The Master Psychic

chapter 14

The smell of roasted chicken and herbs lingered in the air as Sage slowly descended the stairs, her hand trailing lightly along the banister. The murmur of voices drifted up from the kitchen—Harper’s soft laughter, Mason’s steady rumble, and Jared’s quieter responses. For a moment, Sage hesitated on the last step, her stomach twisting with nerves.

This was it. Dinner time. Decision time.

She pushed herself forward, forcing her feet onto the cool tile floor. All three pairs of eyes lifted to her as she entered the kitchen. Mason leaned casually against the counter, though she caught the way his shoulders tensed ever so slightly. Harper was plating food, her smile warm and encouraging, as though she could feel Sage’s unease. Jared… Jared sat at the table, posture relaxed but silver eyes locked on Sage with an intensity that made her heart skip.

“You made it just in time,” Harper said gently, sliding a dish toward the center of the table.

Sage nodded, her throat dry. “Yeah… I didn’t want to keep everyone waiting.”

She moved to her seat, carefully pulling out the chair and sitting down. The scrape of wood against tile felt too loud in the silence that followed. Mason took his usual place across from her, Harper sat at his side, and Jared remained directly across from Sage, his gaze softening but never breaking from hers.

As Harper began passing plates around, Sage folded her hands in her lap, fingers twisting together. She knew they were all waiting, though no one spoke it out loud. Waiting for her to be ready. Waiting for her choice. The tension at the table grew thicker with every passing second, like a storm hovering just above them. Sage could feel the weight of three gazes—expectant, cautious, patient. Her pulse thudded in her ears, drowning out even the soft clink of silverware Harper set down beside her plate.

She straightened a little, forcing air into her lungs, and let her eyes sweep over them—Mason, steady as ever; Harper, offering quiet reassurance in her gentle smile; Jared, unreadable but impossibly focused on her.

Sage licked her lips, then finally broke the silence.

“Let’s eat first,” she said softly, but with a firmness that made Mason’s brows lift slightly. “Then… I’ll announce my choice.”

For a moment, no one moved. Then Mason gave the faintest of nods, his expression easing just enough to let her know he understood. Harper exhaled a quiet sigh of relief and quickly set about passing dishes, filling the plates to shift the atmosphere.

Jared didn’t take his eyes off Sage, but he leaned back slightly in his chair, respecting the boundary she had drawn.

“Alright then,” Mason said, his voice low but steady. “We’ll eat first.”

The table filled with the sounds of clinking forks and muted conversation about trivial things—the kind of small talk Harper skillfully pulled everyone into, as though she were trying to stitch normalcy into the cracks of the moment.

But beneath it all, Sage could feel it. The promise she had just made hovered in the air, waiting for when the last bite was swallowed and the plates were cleared.

Her choice still loomed—inescapable. The tension that had clung to the air softened little by little as dinner began. Harper made sure of it—her warmth filling the room like sunlight.

“So,” she said, spooning vegetables onto Mason’s plate, “I caught Mason trying to sneak a cookie earlier. Right before dinner.”

Mason groaned, shaking his head as he stabbed a piece of chicken. “You’re supposed to keep my secrets, Harper.”

Sage snorted into her glass of water. “Big bad Mason caught stealing cookies? That’s new.”

Jared chuckled softly, surprising Sage. “Honestly, I can see it. You’ve got the guilty look down perfectly.”

Mason gave them all a mock glare, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Great. Ganged up on in my own house.”

Harper leaned over to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “You’ll live.”

The table filled with light laughter, the heaviness of earlier slipping further away. Sage found herself relaxing, even smiling, as Harper launched into a story about how she had once burned toast so badly Mason had opened every window in the house to keep the alarm from going off.

“You exaggerate,” Harper said, hiding her face behind her hand when Mason teased her about it.

“Exaggerate? You set off the smoke alarm at least three times,” Mason replied, grinning now.

Sage shook her head, laughing so hard she nearly dropped her fork. Jared smiled too, his gaze flickering to her more than once, but not in the way that made her nervous earlier. For the first time, it felt… easy.

For a little while, they were just a family sharing food, laughter, and stories—no visions, no Hydes, no looming decisions.

But Sage knew the moment wouldn’t last. Once the last bite was eaten, the truth would come back to the table, and she’d have to keep her promise. The last of the dishes clinked softly into the sink, and Harper wiped her hands on a towel before following Mason and Jared into the living room. Sage lingered for a heartbeat in the kitchen, her palms pressed against the edge of the counter, steadying herself. Her stomach fluttered with nerves, but she had promised them—promised herself—that she wouldn’t run from this moment.

When she finally stepped into the living room, three sets of eyes immediately turned toward her. Mason was seated on the couch, his arm draped protectively along the back where Harper sat close at his side. Jared stood near the window, shadows casting across his sharp features, his silver eyes catching the faintest light when he looked at her.

Sage swallowed and walked further in, lowering herself into the armchair across from them. Her fingers twisted together in her lap, but she lifted her chin, refusing to let her voice shake.

“Dinner’s over,” she said softly, though the words carried in the quiet room. “And I told you all I’d make my decision afterward.”

Harper leaned forward, her expression gentle, almost motherly. Mason said nothing, but his eyes were sharp, alert, watching her every move. Jared remained perfectly still by the window, but Sage felt the weight of his attention pressing down on her, waiting.

Her heartbeat thudded in her ears as the silence stretched.

This was the moment. She drew in a shaky breath. “I know what I want to say.”

The words hushed everyone instantly, as though the very walls of the living room leaned closer to listen.

Sage’s throat tightened, but she pushed forward, her voice firm. “This decision… it’s not easy. And I’ve thought about every possible outcome, every consequence. But I’ve made up my mind.”

Harper reached out to squeeze Mason’s hand, her eyes shining with quiet anticipation. Jared shifted, finally breaking his stillness, his silver eyes locked onto Sage’s face with an intensity that made her pulse race.

Sage stood, her knees a little unsteady, but her chin lifted high. Her heart thundered as she looked directly at Jared.

“My choice is—”