6. Cherry
Cherry
Icling to Bain as he runs down the hall, following Chase. Nobody will tell me how badly Gage is hurt, but by the speed they’re moving, I know it’s not good.
But I just tell myself to take deep breaths until I can see him for myself. Wolf shifters have excellent healing. I’m sure he just needs time.
Bain skids to a halt, swearing, and I turn my head to see why we’ve stopped. Standing in the middle of the hall is Blaze. Maddox darts in front of us to join Chase as I gasp, clinging to Bain.
Chase steps toward him as he speaks slowly, his voice full of anger. “You’re a coward, and you’re going to pay for everything you’ve done to my mate.”
“She’s my mate!” Blaze growls like an angry child.
Chase growls, then lurches forward as Blaze does the same. I gasp as Bain steps backward, away from the fight. At the last second, Chase lunges low, aiming for Blaze’s legs, surprising him as he’s thrown to the ground.
Then Maddox is there, claws extended as he swipes them across Blaze’s neck in one quick movement.
Chase and Maddox quickly move backward, staring down as Blaze clutches at his neck, but the cut is deep and blood pools quickly beneath him as he tries to breathe. His wide eyes turn to me, and he reaches a hand out like he expects me to help him.
“I hope you burn in hell,” I say quietly as Bain squeezes me tighter.
We all watch as Blaze’s hand drops to the ground and his head flops to the side, his wide, dead eyes staring right at me. A breath of relief fills me, knowing that he’s finally dead. That is until I remember Gage is still hurt.
“Gage,” I whisper, and quickly we’re moving again, following Chase through the door at the end of the hall.
When we enter the next hall, I recognize it as the one my cell was in.
There’s an unfamiliar shifter with white hair standing in the middle of the hall, and Bain slows right where he’s standing and turns, stepping into one of the cells.
“Gage!” I yell in dismay. Inside the tiny cell, there’s another larger man I don’t recognize, who smells like some sort of shifter, plus Philip, Erica’s husband, and Hunter. But what catches my attention is my mate lying on his back between them, with a blood-soaked shirt being held over his heart.
I wiggle to get down, and Bain places me on my feet as I move around beside Hunter by Gage’s head.
“Oh my Goddess, Gage. What happened?” I ask, quickly hugging Hunter, glad to see he’s safe.
“He was shot by a guard,” Hunter says as he wraps an arm around my shoulder, turning to look at Gage. He’s covered in blood, more trickling from his mouth. My heart squeezes with worry.
I grab his hand, squeezing in between mine as tears leak down my cheek.
“Please don’t leave me,” I whisper selfishly. “I love you.”
“It was a silver bullet to the heart,” the stranger says across from me.
“Who are you?” I ask, unsure if he’s on our side or not
“That’s Alaric, he and Finn, the guy with red hair, are Lexi’s mates,” Hunter explains. “Alaric’s cousin, Casper, is standing guard outside the cell. The three of them and Philip came with us to help rescue you.”
I want to thank him, but my focus is solely on Gage. He said it was a— “A silver bullet?” I ask, my voice breaking. “Isn’t that… that… fatal?”
Hunter hugs me tighter to his side as he confirms my worst fear. “To the heart, yes.”
“I cast a spell that’s slowing the bleeding, but I can’t heal the damage,” Philip says, sounding genuinely sad about not being able to help.
“C-can’t we just get the bullet out of him?” I ask. “Won’t he heal, then?”
I look up at the others hopefully, but Maddox shakes his head, a sad look of resignation on his face. “The bullet went straight through. It’s not in him. But the silver makes him unable to heal.”
“But-But… How do we fix him?” I ask, unwilling to accept that Gage, my Gage, is about to die.
“I’m so sorry, Cherry,” Hunter whispers.
A sob bursts from me as I clutch Gage’s hand, bringing it to my face as I hunch over, feeling more pain than any death has ever brought me.
“No, y-you can’t die,” I gasp, as I look into his eyes. I move a hand to cup his cheek as I stare down at him. “Gage, please. I love you, I need you.”
“I-I love you too,” he rasps out, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “I-I’m sorry.”
Him apologizing, for dying, wrecks me. I bend over, as my body convulses with heaving sobs. The pain is so agonizing. I silently pray to be taken too, not wanting to live without him.
Philip pulls the bloody shirt away as he gathers another one to replace it, and I see the wound. I stare down into the small hole and feel like shit when tears drop from my cheeks, right onto it, and he hisses in pain.
“I-I’m sorry,” I cry, clutching his hand tighter as I sit back.
Philip grabs the fresh cloth and goes to place it on the wound, but Alaric suddenly grabs his wrist, stopping him.
‘What the fuck, man?” Chase asks him.
“Look,” Alaric says, nodding his head toward Gage’s chest. We all turn back to look at it, and straight away, I realize it’s no longer bleeding. Philip lowers his hand slowly as Hunter and I lean forward, getting a better look.
“Is…” Hunter trails off before tilting his head. “Is it healing?”
My eyes widen, and I don’t dare breathe as I watch. Then I see it. Inside the wound, ever so slowly, his tissue is knitting itself back together.
“Oh my Goddess!” I cry out as I turn to look at Gage. “You’re healing!”
But he’s not looking at his chest, he’s looking at me with wide eyes, as if his healing isn’t the biggest miracle happening right now. He’s looking at me like I am.