I turn to Darlene. "Our environmental trial, the one meant for a small town. We move the timeline forward, establish it here. Work above, while other matters unfold beneath."
She narrows her eyes. "And you think Briar Hollow is ready for such a project?"
I face the window again. The river coils red, forests sprawling like an endless tide. My lips curve, the faintest of smiles.
"No," I murmur. "Briar Hollow is not ready for what's coming."
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sage
Worse than something happening is when nothing does. The waiting is its own kind of torture. Anticipation, tension, fear coil tighter each day, with no release, no blow to brace against. Just silence.
Spring Equinox, my supposed wedding date, comes and goes without a disturbance. From what Asher, Winston, and Jace have pieced together, Darius set up shop in Briar Hollow's so-calledbusiness district. The mayor likes the name, but let's be real, it's two glass buildings and a chain coffee shop. Still, Darius leasing out an entire office floor doesn't look temporary. Unless it's another tactic we can't read yet.
We lasted two nights crammed together in the house like reluctant roommates—bars on the windows, weapons stashed in arm's reach. After that, the decision was made to split up. Not ideal, but living on top of each other while waiting for a billionaire satyr's next move wasn't working either. Winston and Jace reopenedCole's, trying for normalcy. Eira went back to the hospital, Donna to her family. Tomas and Astrid stay on-call as muscle, shadowing when needed. Even with Darius quiet, no one moves alone.
I bury myself in the books. Nothing new surfaces, but at least the research numbs the gnawing pit in my stomach. A pit that feels permanent. I can't shake the images: the way Darlene looked at me like I'd betrayed everything she stands for, the way Darius reached through the ward, the sound of Johnny's shin snapping under rifle fire, Kayden's skin blackening from hawthorn, the bullets lodged in Asher's back. I didn't ask for any of this, but it's here and running won't undo it.
I glance at my hand, two rings circling my finger. My choice. My line in the sand. I smile, faint, but it holds. I'm not leaving. Even if I see the questions burning in Asher's and Kayden's eyes, waiting for me to answer when the dust settles:Why didn't you move away from Darius?
The question stalks me. His hand brushing mine. The raw look on his face. I hate that I think about it. Hate that I don't have an answer I like, not for them, not for myself.
Maybe it's some leftover trace of his influence. Maybe it's something buried in me as a nymph. Satyrs and nymphs… the myths always bound us together. Desire, temptation, some ancient pull. Maybe that's why my body reacted when my mind screamed no. Maybe it's just instinct that answers him.
Or maybe it's worse. Maybe a part of me hasn't let go of the manipulative bastard who thinks he owns me.
I try to force my eyes back onto the book when Kayden strolls into the kitchen like he rolled out of bed after a bar fight. Shirt hanging open, hair a mess, fangs already twitching. He yanks the fridge door open, grabs a blood carton, chugs, then pulls back with a dramatic grimace.
"This tastes like it's been sitting since the Civil War. This siege thing is getting old," he mutters.
That's the moment Asher strides in, polished, pressed, and every inch the soldier. Dark pants, camo shirt stretched across his chest like he's about to march into a recruitment poster.
"Eira will bring more soon enough," he says, clipped. "Fresh blood supply hasn't been a priority. If you're impatient, you can hunt in the woods, brother." The last word lands heavy, laced with that tightly leashed irritation that never quite leaves his tone where Kayden's concerned.
The fight between them might be shelved, but it's not gone. Asher hasn't let him scout, and Kayden hasn't pressed. Waiting around in shadows isn't his idea of fun, after all.
Kayden wipes his mouth and smirks. "I'm sure our nature-loving wife would bethrilledif I drained Bambi."
I roll my eyes. Asher doesn't rise to it. He never does. Instead, he drops the news that's been tightening his jaw since he walked in.
"Donna just wrote me. Darius had a meeting with Harlan Bright. She wasn't there, but she said her father looked as pleased as the night of his reelection."
My stomach sinks.
"Which means Darius offered him something he can't refuse," I say flatly. Because of course he did. He has resources to burn, charm to spare, and the kind of pressure that can crush a mayor like a tin can.
Asher's expression hardens. "Then let's see if he really can't refuse. I'll go meet him. You two stay put."
Kayden snaps off a mocking salute. "Aye, aye, Captain."
"All right," I agree, though the words taste sour. Staying put feels like waiting to rot. But I know Asher's right. The best course of action right now is caution even if it's driving me insane.
Once Asher heads out, Kayden swivels toward me, brows waggling.
"Well, well. House all to ourselves, wifey. What do you say we make the most of it?"
I give him a slow, loaded smile, dropping my voice into something sultry.
