Page 153 of Storm and Sea

“I—it…”

Nephi couldn’t.

Not about that. Not ever about that.

Understanding yellow eyes met his, and Leo cocked his head to the side.

“Your eyes. I’ve never seen them up close.”

Nephi’s stomach twisted the same way it had in the alley when he’d seen Leo stumble through a confession. A confession to his younger brother. He knew why Leo was so enraptured. Because Nephi’s good eye, brown with flecks of gold, was the same as his brothers. He turned away.

“They’re nothing special.”

Soft fingertips took his chin, turning his face back to Leo. The touch was as gentle as pattering raindrops.

“No. They’re…” Leo searched for the word.

“Familiar?” Nephi supplied, anger flaring.

Leo squinted and cocked his head again, never taking his hand from Nephi’s chin.

“Maybe. But it’s the way you—” He moved closer, and Nephi held his breath, trapping the scent of bergamot in his lungs. “It’s the way you look at things. Like you’re studying them. It’s… intense.”

Fingertips brushed along Nephi’s chin, gliding over his jawline before lifting to his cheek. They lingered on the unmarred side, gently caressing the skin. Unable to resist, Nephi leaned into the touch ever so slightly.

My Ludo.

When a second hand rose to stroke his mutilated skin, reality crashed into him like a cresting wave. Nephi jerked away, his breathing and heart rate returning.

“Don’t.”

Leo retracted his hands, the trance broken. “Sorry.”

“You should go home, Leo. You look like you need rest.”

Leo huffed awkwardly. “And we’re back to how shitty I look.”

“I preferred it when you looked healthy,” Nephi stumbled.

He felt those yellow eyes watch him for a moment longer before Leo rose.

“Yeah, I should be home. I’ll talk to you later. And”—he took a deep breath—“thanks for this.”

“Don’t thank me; I still think you look like a soggy pile of manure.”

Leo laughed and, with a salute, marched away.

Nephi watched him disappear around the stone, wishing they could have talked a little longer.

Get ahold of yourself.

Even though he hated to admit it, Nephi no longer felt the wrathful flame that so often took control—the rage buried so deep inside him that he’d never be rid of it. Only one person in his life could quel those flames, and he was gone. Only one person….

Nephi stared at the spot in the sand where Leo had sat only a minute ago. A distinct imprint of his hand pressed into the sand. Nephi reached for it, tracing the outline of Leo’s fingertips with the same gentleness Leo used to touch his face.

He wasn’t disgusted by it.

Nephi hated the relief. The relief that Ludo wasn’t disgusted by his burns. It settled like a fleeting balm over raw nerves, only to ignite into frustration a moment later.