~~Young~~

Chapter Nine

   She wasn’t the type of woman to take no for an answer however, and though his dick was in it in more ways than one, his mind wasn’t. He was too distracted, trying to figure the best course of action for today. Brute force tended to work best, threats of violence and harm, but this case seemed to call for a little more finesse…

   At least he made it quick as he had promised, taking Avery up against the grimy wall in the alley behind the bar when she chased him down after he tried to escape. And as he had suspected, she hadn’t given a shit. She was just happy to have a man touch in any sort of sexual way apparently.

   After leaving the girls to their pouting he had then continued on through to the next car, and one glance at the human cattle crammed row after row behind each other and he knew for sure Sera wasn’t amongst them. She might have tricked him twice but somewhere along his observation he realized that press of humanity on humanity would be too much for her. She seemed to avoid physical contact, with him, with others, even people who he thought would call themselves her friends. The only touch he had seen her willingly give was to assault that boy, Bobby, last night.

   That was about when the thought of Sera lying to him began to creep over his mind once more. He passed the girls again- receiving and ignoring a few more flirtatious glances as he went- on his way back to his cabin to stew. He hadn’t brought anything to entertain himself after all, counting on Sera to fill that void whether from beside her or across the train. He had to pause before reaching for the door handle, with the air beginning to chill around him because of his anger he knew if he touched the handle it would freeze and shatter. Not the easiest thing to explain away.

   It was a product of life in the underworld, the cold shoulder business. All demons sucked the warmth out of the air when angered- except for Fury, just a glance from her when she was pissed will blister the skin- but Gage rarely found himself angry. Irked? Sometimes when things weren’t going his way, but true anger? Very, very rarely. He loved what he did. Even when he was hunting down all those shit-for-brains humans shot and stabbed he could still laugh through life because at the end of the day he was still an immortal.

   There was no human weapon that could mortally wound him. Burn him and he would char before fresh skin grew in its place, making the burn as if it never was. Cut him and he would bleed, the corrosive nature of his blood ruining any blade that pieced his skin before that too healed. Broken necks simply regenerated, lungs of water would freeze into vapor leaving him free to breathe in moments. Even losing his head to those English knights had proved futile on their part.

   Once they had left him for dead his body simply reached out and popped his head back on and he was good as new…after a few weeks of deep rest. But with his head back where it should be he had no problem getting back home to hell where he could recover safely. Oh and wasn’t that a hell of a fight for them to subdue him, it made Gage grin wishing he could have thanked them. Mortals just didn’t fight they way they used to. He had mourned the loss of the days of epic battles many times over his life in this modern world.

   But for Sera, a weak little mortal female to drag that kind of anger out of him? He was honestly baffled she could affect him like that.

   It was when he stood there, trying to collect himself he saw her. It cooled- or rather warmed- his jets instantly as he laughed at her utterly unkempt appearance. A stark contrast to the perfectly styled girl he had grown to know…or at least see. Hell knew he hadn’t had the chance to get to know her yet.

   She was sprawled across the table, her head lying on one arm, her lips parted as her breath misted on the tabletop. Her other hand was tucked beneath her chin, pen in grip. He was surprised she had managed not to write on herself with its angle towards those peaceful features. Her hair was uncharacteristically pulled back, exposing the most adorable ears highlighted by the bright purple ear buds. Her clothes were understated, not the statement of affluence she usually made in her dress. The coat she wore looked as if it had been multiple wear and washes. The nap beginning to ball all over the grey and white fleece, the artificial collar on the hood clumped in places. Her jeans were completely unflattering…it made him wonder which Sera was the real one. The one he had seen at the university, or this one?