The road to Kelmar stretched ahead, cutting through farmland that seemed to go on forever.

Gabriel walked point, his eyes scanning the horizon. Tess matched his pace beside him. The others trailed twenty yards back, spread out and watchful.

"We should scout ahead," Tess said. "Find a place to camp before dark."

Gabriel glanced back at the group. Gilbert looked steady, Adan alert. Ennu kept her usual silent watch. Mera walked slightly apart from the others, her eyes distant.

"Agreed," Gabriel said. "We'll move faster without the group."

They left the road, cutting northeast through a fallow field toward a line of trees on a low ridge. The ground was hard beneath their feet, frost crunching with each step.

The sun hung low in the west, painting everything orange and gold.

They climbed the ridge in silence. At the top, Gabriel paused. The land spread out below them. More farmland. A small village in the distance, smoke rising from chimneys. And beyond that, barely visible through the haze, the dark smudge that might be Kelmar.

Two more days. Maybe three.

Tess stood beside him, close enough that her shoulder brushed his.

"Good vantage point," she said. "We can see anyone approaching from miles away."

Gabriel nodded. The tactical assessment was sound. The ridge offered protection and visibility. Water from a stream at its base. Enough trees for shelter.

But Tess wasn't looking at the landscape.

She was looking at him.

"What?" Gabriel asked.

"We need to talk."

Gabriel's chest tightened. Those words never mean anything good.

"About what?"

Tess turned to face him fully. The setting sun caught in her eyes, turning them molten gold.

"About us."

The words hung in the air between them.

Gabriel's hand moved unconsciously to his sword hilt. Not for defence. Just needing something solid to hold onto.

"Tess..."

"Let me finish." Her voice was steady. Certain. "I've been trying to figure out how to say this for weeks. Maybe longer. But after what happened at Ariya's camp, after seeing you almost die..." She took a breath. "I can't keep pretending anymore."

Gabriel's throat went dry.

"I love you," Tess said.

The words hit him like a physical blow.

She stepped closer. "I've loved you since Galveston. Maybe before. When you came after me despite knowing it was a trap. When you fought your way through half the Order's soldiers to find me." Her hand found his. "You don't see yourself clearly. You think you're just broken pieces held together by rage."

Her fingers threaded through his.

"But I see you. The real you. The man who saved me. Who protects his friends. Who fights for people he's never met because it's the right thing to do." Tess's eyes searched his face. "You're not a weapon. You're not a monster. You're Gabriel. And I love you."

Gabriel stood frozen. Words formed in his throat and died before reaching his mouth.

Say something.

Anything.

But vulnerability was harder than combat. Harder than fire or pain or fear.

Ariya had carved things into his chest. The Order had broken him down and rebuilt him. He'd learned to survive. To kill. To endure.

But they'd never taught him how to be loved.

"I..." Gabriel's voice cracked. "I don't know how to..."

Tess squeezed his hand. "You don't have to say it back. I'm not asking for anything. I just needed you to know."

"It's not that." Gabriel forced the words out. "I feel... something. For you. I don't know if it's love. I don't know if I even remember what that feels like." His jaw clenched. "The Order took so much. Changed so much. Sometimes I'm not sure there's enough left to..."

"To what?"

"To be what you deserve."

Tess's expression softened. "I'm not asking you to be anything except yourself."

"Myself is a man who kills without hesitation. Who's hunted by both the Order and Archangels. Who has a mysterious woman killing people to protect him and doesn't know how to stop it." Gabriel's grip on her hand tightened. "Myself is broken."

"We're all broken," Tess said quietly. "The world breaks everyone eventually. You're not special in that." She stepped closer, their faces inches apart. "But you're whole where it matters. And that's enough for me."

Gabriel stared into her eyes. Searching for doubt. For fear. For the inevitable moment when she'd realise what he really was.

He found none of those things.

Just certainty. Just love.

"I don't deserve you," he said.

"Too bad." Tess smiled. "You're stuck with me anyway."

She leaned in and kissed him.

Not the quick, grounding kiss from before. This was deeper. Slower. Like she was trying to pour every unspoken word into the connection between them.

Gabriel kissed her back. His free hand moved to her face, cupping her cheek. She tasted like road dust and dried fruit and something uniquely her.

The kiss lasted an eternity.

When they finally pulled apart, Tess rested her forehead against his.

"I know you can't say it yet," she whispered. "That's okay. I can wait."

Gabriel's thumb traced her cheekbone. "I want to. I just..."

"I know."

They stood like that for a long moment. The sun sinking lower. The world painting itself in shades of gold and red.

"We should get back," Tess said eventually. "Before they send a search party."

Gabriel nodded but didn't move.

Tess pulled back slightly, her eyes searching his. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Gabriel's voice was rough. "I think so."

They started back down the ridge. Gabriel's hand found Tess's again. She threaded their fingers together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Maybe it is.

Halfway down, movement caught Gabriel's eye.

He stopped. Scanned the treeline to their left.

"What is it?" Tess's hand moved to her sword.

"Not sure."

There. Between two oak trees. A figure, partially hidden in shadow.

Watching.

Gabriel's gut told him who it was before his eyes confirmed it.

Mera.

She stood perfectly still, her face unreadable at this distance. But even from fifty yards away, Gabriel could feel the intensity of her stare.

How long has she been there?

How much did she see?

Tess followed his gaze. "Shit."

Mera turned and disappeared into the trees.

"Should we...?" Tess trailed off.

Gabriel shook his head. "Let her go. We'll deal with it at camp."

But unease settled in his chest like a stone.

Mera's obsession was getting worse. He'd seen it building. The worship in her eyes. The reverence in her voice. The way she looked at him like he was something more than human.

And now she's seen me with Tess.

That wouldn't help.

They reached the bottom of the ridge. The group had already started setting up camp in a clearing near the stream. Gilbert was gathering deadwood. Adan stood watch. Ennu arranged their supplies.

Mera sat apart from the others, her back against a tree. Her hands gripped a small knife, carving something into a piece of wood with sharp, angry movements.

She didn't look up when Gabriel and Tess approached.

"Good site," Gabriel said to Gilbert. "We'll stay here tonight."

"Found it about twenty minutes ago. Tess said you two went to scout?"

"Yeah. Kelmar's visible from the ridge. Two days if we push."

Gilbert grunted approval. "Good. I'm getting tired of sleeping on frozen ground."

Gabriel's eyes kept drifting to Mera. She was muttering something under her breath. Too quiet to make out the words.

Tess touched his arm. "I'll talk to her."

"No." Gabriel shook his head. "I should."

"Are you sure?"

"This is my problem to handle."

Tess's expression said she disagreed, but she didn't argue. "Alright. But if you need backup..."

"I know."

Gabriel walked over to where Mera sat. She didn't acknowledge his presence. Just kept carving. The wood was taking shape. Some kind of figure.

"Mera."

No response.

Gabriel crouched down beside her. "We need to talk."

The knife paused. Mera finally looked up. Her eyes were red. Not from crying. From something else. Something harder.

"About what?" Her voice was flat. Empty.

"About what you saw on the ridge."

"I saw you kissing her." Mera's grip on the knife tightened. "Your... partner."

The way she said partner made it sound like an insult.

"Tess and I..." Gabriel chose his words carefully. "We care about each other."

"Of course you do." Mera returned to her carving. The movements were violent now. Chunks of wood falling away. "She's useful. A good fighter. Someone to keep your bed warm."

"It's not like that."

"Isn't it?" Mera's laugh was bitter. "The Maker sends you a divine purpose, and you waste time on... this." She gestured vaguely toward where Tess stood. "On mortal concerns. Mortal attachments."

Gabriel's jaw clenched. "I'm mortal too."

"You're more than that." Mera's eyes blazed. "You're chosen. Marked. Special. And she's dragging you down to her level."

"Mera, listen to me..." Gabriel reached for her shoulder.

She flinched away. "Don't touch me."

The venom in those words made Gabriel pull back.

"I saved you three years ago because it was the right thing to do," he said quietly. "Not because the Maker commanded it. Not because I'm special. Because bandits were going to kill you and I had the power to stop them."

"You don't understand..." Mera shook her head. "You can't see what I see."

"Then help me understand."

Mera looked at him. Really looked at him. And for a moment, Gabriel saw past the obsession to the woman he'd saved. Frightened. Confused. Lost.

Then the moment passed.

"You'll understand when you're ready," Mera said. "When you fulfill your purpose. When you do what you were born to do."

She stood abruptly, tucking the wooden figure into her pocket. "I'm going to gather water."

She walked toward the stream without waiting for a response.

Gabriel stayed crouched there, staring at the spot where she'd been sitting.

Tess appeared at his side. "How'd it go?"

"About as badly as expected."

"She's breaking."

"I know."

"Gabriel..." Tess's voice was gentle. "If she becomes a threat..."

"She won't." But even as he said it, Gabriel wasn't sure he believed it.

They set up their bedrolls as night fell. No fire. Cold rations for dinner. Adan took first watch again.

Gabriel lay awake, staring up at stars barely visible through the tree branches.

Tess's hand found his in the dark.

"I meant what I said," she whispered. "On the ridge."

Gabriel squeezed her hand. "I know."

"And I meant the other thing too. You don't have to say it back."

"I want to." Gabriel turned his head to look at her. "I just need time."

"Then take all the time you need." Tess's smile was barely visible in the darkness. "I'm not going anywhere."

She closed her eyes. Her breathing gradually evened out.

Gabriel lay awake for another hour, his mind circling through the same thoughts.

Tess loves me.

Mera is breaking.

The woman in the fog is still out there, killing for me.

And Kelmar is two days away.

Too many pieces moving. Too many variables.

But for the first time in years, one of those variables felt like hope instead of just another threat to manage.

Sleep came eventually.

This time, he didn't dream.

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