Chapter Three
Kayden
That's what fucking happens when you let someone in. They break you. Split you open and leave your insides dangling like it's no big deal.
And yeah, I let her in. Dropped the armor. Showed her something real. And all I got in return is more lies. More secrets. More fucking heartbreak.
I knew she was trouble from the start. The little nymph who tried to rob us and leave me bleeding.
But this? An all-powerful fiancé with eyes that glow like a goddamn celestial death machine? Who can command nature, and her, with a single look? I wasn't expecting that.
Screw him.
Screw her, too.
I slam the door to my room. The echo fades and I just stand there, fists clenched, breathing like I've run miles.
But here's the sick part: I still want to protect her.
Still need to.
Because I saw the way he grabbed her. The way her body tensed like prey, even when she tried to fight. She landed one good hit, yeah, that made me proud. But after that? He could've done anything. Said anything. Wrapped her in his influence like ivy around ribs.
I couldn't stop him. I should've torn him apart right there. Ripped him open. Watched him bleed out nice and slow. The kind of death that legends whisper about.
Then maybe she'd be free.
Then maybe… she could be mine.
Well, ours.
There's a knock at my door. I don't need to ask who it is. I feel her there.
I hesitate for half a heartbeat, then yank it open and lean against the frame, my trademark smirk sliding into place like a mask I've worn a thousand times.
"Well, well, well," I drawl. "To what do I owe this visit, sunshine? Come to reveal another deep, dark secret? Got a couple husbands stashed away? Maybe a kid or two? Whole tree-hugging family reunion waiting to pop out of the woods?"
Her lips flatten. "Kayden, I said I'm sorry. I meant it. I can say it again if you want, but I doubt it'll make a dent in the anger you've got burning right now."
"It's not just anger, Sage," I bite back. "It's betrayal."
I push off the doorframe, laughing without humor. "But hey, lesson learned. Should've known better than to trust anyone in the first place. So really, this is on me. You can save your guilt and your apologies. I'll file it under 'life experience.'"
My jaw locks, because as I look at her, it hurts. The guilt in her eyes. The way her shoulders tighten like she's trying to hold herself together.
Fuck me, I hate that I care. I hate that I want to pull her into my arms to erase that look from her face.
So I do what I do best—I dig deeper.
"Tell me something," I say, voice low and sharp. "Was this one of those no-sex-until-marriage arrangements among your noble forest folk? Or…" I pause. Let it sink in. "…were you fucking him all those years while he played mentor and messiah?"
She flinches. Looks away, lips pressed tight. Doesn't answer. Doesn't have to. That silence is the goddamn dagger.
And now it's done. Now I get to live with the image of her beneath him, arched, moaning, whispering his name like a fucking prayer, while he claimed every piece of her that I wanted for myself.
And I can't unsee it. Ever.
I turn away before I do something stupid again. Walk to the window. Stare out into nothing.
"We'll protect you no matter what, Sage," I say, jaw tight. "So you don't have to play fixer. You don't owe us that."
I hear her enter the room, hesitant but determined. Her steps aren't loud, but I feel every one of them.
"That's the point, Kayden," she says, voice low. "I don't want you to protect me while we're this splintered. I'm not your obligation."
I grit my teeth. "You're not going to him. That's final."
A pause.
"Then let me do something else," she says, softer now. "I want to… reconnect."
Something in her voice makes me turn. That tiny tremble wrapped in resolve.
But before I can ask what the hell she means, my brother shows up, perfectly timed like the goddamn military man he is.
He looks over the scene, assessing the situation with that unreadable stare.
"Just came to check if you're not tearing each other apart," he says. "Hope I'm not interrupting."
He came to keep me in check, I know that. Like I'm the loaded gun and she's already half-shot.
So thoughtful and noble.
"Oh no," I say with a bitter grin. "We're being civil. Just swapping sex histories and betrayal trauma. Sage was about to unveil her master plan to make everything better."
Asher's gaze flicks to her, but Sage doesn't falter. She glances at both of us… then lowers herself to her knees.
"I want to reconnect with you," she says, voice steady, eyes shining. "In the most visceral way. I know what you both crave. The edge. The fire. The fury. I want you to unleash it. All of it. The anger, the frustration… I want us to burn it out. Together."
My breath stills. For a second, the room tilts.
The sight of her kneeling, willing, offering, eyes wide and open, hits like a jolt to the chest.
Deep inside, the thing I fight to keep leashed every day growls. The predator, the monster, the beast made of blood. It wants.
Asher's brow arches. He didn't expect this. But I know him. Behind that calm, discipline and monk-like bullshit, he's just like me.
He likes control. Always has. He's just better at dressing it up in virtue.
"You think this…" I say slowly, circling her like a delighted predator, "this little… consensual release of all our darkest urges will somehow bridge the gap? Will erase the betrayal?"
Her gaze locks on mine, unwavering.
"We started in chaos," she says. "Violence. Power. Tension. And it worked. I'm not asking you to forget. I just…" Her voice hitches. "I don't want to lose you. Either of you. And we can't face Darius broken like this. We need each other."
Asher steps closer, but doesn't touch her. "You don't have to kneel to keep us, Sage," he says. "What we do, this dance of pain and pleasure, it's not some penance you have to endure. Even punishment, when it's done right, should be something you want. Something you crave, even when it hurts."
She lifts her chin. "But that's exactly it, Asher. I do want it. All of it. The sharp edges. The release. The surrender."
The sight of her like this, on her knees, offering everything, stirs something dangerous.
Fuck me.
Centuries of living, and I'm still just a fool for a beautiful woman with big eyes and a pocketful of secrets.
A beautiful, infuriating, untrustworthy nymph… And still, I want to devour her. I want to believe her.
Both at once.
I look at Asher. His eyes flick to mine. Something unspoken crackles between us.
He feels it too. The pull. The chance to burn it all down and maybe build something new in the ashes.