Chapter Twenty-Two
Sage
Laughter.
Loud. Ugly. Twisting like thorns.
"If you didn't wanna get messed with, missy, you shouldn't've messed with our stuff."
Hands—too many hands—on me.
Fingers digging in. A grip like iron, dragging me backward, deeper into the woods. My mouth—covered. My scream swallows itself. I taste sweat. Earth. Blood?
I'm alone against them. Three men. Bulky. Breathing hard. Laughing like wolves.
"Nature-loving little thing," one sneers.
"Let's see if the trees hug you back," says another.
The woods are alive. I can feel them watching. The whisper of leaves. The low rustle of something old. But nothing moves to stop the intruders.
They drag me into the grove. The one I tried to protect.
The sacred one.
It should feel safe. It should feel holy.
But the grass is quiet. The moon's cold. Everything beautiful feels like it's turned its back on me.
"Far enough," one grunts.
I'm thrown. Weightless for a moment, then—
Crack.
The rock meets my skull and white erupts behind my eyes.
Noise tunnels. My head swims.
"Oh shit. She's bleeding."
"F-fuck—"
"Leave her—leave her—go—"
Boots stumbling. Running. Receding.
Their voices dissolve into shadow.
I try to lift my arm. It doesn't move.
My mouth opens, but no sound. No scream. Just the thrum of blood behind my eyes.
I can't feel my body.
I can't feel time.
The stars flicker above like they're blinking out.
Darkness seeps in around the edges. Soft. Like moss.
I think the trees are crying.
Or maybe I am.
And then—
"You're here, Sage. You're safe."
A voice, soft and steady, breaking through the static.
There's warmth behind me, solid and grounding—Kayden's body curved protectively along mine. His hand moves in slow circles across my back. I'm surrounded. Contained and held. Not trapped.
"You're with us. Whatever it was, whatever you've been through, it's not here anymore."
Asher's voice, low and calm, repeats the words like a mantra. Like he's done it before. For traumatized soldiers, maybe.
The nightmare clings like fog, but his voice cuts through it.
My past. That night. The one that ended my human life.
I'm shaking.
"I'm… I'm okay," I whisper. "It was just a dream."
"Sounded like a nightmare," Kayden murmurs, lips brushing the nape of my neck.
"If you want to talk…" Asher's eyes meet mine. Calm, open. His hand still covers mine, anchoring me.
"I don't want to talk," I say, my voice low but clear. "I want… the third thing."
The tension between us shifts. They remember our conversation.
I lean in, lips brushing Asher's. He stills, then kisses me back with a quiet, devastating tenderness. His thumb traces my cheek as if memorizing it.
He pulls back just enough to speak. "Are you sure? You've just woken up. Maybe this isn't the time."
"I'm sure," I say, stronger now. "I don't want you to be gentle. I want to be undone. I want you to quiet everything. Make me forget I exist."
Kayden tenses behind me, his breath sharp against my skin. Asher's eyes turn sharper, something primal sparking beneath the surface.
"We can do that," Asher says, voice tight with restraint. "But only if you're absolutely sure—"
"I am. And I don't want you to ask again."
"Well then," he says, gaze locked on mine, "we'll give you exactly what you need."
"And not being gentle?" Kayden's voice is rough in my ear. "You're speaking my language, sunshine."
Asher watches me closely. "Both of us?"
I nod.
His jaw flexes. "Then we need ground rules before we start. No guessing. Clear communication. What's off-limits?"
"No biting," I say quickly.
Kayden groans. "Tease."
"I mean blood biting. No vampire stuff tonight."
"Got it," Asher says. "We can touch you however we want? The usual? Oral? Anal?"
I breathe, then nod. "Yes. Oral, yes. Anal… not off the table, just maybe not tonight."
Asher's voice lowers. "We don't have toys here, so nothing specific in that direction. That's for another time."
I nod again.
"And because this won't be gentle," he continues, "you need a word. Something to stop it if it gets too much."
A word forms on my lips without hesitation. "Marigold."
He nods once, serious. "Then that's our line."
"Now let us show you what it means to be ours," Kayden whispers behind me.
Asher closes his eyes for a beat.
When they open again, the amber is molten—bright with purpose, layered with command. The Colonel. Not gentle, nor soft. In control.
"I think Sage needs to relax," he says, tone calm, almost clinical, except for the way his gaze burns into mine. "After that dream."
Kayden's answering grin is all wicked promise. "I can take care of that."
He moves closer, fingers sliding under the knot of the robe. With deliberate ease, he undoes it, letting the soft fabric fall open. My skin meets the cool air, and I feel his gaze crawling over me like a touch. It's hungry, appreciative, and possessive.
He slides the robe off my shoulders, letting it pool behind me. I'm left in my panties, breath catching.
"Beautiful," Kayden murmurs. He looks like he wants to devour me, but waits, his restraint evident.
Asher hasn't moved much, staying beside me. He slides his hand up my arm, knuckles brushing my skin in a way that's both grounding and electric.
Then his hand cups the side of my throat. Not tight, just there. A reminder.
His voice dips low. "Eyes on me."
A command.
I obey instantly, gaze locking with his. There's something about that look, like he could unravel me without laying a single finger. Like I could fall into that calm and be remade.
My breath hitches, but I don't look down. I feel Kayden kneeling in front of me, fingers curling around the waistband of my panties, dragging them down slowly. His touch is lighter than I expect.
But the tension under it says he's only holding back because he wants to savor the moment.
My heartbeat pounds louder in my ears as the last piece of clothing is gone.
I'm bare. Between them.
"Still with us?" Asher asks, his grip on my throat tightening just a hair, enough to make the blood slow and my senses heighten.
"Yes," I whisper.
"Good. Stay here," he says, thumb stroking my jaw. "Feel everything."
I can't help the way my body arches as Kayden's hands spread my thighs. The mattress shifts as he lowers himself between them, and then…
His mouth.
Soft at first, like a question. Then a slow lick that turns into an answer I didn't know I needed.
My fingers dig into Asher's arms.
He holds me upright, firm and unwavering. The pressure of his hand on my throat is intoxicating, making me feel like I'm floating and grounded at the same time. My focus narrows to the feel of his control, and the heat of Kayden's mouth moving between my thighs.
Asher's voice rumbles again, low in my ear. "Breathe for me."
I try. I really do.
But then Kayden's tongue flicks just right, and I forget how.
Kayden hums low against me, the vibration making my thighs tremble.
He's slow at first, teasing, tasting, like he's trying to memorize the shape of every sound I make, every twitch, every breathless gasp.
His fingers dig into my thighs, keeping me open for him, and his tongue flicks again, then circles with maddening precision.
Asher never wavers. His hand on my throat doesn't squeeze, but the weight of it is a reminder of whom I belong to in this moment. His thumb strokes gently under my jaw, grounding. Reassuring and commanding at the same time.
He shifts slightly, and his grip tightens just enough to make the edges of my vision shimmer. Not pain, just sharpness. Every nerve in my body lights up. Kayden's mouth feels hotter, wetter, deeper. I gasp, and the breath is barely there.
Then Asher releases. The rush of oxygen slams through me like a tidal wave.
My body jolts, my head falling back, the moan that escapes is raw and hungry.
"That's it," Asher murmurs, his mouth near my ear, his breath steady while mine is anything but. "Let it take you."
Kayden's tongue is merciless now. He's found a rhythm, his fingers spreading me open as he works deeper, licking with that ruthless focus that only a predator can have.
His lips seal around my clit and he sucks, slow and firm, and I cry out, hips twitching, but I can't move.
Asher's hand is on my chest now, holding me still, thumb brushing the underside of my breast while his other hand returns to my throat.
My body doesn't know what to do—burn or melt. Shatter or survive. And that's the space Asher keeps me in. That exact edge.
His fingers tighten again, a deliberate constriction of air. I feel immediately how everything sharpens. How the heat building between my legs becomes a surge. I can't breathe, can't think. Can only feel.
Then he loosens his grip. Breath floods back in.
I moan. Loud and shameless.
Kayden's tongue swirls, and then he slides a finger inside me. Then another.
Stars.
I'm clinging to Asher now, my body suspended in that perfect balance between restraint and release. Held and undone.
"Good girl," he says. "You're doing so well. Let him take you there. Let me guide you through it."
I whimper something incoherent, the pressure coiling hard and fast in my core. It's too much and not enough all at once. Kayden groans against me, the vibrations rolling through my bones. His fingers curl just right. Asher tightens the grip one last time.
Everything breaks.
My release slams into me like wildfire, body shuddering, mouth open in a silent scream I can't even give voice to until Asher loosens his grip again and the cry rips out of me—raw, trembling, full of something ancient and true.
I collapse onto the bed, boneless, breathless, completely undone.
Kayden is still kneeling, looking up with a hungry, satisfied smirk, his lips and chin glistening with proof. Asher holds me, his hand now gently stroking my throat as he places a tender kiss to my temple.
"I've got you," he whispers.
They give me space to breathe.