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. Idowant 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.
CHAPTER FOUR
Asher
I shouldn't agree to this. Not like this.
The situation is too volatile. There's too much rage and pain, too much of everything we haven't said. Every logical instinct in me screams to step back and regroup.
