Page 125 of Sage Haven

We both knew the truth.

We knew too much.

And that meant we would never be free.

Not until we were dead.

And with every move we made, that day felt closer.

I wasn’t sure if I feared it anymore.

Or welcomed it.

I stood, knocking back the last of my whiskey. “Go talk to her,” I said, my voice quiet.

Cas nodded once and then he was gone.

And I was alone again.

Left with nothing but the echo of her voice in my head and the weight of everything I couldn’t say.

Maybe in another life, Sage.

But not this one.

29

SAGE

“You wanted to seeme?” Castor’s voice carried a note of curiosity as he peered through the doorway, stepping inside and closing it gently behind him. The faint click of the lock sliding back into place felt louder than it should have. It echoed in the space between us, reminding me that—no matter how polite he seemed—I was still a prisoner.

I studied him carefully, watching the way his hand lingered on the doorframe before he let it fall to his side. Searching his face for a crack in his armor. Something human. Something I could reach.

There was a softness in his eyes. I didn’t know if it was real or something he’d learned to weaponize, but I was desperate enough to hope it was real. Desperate enough to believe I might get through to him—far more easily than I ever could with Reich.

And if there was ever a chance, this was it.

I drew a breath and steadied my voice. “First, I want to know why I’m here.”

Castor didn’t answer right away. He took a slow, measured breath and exhaled through his nose, like he was bracing himself for something he didn’t want to say. Or maybe he was preparing to say nothing at all.

“Sage,” he said at last, “I can’t tell you that.”

I wasn’t surprised.

But I was tired of running in circles.

Tired of being treated like I couldn’t handle the truth.

Frustration prickled under my skin, but I kept it tightly leashed. Exploding wouldn’t get me anywhere. It hadn’t worked on Reich.

And Castor was different.

More thoughtful.

Or maybe just better at pretending.

I let my gaze drift to the floorboards between us for a moment, collecting myself before I looked back up at him.