For the first time I understand what it means to protect someone fragile with the shield of my own body.
It’s what he’s been doing for me since day one. Every night when I’d tried to hide my pain, he felt it anyway, and pulled me close to soothe me with nothing but the warmth of his skin and his kisses on my scars.
He’d never said it, but his body told me what my mind couldn’t believe. That I’m still alive, still breathing, and I’m loved.
My precious Sapphire. It's my turn to make you feel that.
Chapter fifty-one
Yosh
There are a few reasons I agreed to join Tom in visiting his family. One of them is to see exactly who I’m up against. Because now, more than ever, I mean it: I’m the threat Jay never saw coming. Even if that means facing him on his own turf, where I’m already at a disadvantage after yesterday’s Christmas dinner.
More snow fell last night. A thicker blanket greeted me when I struggled to open the front door a few minutes ago. Yesterday’s path has almost vanished, so I try to make sense of the trail leading to the wolf’s den.
As I approach the North House, I spot Jay on the weathered oakwood porch swing. There’s a steaming pot of tea in his hands.
Our eyes lock.
It’s just him and me, alone in this snowy landscape in the middle of nowhere.
Sergei isn’t with him, and Tom was still fast asleep when Isneaked out for a morning walk.
No other family members in sight either.
The smug grin he offers tells he’s been expecting me.
He rises to his feet and steps down the creaking stairs, with no sign of a friendly greeting.
“I think you and I should take a walk.”
“As you wish, Jay.”
We head away from the lodge. A glance over my shoulder reveals two faces between the curtains, Joan and Alex. I grin, then smooth my expression before turning back to Jay.
“You don’t like me, Jay?” I ask.
Right now, offence is the best defense. He doesn’t seem the type to tolerate bullshit, so maybe he’ll respect directness. Still, being this straightforward isn’t exactly my comfort zone.
“You seem like a decent man, Yoshiro. Just not for my little brother.”
There it is.
Dodging the question, trying to plant a seed of insecurity, classic move from someone who thinks he’s the one calling the shots. I was wrong. Jay does bullshit, just selectively, when it suits him.
“That's not for you to decide, Jay.”
“Maybe not, but Tom only listens to me. He always has. I'm the most important person in his life.”
“Things change, maybe that takes some getting used to.”
He lets out a cynical laugh as we continue walking along the lake, following the waterline.
“You underestimate the power of blood,” Jay says, giving me a sidelong glance.
“But I wonder... Do you even know how deep family runs?”
He stops, turns fully to me with his arms folded. “Or were you never that close to yours?”
