“Except this one has a scar like yours, which Rhys asked me about over the summer.” Her mouth dropped open with a gasp. “Sage! He’s been making you this entire time!”
Okay, it had to be possible to die from sheer embarrassment. Her cheeks heated to what she was certain rivaled the inner temperature of an active volcano.
“Come on,” Kyla nodded to the door. “I so rudely came over because the ladies wanted to get together tonight. You’re invited, if you’re interested.”
Sage let go a sigh of relief. “I’d like that very much.”
“Are we doing hot cocoa?” Hailey called out as soon as they stepped onto Sage’s porch.
“Hell yes! Bring it over!” Kyla yelled back. She bumped Sage with her shoulder. “Tonight definitely calls for cocoa, don’t you think?”
Colette stuck her head out the door, disappeared inside, then reappeared a moment later with a mug in her hands. She jogged down the steps of her den, then leaned against Sage’s railing and fixed them with a dirty look. “I heard there was cocoa happening. Who lied?”
“No lies!” Sage laughed. “Hailey’s on her way. Apparently the bat signal went out too early.”
Right next door, Lilah pulled the same move.
“I’m here, I’m here,” Hailey chanted as she hustled across the yard with thermoses in hand. “I hope you brought your own mugs because I can’t carry everything.”
“Yes, Mom,” Colette teased, holding hers out for the first splash of steamy liquid.
“That’s a good dear,” Hailey murmured with a roll of her eyes. She held out her thermos, then filled the nearest mug.
The porch quieted with contented silence a few moments later. Sage sighed and closed her eyes, sinking into the warmth in her hands and the smell of chocolate filling her nose. The only thing better would be a touch of spice to the scent.
“Soo,” Kyla started, “guess who made Sage a lioness carving.”
Her eyes snapped open and she swatted her friend. “Betrayal!”
“Can I just be the first to say... finally!” Hailey said with a definitive nod.
“Is it serious? Or are you just getting a little something-something?” Colette asked with a salacious wink.
Sage covered a cheek with her hand and tried not to crawl out of her skin or melt right into the ground. “It’s new? I don’t know what else to say except for that. It’s new and exciting and I have no idea what I’m doing with this whole man that’s been dropped into my lap.”
Silence stretched out and she didn’t need to look up to know four sets of probing eyes watched her every move. Her lioness prowled through her head, but the attention didn’t provoke the cat or make her want to hide away. She felt as giddy as Sage herself.
She reached for her words and tried to put them into some sort of order, but the warmth that filled her chest was hard to explain. ‘Good’ wasn’t a strong enough description for the hopeful feel she carried. “I can breathe around him,” she said finally. “I mean, of course I’m breathing around you, right now, this very second, but…”
“But it’s different with him,” Kyla finished, a goofy grin on her face. “Because it’s not just breathing. It’s existing, and that’s hard to do with a million pounds weighing on your chest.”
“Oh, so not serious at all,” Hailey teased.
“He’s good for you,” Kyla repeated. “You’re showing so much more of that badass side I always tried to copy.”
Lilah nodded, pride filling her scent. “You’re finding your own strength. It looks good on you.”
“Smarter than me, that’s for sure,” Colette chimed in. “No one had to tell you to get your shit together and let that man into your life.”
“That’s not true,” Sage answered. “Everyone here tried putting me back together. Kyla pulled me out of hell. Hailey told me to find something for myself. Colette and Lilah, you were examples of how to come back from those low points in your life. I…” She paused and swept a look over the women sitting with her. Her heart swelled big enough that she thought she might burst. “I wouldn’t be here without all of you.”
A chorus of squeals was her only warning before arms were thrown around her neck, shoulders, and waist. She tipped back under the force of their hugs, taking them down with her and turning the touched sounds to giggles.
“You’re doing the hard work,” Hailey said from somewhere within the pile. “We just nudged you along.”
“And you’ll keep doing it!” Kyla added. “We’ll be here to help you when you stumble or Rhys does something stupid—”
Colette snorted. “Did I tell you what Dash did last week? I told him to pick up flour from the store, and that idiot comes back with a single flower because he didn’t put any ounce of thinking into the request.”
Sage smiled to herself as the others shared their own stories of failures and misunderstandings. Even with harsh words and rolls of their eyes, there was so much love in their voices and written over their faces.
She was struck by how different they were from the women in the Levine pride or the poor souls in Jasper’s ranks. Those put her on edge, never knowing if her words would be used against her or if she’d even see their faces again.
The Crowley women made her feel like she belonged. Even more, they made her feel strong, supported, and capable of anything she set her mind to.
Her whole body buzzed with happiness by the time the group broke up. She said her goodbyes and goodnights, then slipped back through her door to wait for Rhys.
She woke alone with an aching heart.
Chapter 21
Rhys padded through the night on silent paws. Each step jolted pain up his legs. That pain carried along his spine, then burrowed deep into his head. Irritation built and built, until the only thing he wanted was to turn back for Sage’s den.
He plodded along his assigned path instead. As much as he
