Page 29 of Bound By Honey

"Of what?" Sage asked, her voice barely audible.

Prince Finn chewed his lip as if he were at war with himself. "Of my brother. He isn't what he seems."

"So says the grump who doesn't want anything to do with me. Why do you care?"

"I don't. I just don't like seeing anyone in my care get hurt."

"I'm in your care?"

"You are one of my staff, are you not?"

Sage put some space between them and her back hit the railing.

"If I am only part of your staff, I believe you have no say in who I spend my free time with. But tell me. Why do I need to avoid your brother?"

Prince Finn ran his hand through his hair and let out a huff. "You don't know what he is capable of, what he has done, what he enjoys doing. He only cares for power and how he can get more while securing what he already has." Prince Finn paused. "My brother is cunning and will do anything to get what he wants. He does not care about anyone else's feelings or well-being. He will use you and discard you just as quickly."

Sage took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "So you are warning me to watch out for him because he may treat me like you do?"

Prince Finn stared at her. "Excuse me? When have I ever used you?"

Her anger boiled over, and Sage stormed closer to Prince Finn. "You. Attacked. Me. In. The. Library," she spat, her finger pushing into his chest with each point.

"I never touched you. It was a war of words where I was educating you, and to be fair, the first time I saw you in the library, you acted as if you were a crazed woman."

"You trapped me in your house!” she growled as she poked again. “I wouldn't put it past you to have orchestrated the entire thing for me to live there now out of spite for me turning you down the first time."

"Sage, I didn't know you even knew how to heal anyone until that battle against the dark guild."

"I'm sure you didn't," Sage mumbled as she pushed him again. "Do you know that every single time we interact, I leave feeling like I'm worthless? Like I am inferior and can't do anything right? I can't think of a single interaction we've had so far where I haven't left feeling that way!"

Prince Finn leaned in until his lips were next to her ear. "Even when you asked me to strip in the hallway earlier today?"

Sage shoved him away and backed against the railing again.

"Will you stop doing that!" Prince Finn yelled. "If you don't, I will toss you off this balcony myself."

Sage glanced behind her and looked back at him with a sly smile.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"Looking to see how far of a drop it is."

"Don't you dare—" He didn't have a chance to finish what he was saying before Sage hopped up on the railing, threw her legs over the edge, and dropped.

Sage landed on soft grass, rolled a few times, and looked up to see Prince Finn hovering at the balcony's edge, looking down at her in shock. She winked at him and waved before standing up and walking off.

Her heart was pounding, and her mind was racing with what had just happened. She had done something way beyond her usual boundary, and it felt both exhilarating and terrifying.

Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away and continued walking through the palace gardens. She was amazed at how vast and detailed everything was. Topiaries were shaped into various animals, trees covered with bright flowers in full bloom, and lit lanterns glowing along the paths. The air was sweet with the smell of jasmine, honeysuckle, and the musk of several different breeds of roses.

Every couple of steps Sage took brought her closer to what she assumed was the palace ground's main gate. But before reaching it, Sage heard voices behind a large bush and stopped in her tracks.

Peeking around it, Sage saw Asher standing with a woman with her arm wrapped around his waist as though they were old acquaintances. The woman had curly dark hair cascading down her back, and deep brown eyes sparkled as she looked up at Asher with admiration.

He seemed to be enjoying the attention as he regarded her warmly.

Sage felt an odd pang of something inside her chest.

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