Page 163 of Sage Haven

She blinked, confused. “For what?”

I hesitated, then I let my guard down… “For seeing me.”

Her lips parted and I knew she understood.

Because she was seeing me now, in ways no one ever had.

And fuck, it scared me.

It made me want more.

But wanting more meant risking everything.

I was quiet for a long time before I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Lingering. Soft. Final.

And then I pulled away. Because if I stayed any longer, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to let go.

I left her there, curled on the floor by the fire, watching me with those wild, green eyes as I slipped from the room like a coward.

I needed to breathe. To clear my head.

I found Cas in the hall.

And everything changed.

His face was pale, drained of color.

His chest heaved as if he’d just run miles.

His hands shook.

I didn’t hesitate.

“Cas?” My voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. “What happened?”

He struggled to find breath; his body taut with panic.

“She knows,” he gasped. “It’s all my fault.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Who knows?”

His throat bobbed. And then, barely a whisper—“Sam.”

Shit.

37

SAGE

The longer I stayedhere, the more I could feel it—the past, finally starting to let go of me. It was slow, almost like something peeling off, bit by bit. Layers I didn’t even know I was still carrying. Like an old skin I’d forgotten was there. Or maybe I just got so used to it, I thought it was who I was.

It had been part of me for so long—this brittle armor I’d built from every scar, every wound I dragged out of Sanele. Every shame I kept hidden, even from myself.

But now… it was falling away.

And underneath it?