconsciousness once they've came back to base to wake up much later, almost healed. God, he hoped that this was the same case. "That could be. What about internal damage?"
The doctor shook her head slightly. "Hard to tell without being able to do some x-rays, but I'm pretty sure the liver's bruised and maybe, one of her lungs got punctured. Again I'm not sure just how far your healing abilities go, but I'll give her some medicine that should help the process along at least. I also suggest to keep a line with antibiotics in her for at least a day. Blood from you and your friend out there surely will also help to fight any infection. Otherwise I'm afraid we'll just have to wait and see how it progresses in the next twenty-four hours. If her conditions worsens, we'll have to find a way to get her into a hospital or at least to a private clinic perhaps." She looked into Alec's eyes. "You'll need to watch her closely, take her vitals every four hours. Also I'll leave you some medicines that you should give her every six hours. You think you can do that?"
"No problem," Alec answered, briefly meeting the doctor's eyes before his eyes slid back to Max. "So you think she'll be okay?"
"I think so, yeah. My experience with your kind showed me that it takes really a lot to bring one of you down and Max is very strong. She survived worse than this, I'm sure," Dr Shankar nodded, allowing herself a small smile.
Relief nearly brought Alec down onto his knees, but he managed to remain standing straight. "Thank you."
"You already did most of my work, son, so there's really no need to thank me," Dr Shankar told him gently. "I'll come by in a few hours again, see how she's doing."
"You have any idea when she'll wake up?" Alec asked, coming forward, touching Max's hand. Oh yeah, this time he was sure that her skin was indeed a bit warmer than before.
"I'm afraid not. I say we give her a day. If she hasn't woken up until then we'll see what we want to do about it." Dr Shankar rounded the bed and laid a hand onto Alec's shoulder. He tensed, but tolerated the touch. For now. In stressful times like these, strangers shouldn't touch a transgenic uninvited, but hell, ordinaries were just stupid like that. Though someone should give them a handbook one of these days. 'Handling transgenics for dummies'. "Just give her time, son. I'm pretty sure that's all she needs."
Alec nodded, tightening his hold on her hand. He guessed the doctor was right. He just had never been really good at waiting. And having to see Max so eerily still just was - wrong. It unsettled him to the deepest of his core, but if she needed that to be the spit-firing Maxie he knew and loved, well, then, by all means, time she would have.
But she'd better get better soon.
"Come on, I'll show you what I want you to do and what medicine you'll have to give her when," Dr Shankar suggested, her hand falling away to Alec's immense relief.
Hesitating only a moment, Alec reluctantly let go of Max's hand and followed the doctor dutifully, letting her instruct him on what Max would or may need while she recuperated.
It was a while since the doctor had left and also since Logan's loud protests from beyond the door had died down. Alec had stayed with Max, mostly because there was no way that he was leaving her alone now that Joshua was there as well but also because he just didn't trust himself around the ordinary at the moment.
Not a feeling he particularly enjoyed - not because of Logan but because he didn't like it one little bit to be so out of control as he had been when Logan had tried to get past him. The animal had taken over, something that seldom had happened back in Manticore. It hadn't been allowed and those who hadn't been able to fully control the animal had been put down mercilessly.
To lose control like that scared him. Okay, driven into a corner, be it literally or metaphorical, he could understand it. Their survival instinct was very strong and his especially. He wasn't the type for a martyr, never had been and hopefully never would be. And even back in Manticore he had enjoyed being alive and yes, also being superior than almost everyone else. Now actually being free was even better and he was intent on remaining free and most of all, alive. So he could live with the animal coming out occasionally in order to help him survive.
But this...
This had been something else and he wasn't comfortable putting a name on it. Not yet. Maybe never. It definitely had been too much animal though and considering that his twin had gone completely mad here on the outside, he couldn't help but wonder if it had started with small things like this one for Ben. He didn't really think he was as crazy as his twin, really not, and Max had reassured him of that as well, but then again, he had also thought that he had his animal better under control than that.
Of course, once again, much had changed the moment Max had burnt down Manticore, freeing all of them. Now, he surely didn't miss Manticore, but the place had had its advantages. You didn't have to worry about food or money or clothes or anything else you needed to survive and you had rules that kept them all controlled. Without those rules...
Everything changed.
They were now allowed to form packs or even mate with each other, something Manticore never allowed in fear of a repeat of 09 and the escape of an entire unit. Pack really. They had always been kept isolated after that, even among your own unit, only allowing just enough contact that you'd be reluctant to let them suffer in your place if you bolted. So no one could really tell how the rules applying to pack or mates really were, only now slowly surfacing, turning everything upside down. The little they had knows was based on some accidents that had happened despite the overwhelming control Manticore had over them. And some of them had more insight into it, perhaps it having been encoded into the various pack animal DNA they had been given, a sleeping, instinctive knowledge that woke up and came forward, now that it was needed.
Alec had heard quite a lot about such new rules in the last few months, hell, even when the breeding program first had been launched all those many months ago already. And they also had been educated in animal behavior, the scientist having the sense to realize that to study their 'ancestors' would perhaps turn out to be useful one day. And there had been hints of this or that ever since he could think of, among all of them, carefully kept a secret from Manticore and suppressed as much as it was possible, but still, he had not exactly not believed in the stories he had snapped up, but had perhaps thought them a bit over exaggerated in the end.
But what he had experienced just now, this overwhelming protectiveness of his hurt pack member and need to keep everyone away from her, the worry and fear of losing her, the reluctance to be too far away from her and this crazy need to have to keep touching her...
This was just insane. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to stop it, not sure if he really wanted that anyway.
How screwed up was that?
The door to the bedroom opened but Alec didn't tense or reach for his gun, knowing full well that it was Joshua. "How is little fella doing?"
"Sleeping," Alec sighed, glancing at the still form beside him. "Logan gone?"
Joshua nodded as he came closer, sitting down onto the bed also, stroking over Max's feet. "Logan not happy."
"Well, too bad for him," Alec replied reproachfully. He should have just listened to him. But no, the ordinary had to fight Alec's orders of course.
"Max won't be happy either," Joshua added.
Alec shrugged. Yep, she would be pissed. "Well, then too bad for her as well." He looked away. "I couldn't let him in to see her."
"Joshua knows," the big fella said to Alec's surprise. "And little fella will understand too. Someday."
"What do you know?" Alec challenged, glancing at him. "I don't even know myself exactly what had just happened."
Joshua smiled, looking affectionately from him to Max. "Max pack. Hurt mate. Alec protecting her."
Alec's eyes narrowed. "Max may be pack but we're not mated, Joshua, you know that. And it's not going to happen either."
His smile growing bigger, Joshua patted Max and Alec's feet. "You will." Thus said, he stood up and left, closing the door softly behind him again.
Incredulously, Alec stared after him. Crazy. They all had gone crazy.
Must be something in the air.
When Max woke up, she immediately sensed that she wasn't in her own room - or any other familiar room. Yet, strangely, she wasn't worried. Not at all. No, instead she seemed to even further relax into the soft covers she could feel surrounding herself, her heart beating steady and calmly.
Even stranger was that that didn't even weird her out.
It took her a moment to realize just why she was so shockingly unworried about waking up in an unfamiliar surrounding, finally registering the strong scent that seemed to surround her, cling to her.
Alec.
The most strangest thing was that this realization neither surprised her, not did it really worry her that he suddenly seemed to be the equivalent to 'safe' in her book.
Then again, why should it surprise her? Alec had proven himself time and time again and while she knew that she usually didn't allow him or anyone else to see it, she appreciated having him on her team. She trusted him to have her back, she trusted him to take care of her when she couldn't, she trusted him to keep her safe and lately, she had even started to trust him with some of her darkest secrets.
Of course it helped that he was a transgenic like her, also coming from Manticore. He understood things others, humans, would never be able to understand.
And he was pack. Him and Joshua.
Speaking of Joshua - she was sure she could smell him also. Fighting to open her eyes, she gave herself a moment to adjust to the dim light in the room before she started to move her head, very slowly. It hurt like a bitch, but then, her whole body ached, terribly.
It all came back to her then, the heat retreat to the woods, the terrible three days locked in the bunker she had found out in the woods a while ago on the search for someplace safe for her heat cycles, fighting that damn bitch, the capture on her way back to Seattle, the torture, the bloody escape and then the excruciating way back into the city, to safety.
Her eyes fell onto the form sleeping beside her, the hand that was covering hers.
Alec.
Yeah.
She could remember how she had held onto that whiff of his scent she had followed, how it had been the only thing that had kept her going, stopped her from collapsing. All she had known was that she had to get to him and then he would take care of everything.
Take care of her.
Had anyone asked her she'd choose him to rely on in one of the worst and most dire moments in her life, she'd have denied it, vehemently. Violently. But still, when her body had failed her, reduced her only to her barest instincts, there had been no question to her who she had to seek out for help.
Her pain-in-the-ass sidekick from constantly-leer-at-her-and-annoy-her Manticore hell.
And now, feeling his reassuring touch on her, surrounded by his scent and feeling safer and more relaxed than she had in a very long time, she knew that she had started to trust him already a long time ago. Sure, he annoyed the hell out of her, pissed her off most of the times with his just impossible behavior and boy, he had screwed up a lot of things, but he always had her back, was there for his friends when they needed it and he also took care of her in his own way. And she had let him, because she had wanted to but also because somehow, she had sensed that he needed it.
All of that only happening in her subconscious of course, only now manifesting. When she had no other choice than acknowledge it as the truth.
But it still didn't really surprise her. She had been where he was now, out in a hostile world, suddenly on his own, having no familiarity, no home, no friends, no pack, no job - no mission. Oh yeah, she had been there and she wouldn't wish that on anyone. One of the reasons why she was so adamant to help the other transgenics that she had let out into this world. A free world perhaps, but also a cruel world. Or why she had let Alec hang around her, despite really getting on her nerves in those early days. Why should he go through the whole adjustment process alone if he hadn't had to?
Of course, it hadn't taken him all that long to integrate himself into his new life pretty well. To be honest, she had been a bit jealous how easy it had been for him to make friends, make a life for himself, choosing much the same ways she had followed until she had met Logan and had become caught up in his Eyes Only missions. Then again, Alec had been ten years older than she had been when she had first gotten out of Manticore, a well-trained, grown-up (though she still had her doubts on that one) soldier who had also already gone on quite a few missions on the outside. She guessed that was different to the scared, little kid she had been, being out of Manticore for the very first time in her life, having no clue how this other world worked and being so damn alone all the time.
So yeah, Alec perhaps had had it easier than she had it after her first escape and she hoped that the other transgenics, or at least the older ones, had as easy a time to adapt as Alec had. But then again, she had also realized lately that in turn, he had a lot more baggage from Manticore to deal with than she ever had, thanks to those ten years longer he had been at the mercy of Manticore. And that was something she was glad she hadn't to deal with.
Her own baggage in that compartment was heavy enough as it was, thank you very much. Of course though, she couldn't say that her years on the outside hadn't left her with issues either. She had learned fast that the outside world had its own very real horrors and dangers, taking her to as dark places as Manticore had been. Some of them perhaps even worse.
Not that she would ever regret that first escape. Even if she technically had only followed her CO's orders back then, like the good little soldier Manticore wanted her to be. But being free still beat the prison Manticore had been. Not to mention them all being fodder for their fucking laboratories. Having learned of the fate of the transgenics they had left behind did made her feel sorry for them - but not really guilty. First of all, Lydecker had had them pretty isolated so they hadn't known just how many others of them had actually been out there, let alone that there had been twins of them. And second, it really wasn't their faults that Manticore had punished everyone else for their escape. Manticore were the bad guys and responsible for all the pain and sorrow the others had to go through, not them. But she did regret that their escape had been the trigger.
Which was why she had seen to it that this time, everyone could escape and no one would be left behind for those monsters to suffer for this new outrageous insubordination.
Of course, as soon as Manticore had been gone, there had already shown up the next big bad guys, threatening their very existence. White and his freaking snake cult.
But this time, she hadn't to fight the enemy alone. This time, she had Joshua. And she had Alec.
And by the Blue Lady, she was glad that she wasn't alone anymore. As much as she loved OC or even Logan, it just wasn't the same than being with her own kind. Having a pack again.
Even if third part of that new pack consisted of Alec.
But he was pack now and yeah, she didn't only rely on him now, she trusted him. Implicitly. Well, perhaps not with everything (he was not only a womanizer and Mr Opportunist in person, he was also a thief, dealer and player after all), but in all the ways that really counted.
Like knowing instinctively that he would take care of her, protect her - save her.
And boy, he sure hadn't disappointed, had he, Max mused as she took in the bandages her body was covered in and the IV lines hooked up to her. And above anything else, she simply knew that she was safe, here in his apartment.
In his bed.
Huh. Whoever had thought that she'd ever feel safe and utterly relaxed being in Alec's bed?
With that thought, sleep once more claimed her, with a smile on her face.
And without noticing it, her hand covered by Alec's had at some point turned around, entwining her fingers with his.
TBC!
(Author's Note: I'm glad you liked the first chapter. And because you've been so nice to me, here already the next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it as well!)
