Page 102 of May: Bloom & Bane

The vines on the floor begin to rot, their thorns scraping against the stone as my jaw tightens.

“I couldn’t stand seeing you like that anymore, Sage. You were moaning in pain. I had to try and help.”

I wrap my hand around her wrist and pull her into my lap, her knees bracketing my hips. The soaked sheet around my waist offers no barrier against the shocking heat of her body.

“Wash it off. Please, Eden… wash him off of you. I can’t have this conversation when all I smell is him.”

“I’ll stay,” she whispers, her warm palms cupping my face. “And you can wash the scent off yourself.”

My hand trembles where it rests on her shoulder. The black vines on the floor retreat, pulling in their thorns.

Yes. Ours. Fix it. Clean her! Ashán purrs.

A bar of peony-scented soap drops next to my thigh.

Thank you, Nook.

I lather the soap between my palms, trailing them down the slope of her shoulders, over the curve of her collarbones.

“What happened?” she asks softly, watching my face as I wash her. “Do you get migraines like that often?”

I move my hands to her back, my fingers tracing the line of her spine.

“No. That was the first one I’ve ever had,” I answer honestly. “But I saw something, Eden.”

“What do you mean?”

Don’t tell her you saw another woman. We don’t know what it means yet. Shut your mouth and hold her, or I will take over this body and do it for you, Ashán rasps.

I work the rich lather down her sides, my thumbs tracing the soft curve of her ribs.

“I saw…” I hesitate, my hands stilling against her warm skin. “I saw a woman. Snow was falling, and I couldn’t make out her face, but she had dark brown hair. I think she was running from something.”

You IDIOT, Ashán roars inside my skull. She’s going to leave.

Eden pulls back, her eyes searching mine.

“A brunette woman,” she says quietly.

Why would you ever give her a reason to look at us like that? Ashán spatters, thrashing against our mind.

“I don’t know who she was.” My grip tightens on her waist, pulling her flush against my chest. “I’ve never seen her before. I swear.”

“Sage.” Her hands slide from my shoulders down my chest. “Do you know who you’re with right now?”

I blink slowly, confused by her question. “What?”

Her fingers trail lower, tracing the line where my skin meets the waterlogged sheet clinging to my hips.

“Who came into this freezing shower to be with you?”

Great. You broke her, Ashán groans.

“Eden, I⁠—”

“Let me remind you.” Her fingers find the knot holding fabric together.

OH, Ashán gasps. Oh, she’s—YES. YES! Ours. She’s claiming us. Let her. LET HER!