She gives a small, almost exasperated smile. "What I want?" she repeats. "I should want to leave. I did. I tried. I ran from you—both of you. And part of it was because of the danger of what you are, especially to me."
I nod once. "I know."
She steps closer, arms crossing in front of her, mirroring my stance. "But I don't want to run anymore. The me from six months ago would think I've lost my mind. Staying with two vampires. Sleeping with two vampires. And now… after everything, still wanting to be here." Her breath catches, but she keeps going. "It doesn't make sense. But it also does."
She glances away, jaw tight. "Kayden bit me. He lost control. But he got it back. He didn't drain me. He found you. And you—" Her eyes flick to mine. "You kept control the whole time. I was bleeding all over your car and you clung to your iron discipline."
I say nothing, letting her speak.
"I'm tired of being lied to. Of half-truths. Of being told who I am or what I should fear." Her gaze drops. "I want to know for myself."
She's still sorting it through, still speaking more to herself than to me. I wait. I could close the distance between us in a heartbeat, but I don't.
I won't.
Finally, she lifts her eyes again. "First… I want to tell you the truth. About my blood. What it actually does to vampires. It's not just the taste."
I brace.
"It gives a kind of illusion. For a while, after drinking it, it makes you feel alive. Like you did when you were human. It doesn't last long, but it's enough to make it something vampires crave once they taste it."
I process the words slowly. I'd suspected something unusual, but this… this changes the game.
"I understand why they'd hunt you for it," I say. "And why you didn't tell us." My tone softens. "Thank you. For telling me now."
If Kayden has enough of her blood in his system, he's likely confused, his senses turned human.
She steps forward again. Closer. Only inches between us. Her scent strikes me like it always does—earth, flowers, a sunny day.
"There's something else I want," she says.
I stay perfectly still. "What?"
"I want you to bite me."
I blink. It takes a second for the words to register. I step back instinctively.
"No," I say, shaking my head. "You don't."
Her smile is soft but steady. "I know it sounds crazy. It does to me, too. But Kayden stopped himself. And you said it yourself—he's more susceptible to bloodlust. You have control."
She pauses, searching for the right words.
"I want this to be on my terms. I want to know what it does. I wantyouto know. So it's not some mystery between us. So you can tell me exactly what it feels like. And maybe… maybe that'll help me understand myself better, too."
I grit my teeth. "Sage…"
She closes the remaining space between us, whispering, "Don't deny me that."
I close my eyes.
This woman. She doesn't just test my control—she annihilates it.
When I open them again, she's still there, watching me with an unshakable calm, like she knows exactly what she's asking for.
"You do realize," I murmur, "that you are the greatest test of my self-control since the day I was turned?"
Her smile curves slow and wicked. "Is that a yes?"
