Mark POVMorning light filtered through the reinforced windows of the safe house. My body ached like hell — stitches pulling at my side, burns throbbing on my arm — but the weight of Sage curled against my chest made everything else feel distant.She was still asleep, naked and warm, one leg thrown over mine. Her breathing was soft and steady. Dried tears marked her cheeks from last night. I brushed a strand of hair from her face, my thumb tracing her swollen lips.Mine.After everything — the explosion, the blood, Alice’s final laugh — she was still here. Still mine.I shifted slightly and winced. The movement woke her.Sage’s eyes fluttered open, smoky and soft at first, then sharpening with worry as she remembered.“Mark…” She sat up carefully, her hand gently touching the bandage on my side. “How do you feel?”“Like I got blown up,” I said, voice rough with sleep and smoke damage. “But better now that you’re awake.”She leaned down and kissed me — slow, deep, full of relief. I gro
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