Page 167 of Sage Haven
I kissed him softly; a brief thank you pressed against his lips.
He pulled me back in, resting his forehead against mine. “She wants to see you,” he murmured. “Is that okay?”
I hesitated, but nodded, “Yes. I think so.”
He kissed me one more time before helping me to my feet.
When the door opened and Sam rushed in, I barely had time to brace myself before she threw her arms around me.
Tight. Fierce.
Like she was trying to hold me together.
“You’re not leaving me again,” she whispered fiercely.
And then she tied a ribbon around my wrist.
One of her endless ribbon bracelets.
“So, I don’t lose you.” She added.
I laughed softly, but it cracked in the middle.
Because I knew exactly what she meant.
And this time, I wasn’t letting go either.
38
REICH
After Castor told meeverything about what had happened with Sam, I knew how to proceed.
There was no other way.
Letting Sam see Sage wasn’t just a concession—it was a necessity.
For Sage, it was about survival.
For me, it was about control.
Sage needed an anchor after the emotional wreckage this week had left her in. A familiar face. Something pure in a world that had shown her nothing but cruelty. And I…I needed to keep Sam close now that she knew.
Because Sam wasn’t just a friend.
She was a threat.
Castor didn’t understand that part.
Or maybe he did, and he just couldn’t bear to think it.
But I could.
And I did.
Because someone had to.
I sat back in my chair, letting Castor spiral in his endless orbit of worry while Sam and Sage talked behind the closed door of the sunroom. His pacing was restless, his steps sharp and unyielding on the hardwood. Icould feel the tension radiating off him, thick and wild, like a storm caught inside a man’s body with nowhere to go.
