She prefers him over you, idiot. She can see you’re different. She can sense you’re screwed up.
The hug lasted far longer than my tolerance level. Who was I kidding—I had no tolerance level.
Kes was mine, and Nila was mine. They both belonged to me. They had no right to gang up against me.
“Kes…” I immediately snapped my lips together. I refused to be weak and ask him what the hell this meant. Instead, I embraced vulgarity. “I wouldn’t get close to her, brother. Never know where her mouth has been.” My tone was a viper ready to strike.
Kestrel let Nila go, eyeing me coldly. “If it’s been anywhere on you, then I can guess. But you’re forgetting, brother, I’m not the one with sharing issues. Am I?”
My mouth fell open. A pain shot deep inside my heart. In our entire lifetime together, he’d never provoked me that way. Never brought up something so painful or the crux of my whole issue.
“Fuck you,” I growled.
Kes’s eyes tightened, finally showing some sign of regret. Bastard.
Nila looked between us silently, crackling with energy. No doubt this family drama was hugely amusing to her. I never wanted her to see me like this. What was this? Had Kestrel finally had enough of being second best to the firstborn son, or had he seen something he truly wanted in Nila?
Either way, it didn’t matter. He couldn’t have her. No one could.
“Jet, let’s forget it, okay?” Holding up his hands, he added, “Bygones, yeah?”
“Bygones? What the hell are you doing?”
Kes shook his head. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now, you have things to do.”
“Things like extract a debt from me?” Nila snapped.
My attention flew to her, just in time to see her topple sideways as one of her stupid episodes rendered her incompetent.
“Shit.” Kes ducked at inhuman speed, catching her before she hit the ground.
My stomach twisted with jealousy.
Moaning, Nila crumbled into Kes’s arms.
“You all right?” Kes slowly guided her onto her feet.
That—right there. That was the true difference between my brother and me. He caught those who needed to be caught, while I stood by and watched. The memory of Nila falling to the parking garage floor at the Milan airport showed me just how true that statement was.
I have no choice.
Empathy and softness weren’t permitted. They were the root of all evil for a person like me.
Taking a deep breath, Nila pushed Kes gently. “I’m fine. Thanks for your help.”
Kes nodded, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets. “You’re welcome. You should probably have that looked at.”
“It’s not a disease,” I jumped in. “Besides, she’s better than when I first collected her.”
Nila’s cheeks blazed with colour. She wobbled a little as another wave hit her. “Do you know why that is? I was thinking about it before actually.”
No one spoke, waiting for her to continue.
“I get them when I’m stressed. I probably suffered five or six a day when I was working so hard and presenting my new season to buyers and reporters. And yet, here…I only seem to suffer them around you.” Cocking her head, she placed her fists on her hips. “What does that tell you, Jethro?”
What did it tell me? Apart from the fact she was weak-minded and needed professional help for a counter imbalance? “That I stress you out.”
“Exactly.”
Another wave crippled her. Kes was the convenient arsehole who captured her elbow giving her an anchor. “There you go again. You okay?”
She nodded, rubbing her temples. “Sorry. Damn vertigo. Can’t control it.”
Kes smiled, his body curved into hers. “Don’t apologise. We all have flaws, and sometimes they’re not something we have the power to change.”
He’s talking about me again. Fuckwit.
Nila’s lips popped open, her eyes searching his. “You’re nothing like your phone messages.”
My muscles instantly locked.
Her voice was barely a whisper. I wouldn’t have caught it unless my ears weren’t already straining for every nuance in her tone.
She knows.
Kes cocked his head, his eyes blocking all clues and answers. Laughing self-consciously, he quickly pressed a kiss on her cheek and released her. “If that’s a good thing, I’ll take the credit.”
That’s it.
I was fucking done.
Stalking forward, I plucked Nila from the carpet and threw her over my shoulder. Kes’s mouth fell open. “Um…”
“Don’t say another word, brother.” I transmitted everything I couldn’t say with one glare. “Stay out of this. All of it.”
Nila squealed, hitting my back with tiny fists. “Put me down, you arsehole.”
“No chance,” I growled. “I’m not letting you go until I have you exactly where I want you.”
Preferably naked with my cock driving between your legs.
But because I was the perfect son, I would have to save that for another day.
There was a small matter of a debt. A debt that had to be repaid before the day turned into dusk—for no other reason but tradition. We’d run out of time.
Kes stared at me, his eyes waging with an apology and confrontation. If Nila wasn’t here, I had no doubt we’d either pummel each other or have the deepest, longest conversation of our lives. This one incident had brought everything we’d avoided to a head.
Kes and I were friends—more than I could say for the rest of the people inside this house—but despite our friendship, there was still a thick rivalry between us. Not just because of primogeniture and the fact I would inherit everything, but because we’d both been hurt by the same incident in our pasts.
We just dealt with it differently.
He’d played a good game where Nila was concerned. A game I’d never been able to master—the art of wielding kindness. My kindness came with too many conditions and more pain than if I remained cruel. But Kes, he was…better than me.
I knew the real him. And despite my agony at him wanting Nila’s attention, he was a good guy.
Silently, he raised a finger, pointing it in my face. Nila couldn’t see him as he mouthed, “I know it’s not working. We need to find other methods.”
Shit, if he could see, Cut wouldn’t be too far behind.
“Dammit, Jethro, put me down.” Nila hammered on my lower back.
Ignoring her, I shifted her higher over my shoulder and nodded once.