Finding sage, p.12
Finding Sage, page 12
“I’m staying,” I swallowed hard, tugging at the grip on my wrist. Slade hummed as if appeased before releasing me. He didn’t let me get far before his arm snaked out and pulled me down to his lap.
“You need to go to your parent’s room,” the subject change was so abrupt that I froze in my struggle to get up. Breath shortening as tears instantly threatened to fall and I quickly shook my head. I couldn’t possibly do that. A warm hand pressed against my stomach where my shirt rode up, the rough pads of his fingers stroked my skin. Just like when he’d found me in the hall and cornered me against their door, the intimate contact scattered my thoughts.
“You need to do this,” he whispered in my ear. He was right. I’ve been stuck in a weird in-between place since the other night and my parent’s room held answers. Maybe not all of them but something was better than nothing.
“Take Max’s car,” he continued to stroke my skin, pulling a shudder from me. I hadn’t known Slade long so maybe it was the addictive pull of majick but his words tempered my libido. Lusting after my soul matches…what were we doing? Shaking my head, Slade buried his face into the crook of my neck. His grip tightened before the sound of keys broke the silence.
“It’s time,” Slade pushed the keys into my hands. I couldn’t do it, could I? Instead of keeping me trapped in his lap, he forced me to stand and pushed me towards the door where my shoes and a small bag had been placed.
“I can’t,” the words were shaky and louder than intended but the others remained passed out cold. A rough finger tilted my chin up and his lips crashed to mine, startling a new cycle of majick between us and pulling a gasp from me. Taking advantage of the opening, his tongue creased my lips. Shuddering, he pulled back after a moment to rest his forehead against mine.
“Go find your answers and come back to us,” he pushed, pulling back and untangling my fists from his shirt before slipping my phone from his pocket. Shaking, I grabbed it from him and turned to shove on the shoes, ignoring how my lips tingle. Keys in hand, I slipped into a jacket from the rack. Max’s familiar scent enveloped me before a large hand pressed against my back.
“We’ll be here when you get back,” he reassured, handing the small bag over before I stepped out into the dull morning light. The sun had risen enough to paint the sky a watery pink and a light dusting of snow coasted the drive. Max’s car had been cleaned off and when I turned back with a questioning look, Slade shrugged.
Shaking my head, I climbed in and took a moment to breathe through the rushing in my ears. Was I really doing this?
A choked laugh escaped as I pulled out onto the highway. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Couldn’t believe it took me this long…it was better late than never right? Swiping away hot tears, I turned the radio on.
Mom once told me everything I ever needed was in there. I thought she’d been delirious off pain medication but maybe my parents kept something there.
The newfound backbone lasted right up until I turned off the exit to my neighborhood. With a suddenly dry throat, I switched the music off and glanced around. It was the middle of the weekend but the neighborhood was quiet. A few parents with younger children were outside and an elderly couple was doing yard work.
Connie wasn’t home when I pulled into the short driveway. Putting Max’s car in park, I grabbed my bag and phone before wincing at the number of missed calls and texts from the guys. Slade hadn’t discussed this with them, that much was obvious from Max’s message asking me to come back.
‘I’m fine,’ I texted a group chat without reading further and unlocked the door with the spare from my wallet.
The house smelled of vanilla and cinnamon cleaners Connie liked and it pulled a laugh from me. Of course, she’d go crazy after finally getting the house to herself. I never really liked them, the scents were just too artificial.
Then I was there, frozen in front of my parent’s bedroom door and all the secrets it held. I had to do this for myself, for Mom. Shaking, I pushed the door open.
Whooshing out a breath as I stepped into the room. The floorboard creaked in the spot that always used to drive Dad crazy. Unsure what I expected, everything looked just as it should — albeit with a layer of dust and stale air. A square white envelope pulled my attention to the far bedside table and a trickle of trepidation…Excitement? Anxiety? Cramped my stomach.
“Mom…” tears quickly burned my eyes as I dropped the bag to the ground and picked up the envelope. Flipping it over, my name was written in mom’s cursive scrawl. My hands shook as I sank to the bed, not trusting my legs to hold me up as I opened the unsealed envelope. A thick piece of paper had been placed inside and as I pulled it out a small photo fell to the ground.
Gasping, I covered my mouth and attempted to blink away tears. Slade and Knox stood beside Max, his arms wrapped around me and our young faces beaming. They looked so young, just like the flashbacks I’d gotten all week.. My cheeks were flushed in the photo and I recognized the waterfall in the background.
What happened? How could I forget this? Why didn’t my parents tell me about this? Cursing, I unfolded the paper.
My girl,
You’ve grown into such a strong and talented young woman. I’m sorry we won’t be there for all the rest of your firsts in life. We have a lot to apologize for it seems. Even if telling this hurts you more. If you’re reading this then I must be gone.
We didn’t do the best we could teaching you about keeping majick and encouraging the connection. We were scared. When we’d left to move down the coast, SPA had been tracking us. When Max ran into you, we knew you belong with them. But you were all so young. Slade had barely finished high school and Knox had just graduated from university. I don’t expect you to forgive us but I hope someday you’ll understand. It was safer to bring you with us.
After your father passed, I knew it was time to send you back to them but I couldn’t bring myself to be strong enough to let you go. I’m so sorry Sage. I hope it’s not too late. Find them.
Love - Mom
The paper had crumpled by the end as I sucked in a hiccup and covered my mouth. The address for the guy’s cabin and a phone number was scribbled at the bottom of the paper.
My parents had discouraged me from touching majick, instead teaching me to push it down, and for what? Didn’t they know it was hurting me? So much of my life before Dad’s death was a blur.
My phone lit up with Max’s name again as I resolved myself.
*****
Max’s POV
“Fuck, she won’t answer,” Knox growled, stalking back and forth between the kitchen and living room. Sighing, I rubbed my temples. This morning I’d woken to a jumbled text from Sage saying she took my car to her house and would be back soon. That was hours ago.
Then she’d texted “I’m fine” like that would solve our freak out. Connie had been no help, saying to leave her alone and she’d see if Sage was at the house after her shift.
“What did you say to her?” I demanded for the tenth time from Slade. He just sat there quietly glaring daggers at the two of us. After admitting to sending her away, he’d refused to speak to us. Unable to wait any longer, I snatched my phone and went outside.
Placing a call to Sage…again. I sat on the porch and ran a hand through my hair. We’d fucked up. We all did but I refused to believe it was something we couldn’t fix. Had she really just woken up and left? What had Slade done? I thought we were working things out.
Her voicemail was full. Cursing I ended the call and took another breath of the cold mountain air. Of course, she wouldn’t want to talk to us. Who knows what Slade said to her. I could only imagine, knowing how mean he can get. I just don’t understand why he did it.
“Any luck?” I jerked upright at the voice behind me.
“Jesus Christ,” I yelped, dropping the cell on the steps. Knox chuckled despite the tension between us and I relaxed slightly. Did he forgive me? Last night he’d fallen asleep shortly after we’d pushed the furniture out of the way. Now that he was sober, I worried he was still mad at me.
“Her voicemail is full,” I informed, dusting off the old phone. Knox nodded silently and I stared hard, waiting for an explanation. He’d come back drunk with Sage in tow last night and injured himself.
It wasn’t like him and it made me nervous. He turned away, glancing around the forest before reaching his least injured hand into his pocket. Pulling out his cell phone, he flipped it open and dialed a number. The call went to voicemail and he hung up to sit beside me with a sigh.
“I should head to the clinic,” He muttered, ruffling his hair with a wince. The injuries weren’t deep but they’d hinder his work. “She’ll come back soon.” He mumbled as I watched him.
“You look like shit,” He added, glancing at me. I leaned my head into my hands with a scoff. After everything that happened, I’d passed out cold but it felt like I hadn’t slept a wink.
“Thanks,” I growled, unable to go back to sleep until I knew Sage was alright. His lips tugged upwards, “I’m serious Max.” He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “We’ve gotta talk about this eventually.”
“I just wanted to protect her. Slade was right, it would have pushed her away. You remember what she was like after we found her in the forest. She didn’t want anything to do with us. And you…you didn’t want to admit it but deep down you knew who she was to us.” My voice came out in a gruff whisper. Knox had distanced himself after she’d returned home a few weeks back. Hell, I wasn’t sure he’d even touched her majick until yesterday.
“Still I think you should have told me sooner.” Meeting his eyes, my shoulders slumped and I nodded. He was right. I knew that would have helped us. I also knew I needed to be patient and let Sage come to us when she was ready but…what if she was never ready?
I couldn’t lose her again.
As if reading my mind, Knox sighed and pulled me into a hug. Pressing my face into his shoulder, I held onto him tightly, my fingers clenching into fists around the fabric of his shirt. He was tense in my hold, an indication that he was still struggling to forgive me. I wasn’t going to force him, he had to make the final decision. After a moment, he slowly pulled away and stood up.
“I’m going to the clinic,” He announced with a gruff voice, taking a deep breath before retreating to his Jeep.
Chapter 14
The jingle of keys in the lock made me jump up to pace, the old photo clutched tightly between my fingers. I’d racked my brain for hours attempting to remember but the move had been hectic. My whole life had been uprooted practically overnight. Shaking my head for the millionth time I sighed and turned to watch Connie slink in the front door.
Her blond hair had fallen out of its usual work bun and her shirt was rumpled. Kicking off her shoes, her eyes zeroed in on me. Based on her expression, a certain someone had been in contact with her. I don’t know why Slade hadn’t told them why I left. It’d been his idea.
“I went into Mom’s room,” I blurted before she could accuse me. The bag on her shoulder fell to the floor with a dull thud as her eyes widened.
“Really? Oh my God, honey. Are you okay? I’m so proud of you.” She hurried forward and pulled me into a tight hug. Squeezing her back, I closed my eyes for a moment and struggled to think of a way to tell her about the guys. Even if she wouldn’t say anything to anyone, I didn’t want to put her in that position.
Instead, I pulled back and handed her the photo. She looked at it blankly before releasing a surprised string of curses.
“What the actual fuck. That’s you!” She exclaimed.
“I know,” I bit my lip and took the picture back.
“And the guys!” She exclaimed, the clock winded in her mind as she tried to piece everything together.
“I guess we met a long time ago…before all the bullying but I don’t remember. Mom left a note for me, it basically said she was sorry and to find the guys.” I swallowed, realizing how weird it sounded. Her eyes narrowed with each passing word and suspicion was clear on her face.
“You knew the guys when you were younger, so what? Why would she try to make you meet them now? I mean you did meet them again but it was sheer coincidence that we booked a cabin specifically in that town…right?” She asked, having realized I booked it. The question made me freeze. Had it been a coincidence?
I’m not so sure now because I vaguely remember feeling a need to go there. Something more than the drive to just get away from school and work.
“Shit,” I whispered, eyes wide as I looked back down at the photo. Connie hummed and moved to grab herself a drink, offering me a hard cider. I shook my head, wanting to keep a clear head for this.
“So let me get this straight. You met those guys as a kid, years go by — radio silence. Then you just magically choose that town for our vacation and your mom left you a letter with their info?” She asked for the third time that evening as we sat hashing it out. I nodded, eyeing the photo. It had worn slightly from rubbing my thumb along the edge.
“That’s some weird meet-cute if I ever heard one,” she shook her head and laid upside down on the couch so her head hung off it. “And the guys didn’t remember you?” This question was new and I knew I hadn’t hidden the wince well when she flipped back over and demanded details.
“I’ve changed a lot since then.” I defended. “They remembered the old me and suspected I might be her but I’d changed so much. They weren’t sure until…” I trailed off because I still couldn’t believe Slade and Max had stood there and not mentioned anything. How different would things have gone if they’d just said something when they’d caught us eavesdropping?
“Until?” She prompted and I wiped moist palms against my leggings.
“Until they saw the photo you reminded me to take,” she must have thought it was pretty damning because she cursed and took a long swig of cider.
“I don’t like that.” She said matter of fact.
“I know,” I winced as I thought back on that day. Shifting on the couch, I bit my lip and looked at her.
“Slade kissed me,” I admitted before I could chicken out.
“What!? That big guy that’s always brooding over something?” she asked incredulously. Nodding in confirmation, I bit my tongue on the brooding part because she was kind of right. He’d been so offensive when we’d first met but had eased after seeing the photo. Hiding my face in my hands with a sigh, I admit another fact like it was a grave sin. “I may have slept with him and Max.” And I guessed Knox if last night counted. Shit. We hadn’t done anything other than sleep but was this normal?
Connie had fallen silent and when I looked up, her fingers were flying over her phone with an angry expression.
“What do I do?” I whispered, digging my fingers into the hem of my shirt. She shot me a glare before chugging back the cider.
“I swear to god, Sage. You’re going to age me into an early grave,” pinching the bridge of her nose, the phone pinged and she quickly read whatever the reply was.
“You need to work on phrasing, you didn’t actually sleep with them. What do you want to do?” She asked, not giving any input. I sighed and scrubbed my face, wondering what she’d texted them. I couldn’t tell her about majick or the shifting tattoo shop owner. Honestly, after my initial freak-out, I was intrigued to learn more about Blaze. What did she shift into? Why did she say it like it should have made everything better after scaring me? Shaking my head, I looked over to Connie.
“I think I want to give it a try,” I whispered.
“Then go,” she shooed me away with a wave of her hand. “It’s not like you’re marrying them. Go live out this adventure and I’ll be right here if you need me.” She promised. Biting my lip, I stood and hugged her. Nerves buzzed through me. She’d already returned back to the phone and I caught a glimpse of the screen. She was threatening to castrate the men in a group chat.
Laughing, I grabbed my jacket and shoved my feet back into my shoes. If it didn’t work out, I could always come back and figure it out from here. Now though, I had people waiting on me.
“Sage!” Connie called from the couch. Pausing, I glanced over, “Don’t forget to use protection if you actually sleep with any of them.” She rolled her eyes before going back to texting.
Flushing, I shook my head and checked my phone that’d fell silent in the past hour, and sighed. It was late afternoon and after filling up the tank, it’d be pretty late by the time I got back. The picture of us all burned a hole in my pocket.
“Connie?” I paused at the living room threshold as I decided to mess with her a bit more. She looked up from her phone with a raised brow. “Do you think there’s such a thing as soulmates?” The look on her face was hilarious with her slacked jaw and eyes bugged out.
“Go get your men,” she shook her head muttering something about lovesick and fate-crazed girls. She didn’t answer my question. Laughing, I hurried out the door. Max’s sedan sat in the driveway beside Connie’s car and I fumbled the fob as I climbed in and set directions back to the cabin.
*****
Slade’s POV
I was such an idiot. All I wanted was to give Sage some space and maybe some answers. Now Max and Knox were angrier with me. I’d gone into the bar for the dinner rush but Margie sent me bumbling back home. I wasn’t any good to them in the state I was in.
The sun had long fallen and with no word from either Sage or Connie - who’d told us we get what we sow. I couldn’t stop the incessant worrying. Would she come back? Did she find something? I didn’t know what she found in that room but whatever it’d been made Connie threaten to castrate us.
Knox returned after spending the day at the clinic and had locked himself in his room with a quickly made dinner. Max sat cross-legged in front of the fire, staring into the flame. It was getting late and realistically we needed to head to bed if we were going to be functioning adults tomorrow. Walking over to Max, I placed a hand on top of his head to gain his attention.
