I’m lying on my side in the middle of the bed when I hear the door open, but I make no effort to turn over and see who it is. It’s not Storm, I’d be able to tell if it was because the air changes when he enters a room.
Whoever it is doesn’t speak immediately, maybe trying to assess whether I’m sleeping or not. I’m trying to because at least then I could focus on something other than what happened with Storm this afternoon. I thought I could trust him. I thought there was finally someone in the world I could trust that didn’t just want something from me. But now I see how stupidly naive that was.
Of course Storm Saint James would take whatever he wants from me, consequences be damned. He doesn’t care about me, and he sure as hell doesn’t care if he hurts me, and that’s exactly why I need to find a way out of this house.
“Ayvah?” An unfamiliar feminine voice carries through the room.
“Are you here to help me leave?” I mumble into the pillow.
She scoffs. “Unfortunately not. I think my brother would likely kill even me for taking you away from him.” There’s humor in her voice, but nothing about what she says is funny. It must be Wynter. I’ve met Snow and while she sounds similar, her voice is smoother almost.
“Then you can leave.”
Wynter laughs and her feet fall softly on the carpet as she crosses to the seat Emerson sat in earlier by the window. I wish they would leave me alone to lick my wounds. She lowers herself into the seat and rests both hands on her rounding belly, rubbing it absentmindedly. “I’m sorry my brother is such an asshole. They all are if I’m honest. It’s like when it comes to us they lose their fucking minds and all that’s left is a primate who doesn’t know how to control their thoughts or emotions.”
“You can say that again.”
She nods, her kind eyes meeting mine. “I think you know as well as I do that Storm didn’t mean to hurt you. That doesn’t excuse what he did, but it would be remiss of me to allow you to think he’d ever abuse a woman.” She sighs. “You scared him today, and for a man like Storm to feel fear is a big deal. He doesn’t know what to do with that emotion. Like I said, I can’t make any excuses for the idiot, because what he did today was completely inexcusable, but I am here to tell you that I think it would be a mistake for you not to give him a chance.”
“You have to say that, you’re his sister.”
“I don’t have to do anything. Storm is a pigheaded asshole, an over-the-top caveman, and an incredibly overprotective brother, but he isn’t any of the things you’re thinking right now,” she pauses for a moment, her lips pursing as she considers something. “I’m sure by now you realize that not everything we do is legal, and with that comes risk. When I went away to college, I had to have a guard with me twenty-four seven, I couldn’t go anywhere without them, do anything without them, or speak to anyone without their knowledge. I hated it and at the time, that was Storm’s job. It was before he took over the family and he was my father’s number two. One of my guards…he hurt me quite badly. Bad enough that I couldn’t get out of bed for a week.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I called Storm. I could have called my mom, or my dad. I could have called Snow, or Rayne. But I called Storm because I knew he would take care of it, he wouldn’t pity me, and he would keep my secret when I asked him to. He’s cold, and he’s ruthless, and he won’t show just anyone his weaknesses. But he showed you. What he did today was his own fear that he didn’t know how to deal with.” She gives me a tight smile but I don’t miss the way her ice blue eyes glisten with unshed tears. “I’ll never be able to repay my big brother for what he did for me all those years ago. He took care of it, had a doctor come and take care of me, and after he left, we never spoke of it again. He kept my secret from my brother, our parents, his best friend, because I asked him to.”
“I still don’t understand what this has to do with me. You’re his sister, of course he would do those things for you.”
She chuckles and rests her head back on the seat behind her. “You’re still not getting it, Ayvah, but you will. I’m here to tell you now, and not because I want to scare you, but because I want you to be prepared, that Storm is not going to let you go without one hell of a fight. You’ve woken something in him and he doesn’t know what to do with how he’s feeling, but he’ll go to the end of the earth for you, and that’s why I’m telling you all this. When a Saint James falls, they fall hard, and they fall for life.” She shrugs. “And I imagine there’s a whole lot more caveman behavior where today came from, you just need to be smart in how you deal with it. I also want you to know that I will always be in your corner. So will Emerson, and so will Snow. There are going to be times when he goes too far, just like Everett, Rayne and Elijah do, but we have your back, and I will fucking kill Storm if he ever pulls something like he did today. I don’t care if he’s my brother, I’m an angry pregnant woman who will not stand for my brother being abusive.”
“But you won’t help me leave?”
“If he ever hurts you like he did today, I will. You have my word on that. But I know he won’t. I know today was just him being so fucking scared of losing you when he just found you that he lost his mind.” She shrugs. “Doesn’t make it better, but it’s the reason. I think you should talk to him. Yell at him. Give him the cold shoulder. Make him grovel. But don’t hide in here like a wounded animal. Rise to the challenge.”
“You say that like I’m going to war.” I half laugh.
“That’s because that’s what it’s like being with a man like Storm.”
