Page 119 of Godless Saints

Sawyer rubbed the back of his neck, looking genuinely guilty for once. “I tied him up in the astronomy building basement. Storage room. Star charts and shit everywhere. He’s fine, I’ve been feeding him, giving him water, even left the asshole a crossword and a flashlight. I’m not a complete monster.” His grin twitched. “Though… he is tied up, so the crossword might be tricky.”

I closed my eyes. “Let him go, Sawyer.”

“Right after breakfast,” he said cheerfully. “Promise. I’ll untie him myself. He’s probably bored out of his mind by now.”

“You’re a psychotic idiot.”

“I was trying to help.”

“Alone?”

Sawyer hesitated.

“Sawyer.”

“Kaelan saw me,” he admitted, wincing. “The feral little Swiss shit lit up like Christmas and went ‘Fuck it, I’m in—best thing all term.’ Grabbed Declan’s legs and helped me drag the unconscious prick down there. Apparently nobody uses that basement except first-years chasing ghosts and third-years trying to get laid at fake séance parties.”

I rubbed a thumb along my jaw. “So Vesper helped you kidnap Declan.”

“Vesper deserves some credit.”

“Oh god.”

“I was trying to help.”

“Those two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Sawyer let out a shaky breath, looking more exhausted than I’d seen him in months. “I thought… if I could just protect you, you’d forgive me for the Blood Writ. But I couldn’t stop Ronan.”

Sawyer was the youngest of us by three years. The urge to shield him never quite went away.

“I’m just glad the Blood Writ was the only thing you put on me,” I said.

Sawyer stilled.

“That was the only thing, right?”

He put both hands up fast. “Yes. Swear. I will never come at you like that again. Weak moment. I overreacted.”

“You’ve overreacted before.”

“I know.” He looked away. “I’m sorry, Hyun. I really am.” Then the grin sharpened, turning wicked. “Although… technically my Blood Writ made Thorn lose a shit-ton of Favor. Interesting, right?”

He laughed.

I shifted my weight away from him. “You’re actually proud of that?”

Sawyer shrugged. “A little. Didn’t plan for it to go that far. But if I accidentally helped tank their reputation? Positive side effects.”

I stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, refusing to overthink it. Sawyer froze, then clung back too hard, arms locked around me.

“You’re a menace, Whitlock,” I muttered against his shoulder.

“I’m working on myself. Actively,” Sawyer said, voice muffled against my shoulder.

I eased back enough to see his face.

“And who do I thank for this sudden moral development?”