Chapter Twenty-Five
Sage
After a quick wash in a freezing spring water, we head back, my body still humming with their touches, like I've been lit from within and the flame refuses to die down.
I smell like them. I feel them everywhere.
Their fingerprints are ghosts on my skin.
I'm still faintly trembling, not from cold but from the aftershock of being so thoroughly claimed.
Kayden wraps his arms around me and lifts me like I weigh nothing.
"I can walk," I grumble.
"Sure, sunshine. You can. I've seen you run barefoot like a little forest spirit. But it's cold, and your feet are turning blue. Consider this an act of mercy."
Only now do I realize how frozen my toes are. I huff, half amused, half melting against him.
"What's so funny?" Asher asks from my side, in step, watchful, like he's guarding my flank.
I glance between them, lips twitching. "Just thinking about the contrast. You wreck me against a tree like you're at war and then carry me like I'm something precious and breakable."
Asher's response is quiet but firm. "You are precious."
And just like that, my chest does that stupid ache. I was teasing. He's not.
Kayden hums, far more playful. "Yeah, and we get to desecrate your holy forest goddess body and then worship it afterward. Best of both worlds."
I shake my head, trying to laugh it off, but the sincerity beneath the teasing is louder than their words. We crossed a line—twice now. And the second time, it was in the forest. My domain. That has to mean something, whether I want it to or not.
No one says anything, but we all move in sync. Asher slides behind the wheel, Kayden into the back with me like it was decided in silence.
"Come here," Kayden murmurs, patting his jacket folded neatly over his thigh. "Rest, if you want. We did exhaust you."
"I don't feel exhausted," I lie. Sort of.
My limbs are loose and fluid, but something in me is electric, like spring waking from frost. It's like nature herself approved of what we did, like she needed it as much as I did.
Still, I curl up, head resting on his thigh, letting his fingers move through my hair in soft strokes that almost make me purr.
Asher speaks up: "Do you draw energy from sex? Is that part of being a nymph, or is it just a myth?"
"It's not automatic," I reply, eyes closed but mind still spinning. "It depends on the context. The connection. It's more than just friction and moans—it has to mean something."
That's what Darius told me. That energy transfer happens through intention, through nature and ritual. Most humans don't qualify. They don't know how to connect to anything beyond themselves.
Meanwhile, vampires are supposed to feed on that energy, not give it. They're supposed to leave us empty. But it didn't feel like that. Not with Kayden. Not with Asher. It didn't feel like desecration, but like awakening.
So either what I've been taught is wrong, or I'm different. A made-nymph with instincts that don't follow the rules.
I don't tell them all of that. I'm not sure they'd understand. Hell, I'm not sure I do.
I think of Darius and how powerful he felt. Even overwhelming at times. Being with him was like drowning in light, in something ancient and vast.
This was different. Not lesser, but more raw and grounded.
As Kayden's fingers lull me and the hum of the car surrounds me, I drift. The wind outside hushes the noise in my mind. The cold forest fades. And despite myself, I sleep.
"Wake up, sunshine. We're home." Kayden's voice pulls me from the fog of sleep.
Home.
That word hits too deep. It shouldn't mean anything coming from him, but it does. There's that annoying clench in my chest again, so I pretend I don't feel it and sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"We also have good news," Asher says as he shuts off the engine. We're already parked in the garage.
I blink more fully awake. "What kind of good news?"
He glances over his shoulder. "Eira reached out. The druid agreed to help. She'll be here in four days—it's a long journey, but it's confirmed."
A breath escapes me, slow and steady. "That's… really good."
I open the door, step out, and my knees remind me of every delicious, terrible thing that happened in the woods. Still sore.
Still worth it.
"There's more," Asher adds, walking beside me. "Winston messaged. He's coming over. Says it's about you."
I frown. "What kind of 'about me'? Good news or bad?"
"No clue. He wants to talk in person. He'll be here in an hour."
"Great," I mutter. "Guess I should shower. I look and feel like I got wrecked in the woods."
Asher gives me a dry look. "I wonder how that happened."
Kayden just laughs and wraps an arm around my waist. "Need a spotter for the shower? In case your knees pull another stunt?"
I swat him away. "No thanks. I've had enough of your 'support' for the day."
He holds up his hands in mock innocence. "Gracious host, remember?"
I roll my eyes and follow Asher into the house, Kayden trailing behind like a satisfied predator.
Thankfully, they don't press the shower issue. I finally get a moment to myself upstairs.
First, I pull the crystal from my pocket. Celestite. Smooth. Pale blue. It looks like nothing special, just a polished stone, but the book said it needs to be awakened. Right now, it's silent. Waiting. Just like me. I wrap it back up and bury it deep in the closet behind old folded sweaters.
Then I step into the shower. Hot water, real solitude. I scrub until the dirt is gone. But their fingerprints remain. Faint bruises, fierce grasp marks, all painted across my skin like a map of surrender.
It feels like something shifted inside me, but I'm not ready to deal with that. So I towel off, dress in soft, oversized clothes, and pull my hair up into something presentable.
I barely make it downstairs before headlights flash across the window. Winston's car.
A moment later, the man himself walks in—slow, solid, sure of his place in the world. There's a kind smile on his face that widens once he sees me.
"Sage. Lovely to see you again," Winston says, his voice rich and steady, with something quietly melodic beneath it.
"You too, Winston," I reply, keeping my tone light.
He settles into the armchair, casual and confident. Asher moves without a word to the cabinet, retrieving a bottle with a dark liquid and pouring a generous glass.
"'Preciate that, Colonel," Winston says, lifting the drink with a small smile. "You always keep the good stuff for me."
"Of course," Asher responds, taking his place nearby, standing like a guard—his usual military posture.
I take the sofa. Kayden perches on the armrest beside me. Close enough to remind me he's there, but not pressing. The warmth of him lingers. Winston's eyes flick between the three of us, and a faint knowing smile plays on his lips.
I cut in before he can say something clever. "You said there was news."
Winston nods, sips once more, then sets the glass down. His face shifts, light no more. "Had some visitors at the bar. Said they were looking for a missing person. Someone they cared about."
My body goes rigid. The calm I'd held begins to fray. "What did you tell them?"
"Told them I've seen you. Said you passed through, looked kind but troubled. Mentioned heading north. Kept it just close enough to the truth to feel real. Sent them chasing shadows."
The breath I let out feels like a storm finally passing. "They believed it?"
"They seemed to," he confirms. "Didn't push further."
"How did they look?" Asher asks.
Winston leans back, recalling. "Woman was fierce. South Asian, strong build, had that stare like she could set a man straight with just a look. Made me think of Astrid."
"Darlene," I say. "Darius's second. He sent her..."
"And the other?" Kayden prompts.
Winston nods. "Young fella. Blond. Blue eyes. Bit softer in the face. Didn't seem the type to break bones, but he didn't look like a pushover either."
"Johnny," I murmur. "He was on my team."
"I remember them," Kayden says, his voice dipping darker. "I remember them well."
"They asked about others too. Showed me photos. Rough-looking guys. Mafia style. Leather jackets, mean faces. I told them I'd never seen them, and I haven't."
"And you won't," Asher says calmly. "That's all you need to know."
Winston gives a single, respectful nod. No more questions.
The silence that follows is heavy. Both brothers turn to me, waiting.
I draw in a breath and push past the tightness in my chest. "This means I can work at Cole's without looking over my shoulder. If they followed the trail north, they won't loop back."
At least, not for some time. And I need to wait for the druid.
There's another part I don't say aloud, but the weight of it lingers between us anyway. That unspoken question: What happens after?
I can't answer. I don't know what I should do. What I want to do.
"If you're all right with that, Winston," I add, meeting his gaze.
"Of course, my dear. How about tomorrow evening?"
I nod. "It's a deal."
A job. A roof over my head. A strange kind of family orbiting around me. The real decisions can wait.
For a few more days, I can pretend I have a normal life. As normal as it can get for someone like me.