Page 17 of Freed

“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.

Chapter 7

Gage

One moment, I’m gritting my teeth through the pain, looking into the eyes of the woman I love more than anything in this world, feeling grateful our bond is already severed so she won’t have to go through the same pain I did when I lost her.

And the next moment, it’s as if I’m being struck by lightning. Not physically. It’s my head that feels as though it’s been jolted to life.

I can literally feel my insides stitching themselves back together, and yet, that’s not what my mind chooses to focus on.

It’s her. My Cherry. My mind is spinning to piece the clues together.