Noa jolted awake, heart hammering like a war drum.

The room was dark, save for the weak glow of the city leaking through the curtains. His palms were damp, fingers clenched into the sheets. For a second, he forgot where he was in the hospital? Hideout? Dead?

Then warmth shifted beside him.

Alessio.

His breath caught as he turned, slow, terrified that the man would be gone. But no there he was, sprawled on his back, chest rising steady. Bandage around his shoulder, faint sheen of sweat over his ...