Page 121 of Storm and Sea

But the memory of Nyel standing up for him made Nephi pause. It was the first inkling of a familial bond he’d never dared hope for. For the first time in his life, he wanted to try. And that, in and of itself, was a miracle. Because Nephi never once had the desire to try for anything.

He simply was.

Nephi watched as Atreus came to his brother’s rescue, lifting the heavy tray. They were laughing about something. And the sight made something in Nephi’s chest ache. He was so distracted by the display that he failed to sneak off before being spotted.

Nyel caught sight of him and waved with a genuine smile. Another pang sparked through his chest, and Nephi wasn’t sure if he liked it. He’d never get used to it—the idea that someone was happy to see him.

Maybe my dumb little brother isn’t half bad.

He shoved the rest of the fish cake into his mouth and flipped Nyel off. Nyel tilted his head in confusion, hesitated for a moment, then mimicked the gesture with a bright smile. Nephi snorted as Atreus quickly grabbed Nyel’s hand and shoved it down, no doubt hurriedly explaining what it actually meant.

The white sand and blue waves were picturesque. If not for his own disfigured form ruining the scene, it would have been perfect. Nephi was glad when footsteps approached him on the isolated beach, and a moment later, Leo sat a few paces to his left.

“Nice jacket,” Leo said by way of greeting.

“I think I’ll keep this one for a while,” Nephi replied, admiring the cuff.

“Pretty sure I’ve seen the exact same one on Signore Livici’s son.”

“Give him my thanks.”

Leo scoffed but said nothing else.

“It’s kind of a bitch in this weather, though,” Nephi said, fanning himself with his collar. “It doesn’t breathe very—what the hell happened to you?” he gasped as the human’s face came into full view.

Leo’s tone of voice and physical presence were completely out of sync. While he sounded fine, a single glance revealed that he was anything but fine. Both Leo’s eyes were two huge bruises. Angry red welts ran along his cheeks and down his neck. Nephi assumed the wounds continued down the rest of his body—the tell-tale signs of a whip.

“Oh, this?” Leo pinched a strand of hair. “I got a haircut; thanks for noticing.”

Nephi shook his head in disbelief.

Even when he’s obviously been through hell, that mouth of his…

After a moment, Leo exhaled sharply. “Not gonna say anything else?” he huffed, his slouched posture betraying his strain.

“What is there to say? You look like shit.”

“I don’t know why I came here expecting anything from you.”

“If you want someone to hold your hand, then this beach isn’t for you,” Nephi said callously.

“Nobody’s ever held my hand. I pull myself up every fucking time.”

“Yeah? And how’s that working out for you?” Nephi probed.

“It’s fine. Everything’s fine. I have it under control.” Leo’s voice was solemn.

Nephi brushed a stray bit of dark hair from his eyes; he’d need to cut it soon.

“So, that thing you were telling me about—the one you said couldn’t get much worse than it was—did it get worse?”

Leo’s fingers gripped the sand like he could strangle it. “Yeah. And I don’t need an ‘I told you so.’ I’ll be a pessimist like you next time.”

“Realist,” Nephi corrected, “and what else did you expect coming from a fucked up bastard like me?”

Leo snorted. “Touché.”

They listened to the waves ebb and flow; Nephi matched his breaths with the rhythm of the sea.