“If you go with them, they’ll do the same.” Rhys let off a short snarl before getting control over himself. “They’re fucking liars, Sage. They haven’t shown a hint of honor so far. You can’t expect them to have a sudden change of heart.”
He was right. Skies above, he was right. And still, she wanted to run. Staying made her feel as trapped and helpless as that fucking collar around her throat.
All the more reason to go now. She doubted her lioness could handle watching any of them fall when the storm unleashed.
Coward.
“What would you have me do?”
“You’re a pride princess, aren’t you?” His voice stroked over her. “Show those fuckers that no one forces you to your knees.”
Chills ran up and down her arms. Her lioness lifted her head, chin high and defiant.
The fantasy was a nice thought, but oh so very wrong. She had zero power. How could she make anyone do a damn thing when she couldn’t even draw her own cat out into the open?
“That sounds like a recipe for disaster,” she murmured.
“Not when you have your pride with you. Shit,” Rhys added under his breath. Louder, he told her, “Lin and Kyla are heading this way. Do you want to see them?”
Sage twisted around to lean against the door, then slid down to the floor. Her heart skipped in her chest at the simple question. “Not really.”
Rhys grunted, but didn’t say anything else. She didn’t dare move. Or breathe. Or think too hard about what the man was doing to her with his words alone. Standing with her. Not letting others barge through her door. Those were the words of someone who paid attention.
“Let me by,” Lindley said. He sounded like he stood a few feet away, probably at the foot of her porch steps. “I want to see Sage.”
“Fuck off,” Rhys grumbled. “She’s not receiving visitors.”
Sage nearly snorted. Receiving visitors? He made her sound like some old school socialite. Maybe she should put out a plate to hold the calling cards of her potential guests and make excuses about the vapors getting to her when she didn’t feel like entertaining.
Lindley huffed an irritated sigh. “She’ll make an exception for her brother. Move.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?” her brother demanded. “Who died and put you in charge of anything?”
Rhys didn’t answer with words. A harsh growl rumbled in his chest as he stomped across her porch.
Oh, fuck. She should have just gone out at the first request. Now it’d be her fault if they came to blows.
Sage whipped open the door. Her brother had his hands planted on his hips and glared murder at Rhys. Rhys met the look with one of his own that only softened when he turned slightly to take her in. If stone could soften, anyways.
Strangely, Kyla grinned like a madwoman and had her hands clasped under her chin.
“It’s fine,” Sage said before anyone jumped in. “What’s going on, Lin?”
He kept his eyes locked on Rhys for a moment longer, then slid his attention to her. “Like I told him,” her brother grimaced, “I wanted to check on you. You good?”
She flicked another look to Rhys before returning to Lindley. “I’m good. You can come in.”
With that, Rhys stepped aside and let her brother pass.
“Going somewhere?” Lindley asked as soon as the door closed behind him.
On the other side, she heard Kyla cheerfully say, “Come on, Rhys. You can walk me home.”
“So?” Lindley asked again.
Sage started, then realized a shirt still hung from her hand. No use stuffing it behind her back and pretending it didn’t exist. “Laundry,” she lied.
“Laundry,” her brother repeated, eyebrows climbing to his hairline. “Well, as long as it’s that, and not some damn fool idea like sneaking away in the night.”
“No,” she said. She shot a glance toward the door. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good. Because then Kyla would have to track you down, which would mean I’d be dragged into the whole mess. Then Trent and the others would get involved, and you know how much they complain. Could be the simplest, nicest thing in the whole damn world, and they’d mouth off over needing to take a big step across a puddle in the parking lot.”
Sage flashed a tiny smile. They’d absolutely moan about the adding extra inches to their stride, but they’d do it, plus whatever was necessary on the other side because they were good people at heart.
Good people didn’t deserve consequences breathing down their necks for harboring her.
“I don’t know what to do, Lin.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, but the hold didn’t contain any of the hopelessness that threatened to rip her apart. “They aren’t going to stop, are they? Sometimes it feels like I’m taking two steps forward for every ten steps knocked back.”
She’d sped away with Lilah for an impromptu road trip, and then froze when they were threatened, leaving the still-mostly human to fight for them both. If Seth hadn’t barreled in with the rescue, she doubted either of them would have survived.
She’d let herself start to believe she could be as fierce as Rhys’s lioness carving, but the moment they faced real opposition, she’d fallen apart. Not to mention her little freak out over his kiss!
But most importantly, she tried to run as soon as her father appeared.
“They will stop,” Lindley said confidently. “You will keep taking those steps. They’ll switch eventually. Ten forward, two back. I swear it.”
“I wish I had your faith. I’m scared they’ll force me back.” She chewed on her lip and put the fears into words he’d understand. “I’m scared of ending up like Mom.”
Sadness filled his scent, so intense that she forced herself
