Chapter 7

It was instinct that had her waking a few hours later.

Instinct and whiskers rubbing against her cheek. Her eyes opened to find Aelin perched next to her, her vivid green eyes filled with amusement as they flicked between her and Jay before she jumped from the bed. Her tail was alert, body low to the floor as she moved for the staircase and in a heartbeat Tess was slipping out from underneath Jay, taking a quick glance at his sleeping face before she snagged his Henley from the floor and silently padded down the stairs after her. The feline was better than any security system and had learnt how to signal danger a long time ago. Someone was here. Not someone obviously trying to do harm or the cat would be showing more alarm but it was still odd for her to get visitors, especially so late, though as she looked out the window she realized it was early; the sky to the east was starting to lighten and the clock on the stove showed it was just past five in the morning. A sudden flash of movement out the door caught her eye and she realized someone was standing on the dock. Several someone's. She grabbed the gun she kept in the sideboard at base of the stairs, one of numerous weapons hidden around the boat, then moved closer, clicking the safety off as she did. She wasn't taking chances. Not with Jay here. But as she got closer she realized it wasn't necessary. There was one man standing on the dock by her door, two others further back, almost a dozen yards away. On guard.

Liam.

She clicked the safety back on as she opened the door, waving the weapon at him as she stepped out. "You haven't imposed on my evening enough?"

He just laughed. "I knew if I stood here long enough you would join me." He smiled at Aelin as the cat walked over and rubbed up against his leg, taking a brief lap around him before she headed back inside.

It was that smile that curbed her rising irritation. Tonight had been long, and she was not happy about being pulled away from Jay, but she liked Liam. They were similar in a lot of ways, right down to the raven hair and blue eyes, to the point that people sometimes mistook them for siblings. More than that they both lived in the grey area, had more friends than enemies, and put the work in to make that possible, and enjoyed flaunting social convention. Working with him was always fun and he'd been there for her personally more than once, which was likely why he was here now.

As if he could sense her thoughts he looked up and caught her stare, then gave a crooked half smile. "Found this outside the club." He said as he pulled her phone out of his pocket. "Heard you got dragged into some trouble."

"Not how I imagined spending my evening." She replied as she took it, quirking a brow as she leant against one of the beams. The breeze on her legs was cool but not unwelcome; most of her ops took place in hot locations so Tess was enjoying winters lingering chill.

"I also heard the police got involved. A certain unit." Liam drawled, his eyes running over her shirt before they flicked back to hers, brows raised. "Apparently Ivan is in custody and Igor is getting fished out of the port."

"Cops shot him." She said with a shrug. It was as much as she would say out in the open, even if she knew his men would never repeat anything.

He nodded. "I'll pass that along to Alexei."

"Make sure he also knows how this started. And that it's only because I'm still enjoying my post-retirement glow that I'm not looking for retaliation." If Liam could handle the Bratva all the better. They could be the ones to reach out, and would likely offer something for her trouble.

"I like when you get like this." His grin was so bright she found herself matching it but then his eyes flicked behind her and the sudden intrigue that filled them told her Jay had noticed her absence. And come looking. When Liam looked back that interest quickly faded, his face softening as he saw the warning on hers.

He knew how far she would go to protect him. How far she had.

"I'm glad you're alright." He gave a nod as he stepped back but then as if he couldn't help it his eyes flicked behind her once more, a silent conversation passing between the two men before Liam smiled and looked back at her. "I'm also really glad I called you out tonight." He finally turned, waving over his shoulder and flipping his finger just as she raised hers.

Tess made a face and watched him go, giving her head a shake before she went back inside. As she'd expected Jay was standing just beyond the doorway and there was something in the way he stood, that soldier at attention stance that she knew he'd been telling Liam he had her back. That anyone who wanted to get to her would have to go through him, and it would be a hell of a fight. Seeing it helped to lessen her anxiety over what he might have overheard and she shut the door, placing her gun on the sideboard, next to where his now rested, before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. He pulled her close and ran a hand down her hair, and within seconds all the tension she'd felt since waking evaporated.

"You're wearing my sweatpants." She said softly after a moment; she was pretty sure they were on backwards.

"They're mine."

She could hear a smile in his voice as he pressed a kiss to her temple and a quick glance down showed they were- she hadn't noticed. She was so used to wearing his clothes she sometimes forgot they hadn't always been hers. Tess smiled and pressed her own kiss to his chest, sliding her hands to his neck and hooking her legs around him as he gently lifted her, nuzzling into him as he carried her up the stairs. He held her close as he lay back on the bed, and as he pulled the blanket up and tucked it over her shoulders, and then he began to rub circles on her back, his fingers running through her hair as her eyes began to close. All of a sudden she was tired again and there was no place warmer or safer than his arms, and a surge of gratitude filled her that she was back in them. That she was alive to be.

Her skull throbbed and she could barely see but when she tried to blink she realized it wasn't just the dark night that was obscuring her vision. The stickiness she felt was blood. Tess groaned as she lifted a hand to her face but the movement caused an agonizing pain her side and she cried out in shock, slumping back against the rubble. It took a few gasping breaths until she settled and then she lifted her head just enough to see the piece of re-bar sticking out of her left side. Her eyes scrunched shut as she breathed through the pain and then she looked around, trying to orient herself. She'd gotten ambushed on her way back from scouting a potential meet location by a couple jag offs on motorcycles, one of whom had tried to run her over and instead sent them both crashing into this closed off construction site. A turn of her head showed she'd been lucky in where she landed and she quickly looked away; if he wasn't going to cause trouble then there was no point looking at his broken body. She tried to feel for her phone but could barely move more than a few inches without crying in pain so she waited a moment to gather her strength and then lifted slightly to look around but it was still nowhere to be seen. Her head fell back against the concrete as she let her eyes fall shut once more, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself.

This was bad but she'd been in bad situations before. She had been due back at the safe house thirty minutes after she'd finished scouting, so even if she'd only been out a few minutes her team would be coming to look for her soon. They would find her and then they'd figure out a way to get her out. All she needed to do was wait and keep breathing.

Just keep breathing.

Her body was numb, her mouth like sandpaper as she woke and groaned softly, looking around to try and gauge how long she'd been out; she'd been falling in and out of consciousness for hours. Everything was silent and the bits of sky she could make out were at last starting to brighten. Something must've gone wrong. She'd been here for too long, they should have found her by now. Her breath was halting as she watched the gentle pink that began to arch across the horizon. A cotton candy sunrise. Tess kept her eyes locked on that bit of open air, on the few stars she could just make out. She didn't know them, they weren't the ones she'd grown up under, but they were still stars.

It was okay, that this was her end. This was the life she'd chosen. And she'd been amazing. She'd been strong and wild and kind. She'd seen the world, even saved it a few times, loved and been loved. If this was how she went... at least she had the stars and the dawn.

Tess.

She sucked in a breath, blearily looking for the warm, husky voice.

Tess.

She knew it was the blood loss but she swore she saw him, clear as if he was crouched next to her, those green eyes soft and bright.

"Jay." His name was a barely more than a whisper, her lips curling into a smile as she thought of him. It was nice, to see him one last time. He was her one regret, that she wouldn't be able to apologize for hurting him. That she wouldn't be able to go home.

Don't stop fighting.

"I'm tired." She whispered. So tired. She'd been running for so long she'd forgotten what it felt like to stand still.

I know.

There was a ghost of a touch over their necklace and she fumbled, lifting a hand until she could grasp it in her fingers. As long as you have this you have come home. Her thumb ran over St. Michael and she felt some of her strength return.

Don't stop fighting.

She nodded weakly, closing her hand in a fist as she forced her eyes to focus on the stars above her, though his face was clear in her mind as she pulled herself up with a slow scream. The metal took a long moment to slide out of her body and then she collapsed to side, still gripping the necklace as her other hand pressed against the wound, rasping as she pushed herself into a sitting position with another pained cry.

For a long moment there was silence and then a terrible yowl filled the air and she started to cry, and the next thing she knew Aelin was in front of her, tail swishing as she rubbed against her, still calling out. After a few more minutes she could hear her friends frantic voices and slumped back against the concrete, looking to the sky once more. The stars were almost out of sight now.

"Thank you." Tess swore she felt his hand brush down her hair.

Come home.

Jay's voice was the last thing she heard before she slipped back into oblivion.

She'd spent weeks in hospitals, healing and fighting infections, and the only thing that had kept her going was that promise. And she'd kept it. She was drifting off but she nestled closer, the last thing she heard his voice saying he loved her.