The Saints made their move at dusk.
Not loud. Not messy.
Calculated.
I felt it before anyone said anything. The lair had that tight stillness, like a breath held too long. Radios crackled and cut out. Runners moved faster than usual, avoiding eye contact. Someone slammed a door down the corridor and didn't apologize.
Cager hadn't spoken to me since the morning.
That alone was wrong.
I found her on the roof.
The city stretched out beneath us, all flickering lights and restless movement. Wind tugged at her jacket. She stood near the edge, arms resting on the railing, watching the streets like she was counting exits.
"You're not supposed to be up here," she said without turning.
"You didn't tell me not to be."
She glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes softened for half a second before hardening again.
"They sent a message," she said. "Saints tagged three blocks west. No blood. Just a reminder."
"They want you."
"Yes."
"And you think giving them distance will fix it."
She turned fully then. "I think keeping you out of it will."
"That's not the same thing."
Her mouth tightened. "It is to me."
I stepped closer. The wind carried the smell of smoke and rain. "You don't get to decide what I can handle."
"I do," she snapped. Then quieter, "I have to."
I studied her face. The scars. The tension. The way control sat on her like armor she couldn't take off.
"You're scared," I said.
Her eyes flashed. "Don't."
"Not of them," I continued. "Of what happens if I stay."
Silence.
That was answer enough.
Before she could respond, footsteps echoed behind us. Nyra burst onto the roof, breath sharp.
"They're closer than we thought," she said. "One of ours just got jumped. Alive. Barely."
Cager didn't hesitate. "Lock the lower exits. Move everyone inside. No one goes alone."
Nyra nodded and disappeared.
Cager turned back to me. "You're staying here."
"No."
Her gaze hardened. "Vale."
"I'm not a liability," I said. "And I'm not running because it makes this easier for you."
She took a step toward me. Close. Too close.
"This isn't about easy," she said. "This is about survival."
"Then let me choose it," I replied.
For a moment, I thought she might argue. Might order me. Might shut me down the way she always did.
Instead, she looked at me like she was seeing the shape of something she'd been avoiding.
"Fine," she said finally. "But you don't leave my sight."
I nodded. That was enough.
The confrontation came faster than expected.
Saints poured in from the alley below, not a swarm, but a controlled push. Weapons visible. Faces confident. They wanted to be seen.
Cager moved like instinct given form. Commands sharp. Efficient. The Creepers fell into place around her.
I stayed close. Exactly where she told me to be.
A Saint stepped forward, the same one from before. His grin was gone now.
"Miss me?" he said to Cager.
She didn't answer.
"You left," he continued. "You don't get to pretend that didn't matter."
"I don't pretend," she said calmly. "I moved on."
His eyes flicked to me. "Looks like you replaced us."
Something ugly twisted in his expression.
That was when he lunged.
Everything happened at once.
Cager moved faster than thought. A flash of steel. A sharp intake of breath. He hit the ground, bleeding but alive.
The Saints froze.
Cager stepped forward, blade still in hand. "You take one more step," she said, voice deadly quiet, "and you won't walk away."
They backed off.
Slowly.
When it was over, the alley empty again, adrenaline hummed through my veins.
Cager turned to me.
Her eyes searched my face, my hands, my stance. Checking. Measuring. Making sure I was still standing.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yes."
Her shoulders loosened just a fraction.
Then she realized how close she was.
Her hand was still hovering near mine. Her breath was uneven. The moment stretched, heavy and charged, the aftermath of violence pressing in.
For a second, I thought she might touch me.
Instead, she stepped back, control snapping into place.
"This doesn't happen again," she said.
"It will," I replied. "And you know it."
She didn't deny it.
She just looked at me, something unguarded flickering behind her eyes, and for the first time, I knew with certainty.
Whatever line she was trying not to cross, we were already standing too close to it.
And next time, distance wouldn't save either of us.