SAGE

Every eye in the tent turned toward me, after Adam's question, after his defense of why he had given me a choice to choose.

The silence was almost alive—breathing, waiting. Even the night air that filtered through the open canopy felt charged, trembling between curiosity and fear. A beautiful something.

I liked that feeling. It was power. It was control beginning to take shape. It was plans beginning to fall in alignment.

A soft smile curled on my lips as I let my gaze wander lazily over the crowd—faces stiff with expectation, a few turned away as if unwilling to meet my eyes. Their discomfort was delicious, sating, arousing....