Page 89 of Sage Haven
Reich smiled but it wasn’t kind.
“You have no idea.” He responded.
And in his eyes, I saw it.
He wanted me to know how much further he could take this if I pushed just enough.
My voice cracked, desperation slipping through before I could stop it, “I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I didn’t mean to invade your property. I didn’t mean—”
He lifted his hand, flicking his fingers.
And I stopped.
Like I didn’t have a choice, though I knew I did.
He leaned against the doorframe, casual and relaxed but his eyes were a storm.
Cold, brutal and merciless.
“I warned you,” he said.
The panic clawed harder now, rising like bile in my throat, as I tried to plead, “I’ll leave! I won’t come back! Just—just let me go!”
Reich sighed like I was boring him and then he pushed off the doorframe, slow and deliberate.
Moving toward me like a wave I couldn’t outrun.
I pressed back into the chair, chains rattling.
And then his hand was on me.
Not rough, but firm.
His knuckles grazed my cheek before his palm settled there, warm and grounding in the worst possible way.
He crouched until we were eye level, his gaze locked on mine, unblinking. “You think I brought you here to hurt you?”
The question was soft.
Dangerous.
“I...” I tried to speak but I shook my head because I didn’t know the answer.
His thumb stroked across my cheek. Gentle.
Too gentle.
“I brought you here to keep you safe.” His tone didn’t change but I felt the weight of those words all the way to my core.
A whimper slipped past my lips.
He heard it.
And his smirk returned. “Shhh,” he murmured. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
His voice was soft. Deceptively soothing.
Wrapping around me like silk.
