Page 18 of Bound By Honey

Sage smiled as she clasped the note to her chest, feeling a warm rush of gratitude for her friend. She eagerly unwrapped the packages, revealing beautiful clothing, artful decorations, and a bright emerald-green bedding set.

Asher entered the room and saw Sage gazing in amazement at the gifts. He grinned at her.

"What do you think of your room?" he asked eagerly.

"It's beautiful."

"I'm glad you think so. Dinner is ready if you would like to join us."

Sage looked down at herself. She had been in such a hurry to get to the house she hadn't even changed clothes. She still wore her work clothes, now covered in grime from an old box of books she had discovered hidden away. She blushed as she thought about it.

"I should go change," she said.

"I will wait for you outside."

Asher gently closed the door behind him. Sage picked out a simple red dress and, with a glance in the mirror to ensure she was put together, she opened the door to find Asher leaning on the opposite wall.

"Shall we?" he asked.

Sage smiled and nodded, before walking out of the room and down the stairs toward the dining room. The other three were already sitting at the table, chatting excitedly about something. They stopped talking as Sage entered, their eyes landing on her.

"You look lovely." Colby smiled.

"Thanks," Sage replied shyly, sitting beside him.

The talk resumed as a plate of food was placed before Sage. A pile of mashed potatoes with a perfect bowl of gravy made from the roast sitting inside it, a slice of roast, and a larger variety of vegetables than she had ever seen on one plate. It looked delicious.

A basket of warm bread and butter sat in the center of the table. Sage helped herself to a slice and dipped it into the mashed potatoes and gravy, breaking the dam that held it in place. She made a happy hum as she took her first bite and the gravy ran down the potatoes onto the roast.

"You know, we probably would have won if someone didn't pass out."

Suddenly tuned into the conversation, Sage looked at Sawyer. If her mouth weren't full of food, it would have been wide open.

"If I remember correctly," Prince Finn said, spinning a goblet, “we did win, thanks to me."

Sawyer scoffed. "Does it really count as winning if you freaked out from the dark and threw a spell before passing out?"

With a shrug, Prince Finn took a sip of his drink. "A win is a win."

"We wouldn't have had to fight if someone hadn't been flirting with one of the dark guild’s girls," Colby said.

Sawyer choked on a bite of mashed potatoes. "Look who's talking. I wasn't the only one involved in that."

Sage chuckled, resulting in four pairs of eyes suddenly on her. She froze.

With a smirk, Colby cocked his head. "You find that funny?"

Swallowing her bite, she hesitated. "Honestly, yeah. I do. I wondered how they had roped you into fighting them. It didn't exactly appear to be your scene."

"What would you consider our scene?" Asher asked.

Sage paused in thought before gesturing around the room. "This. I would assume four rich and powerful men who live in a place like this stayed a bit more above board. Especially when one of them is a prince."

Sawyer leaned forward, his fork outstretched and pointing at her. "Do you know why we live together here instead of in our family homes?"

"I assumed because you formed a guild. Don't guilds normally do that sort of thing?"

He laughed. "Guilds normally don't have guys like us. We formed the guild to have somewhere away from the noble pressure. Have a way to escape when needed and to indulge in our darker and less pristine interests."

---