~~Young~~

Chapter Twenty Three

   That was fine though really, there was nothing he wanted to look at anymore.

   Maybe it was because of his burns, that whoever brought him here thought it would be better for him not to see the extent of his injuries. Like he hadn’t felt it as his flesh charred and fell off. He knew how bad things were. As an immortal he was a little more durable and could survive and heal from such things. Already he could barely feel the twinges of pain in his limbs from his injuries, even without sight he knew he had to be damn near close to healed. Which sucked because it would take him that much longer to get back to the brink of death with a healthy body. And no, he wasn’t planning on living without her.

   But that was also why he lasted as long as he had in the fire, because his body was fighting to heal him almost as fast as the fire could eat at him.

   Almost.

   That too was fine. For centuries mortals have given their warriors burials by fire and Gage wasn’t going to let go of Sera until he knew hers was complete. It…it was the right thing to…to do…

   He fisted his hands into the cloth covering him and pulled at it desperately, “Sera,” he sobbed.

   Yes sobbed, fuck it if his body was marked as the truly evil. His heart was Sera’s and because of that it could still feel pain, feel loss, and he would forever mourn her- 

   “Gage?”

   No…he didn’t just hear…

   “Gage,” the worried voice called to him again and this time a weight dropped over his side pinning an arm and a wing to the bed, “Gage talk to me.”

   Hands found his face, cupping his jaw line and pulling his face upwards as if to inspect him. They were so soft, skin like that of a peach…

   Impossible, he didn’t dream. When he slept he felt nothing saw nothing, no pictures and no fantasies, his body needed all its energy to heal. And healing he was but…he moved his head in her hands and pressed his lips to her palm. If they weren’t already closed Gage’s eyes would have shut them in pure bliss.

   “Sera?” he asked in disbelief.

   “Yes,” she said excitedly, “yes Gage it’s me!”

   Yes definitely a dream, given to him from another. It wasn’t a gift because it would tear him apart when he did finally wake to lose Sera for the second time, and he thought that was the bearer’s intent. This was meant to make him suffer more in the end. So then he must be back in Hell, perhaps Deceit had buried into his unconscious mind on Lucifer’s orders. He had never spoken of his dreamless state to anyone so the pair probably figured Gage wouldn’t be able to tell the false dream from a true dream.  It fit, why else would his eyes be shut against his will if not to keep him from seeing his surroundings?

   No matter, if this was Lucifer’s doing than it would not last and Gage was not going to waste a moment.

   He ran both his hands up her arms, searching out what he could not see. He found her shoulders and the hair he knew to be the perfect shade of mahogany brown cascading over them. He would have paused to revel in it but he had better places to be. He kept going, sliding his palm up her neck- did she just sigh?-as the other rested on her shoulder. He was near tears again as he buried one hand in the nape of her neck, urging her with the barest of pressure to come to him.

   And she did, she obliged him. As she did Gage began to fear this was when he would be woken, before he would have the chance to kiss her lips one last time. He waited, those seconds seeming like centuries till finally…