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.
Stillneedto.
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'vedone 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 amongyour 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."
