Page 33 of Sage Haven
Lifted her into my arms like she weighed nothing.
She melted against me as we all made our way back to my car.
By the time we reached her apartment, she was barely conscious.
I carried her inside.
Laid her down on her bed like something precious I wasn’t sure I was meant to touch.
For a moment, her green eyes fluttered open.
She stared up at me, pupils wide, lips parting in a whisper, before she spoke, “You shouldn’t take what isn’t yours.”
A faint smile overtook my lips before sleep claimed her.
I stayed longer than I should have.
Watching her breathe.
Watching the tension fade from her face.
She looked peaceful, but I knew better.
Peace was an illusion.
She was just between storms.
When I finally felt like I had overstayed my welcome, I left.
As soon as I made my way from her door, Castor was waiting outside.
Leaning against the railing, grinning like he’d figured something out before I had.
But I didn’t bother with engaging in whatever was reeling around in his brain. I did what I do best instead—deflected.
“I can’t believe I missed Nerv again,” I muttered.
He clapped me on the shoulder. “Worth it, though, wasn’t it?”
I didn’t answer.
Just kept walking.
But Sage’s green eyes followed me long after I left, and something told me they always would.
9
SAGE
The next morning, Iwoke to fragments.
Imperfect pieces of memory, floating through the fog in my mind and slipping through my fingers like I was trying to grasp water.
A futile effort.
There was nothing coherent about it.
Just flashes of blurred lights. The echo of bass thudding against my ribs. Lots of hands, eyes, and faces.
