"No," I answer. "There is another way."
I look to Asher, waiting to see if he understands before I speak it aloud.
He does. Conflict flickers across his face.
"There is another way," he echoes. "Adding you to the bond. Right?"
"Yes," I confirm. "It would strengthen my connection to her, and through it, the balance. It won't restore her entirely, but it could tilt the scale toward life. Still, I won't force your hand. The choice must be yours."
"It'shers," Kayden interjects, not missing a beat.
That, I did not expect. He's not fighting it. Agreeing.
I turn to him, eyes narrowed, looking for something I missed. He meets my gaze squarely, then looks toward the house, as though he can see her through the walls.
"What? Surprised you, satyr?" His tone is flat. "If it can help her,reallyhelp, then do it."
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Sage
"You're suggesting… what?" The words scrape out of me, rough and small, cutting through the fog of pain and guilt clawing at my insides.
Asher and Kayden stand before the couch I've turned into my exile. Their expressions are gentle, but the weight of what they said keeps echoing in my head.
"He said it would help you find balance," Asher explains quietly. "Ease the pain."
I blink at him, disbelieving. "You're talking aboutDarius. You wanted to kill him a few days ago. You hate each other. How is that fair to any of you?"
Asher keeps his expression calm and says, "We agreed to help you in any way we can. If this is the only way, then there is no other choice."
Kayden's the one who looks away, jaw tight, arms crossed like the words themselves hurt to hold in.
"Kayden, I can't do this to you," I whisper. "It's not right—"
He moves down to one knee before I can finish, his hand finding mine, his voice wrecked.
"I watched you die in my arms, Sage. Ifeltit. And now you're fading in front of us. I can't stand by and watch it happen again. If this is what it takes, then so be it. I'll even try to… tolerate that smug bastard... occasionally."
The corner of my mouth twitches. Gods, even now, even like this, he can reach me. They both can.
I'm aware that I won't last long like this. Not when I still see every face I hurt. Not when the dark version of me keeps whispering how easy it would be to stop fighting and fall back into the void.
But marrying Darius? After everything? It sounds insane.
"You told us you loved him. When you gave our rings back, you said it." Asher looks at me carefully. "Was that true?"
I pause. I remember it vividly. Me in the doorway, ripping their hearts to shreds with my cruel words, tossing the rings back like some show items.
"Yes," I respond eventually. "What I said was the truth. I ran because I couldn't trust if my love was real, not because I didn't feel it. Back then, I didn't pawn his ring because I couldn't let go. And when I was with you, I tried not to feel it. I tried so hard…"
A tear slips free before I notice. Asher brushes it away with his thumb.
"It's okay, Sage," he murmurs. "We understand."
"We do," Kayden adds. "Life's a mess. But I don't want it without you."
He pulls his ring from his pocket and slides it gently back onto my finger. Asher does the same.
