Disclaimer: Priest and its characters belong to Scott Stewart.

Claimer: I own Tessa.

CHANGES MADE TO THIS CHAPTER. Tessa still goes after Julian, but I've changed the scenario around a bit.

Chapter #12: Taken

Tessa sighed quietly as she slowly rubbed his lower back, having awoken to see he was in the midst of having another nightmare. Her hand made soothing circles at the base of his spine, watching as his face relaxed, and his back arched into her touch. After a couple minutes, she moved her hand to gently play with his hair, and a soft, lethargic sigh escaped through his nose. Smiling softly, she leaned in to place a doting kiss on his cheek before resting back down and closing her eyes. In the later hours of that morning, she was watching him from the bed as he got dressed, having not gathered the will to leave the warmth of the covers just yet.

"Where are all the Familiars?" she asked curiously.

"I told them to report to the reservations after I found you…"

"What are they doing there?"

"As of right now, nothing." He began buttoning his shirt. "To be honest… I'm not sure what happens now…"

"We'll be okay, Julian."

He looked at her.

"What about the vampires?" she asked.

"They're not there."

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know. I honestly couldn't tell you what happened last night or why." He glanced at her. "We shouldn't stay here for too long. There's no telling what might come here…"

"You think the queen will send something to kill you? If she wanted you dead, wouldn't she have just gotten it over with in the hive?"

He was quiet for a moment, not looking at her. "She tried…"

Tessa silenced. "…How did you escape?"

"If there had been as many vampires there as the day I went to hunt her, I wouldn't have."

She understood his meaning. Walking over, he sat down on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots, and she wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but she suddenly felt very playful. Crawling up behind him, she perched her chin on his shoulder, and he looked back at her in question.

"What do you do for fun, Julian?" she asked lightly.

He blinked. "Fun?"

"Yeah. Disturbed fang banger or not, everyone needs to have fun every now and then. Real fun."

"I don't know what you mean by 'real fun'."

Without warning, she suddenly jumped into his lap and pushed down on his chest. His cool composure faltered slightly as he toppled backwards onto bed with her straddling his waist. Out of defensive reflex, he flipped her over, but she just wrapped her legs around his waist and rolled. Within a second, he was on his back again, and she laughed as he flipped her almost instantaneously. He stared down at her with baffled eyes, completely nonplussed. It was as he admired her beaming smile and the playful sparkle in her eyes that he realized she was trying to play with him. He watched her attention shift to a stray piece of hair that was dangling in his face, having escaped from its combed back position. Puckering her lips, she blew on it to make it dance around, and he nearly shook his head in disbelief. When she tried rolling him again, he fought to keep the dominant position, but she proved to be an extraordinarily good wrestler. Neither of them noticed how close they had ventured to the edge of the bed, however, and he found himself toppling backwards, inadvertently dragging her along with him.

Tessa released a small squeak at the sudden sharp drop, a dull thud reverberated through the floorboards as they landed. Unable to refrain, he snorted before laughing quietly, as she gazed down at him with a fond smile dancing across her lips. It had been so long since she'd heard him laugh, and she welcomed the sound. Glancing to the side, she reached over and picked up his hat off the floor before sitting up and placing it on her head, tipping the front down like he did as she straddled his waist. The smirk he was sending her was nothing short of inquisitive but affable.

"What's gotten into you?" His smile could be heard in his voice.

"You needed to laugh a little. We both did."

He smiled faintly.

"Things are going to be different now," she said. "I promise."

"…There's just one thing I need to take care of first," he said.

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"You have to stay here."

"What?" She frowned. "Why?"

"Because I said so." His eyes were firm, leaving no room for potential argument. "It'll be fine. I'm just being cautious."

They stood together after a moment, and she removed the hat from her head so she could look him in the eyes. She was frowning, the sparkle having left her green orbs. "I want to come with you."

"Why?"

"Because the last time you said you had to leave..." she trailed off.

His eyes grew a knowing glint, and then they softened as he realized she was genuinely worried about his safety. Lifting his hand, he gently stroked the backs of his fingers against her cheek, and, inadvertently, it resurfaced the memory of when he had done this exact action the day the clergy had summoned him and the others to hunt the queen. "This time isn't like that. This isn't the first time I've left the mansion, you know."

"Yeah, but those times you were still on good terms with the queen. There's no telling what could happen to you now," she argued. His eyes lowered, and hers followed suit. "I'm sorry."

His hand remained on her cheek, thumb stroking the healing bruise affectionately. It was amazing to him how much had changed between them within the past twenty-four hours, but it was a change he welcomed with open arms. "I'm going to be fine. I got luck on my side."

She frowned slightly in wonder, as he reached into his shirt and pulled out, to her shock, the silver medallion she had given him. "You still have it…?"

"You think I'd throw it away?" He smirked at the look of incredulity in her eyes and dropped the medallion back beneath his collar. "I'll be back tomorrow before the sun sets. While I'm gone, I want you to pack your things, because we're leaving."

Closing her eyes, she turned her face downwards in dismay, but she nodded. Fitting his hat back onto his head, he turned to leave, but he didn't make it three feet to the door before she was calling after him.

"Julian?" He faced her, and he released a small grunt when she threw her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. "Be careful, okay?" she whispered.

He returned her embrace, a warm sensation flooding his body at her reluctance to let him leave. "Just don't disappear on me while I'm gone, all right?" His tone was soft and jesting, but she could hear the apprehension hidden within in his voice. It was then she realized he was worried she would try to run, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by her that he wasn't locking her in a room this time.

"I won't leave. I promise."

Forcing himself to pull away, he kissed her forehead and nicked her chin gently, and he offered her an attempt at a reassuring smile before turning away once more. She watched him go, knowing she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. She remained awake all night, restless and unable to shake the anxiety that was gripping her conscious with an iron fist. For a little while she had managed to distract herself with making sure everything was packed, and then she had taken out Kaiya to feed her and let her hop around a bit while she sketched in one of her books. In spite of her attempts, it was impossible not to notice how the sky had gradually begun to regain a lighter tint. Dawn was approaching. It would be morning soon, and all she could think about was the possibility that he wouldn't be there when he said he would.

Morning came and went, and the day was now breaching into afternoon territories. She had barely eaten, having decided to take a bath while she waited for his return. It was as she was washing her hair that she realized she once again welcomed the smell of lilac, and that along with the warm bath water managed to put her at some sort of ease, but that sense of reassurance faded away the moment she had stepped out of the tub, shivering slightly as the cooling air hit the moisture on her wet body. By the time late afternoon arrived, she was beyond the point of fidgety. Something was wrong. At first she had kept telling herself that she was just being paranoid because of what happened in the city, but now the late afternoon sun was bleeding into the reds and pinks of sunset, and there was no sign of him. He had said he would be back before the sun went down, and it was setting steadily.

Screw this. Standing, she strode over to the desk and grabbed a pen and piece of paper. She would leave a note in case he returned while she was gone, but she wasn't just going to stand around like the worried wife awaiting her hubby's return. Her gut was never wrong, and if something really was off she wasn't going to waste any more time. After making sure Kaiya was stocked with water and some extra food, she grabbed her katanas, which Julian had left with her belongings, and headed out.

"I know he hasn't exactly been well-behaved," she whispered as she walked, "but please, God, watch over him."

She studied the dirt carefully, searching for any signs of which direction he might have headed off in. Eventually, she located a set of tracks. He had set off on foot. Was he really that fast? Lifting her head, she stared out into the multihued horizon, dyed golden, pink, and orange from the setting sun. He had headed north. Her town had been south from here, and she knew the closest place to here aside from that was the Shawshank Reservation, which was in the direction the boot prints were headed. That was her safest bet, but it had dawned on her what it probably meant for her to go there. There would be Familiars, and there was almost no doubt in her mind there would be vampires as well.

"Damn it, Julian, what are you thinking?" she whispered.

Taking one of the spare motorcycles, she drove into the sunset, knowing it was less than wise of her to travel at night with vampires possibly after them, but she couldn't afford to waste anymore time. It was amazing to her that he had covered so much ground in such a short amount of time. She had been riding for nearly eight hours now, and the tracks still continued on strong without pause. It wasn't long after that, however, that she noticed something strange. Tire tracks had joined in with the footprints. Two sets, one on either side as if flanking him. These tracks weren't from motorcycles, but trucks of some sort. She frowned but continued to follow them. It wasn't long before they started to grow increasingly unorganized, taking a sharp turn here or a zigzag there. He had been trying to shake them, she realized. Then all of a sudden the tracks stopped their determined path, and she arrived at an area of chaotic boot prints mixed with the tire tracks. Multiple sets of footprints had joined Julian's to the point where it was nearly impossible to tell the prints apart from one another.

Dismounting the bike, she crouched down to examine the ground. There were obvious signs of struggle. Blood stained the dirt in multiple areas, and there were skid marks from the trucks as they had made sharp turns, probably having attempted to box him in. She spotted an area where it looked like a body was being dragged, and she felt her heart speeding up steadily as the scene only grew worse instead of better. Suddenly, she frowned when she spotted something strange. Getting down on one knee, she picked up an empty vintage syringe from the ground, staring at it with a perplexed expression.

"What the hell…?"

What would they need a syringe for? There was no drug that she knew of that could affect vampires. If they had tried to sedate him, they would have failed. Placing the needle end down on the ground, she stomped on it with her foot, snapping it in half. Lifting one of the ends to her nose, she took a cautious sniff and gagged in disgust. It reeked of decay. What the hell had they injected him with? The tire tracks had continued onward, but after this spot no footprints accompanied them. They had taken him. How, she had no clue, but he was with them. Who were these people? The only people she could think of who had even a slight chance at capturing him successfully were priests, but they didn't usually travel by trucks. The tire tracks continued in the same direction she had been headed in. Her best bet was still the reservation.

She had been forced to stop once to recharge the bike, much to her frustration, and she had taken the time to go over maneuvers with her swords. If there was a chance she would have to fight, she wanted to be fresh in the mind. People were one thing, but the only vampire she had ever fought against was the one that had attacked her, and that had been years ago. Those things possessed unnatural agility and stealth, and unless you were specially trained to hunt them you rarely escaped their hunger. She was not trained like a priest, but she couldn't just give up because she was scared. He needed her. She wouldn't abandon him, dead or alive. Not again.

At long last, she arrived at Shawshank Reservation, having stopped on a hill as she gazed down at its layout with hawk-like vigilance, searching for any signs of movement. He was down there somewhere. She knew it. Every fiber in her screamed at her to run to his aid, but she knew that would only be asking for death. It was still dark out, and she didn't know if there were vampires down there, or how many there were. If she went down now, she had no sunlight to run to if something were to go wrong, and she was of no use to anyone dead. So, she waited, taking the time to both calm herself and run over every possibly scenario in her head—most of which she'd rather not think of. Focus. All she had to do was focus. If she was calm, they wouldn't be able to touch her.

It was as the sun was beginning to rise that she saw movement below. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as two armored trucks drove out through the front gate. Those must have been the ones that left the tracks. If they were leaving, maybe the coast was clear when it came to non-vampire inhabitants, but she still needed to be cautious. Famlilars she could handle. The vampires would be the real challenge. Standing, she inhaled a deep breath through her nose, and she began her on-foot trek down the hill.

She was confused to see there were no guards positioned at their posts. Where had they all gone? Her confusion only morphed into caution when she saw the gates had been left slightly ajar. Why wouldn't they lock the gates? Something was off. With the caution of a deer crossing an open field, she slowly slunk through the small opening, and now that she was inside the situation suddenly felt a little too real for her liking. No Familiars were in sight, so she proceeded with care. Chickens milled around, pecking innocently and clucking quietly amongst one another. Briefly, she envied their carefree nature, but that jealousy decreased as she passed by a table with a bucket of decapitated chicken heads next to it. Her feet were soundless as she tiptoed along the fenced in path, eyes darting in every which direction. This place reeked of suspicious activity. Where was everyone? Her only guess as to where the guards were was that they had either been killed by the Familiars, or they had been fed to the bloodsuckers that they had been guarding.

All of a sudden, she was alerted to what sounded like feet crunching against the gravel, and she quickly ducked behind a shed. Peeking around the corner, she saw a Familiar was walking straight for her, but he didn't appear to notice she was there. Eyes darkening, she slowly moved around to the other side of the shed as he passed, and she emerged from the opposite end, now behind him. Clenching her fists, she stepped out from her hiding spot and crept up behind him with the stealth of a cat. It was right as she was within arm's reach that he paused, but before he could so much as turn his head she pounced. Her hands shot up, grabbing his head, and she gave a sharp twist. There was a sickening crack, and she let go as the lifeless body slumped to the ground. She had just killed someone, and yet she felt neither pity nor remorse. Her mind was set on one thing, and nothing was going to get in her way. Reaching back, she pulled out her swords from their sheaths on her back, gripping them tightly as she moved forward. Before long, another Familiar stepped into her view, but she hardly felt any fear when his ghostly blue eyes locked on hers. She could handle these brutes. He was the one who made the first move, as he ran at her. She ran at him without hesitation, and the moment she was close enough she surprised him when she suddenly jumped up off his knee. Her knee made bone-breaking contact with his chin, earning a shout from him as he fell back. He barely had time to snap his eyes up to her before she was driving her swords down into his stomach and chest, and his body gave a jerk before going still. Her victory was short-lived, for right at that moment another came running around the corner wielding a clever. Pulling her swords out of the dead Familiar, she ran a few steps before dropping down into a slide. Her body slid down between his legs, and she brought her swords in front of her in a scissor motion, cutting him off at the knees. This didn't kill him, as it sent him to the ground screaming, but she didn't make him suffer. She ended his pain with a quick, clean jab to the heart.

It was just as she was going to stand that something caught her eye. Head tilting curiously, she reached down and moved the Familiar's jacket aside to reveal his belt, and a frown instantly stamped onto her face. Grenades. What would a bunch of Familiars be doing with grenades? There were three on him, two fragmentation and one stun. Perhaps they had taken them off the guards? She supposed they could be used should the vampires grow out of hand, but other than that she couldn't make any sense of it. Nevertheless, she would take anything at this point. It was as she was unclipping them from his belt that a piercing scream suddenly caused her to whip around, startled, and she felt her heart speed up as she realized who exactly it belonged to.

"Julian," she breathed.

Without a second's hesitation, she attached the grenades to her belt and took off towards the location of the scream, and she found herself standing at the hatch that led to the basement of the reservation—where the vampires were kept in concrete tombs. He was down there, and so were they. There would be no sunlight to protect her, but she knew that was a chance she had to take. It was very possible she wouldn't make it out alive, and she knew it, but she couldn't leave him down there. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a calming breath.

"God, strengthen me…" Eyes opening, she bent down to pull the hatch open and stared down into the dark stairwell. It looked anything but welcoming, an she readjusted her grip on her katanas. "Focus…"

Without another moment of hesitation, she jumped down and landed in a crouch. For a second she just listened, before she took off at a silent run down the stairs. The walls and railings were covered in a fresh slime from the excretions the vampires' skin released. Her blatant disgust for the creatures was abruptly interrupted when another scream echoed through the stairwell, louder now that she was down there. He was close. She was so close, but a single error would mean the death of her. With the stealth of a panther, she tiptoes down the last few steps and pressed herself up against the wall as she peered around the corner. She was greeted with the sight of a long, darkened hallway, barely lit by the dim, flickering lights installed along the ceiling. No vampires were in sight but she could hear them. The characteristic chirps and choppy vocalizations could be heard echoing through the hall.

She proceeded cautiously, her feet soundless on the concrete floor as she padded closer to the sounds, already knowing which room the screams were coming from. When she reached the doorway, she pressed her body up against the wall once again and closed her eyes to calm her nerves before carefully inching around to peek into the room. The sight she was presented with made her stomach flip over on itself.

He was tied down to a table, and on top of him were a total of five vampires, grappling with each other to sink their fangs into the tender flesh. Another scream ripped from his throat when they sunk their fangs into him over and over again, and she had to slap her hand over her mouth to keep from making a sound. Normally she would have felt fear encase her body with ice, but now all she felt was a boiling rage that threatened to melt her flesh from her body. She knew she couldn't just barge in and take on all five at once. She may as well sit her ass on a silver platter and douse herself in sauce.

She had to be smart about this. The doors in here were reinforced in order to keep them from breaking out should they try to escape. If she could somehow get them out of the room so she could get in and shut the door, she should be safe. Her only concern was what would happen afterwards. Would Julian be able to fight after she released him, or would he be too weakened? If that was the case, then they would both be trapped, but at least they would be together. Oh, he was going to be furious with her. It wouldn't shock her if he struck her again purely from horror that she had dared to follow him to such a place. It was a suicide mission, but then again so was falling in love with a vampire.

Retreating from the doorway before she was seen, she crept into the next room over to take cover. I can't believe I'm doing this. Her best bet was to lure them out with a noise, and then toss one of the bombs. Looking around briefly, she found a chunk of loose concrete and picket it up. When she threw it down the hall, it clattered and echoed against the concrete, having bounced off a metal pipe in the process. The telltale hisses told her she bad been successful, and she ducked back into the room as the vampires emerged. She removed one of the fragmentation grenades from her belt and held it up to stare at it a moment. God, be with me. Looping her finger around the pin, she peered around once more to see the five vampires had gone to investigate the noise. Pulling the pin, she whipped it as hard and far down the hall as she could and covered her ears.

Seconds later, a deafening bang was echoing throughout the hall, as bits of concrete flew outwards from the explosion. The vampires shrieks rang through the air, and she took her chance. Bolting from her hiding spot, she ran through the smoke and practically dove into the room Julian was in before grabbing the door and slamming it shut behind her. It was unknown to her if the blast had managed to kill any of the beasts, but it had left them stunned long enough for her to make it to the room.

She didn't allow herself more than five seconds' reprieve before running to the table in haste, forcing herself to squash the panic festering in her gut as she looked down at him with wide eyes. "Julian?" He was faint, and she took his face in her hands "Julian…?"

She nearly died when his eyes opened slowly and shifted up to her. It seemed to take him a moment, but then he appeared to regain a look of recognition before a confused glint appeared in his eyes. "…Tessa…?"

"It's me." Her thumb ran over his cheek.

A frown tugged at her lips when he shook his head slowly. "This isn't real…"

She shook him a little when he looked like he was fading off. "Stay with me! Look at me." He did, but he still looked delirious. "I'm real. I came to save you." Her head snapped up at a sudden bang on the door followed by a screech of fury. They were trying to get in, but they wouldn't be able to. Not wasting any time, she began picking the locks to his shackles with a pin she had kept in her hair. Once he was freed, she grabbed him and tried making him sit up. "Come on! Up!" She struggled with him for a moment, but he was able to push himself up into a sitting position. He was woozy and his body swayed, so she kept her hold on him to keep him steady. There was no telling how long he had been down there with those leeches drinking him, but she knew he had lost a lot of blood by the way he was acting. She knew there's no way he would be able to make it all the way back up the hill, and she couldn't carry him. That was when a thought crossed her mind, but she dismissed it almost immediately. Looking down at him, she considered her options and found there were none. It was the only way, and the thought of it alone terrified her, but he needed her. Finally, she came to a decision. Keeping her hold on him, she climbed onto the table and straddled him, holding him up as she moved her hair over to one shoulder.

He was watching her in confusion, his eyes dissecting her carefully as he realized what she wanted him to do. There was no way she was really there. He was imagining it. The real Tessa would never offer him such a thing—especially from herself personally. Eyes falling, he turned his head away, but this just caused her to shake him again.

"Look at me." Her eyes were intense. "Trust me. You can't walk, and I'm not strong enough to carry you. Please, Julian."

His eyes shifted down to her exposed neck, and she gently drew his head closer to her.

"Just don't drink me into a raisin, okay?" she joked lightly, but he could tell she was very nervous. "I need you."

Those words appeared to trigger something.

"I need you, Julian. I can't fight those things by myself."

Glancing down, he stared at her supple neck for a long moment, unable to shake the fact this was really happening. She was really there, and she was offering him her blood. Bending his head down, he surprised her when he kissed the skin first, as he wrapped his arms around her loosely. She jumped a little when she felt the fangs sink into her flesh, but the pain was brief. He rubbed her back gently to sooth her, and before she knew it she was relaxing in his hold despite the vampires ramming against the door outside. Closing her eyes, she lightly trailed her fingers up and down his back. He was very gentle. It wasn't at all like she expected it to be.

Her taste was intoxicating, her blood warm and sweet—like honey. Slowly but surely, he felt some strength returning to him, but he knew he had to stop. He pulled his fangs out after a couple minutes, and she could feel him licking her skin. Against her will, she couldn't help but feel aroused at the feeling of his hot mouth gently lapping at her neck. A minute later, he finally managed to speak.

"It's really you…" he whispered.

"It's really me," she said, repeating the words he had said to her the day they were reunited.

"How did you find me?"

"You underestimate me, Fanger. I'm an excellent tracker." He tried inquiring further, but she shushed him. "Look, we can talk later. Right now we need to get out of here. Can you sit on your own?"

"I'm going to have to."

She released him cautiously. When he didn't show any signs of tipping over, she picked up his clothes, which had been strewn carelessly onto the floor. She assumed the men that had brought him here had stripped him from the waist up so the vampires could bite him. His shirt was all but ruined, so she left it, grabbing her katanas. Picking up his hat, she gently slapped it onto his head and pulled his coat back on.

"Come on, Dracula, on your feet." She pulled him off the table, and he managed to stand beside her. He then held his hands out to her.

Give me your swords." She did as he requested without argument or question, and she offered him the grenades, but he just shook his head. Stand in the corner." She obeyed, and he motioned for her to crouch down as he flipped the table he'd been strapped to onto its side and dragged it over to her. "Whatever you hear, do not move from this spot. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Say it."

"I understand."

He pushed the table up against the corner, boxing her in. Moments later, she heard the door being thrown open, and screeches filled the room. She couldn't tell how many there were, or if any had been killed in the blast, but those weren't the sounds she was listening for. As long as she could still hear Julian, that was all she cared about. The blades of her swords rang through the air as he swung, whistling as they came in contact with their targets. Shrieks and snarls of fury and pain ricocheted off the walls. A startled yelp escaped her lips when something suddenly crashed against the table, but she could still hear him. Then finally, one last screech pierced the air, and then silence.

"...Julian...?" she called hesitantly.

Her heart stopped beating when she saw him appear above her, bloody but alive. The fact he was both injured and weakened completely evacuating her memory, she flew into his arms with a speed that could have rivaled the vampires. His arms secured around her in return, and he kissed her head.

"Let's get out of here," he whispered.

He squinted against sunlight as they reemerged aboveground. As they were walking through the reservation, his eyes didn't fail to notice the dead Familiars, and he stared at them incredulously as they passed.

"Did you do all this…?" He looked at her.

"I can handle Familiars. They don't have the agility of vampires."

He was staring at her in disbelief. The trek back up the hill felt like forever, but they were finally able to begin their journey back home. He held onto her as they rode, and she felt him leaning heavily against her as he hugged her waist. They both knew it was a bad idea to return to the mansion, but he needed to rest. They could set out in the morning, and she refused to leave Kaiya behind to starve. The ride was long, but they made it home. She ran a bath for him, and while he recovered in the warm water she treated his wounds. He was staring at her strangely the entire time, having been very quiet since she had found him. She was in just as much shock as he was.

"Look at me," he said at last, voice quiet.

She did.

"How did you do it?" he asked.

Her eyes fell, and she resumed treating his wounds. "The Familiars had grenades on them. Why, I don't know. I used them to distract the vampires long enough so I could get into the room with you."

He was still staring at her. "So that's what that explosion was..."

"Admittedly, I was a little afraid it would cave the place in."

"...You came for me…"

She met his stare. His eyes were unbelievable at that very moment, two pools of molten gold. She could tell he was still in state of disbelief, but she wasn't really surprised. Her actions had shocked herself. After a little while he got out of the tub, and she retrieved clean pants for him. Once he was dried off, she made him lay down on the bed and pulled the covers over him.

"Tessa…"

She shushed him quietly, hand coming to cup his cheek. "Get some rest. We can talk later."

"Stay with me."

Her eyes softened. Lifting the covers, she got on bed, and he scooted over as she lay down beside him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as if he were afraid she would disappear. He fell asleep to her hand slowly rubbing his belly, but she remained awake. She couldn't bring herself to sleep, feeling the need to remain alert regardless of how tired she was. In the early hours of morning, she noticed he was having a nightmare again. She just rubbed his side and stomach soothingly, shushing him softly as he calmed down. She wondered what it was that kept plaguing his subconscious every night. They were the only times he ever expressed genuine fear. Cupping his cheek, she softly stroked her thumb over his skin, and then cuddled a little closer to him.

"Thank you, God…"

CHANGES MADE TO THIS CHAPTER. Tessa still goes after Julian, but I've changed the scenario around a bit.