Page 37 of Sage Haven

Was I imagining it?

Was I losing my mind?

Sam’s voice softened, thoughtful. “He’s a mystery. I’ve met him a dozen times, maybe more. He’s polite, but distant. I’ve never seen him with any other women. Now that I think about it… Cas has never mentioned it either.”

I exhaled slowly. “He seemed… standoffish.”

It felt like an understatement.

But she nodded, “That doesn’t surprise me. The Davidian brothers have always been enigmatic. People in my office, the ones who’ve lived here their whole lives, they talk about them like they’re some kind of local legend.” Her voice dropped a little, conspiratorial. “They moved here after their hometown burned down several years ago and apparently have kept to themselves ever since.”

The words slid under my skin like cold water.

Burned down?

How much of that was rumor?

How much of it was true?

And why did it make something deep inside me recoil?

I glanced at her.

“How did you even meet Castor?”

She never told me before.

Never volunteered much on their history.

She shrugged, but her smile was tight, “He came to my rescue when I was in a... messy situation.”

These brothers seemed good at that.

Rescuing women in messy situations, but they also seemed untouchable, like they belonged to a world we weren’t supposed to enter.

Sam’s voice broke into my thoughts again. “Reich seemed taken aback by you, though.” Her eyes searched mine. “Do you remember anything else from last night?”

I swallowed hard. “I remember meeting him in the crowd,” I said slowly. “Staying close to him.”

But after that…

Nothing.

Only impressions.

The blur of the music.

The feel of his body shielding mine.

The sense of being anchored when I was falling apart, and I didn’t understand why. Why I felt safer with him than I ever had with anyone.

I cleared my throat, forcing something light into my tone. “I probably got dehydrated.”

Sam didn’t look convinced. Which was probably why she said what she did next. “Take care of yourself, Sage. I’m here for you. Whether you want to dive headfirst into the chaos or step back from it. But maybe try to take it easy for a bit, if you need to.”

I smiled, grateful. “I will.”

She met my smile. “And I have no problem keeping your ass hydrated from now on.”