Ice cold grace flaying his skin, his soul, his tears frozen to his cheeks, the Morningstar looming huge and terrible over his failing body —
“Sam! Sam!”
He flinched away from the sensation of grace. It was familiar, but different; it didn’t fit with the cage. It was disorienting.
The grace moved, making way for an old, natural magic.
“Calm yourself, Samuel.”
Sam shuddered as the magic coursed through his body. He opened his eyes.
Gabriel and Rowena were leaning over him from either side. The room seemed kind of dark. Sam rolled his head to the side and saw that the only light was coming from the lamp on the nightstand.
A lump developed in the back of his throat. He must have had another nightmare. “I’m sorry.”
Gabriel pushed his sweaty hair out of his face. “You don’t need to be sorry, Sam. Rowena and I both have PTSD, too. We get it.”
He pushed himself into a sitting position, arms around his knees. “You shouldn’t have to deal with me, though.”
Rowena cupped Sam’s chin in her hand. “Do you think you’re ‘dealing with me’ when you help me after a nightmare?”
“Rowena, no—”
“Then why should you be any different?” She shook him a little. “We love you, Sam. You’re not a burden.”
Sam let out a shaky little sigh and hid his face in his palms. A couple tears escaped the shield of his hands and slid down his chin. Gabriel leaned in to kiss them away.
“You wanna try to lay down again?”
Sam nodded wordlessly and stretched out on the bed. Gabriel and Rowena got into position — Gabriel spooning Sam and Sam spooning Rowena. It wasn’t a very big bed, but they made it work.
Rowena stretched one arm out to turn off the lamp, casting the room into darkness. It was a relief after the overwhelming shine of Lucifer’s grace.
Sam shifted around for a few minute, unable to get comfortable, until Rowena shimmed around in the circle of his arms so they were face to face. She began to sing.
“Baloo, baloo, my wee thing, oh, softly close thy blinkin’ e’e…”
Sam’s eyes began to drift shut, and he fell asleep surrounded by his lovers, safe in the knowledge that they would protect him from anything.
