Finding sage, p.8
Finding Sage, page 8
“Use the employee one,” he whispered into my ear, cutting off my protest before taking us to a door that revealed a small bathroom. Mumbling a thanks, I quickly shut the door and twist the lock before sliding down with my face buried in my hands.
What was wrong with me? This was what I’d wanted, wasn’t it? So why couldn’t I breathe? Shaking, I ran a hand over my face, scrubbing my cheeks before fumbling with my phone. The line rang before I realized what I was doing. A muffled hello sounded as I stared down at the screen.
“Hey,” I squeaked before clearing my throat.
“Hi! I was going to call after my shift, what’s up?” Connie’s voice crackled through the line, the sound of a copier started up in the background and I bit my lip.
“You know how Slade got me a job?” The question came out in a whisper as I rested my forehead against my palm.
“Oh Sage, they better not have lied! I swear if they —”
“No, no. It’s not that. It’s just…he showed the owner some doodles and now they want me to apprentice.” I rushed and she fell quiet. The thick bass of a song picked up in the main dining area, covering the silence.
“What’s the problem?” She finally asked slowly and I released a huff because Hell if I knew. Sensing my internal retort she continued, “Look, you’re probably tired and scared right now. There’s been a lot of changes recently. I need you to just take a step back and let what happens happen, okay? You’re a great artist, Sage. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Okay?” She pushed.
“Okay,” I whispered, wiping a stray tear from my cheek.
“I have to get back to work. I’ll call you later…everything is going to be fine.” She reassured me before ending the call.
Taking a breath, I dropped my phone beside me and closed my eyes. So many thoughts crowded my head, I didn’t know where to begin so instead I attempted to toss them away. Hoping to quiet the little voices of doubt and anxiety.
A knock on the door a few moments later pulled me out of the reprieve I’d built. Rubbing the crawling sensation under my skin, I stood to unlock the door and pulled it open just as another knock sounded. An older woman grimaced and pushed past me. Guess my time was up. Sighing, I let the door swing shut and slowly ventured back down the hall to the main area.
Not seeing the guys where I’d left them, I stood there a moment before Max caught my eye and waved me over to a corner booth. Wishing I’d splashed cold water on myself before giving up the bathroom, I hurried over to the table to find an assortment of food laid out.
“Come here,” Max patted the booth for me to slide in between him and Slade as he stood. Biting my lip, I squeezed past him. A plate of fries and chicken tenders was pushed in front of me along with a chocolate shake.
“Max-” I started to protest but Slade bent down to whisper in my ear.
“You need to eat,” Slade pushed the shake closer. Swallowing, I nodded slowly and took a sip. Not in the mood to fight them. My stomach was a ball of nerves but I did my best not to think about all the what-ifs of tomorrow. The guys took that as their cue to dig into their plates. In the end I wasn’t able to eat much but after promising to take a to-go box, the guys gave up trying to force feed me.
Sighing, I pulled my phone from my back pocket and sat on the bed. I’d locked myself away as soon as Knox’s Jeep had parked. My thumb hovered over the call button. Cursing, I dropped the device beside me and fell back into the pillow. I couldn’t bother Connie again while she was at work. Pushing off the bed, I went to go dig through the meager collection of clothes I’d hung in the closet.
I might not know what I’m doing when it comes to tattoos but I could at least try to look nice for the first day on the job. What was the dress code there? Cursing again, I knelt to dig through the duffel. Only a few items remained but maybe Connie had stuffed something I hadn’t thought of in it during our last-minute packing.
A few moments later, I dropped to the floor with a sigh. Clothes covered my lap and the area surrounding me. None of this was right. A knock at the door sounded before it swung open and Max slipped in, shutting the door with furrowed brows.
“It sounds like a hurricane in here, what’s wrong?” He came over to crouch beside me and tugged a blouse from my death grip with a questioning look. At this point I was kind of losing my mind. This would be my first job out of university and there were so many unknowns.
“What do I wear tomorrow?” The question came out in a rush, earning a laugh from him but it wasn’t funny. I wanted to make a good impression — I just wasn’t exactly sure how.
“There’s no special requirement, Sage, whatever you normally wear will be fine. It’s a tattoo shop, not the Smithsonian.” He reminded me, tugging a curl. Pulling out of his grasp, I shot a dirty look and shoved the clothes off me. The anxiety was getting to me and I knew I needed to take a breath but was overwhelmed at the moment.
“Why are you here if you’re not going to help?” Frustrated that he wasn’t taking this seriously. Max frowned and reached out but I dodged him and paced to the other side of the small room.
“I…” He froze, bright eyes catching the shake in my hands. “You need to cycle again.” He insisted.
“I’m fine,” The argument came automatically, I didn’t want to have this conversation. For the better part of the day I could feel the energy churning under my skin. It was scary and I wasn’t ready to face it yet. Plus they’d already done so much for me, I didn’t want to use them.
“You’re clearly not fine.” Max scoffed with a glare. “Look, the guys noticed it too. If you won’t cycle with me, one of them will make you and I personally don’t want to see that fight.” He pressed, scrubbing a hand over his neck. Not wanting to fight either, I hugged myself and tried to calm down.
“Fine,” it came out angrier than intended. Max flicked off the light and turned on the desk lamp before laying down and patting the spot next to him. Flushing, I laid down with a shaky breath. How often were we going to do this? It was fine at first but now that I’ve healed a bit more, all I felt is guilt. Each time seems to strengthen our connection we have and serves to remind me how out of place I am here.
Max grabbed my hand with a sigh, weaving our fingers together so that the energy flowed freely between us. The change was immediate, a warm floating feeling invaded my limbs and relaxed my tight muscles. As much as I’d meant for this to be transactional, it was hard to reconcile.
“See? Much better,” Max grinned, bright eyes twinkling as he turned to me, squeezing my hand. Releasing a breath, I looked away to stare at the ceiling. Unsure how the question on the tip of my tongue would be received, I changed it last minute. Nothing like taking the cowards’ way out.
“Do you—” I stop because it was a dumb question. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I liked Max and didn’t want to ruin whatever this was between us.
“Do I what?” He yawned, thumb running over the back of my hand.
“You all cycle together…is it the same? Like this?” I clarified but could feel the heat in my cheeks as he gave a startled laugh.
“Yeah, it’s like this.” He squeezed my hand again with a small smirk. Pursing my lips, I stared up at the ceiling, unable to bring myself to look at him again. It had been a dumb question but it was better than voicing my insecurities.
“We’re raised from the day were born this is normal no matter who our majick ends up matching,” Max explained, misreading my silence. Biting my lip, I nodded and let the subject drop.
Chapter 9
Startled awake by the rattle and creak of a door in the quiet morning, I rolled away from Max to find Slade leaning against the wall with crossed arms. An amused smirk crossed his face at my wide eyed look. His hair was damp and messy, and the fresh scent of soap clung to him.
“Morning,” he greeted, watching my reaction as I scrambled to untangle myself from his friend. Max remained immobile, arm flung over my waist a dead weight much like the last time. Cycling had led to cuddling at some point in the night and now I was trapped in his grasp.
“Why are you barging into my room at 6 a.m.?” I asked, unable to look at Slade. It felt like we’d been caught doing something wrong but we’d literally just slept. We never set ground rules and I was highly aware I was the only girl living with three men. Glancing at my phone charging on the small bedside table. It was too early to be awake for anything on a Monday. Slade ignored the question and strode across the room to open the curtains. The sun had yet to peak over the surrounding mountain range, clouds obscuring the little light it provided. Turning back to the bed, he frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Do you need to cycle more?” He asked, eyeing Max who remained dead to the world. Biting my lip, I quickly shook my head and attempted to extract myself again.
“I’m fine,” I whispered with a grunt when Max stopped snoring and dragged me back to him. Sending Slade a pleading look, he just shrugged and remained glued to the spot beside the bed. No help at all.
“Max!” His name was a hiss as I slapped his arm. He buried his face into the back of my neck with a long sigh.
“I’m up,” came his grumble when I continued to pry at his arm. “Breakfast?” He peeked over my shoulder to catch Slade’s eye. Slade nodded with crossed arms and Max’s grip finally relented. The man was more motivated by food than my escape attempts.
Attempting to stretch out the kinks from the awkward position we’d slept in, I quickly stood up. Wavering as the room spun, I started to fall back but Slade shot forward to steady my landing. Cupping the back of my head, he helped lower me. Instead of letting go, he leaned down to search my face as I tried to catch my breath.
When had my fingers curled into his shirt?
His hold tightened before relenting and he stepped back, not meeting my gaze as he ran a hand through his hair. Max bent above me, pushing my curls away with a worried look.
“What happened?” He asked, eyeing me like I was hiding something.
“She needs to cycle more before work,” with those words Slade left us to get ready for the day. Swallowing, I took a breath before attempting to get up again. Max sat watching me with furrowed brows but made no move to baby me. Clearing my throat, I shoved what just happened to the back of my mind and I went to dig in the mess of clothes I’d made the night before.
“Are you sure anything is fine?” My voice came out small. I really didn’t want to wear the wrong thing on my first day. Now that I was awake, my nerves were getting to me again.
“Yeah, wear something warm though. She likes to keep the business freezing,” Something about that made him smirk as if it was an inside joke. Nodding, I grabbed a pair of leggings and a soft sweater I hadn’t had the chance to wear often. Max cleared his throat when he noticed me standing idly with the clothes in hand and climbed off the bed.
“Come to the kitchen when you’re ready,” He paused at the door until I nodded.
Sighing out a breath of relief once the door shut, I quickly stepped up and flipped the lock before stripping to change. The soft material of the sweater was comforting and I took a moment to breathe in the scent of home. The dizziness I’d felt earlier persisted but my majick sat quiet where I’d hidden it. Did I really need to cycle more?
Pausing outside the room, I try to recall if Max mentioned how often was normal. Frustrated that this was another thing my parents never taught me.
“What are you doing just standing there?” Max appeared, catching me off guard. He frowned at my surprised jump and I rubbed roughly at my heated cheeks.
“Is it…Is it normal to need to cycle so often?” I trailed off, unable to meet his gaze.
“It’s normal. Come on,” He reassured and stopped me from fidgeting by tugging on my hand. Following him to the kitchen, I breathed a sigh of relief and I caught Knox’s eye. He nodded, taking a drink of coffee before turning back to his tablet. Slade stood at the counter cooking like usual.
Max pulled me down to his lap at the dining table. Opening my mouth to protest, I attempted to stand but his arms wrapped around me. Resting his head on my shoulder. “You need to stay here for a bit,” He whispered quietly. Confused, I realized what he meant as iridescent light flickered in the air. The slight dizziness eased, replaced by a warm tingling sensation. Closing my eyes, I relaxed and turned to hide against his shoulder. Something about this felt too intimate and exposed in front of the others.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, shivering as another wave of déjà vu flooded me. Younger Max tucking hair behind my ear, a roll of his eyes at some remark. An elated feeling like floating followed before the memory faded. Glad no one could see my reaction, I sucked in a deep breath. The scent of sea salt and forest clung to him.
What was that? Some type of memory or just my imagination?
Maybe the surges had damaged something in my brain and now I was going crazy. Wincing into his shoulder, I pushed the idea away. It couldn’t be that. For all her symptoms, mom had been herself until the end.
The sound of someone clearing their throat made me jump again and the images faded as I pulled back to find Slade staring at us. He held up a plate of waffles and eggs before placing it with maple syrup and whipped cream on the table in front of us.
*****
Slade’s POV
Pulling away from Sage’s majick had been hard but I stuck to what we’d agreed. I trusted Max to help her. Even if she’d agreed she was okay cycling with me, Knox was worried about the impact. Which was insane and based on his emotions versus facts. She was ours, even if he couldn’t admit it. I’d thought finding her art, so similar and honed from when she was younger, would make him admit it but he remained stubborn.
Shaking my head at the dumb-struck look Knox gave the two of them and the little blips of majick flickering in the air, I clenched my hands and moved the pan off the burner. I hadn’t been able to control it before in the truck. Her small gasps and shaking had been my undoing. It was hard to keep myself in check around Sage. Everything about her set me on edge, triggering my over protective instincts. The feeling that settled in my gut when she cycled with us was overwhelming. I knew it was wrong to hide who she was to us but I wanted to protect her. Max had already tried to discuss the possibility of who she was the night they’d come home from the bar but it hadn’t gone over well. Now, she doesn't seem to remember that part.
Sitting across from them now, I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out through our tenuous connection. Could she feel it? The thread connecting all of us hummed vibrantly in my mind. Knox cut me another look but I ignored him as I let the connection fade to the background.
“Ready to go?” I asked once she’d cleaned off the plate and some color had returned to her cheeks. Flushing, she awkwardly thanked Max and slipped off his lap. A light flush mirrored his own cheeks and I wondered if he’d try to push for more.
We may have only spent a short week together almost a decade ago but she’d been a constant obsession in various ways for each of us since. Max had been head over heels for her since the moment they met.
Was that something she’d be receptive to?
Younger Sage hadn’t withheld affection but she was more guarded now. She wasn’t the same girl we’d met before and that hindered how we approached this situation. I was afraid if we pushed, she might bolt. As she brushed past me though, I realized I may not have given her full credit. She might not remember us, but I saw something familiar in her gaze. A question she had quickly pushed away. I watched her retreat to the bathroom before turning to address the elephant in the room.
“She looks better,” I commented after a few moments of silence. Max glanced up with a nod, he had already finished cleaning and packed away the empty plates.
“Yeah…” he exhaled, leaning against the counter with his hands behind his head before staring at the fridge. He seemed nervous, his shoulders tense as he chewed absently on the corner of his lip. Sometimes I wished our connection went deeper. Others could connect on an intimate level but emotion and telepathy were perks we didn’t have. Keepers didn’t come with many benefits.
Max remained silent for a moment longer before he finally turned to face me. My hands itched to reach out to him but Sage popped between us with an expectant look. Sighing, I indicated for him to text me and led her out to the truck. I’d ask him when we had time at the bar.
Already anticipating Blaze’s possible reactions to their first meeting. Blaze had been a friend of mine since early elementary. Her parents had dragged her out here to Clear River in hopes of finding a safe haven. If Blaze wasn’t a fox shifter, I wouldn’t have put Sage in her care. While her energy had improved, Sage wasn’t fully healed and she had a long road to get to that point. Even Knox agreed on that.
The ride was quiet. Sage spent most of it on her phone and while it was annoying, I knew she was missing her friend when the device pinged with multiple incoming texts.
“Come on,” I prodded after we parked. Shooting me a sheepish look, she pocketed the phone and slid out of the truck. Following her lead, we crowded into the small lobby. Calling for Blaze, I pressed against Sage as she stopped and propelled her behind the counter, hands on her shoulders.
Her majick had settled into that there but not really state she seemed to circulate between. Even with it shoved down, our magick still attempted to cycle and I had to pull back. She didn’t seem to notice the slip and instead focused on fidgeting in place as she glanced around the small shop with wide eyes.
The shop was decorated in a dark red and black scheme with art all over the walls. I called for Blaze again, slightly irritated she left the shop unmanned. What if a tourist walked in?
“I hear you. I’m not deaf!” Blaze popped up from behind a bench, a pencil in hand. Her bright green eyes widened and a smile split her face as she bounded up to snatch Sage from beside me. Squealing, she spun them around until I cleared my throat. Finally after another moment, Blaze released her death grip, choosing instead to clasp Sage’s hands.
