Chapter 11 Sage
SAGE
Morning comes too quietly for this house.
I open my eyes expecting to wake in my bed at home, expecting Hope’s soft humming through the wall or the faint scent of coffee drifting up the stairs.
Instead, I’m surrounded by Luka’s world.
Dark walls. Heavy curtains. Thick silence.
Nothing feels familiar, yet everything feels too real, like I’ve stepped inside a dream I cannot climb out of or a nightmare I accidentally invited in.
My chest aches by the time I sit up. The guilt started as a whisper last night. Now it circles my ribs with claws.
I pull on jeans and one of Luka’s shirts, the soft cotton hanging too low on my thighs. I barely think about it. My feet move on their own, guiding me through hallways still dim with early light.
The courtyard air is cold enough to sting, but I welcome it. Vega lifts his head the moment I step outside. He’s curled near a trimmed hedge, his ears perked, his eyes tracking me the way he always has. When I sink onto the stone beside him, he rests his head on my knee.
“I never meant to hurt him,” I murmur into the fog. My fingers slide through Vega’s fur as if I expect him to understand every broken part of me. “I never meant to betray him. I only wanted Hope safe.”
The words tremble out of my mouth, raw and thin.
A faint scuff of shoes touches the ground behind me. I don’t turn right away. I can feel him before he speaks, his presence brushing along my spine like heat rolling through cold air.
Luka steps up beside me. His hand settles on my shoulder, his thumb tracing the line of my collar, the way someone might soothe a frightened animal.
Instead of questioning where I’ve gone or why I slipped out alone, he slides his arm around my waist, raising me up until I’m standing with my back against his chest. Mist beads on his hair, clinging to the ends as he folds his arms around me.
“You are up early,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my temple. “Too early.”
“I couldn’t stay in the room.” My hands come together, fingers twisting. “I couldn’t breathe in there.”
His arms tighten, guiding my body closer until my spine fits the shape of him. “You should not wander the grounds without me.”
“I know,” I whisper, even though the words scrape through me.
He adjusts beside me and turns me toward him, his hands cradling my face as if he wants to shield me from every thought tearing me apart.
I search his eyes, needing answers. “Have you found anything? Any trail at all?”
His jaw works, the movement subtle but tense. He drags his palm once over Vega’s back, avoiding my eyes for a long beat, like he’s sifting through the right words. When he finally lifts his gaze to mine again, his expression is guarded.
“We found evidence at a warehouse.” His fingers drift up to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “She was there.”
My stomach drops so fast the courtyard tilts. “You’re sure?”
“The height. The build. The hair. The men moved equipment after she was taken. The footage matches her.” His voice roughens. “We were close.”
The world blurs before my eyes. I grip the front of his shirt, my knuckles pressing into him. “Where is she now?”
“We will find her.” He presses his forehead against mine, his breath mixing with my own. “I swear it.”
“You don’t know that,” I whisper.
His hand curls behind my neck as if he can keep my thoughts from spiraling. “We are closer than ever. I would not lie to you.”
The dizziness hits so fast that I sway forward. Luka catches me before I can fold, lifting me into his arms with more gentleness than I expect. Vega circles us with anxious steps as Luka carries me back inside.
“I’m fine,” I insist, even though my legs barely remember how to work.
“You are pale,” he mutters, nudging the door open with his shoulder. “You push yourself too hard.”
I pull away once we reach his room, pacing a few steps before turning to him. “Don’t pretend this is only about exhaustion. You are keeping things from me.”
His brows dip. “I am protecting you.”
“That’s not enough.” My voice cracks. “She is my sister. I’m supposed to protect her.”
He reaches for me. I step back. His jaw tightens with frustration.
“You blame yourself for Ray’s actions,” Luka replies, taking another step. “He chose this, not you.”
The tears come before I can stop them. His thumb brushes them away, his eyes tracking their path as if they are pieces of me he wants to keep.
“Sage.” His voice deepens, not angry, but carved through with a note of hurt. His hand closes around my wrist, guiding my palm to his chest. “You matter more than you know. I care for you more than you allow yourself to see.”
He cups my face and brings it close to his.
“You belong with me,” he murmurs, lowering his forehead to mine again. “And I will burn the world to keep you safe.”
My breath stutters. I search his eyes, and for the first time, I let myself believe him. Not because I trust his world. But because the man in front of me looks at me like he’s holding a part of me that might change everything he is.
When he draws me close, my body goes willingly.
His mouth finds mine with a tenderness that steals every apology I’ve tried to swallow.
His hands glide down my back, tracing the shape of me as though he is trying to memorize the places where my fear lives.
I melt into him, my fingers curling into his shirt, tugging him closer until our bodies speak louder than the words neither of us can say.
I slide my hand between our bodies, finding the button of his pants and working it open.
His breath hitches when I free his thick cock, hot and heavy in my palm.
I kiss my way down from his mouth to the hard lines of his abdomen, tasting the heat rolling off him.
Hooking my fingers into the waistband of his pants, I drag them down his hips, lowering myself until I’m on my knees in front of him.
“Sage,” he murmurs, his voice rough as gravel. He curls a finger under my chin, lifting my face to his so I can’t look anywhere but at him.
“I want to taste you,” I whisper back, certainty threading through every word.
Luka gathers my hair in his hand, giving me full access to his cock. I run my tongue from the base to the tip, licking the drop of pre-come that glistens on the tip in the dim light.
Again and again, I lick his cock, sucking the tip in my mouth while running my fingertips over the shaft. He moans, bucking his hips slightly as I swirl my tongue around the head.
“Fuck, Sage,” he groans as I suck him into my mouth inch by inch.
When his entire cock is in my mouth, I swallow, causing him to moan louder. “Yes…just like that, printsessa.”
My tongue glides and dances along his cock as I simultaneously play with his balls until he is shaking with the need to come.
He tangles his fingers in my hair and begins pumping his hips, fucking my mouth. I hold onto him, feeling the powerful flex of muscle beneath my palms. Holding my head in place, he pumps his hips a few more times before his release hits, shooting his come down my throat.
“Blyat!” he cries out, continuing to pump his hips until he is depleted.
Pulling back, I rise to my feet. My fingers slip to the buttons of his shirt, and I take my time easing him out of it, letting each layer fall away.
His body comes into view slowly, all hard lines and strength wrapped in control he rarely lets anyone witness.
I run my hands along his torso, memorizing every contour and every breath he gives me.
When I reach his mouth, he pulls me into a kiss that steals whatever air I have left, deep and hungry.
He breaks the kiss only when he feels my hands tremble against him. Then it’s his turn.
Luka’s gaze sweeps over me with a focus that makes the room feel smaller.
He touches me like he’s learning a map he plans to carry for the rest of his life, unfastening each piece of clothing with a patience that warms my skin before his hands ever reach it.
When the last of the fabric slips away, he lifts me easily, his palms sure on my hips, and his breath brushing my shoulder.
My legs curl around him instinctively, and he holds me closer, lowering me onto the bed with a gentleness that contradicts every rumor ever told about him. The mattress meets my back, soft and solid, while his body hovers above mine, strong, protective, and completely focused.
“I need you,” I groan, pulling his hard cock toward my slick pussy. The need to feel him inside me is overwhelming.
In one thrust, he lunges balls deep, grunting as my pussy clenches around him. “Sage,” he breathes as he thrusts faster, building up to a frenzied pace.
I hold onto his forearms as he drives into me with a rhythm that shakes through every part of me. I wrap my legs around him, locking my ankles together.
“Yes…please Luka, don’t stop,” I beg.
His mouth latches onto my nipple as he slows his pace and pulls his cock out until just the tip is in. The sudden emptiness makes my back arch, a wordless plea for him to keep fucking me.
“Not yet, printsessa,” he mouths against my breast. “You come when I tell you to come,” he commands. Sucking my breast into his mouth, he slowly slides his thick cock back into my pussy.
My mouth opens in a gasp as he pushes slowly in and out. His fingers dig into my hips, and before I know what is happening, he pulls his cock out, leans his head down, and swipes his tongue up my pussy. Then he shoves his fingers into me and pumps hard and fast.
“Yes, Luka…fuck me,” I groan. My pussy begins to flutter around his fingers, but he doesn’t let me come. Instead, he withdraws his fingers and brings them to his mouth, drawing them in as his lips curve into a knowing smile.
“Luka!” I cry out, my chest heaving. “Don’t tease me.”
“I’m not teasing you,” he replies with a wicked smile. “I’m savoring what’s mine.”
With that, he shoves his cock into my pussy so hard I feel tears sting the corners of my eyes. I need him to draw me in fully, to eclipse every thought except the feel of him.
“Yes, Luka! Fuck me!” I cry out as he fucks me hard and fast. My pussy flutters around his cock as my release begins to build.
Luka reaches down between us, rolling my clit between his fingers as he fucks me relentlessly. His lips crash against mine, the force of it matching the drive of his body. His tongue slides into my mouth, tasting the need he’s pulling from me.
With his free hand, he reaches around and shoves a thick finger into my ass. Everything converges at once, and my release slams through me, tearing a cry from my lungs. My back bows off the bed, and my pussy clamps down on his cock as stars ignite behind my eyes.
He doesn’t stop, though, fucking me even harder. The pressure and size of his cock stretching me open make me squirm from the burning sensation. He leans over me, sinking it deeper and deeper.
“You’re so fucking tight,” he murmurs, sliding his hand loosely around my throat and holding himself up with the other.
He continues to pump, claiming my pussy as his.
“Mine,” he growls. “You belong to me, Sage.”
Holding me in place, he thrusts one final time, pushing his cock so deep his balls slap against my ass, spilling every drop of his hot come into my pussy.
He falls face down onto the bed, draping over me like a blanket. Eventually, he pulls his cock out, rolling onto his side, and wrapping himself around me like he thinks I might vanish if he loosens his grip.
For a long while, Luka and I lie tangled together, the world outside the bedroom fading to something distant and unimportant. His breath moves against my shoulder, his hand warm at my waist, and for once, there is no fear, deadlines, or threats pressing in, just the quiet of us.
When we finally reach for each other again, it feels different, slower, and deeper, as if we’re trying to memorize every place where our bodies fit.
Afterward, we stay wrapped up in the softness of the moment until reality nudges at the edges once more.
Only then do we rise, shower, and get dressed.
When we finally step out of the room, we walk side by side down the hall toward the formal dining room. Isaak watches us from the head of the table, his eyes over us with a hint of amusement. His fork lifts with unhurried grace while his gaze needles straight through me.
“Temporary peace,” he observes, surveying Luka with an interest I wish he would lose. “Enjoy it while it lasts.”
A chill crawls up the back of my neck, but I lift my chin and meet his stare. I won’t let him see fear. Not tonight. Not ever again.
I refuse to look away. Let Isaak watch and wonder how much power his son now holds over my heart.