That's it.
She's back.
Asher eases off and gently lifts her into his arms. She clings to him like a girl drowning in her own guilt, her eyes flicking between the three of us. "It hurts," she chokes. "It hurts so much."
He pulls her close, one hand on her head. "You'll get through this."
I take her hand in mine. "You're not alone. You've got us."
Darius brushes a lock of hair behind her ear. "We're here, Sage. And we're not letting go."
For once, I don't bristle at him touching her. Because all I can think is:she's back. She's ours. She's here.
And we're not letting the darkness take her again.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Sage
Agony. That's the only word that comes close to what it feels like as Asher carries me out of the basement and lays me on the sofa in the living room.
The fire burns in the hearth, but I can't feel it. The cold inside me isn't about temperature—it's the chill of death, still coiled in my veins.
"Hey, hey. It's okay. You'll be okay," Asher murmurs, pulling me against him. Only then do I realize how badly I'm shaking.
Kayden and Darius stand nearby, both watching with the same sharp, helpless worry.
"Don't give in, Sage," Kayden says quietly. "Don't go back to it. I know it's still calling."
He's right. The darkness hums just beneath my skin, soft and persuasive, promising quiet if I let it take me again. And part of me wants to sink back into the nothing, stop feeling altogether.
But I don't.
I grit my teeth and clutch the blanket tighter, holding on as everything inside me burns and frays. The world around me feels too alive, every spark, every heartbeat pressing in on me. It hurts to sense it, hurts worse to know I can't reach for itwithout destroying it. Then the thirst hits, savage and sudden. Somewhere through the static of it all, Darius's phone buzzes. He kneels beside me, taking my hand. His warmth feels almost unreal against my cold skin.
"I have to take care of something," he says softly. "I'll be back, my nymph."
I nod, barely managing it, the effort harder than it should be.
When he's gone, only Asher and Kayden remain.
"She needs blood," Kayden mutters and disappears into the kitchen.
Asher keeps me close, whispering something low and soothing. I can't form a reply, so I stay silent, breathing through the tremors.
Kayden returns with a carton, tears it open, and holds it toward me. "Drink. You need it."
The scent hits me, warm metal, a trace of life still clinging to it, and my stomach twists. Hunger and revulsion at once. I turn my head. "I can't."
"You have to," Kayden insists. "You're drained."
"I can still smell them," I whisper. "The person this came from. The life still tied to it."
Kayden hesitates, glancing at Asher.
"That's not normal," Asher says.
"Nothing about me is," I mutter, drawing the blanket up around me. "Please, just take it away."
