THIRD PERSON POV
TORY'S HOUSE
Aec didn't wake up gently.
He twitched first, just a small shift of his fingers then a harsh, broken groan dragged itself out of his throat. Tory, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms folded, watched every movement like he had been expecting it.
The room was dim. Aec was on the bed in Tory's guest room, hooked to a drip, chest rising unevenly. His face was bruised, lips cracked, hair messy from being dragged, tied, unconscious for hours.
Tory's jaw tightened.
He'd tried calling Maxie for the past fifteen minutes but she hadn't answered. Not once. And the more her phone rang without picking, the more his stomach dropped with unease.
He tried again.
Call failed.
He let out a sharp breath and turned his eyes back to the bed, just in time to see Aec force himself awake.
