Page 170 of Sage Haven

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And God help me, I wanted to stay there.

I wanted to give her everything she asked for.

I wanted to tear the world open and hand it to her, bloody and raw, just to see her smile like that again.

For one insane second, I believed I could.

That I could have this.

Her.

Castor leaned in beside me, his smirk casual. But I could hear the edge beneath it. “What do you say, brother?” he asked, voice lazy and slow. “Shall we get these beautiful ladies out of this house and make sure they are properly fed and entertained?”

There was amusement in his tone. But he wasn’t joking.

He was testing me.

Waiting to see if I would do something reckless.

Or if I would remember who the fuck I was.

The others watched me, quiet, expectant.

Like I was the one holding the keys to this entire night.

Maybe I was.

I should have said no.

I should have thought it through.

Taking them out wasn’t just risky.

It was dangerous.

Too many variables. Too many things that could go wrong.

Too many people who might recognize Sage.

Too many eyes watching us that we didn’t see.

But then I looked at her.

And none of that mattered.

She was looking at me like I was more than what I was.

Like I could give her this one small thing.

And fuck me—I wanted to.

Her quiet anticipation was like a live wire, vibrating in the space between us.

And when she smiled— I was done for.

Her smile was a crack in the armor I’d spent my entire life forging.

A chisel against stone, soft and patient, breaking me down piece by piece.

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