His eyes cracked open—a sliver of dark brown, unfocused, frantic. His gaze skittered around the room before landing on me for half a second.
His voice came out destroyed. “Raven… dead?”
My chest clenched. Burned, broken, drugged to hell—his first thought was whether the monster who’d shaped him was gone.
“Yeah,” I said, brushing soot from his cheek with my good hand. “He’s gone. You stopped him. It’s over.”
He swallowed, eyes closing briefly as if he was trying to piece the world back together. When he opened them again, there was something sharper—fear.
“Anyone… left?” he rasped. “Did I… miss anyone else?”
Jesus. Even now, he thought he’d failed.
“No,” I said firmly, right in his face so he couldn’t look anywhere else but at me. “The Cave cleared it all. You didn’t miss anyone else from back then. No lieutenants. No old ghosts. It’s done. You did it.”
His breath trembled. A tear—not from pain, but from something heavier—slipped from the corner of his eye.
“You’re safe,” I whispered. “Your sister. The twins. All of them. Safe.”
His eyes focused—really focused—on me. “How… get… out?” he whispered. He thought he’d die alone in that fire.
“Jamie was… he… we’ll always come,” I said, voice breaking despite my best effort to hold it steady. “And, I’m not going anywhere.”
His hand twitched as if he were trying to reach me. I caught it before he had to strain.
He blinked slowly, once, twice—then his lips moved again. “Don’t… leave.”
My throat tightened violently. “I’m right here,” I promised. “I’m not leaving.”
Marisol crossed the room quickly, brushing his hair back and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Mijo,” she whispered, voice breaking. “You scared us. You scared your sister half to death.”
Alejandro’s eyelids fluttered open again, unfocused until they found her. His brow pinched, panic flickering beneath exhaustion.
“The kids—” he rasped. “Are they… are they okay?”
Marisol’s expression softened instantly, her hand cupping the unbandaged side of his jaw. “They’re safe. They’re with your friend Rio. They haven’t stopped asking when you’re coming home.”
“Not… friend… but owe him.” Alejandro corrected and gave a ghost of a smile. He let out a shuddering breath, relief so fierce it looked like pain. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, eyes glassy.
“They’re okay,” I echoed, squeezing his hand. “Everyone’s okay.”
Alejandro drifted back under, exhaustion pulling him down fast. His fingers loosened around mine, but I didn’t let go—not even for a second. I sat there holding on as if he were the only solid thing left keeping me upright.
The door creaked open again. Frank stepped inside, closing it quietly behind him. He took one look at me—my sling, my burns, my grip on Alejandro’s hand—and let out a long breath.
“You’re not leaving his side,” he said. Not a question.
“I’m not,” I answered. My voice sounded rough, scraped out of me. “He needs—someone here.”
Frank nodded once, then stood against the wall with his arms folded. “So. What now, Levi?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m retiring, gonna do some stuff with the Cave, and maybe the new kids, maybe Tess, won’t get you and your intel the way I did.” He tilted his head toward Alejandro. “Then there’s him. You. This.”
I felt my stomach twist. “Frank?—”
“No. Listen.” His voice was quiet, something rare for him. “You love him. Anyone with eyes can see it. And he clearly…” Frank gestured vaguely at the bed. “Let’s just say he’s walking the other side of the line, yeah?”
