Found: A Sage Hollins Novel

CHAPTER NINE

My day had been spent being poked and prodded by a tailor. My suit had to fit perfectly, and I, as the King's son, had to look perfect for his "special day". Otherwise, as I was reminded over and over again, I would be a disgrace. Just like my Mother was. 

By the time three o'clock rolled around, I was exhausted. Any hope I had had for having a good day after the time I'd spent with Sage the night before, had been destroyed by Father and his witch. 

I shuffled back to my room, running my hands through my hair and yawning. 

"I've always loved those curls." a sultry voice drawled from the shadows of the foyer. 

I rolled my eyes, preparing for the onslaught. 

"I don't have them to please you, Kindra." I growled. 

She slid into the light of the room, "Doesn't mean they don't...or that you can't." 

With a sly smile she was directly in front of me, rubbing her near naked body against the front of me. I had never been more unattracted to a woman. After meeting Sage, any chance of being tempted by anybody but her was completely gone. 

I pushed her back by her shoulders, avoiding as much contact with her as I could. Naturally she was just waltzing around the house damn near naked. She was wearing a black fishnet top with no bra and another one of her famous panty-less mini skirts. I could see everything. 

"Well I won't." I spoke firmly. I couldn't tell her I was a taken man, not without risking Sage's safety. But I would not compromise my loyalty to Sage either. 

She c****d up an eyebrow, the corner of her lips twitching, "Oh, I'm not so sure about that. You've never been able to resist in the past..." before I had time to realize she was in front of me again, grabbing my hand. 

Just as she slid it up her bare thigh under her skirt, I ripped away from her. 

"Kindra, I said no! Christ, would you just leave me alone?!" I roared. 

"Reid, don't shout at your sister like that." Father said, walking through the door from his in-house office. I hadn't known he was still home.

"Dad, I- She isn't my sister. And do you see how she is dressing? I can see her v****a!" 

He smacked his large hand against the back of my head. 

"Don't be vulgar! You're a Prince! Act like you were born with some f*****g manners!" 

My entire body screamed with rage while Kindra giggled. I wanted to hit him, I wanted to knock out those pearly white teeth all over the marble flooring. 

Instead, I walked away. I turned on my heels and I stormed to my room. I slammed the door and closed my eyes taking a moment to breathe.

"Something the matter, handsome?" a tiny voice asked. 

I groaned, and opened my eyes. There, completely buck-naked, laying with her legs spread, was Korrin. The middle child of the wicked witch Wren. I had never pursued anything with Korrin or the youngest, Kamdyn. But every so often the three of them took it upon themselves to mutually harass me. This must have been one of those days, because there Korrin was, black hair splayed out behind her, a finger gently rubbing her bare n****e, and the devil in her hazel eyes. 

"Get. Out." I didn't shout, because that would only motivate them to keep pushing. 

She stuck out her bottom lip, pouting, "You don't want to play with me?'

I rolled my eyes, "Absolutely not. Get. Out." 

She rolled onto her belly, kicking her feet up behind her, "No, I don't wanna!" 

Fed up with the days nonsense, I grabbed my phone and backpack and left the room. If they all wanted to act like a bunch of idiots, fine. That didn't mean I had to be there. 

When I got out to my car, I took a deep breath in. It had been a long time since I had felt this overwhelmed. I wished I had my mother to confide in, to console me. I missed her...she always knew what to say, what to do... and now I couldn't even call her. 

Tears streamed down my cheeks, my heart ached. I didn't know what to do. I was raised my entire life to be a King, but Sage...she didn't know about this world. She didn't want to be a Queen. But if she didn't accept her fate- our fate- we would die. 

And if my father or upcoming step family knew about Sage...they would kill her before the mate bond ever got the chance. I knew that without a doubt. Father wanted to remain King, Wren wanted to be Queen, Kindra wanted me, and her sisters would do anything to keep me miserable. 

So yes, they would find her, and they would kill her. She represented everything that could put an end to their little plot. If Mom were here, she'd help protect us...she'd help us find a way to get through these upcoming battles. But I didn't know where she was.

*DING!* My phone vibrated. Looking down I expected a text from Lor asking to meet for updates. I still hadn't told him about my kiss with Sage. He was going to flip. 

But it was her, responding to my text for the first time.

"Can you pick me up? 338 W. Pine St." My heart fluttered as I said I'd be there, and put the car in gear. 

                                                                                            SAGE

I stood out on the sidewalk shivering, waiting for him to arrive. I could've called my parents, or even Millie. I had missed the bus, just as I thought I would. I was feeling hopeless, and for whatever reason, I wanted him. 

I heard the rumble of an engine and looked up to see Reid in a turquoise Volkswagen Tiguan, smiling at me. I gave him a small smile and climbed in the passenger seat. He looked remarkable as always. His tousled blonde curls, ice blue eyes, and a smile that could stop my heart.

"Hello, stranger." I murmured, vaguely thinking about how Millie had called him my boyfriend. He took my bag from my hand and placed it in the back seat. 

I admired the muscle in his arm as he reached over the middle console. My nerves were already tingling. 

"Hi." he said softly, his eyes catching mine. 

Suddenly I felt shy, as if he could see right through me. He lightly stroked my jaw line with his thumb and forefinger, intent in his motion as he leaned forward and placed the faintest kiss on my lips. They parted and I leaned into him, letting the kiss consume me for a moment. A pleasant distraction from the chaos in my mind. 

When we pulled away from each other, we were both gasping for air. I watched him sit back in his seat and smile ear to ear, his blue eyes closed. 

"I've been thinking about kissing you again, all day." His voice was quiet and I could tell that he had needed it just as badly as I did. 

I let his emotions seep under my skin and I felt the uneasiness he had been rattled with. 

"What's wrong?" I asked him, taking his hand. 

"What do you mean?" he opened one eye, peeking at me. 

"I can tell you're bothered. What is it?" I felt my thumb absently stroking his. 

He grinned, leaning forward and kissing my forehead, "Nothing, beautiful. We'll talk about it another time. Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?" 

I grimaced, "Will it hurt your feelings if I say, 'everything'?" 

He feigned grabbing his heart, and laughed, "No. But can you clarify?" 

I breathed in deeply, letting the air come out slowly. I took his hand in mine and kissed it softly, letting his scent wrap me in comfort. 

"Let's go somewhere." I whispered to him, "Take me to the park, we can talk there."

He gave me a bright smile, and began driving. 

Fifteen minutes later we were settled in the grass overlooking the blue lake that separated our town from the next, watching the ferry boat cross to the other side. Wisconsin was still chilly in the early spring months, so I was grateful Reid had a small blanket in his car. He sat close to me, slinking his arm around my waist and encouraging me to rest against his shoulder. I felt utterly at peace. 

"I shouldn't be here." I murmured. 

I heard his sharp intake of air as he began to protest, "But I thought-" 

"That's not what I mean. I'm happy to be here, with you. I am. I just...ugh it's going to sound so stupid to you." I groaned. 

I felt his hand rub my side, in an effort to comfort me.

"Please, Sage, tell me what's wrong? his voice was soft, coaxing me out of my shell. I found that even when I was most comfortable around him, I was still shy. We still had so much to learn about each other. 

"Well, you see I-I just found out about my faery genes. I had no clue...so all my life, I've been human. Well at least, I thought I was." I rambled, "So I did normal human things. I mean, as normal as I can get, I'm not exactly the poster child for stereotypical teenage 'human' girls. But I went to school, and I studied, and I spent time with my friends, well my friend. I don't have very many friends, I'm kind of a geek. I guess you should know that now, since you're pretty bent on marrying me. I'm not the hot popular girl, and I'm no vixen. I'm just the daughter of the librarians in town, who has that one friend who really likes her overalls. I've never been interested in cheerleading, or boys, or dances or sports or partying. I just liked to live in the world of my books, and hang out with Millie on the weekends." 

I took a deep breath, gauged his reaction- wide eyes, but listening intently. I decided to continue, because I didn't know if I would have the nerve to get it out later.

"I never missed a class, I never failed a test. Sure, I'm no academic genius... but I was at least passing. But then-" I groaned again, "I met you, and my world flipped upside down. And I don't know if you went looking for me, or how you knew where your magical secret bride was, but it turned my life around. Reid, you are the only thing I think about. I cannot get you out of my head. I think about being near you, kissing you, holding you, marrying you."

At this he seemed confused, and put a hand up to pause me, "I'm confused, we're mated. Shouldn't you want to be thinking these things?" 

I sighed, "No, I shouldn't."

You couldn't mistake the hurt that glossed over his face, and my heart ached to see it. I responded by squeezing his hand and planting the gentlest kiss I could muster without losing control on his lips. 

"Not for the reasons I know you must be thinking. I believe you, that we're fated. I'd be darn right stupid not to. The attraction between us is damn near magnetic." I held the side of his face, looking into his icy blues to make sure he understood. 

"Then what is the issue with wanting to be with me?" his tone was controlled, he was trying to conceal his feelings. But the mate bond couldn't hide the torment searing through him. I almost thought I caught a tear threatening to fall. 

"It's not that wanting to be with you is the problem. It's that it is consuming me. I'm failing my classes because I cannot focus on anything...there's a great chance I will not graduate, and I know that may sound so utterly stupid and mundane to you, because you grew up your whole life in this faery world...but I was a human first. And this is important to me." I rested my forehead against his. It was hard to look at him directly for too long, my hormones threatened to take over when facing that much beauty. 

I felt his posture soften, "Graduation?" I nodded.

Then a laugh, "Sage, baby, I'm in school too. Being a faery doesn't exempt me from being a teenager." 

I drew back, shocked, "What?!" 

Now his body was shaking with his laughter, "That's how we met, don't you remember?"

I paused, trying to make sense of it. 

"I thought that was a ploy..."

"Who would lie about a World War II project? Ugh, I hate history." He leaned back with his arms behind him. "I didn't go into the library looking for you. Faeries don't usually find their mates until they are in their twenties. I bet if we dug into the archives, we'd discover we are the youngest to have found each other." 

A feeling of weight lifted off of my shoulders and I released a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. 

"I really thought you knew who I was before you came in...I think-" he cut me off.

"There is no way to guess who it will be. The Moon Goddess decides. And sometimes-" he lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed the knuckles, "-she decides just right. I feel so lucky."

I softened, admiring the way his lips felt against my skin, "Why's that?"

"Because I find myself falling for you every moment we are together. Every time I see you my senses stand on high alert, when I think of you my heart races and when I smell you...well-" he placed his grip on the nape of my neck, pulling me towards him. He kissed me with ferocity that could not be explained. I felt heat over every inch of my body, followed quickly by goosebumps of pure pleasure. 

When he pulled away I had to catch my breath. There was a haze over his blue eyes now, his cheeks flush with desire. 

"So-" I gasped, "-that makes you feel lucky?"

He looked away now, out towards the ferry boat, now making it's way back across. 

"Yes, very much so. My parents...they hated each other. I would give anything to have had a childhood filled with love, laughter...hope. But my mother...I don't even know where she is..." his sentence drifted off and I could see he was troubled. 

"Will you tell me about her?" I asked, wondering about the woman he so clearly missed.

He shook his head, then gave me a strained smile, "Yes, my love. But not today. Today, is for this." 

And he was kissing me again.