Chapter 31

       After leaving the kitchen, Christian decided to attack before Jay could do it. He was furious with himself for getting caught red-handed. That’s not how he planned it. He had long suspected that Jay and Bryan had something in common, but without evidence there was little he could do. Christian had to admit that they hid well. And when she confessed the truth yesterday, he immediately came to Melanie to talk to her about reviling themselves.

       But definitely not that way! ‘Fuck!’ He thought and switched into offensive mode.

- What happened this morning?! – He spoke bluntly. – I had the impression as if I was stunned!

       -    Nothing happened! – She tried to deny.

       -    Don’t treat me like an idiot! – He lost his patience. – I’ve heard your chaotic thoughts! I sensed your emotions! And look at your face! – He pointed to her blue eye.

       -    Christian! Everything’s fine. – She walked uneasily around the living room, avoiding looking in his eyes. He knew her too well and could smell a lie from a distance.

       -    Then why I felt your pain?! – He stopped her rapidly and turned her around, forcing her to look at him. – I could feel the taste of blood in my mouth! Your fucking blood! – His gaze was piercing.

       In his navy blue eyes she saw anger, but there was something else too. Fear. Her brother knew that something really bad had happened that morning. Though he had no idea what it was. And that scared the shit out of him. And for some reason Jay couldn’t bear it. ‘Why does it have to be so hard?!’ She asked herself. ‘Why do we have to be connected by this fucking metaphysical thread that twitches in convulsions every time we lose control over shields?’ She thought frustrated.

       On that moment she didn’t have much choice. If she refused to explain to Christian what happened, he could have talked to their brothers and then they would press on her until they would reached their intended goal. But Jay promised herself that one day she would master it. She will control subconsciously the shields protecting her, so as not to trouble her brothers, or anyone else, with unnecessary signals.

       She took a deep breath.

-       I went jogging. – She started calmly. – As usually. I chose the route through the park. It was foggy, so all the city sounds were drowned out. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath. – She shuddered involuntarily on recall of the morning events. – I sensed him suddenly. He was coming closer. He headed straight for me and had only one goal. – She looked at him gravely. – He wanted to kill me.

-       Who?! – He asked, shaking her. He let go of her abruptly when she groaned in pain. – Who, Jay?! And what did he do to you?! – He couldn’t believe that someone was trying to kill his baby sister.

-       It was the same werewolf, who wounded me in summer. – She answered rubbing her sore shoulder. It still hurt, though she healed the wounds.

-       But Dominic, that hunter, killed them all, didn’t he? – He reminded.

-       Actually, I saw them all lying on the ground, but I wasn’t sure if they were all dead. – She said as if she spoke to herself. – Apparently this one ran away when I lost consciousness.

-       What did he do to you? – He inquired. All his anger vanished suddenly.

-       I’ll live! – She chuckled. – I fought with him. – She continued. – He clutched his claws first on my thigh, then on my shoulder. The pain was fucking excruciating! If I didn’t remember about the knife in time, he’d probably finish me off. – She gave him a pale smile, but her eyes sparkled with tears.

       He took his sister in his arms and hugged her tightly. He could only imagine what Jay had been through that morning. He felt his chest tighten. She was here with him. Safe and sound. But what if she had failed? If she had died out there, in the park. Alone. He had no idea what he would do if something bad had happened to her.

-       I’ve killed him. – She whispered by his ear. Her voice was oddly soundless. Empty.

-       You did what you had to do! You defended yourself! – He spoke to her quietly.

-       I killed. – She repeated as if she spoke to herself.

-       Jay, listen to me! – Christian took her face in his hands, forcing her to focus on him. – You had to do it! You stayed cool and composed. Now you have to cope with it! It was self-defense! – She nodded, but her gaze was still absent. – You healed very fast. – He changed the topic.

       She looked involuntarily down at her right arm. Indeed, her wounds healed extremely fast and she even didn’t lose too much energy on it. ‘That’s probably due to adrenaline.’ She thought more consciously.

-       I took care of my leg first. – She was already able to think clear. – On the shoulder I focused on my way back. But I think injuries were too extensive, as it still hurts like hell. – She let him look at her arm and examine it carefully.

-       It’ll be okay. – He made a final diagnosis. – Muscles and nerves just need some extra time to recover. – He gave her a warm smile.

-       I managed to jump over to the bathroom and throw away bloody clothes before Bryan woke up. – Jay said in low voice. – But I’ve missed the eye. He thinks it’s because of a branch. – She felt slightly ashamed.

-       He doesn’t know anything? – He asked surprised. Jay shook her head. – You can’t hide from him who you are! – He said reproachfully. – Then how did it happen that Mel knows? – He inquired.

-       She has long known that we’re of witches and hunters, but she’s learnt about our supernatural abilities recently. She caught me while I was practicing self-healing. I made her promise she won’t tell anyone! – She defended herself.

-       You have to tell him! – Christian said in his mentoring tone. – If he’ll find out other way… - He paused as he couldn’t find the words. – It’ll destroy him, Jay!

-       I know. – She admitted, fear visible in her eyes. – I’ll tell him, but I need time! – She promised.

       Her eyes filled up with tears. It itself made him think. Though for a bystander Jay might seem to be insensible and cynical, and even cold person, she was in fact surprisingly sensitive and susceptible to emotions. He didn’t want her to cry. It was always hard for him to look at his sister’s tears.

       He changed the topic quickly.

-       I feel uncomfortable knowing that you’re sleeping with Weakfield. – He gave her his famous Casanova smile.

-       At least you haven’t seen us in bed! – She snapped back.

       His embarrassed face told her, that this fact made him even more uncomfortable. At that moment Mel came out of the kitchen, followed by Bryan.

-       Can we talk, dude? – Bryan put his hands in his pockets to stop himself from combing his hair again.

-       Sure! – Christian was calm. – Let’s go for a walk. – He proposed.

       He kissed Jay on the cheek and headed for the door. On the way he stopped by Mel. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, disregarding the embarrassment of his friend. Then he slapped Bryan in the back, ignoring the menacing flashes in his eyes.

-       Shall we? – He said using the sweetest inviting tone and allowed Bry to leave first.

       For a moment they were looking at the door, which closed behind their brothers. The atmosphere in the room was a little bit tense. For them both, getting along with their own brother didn’t cause much trouble. But now they were to explain the situation to each other. Still a year ago, they would unanimously agreed, that they will never look suspiciously at their brothers’ girlfriends. And though there was no sign of suspicion now, it was clear that this situation wasn’t comfortable for them.

-       So, you and Christian… - Jay started uncertainly.

-       And you with Bryan. – Ended Mel. – Since when?

       Jay thought that she was hiding the truth from her friend long enough. She missed those moments, full of confidences. She could always trust Mel with her every secret. And her friend never let her down or abused her trust. So Jay bet on honesty.

-       But seriously? – She said calmly. – In August, at the party. But there was a real chemistry between us already in June. You remember that day, when Michael decided to play his life’s role of knight in shining armor? – She smiled at the memory.

-       He got a good licking, but Monique’s still his girlfriend. – Mel smirked too.

-       Lucky devil! – Jay chuckled. – Coming back to the point. I wanted to kick those sons-of-bitches’ asses then, but Carter forbade me to get involved.

-       I remember. Bryan carried you out of the court thrown over his shoulder. – Mel finished with a chuckle, and she suddenly had a moment of enlightenment. Her smile faded and her eyebrows lifted.

-       Yeah. He thrust me into the car and drove home. - She said indignantly. But her eyes softened quickly. – It was like a bolt out of the blue! – She tried to find the right words. – As if someone had switched on the light in my head! I’d never thought about your brother that way, Mel! For God’s sake! I was totally crushed the moment I looked into his eyes! – She just quickly combed her hair.

-       I got your point. – Mel said with dreamy look. – I didn’t plan that too. It just happened. – She shrugged.

       They looked into each other's eyes and smiled understandingly. After a moment they fell into each other’s arms, like sisters who hadn’t seen each other long ago.

-       I’m so sorry for not telling you! – Jay whispered.

-       I guess we’re even. – Mel laughed.

-       Let’s have coffee! – Proposed Jay. – Guys may not deal with it so quickly. – They burst out with laugh and went to the kitchen. – How did it happened, that you’re with my brother? – Jay asked, preparing mugs for them.

-       It was at the beginning of November. – She started quietly. She knew, that she could tell Jay everything with details. – I broke up with Rick. For the first time I was more furious than despair. – She took her coffee and sipped a bit. – But it didn’t stop me from crying in anger. – She smiled to her thoughts. – You weren’t at home at that time, so I was throwing things off. I almost hit Christian’s head with a pot. – When Jay looked at her in surprise, Mel laughed. – He has good reflexes and managed to slip away.

-       Yeah. – She sighed. – He never missed the cat’s agility.

-       He helped me to calm down, sent me to the bathroom, so I could take a hot bath, and he cleaned up all the mess I did.

-       What a gallant! – She replied with a sneer.

-       When I went down again, I saw with great surprise that Christian’s still there. –She looked gravely at her friend. – He waited for more than an hour! He took me on a walk and listened. Then we went for ice cream and he took me back home.

-       That’s it?! – Jay didn’t hide her surprise. – Just like that?

-       He acted like a good friend. – Mel continued. – Almost like a brother, who I needed then. And you know that I couldn’t go with it to Bry. I was really grateful to Christian that he listened to me. – She sighed. – But it wasn’t the end. – She smiled mysteriously.

-       What do you mean? – Jay looked suspiciously at her friend.

-       The next day he called me and asked me what’s new and how I feel. – When she talked about it, her eyes shone. – One day he came to take me to the movie, another one for a dinner. – She grabbed Jay’s hand spontaneously. – We spent a lot of time together, but Christian didn’t say or show anything that could suggest he has any feelings for me! He was a really good friend!

-       But you were already in love. – In her statement was a tone of compassion.

-       Already when we drove to Monterey. – She confessed. – I didn’t dare to have hope, but for the first time I wanted to wait to see what would happen.

-       And what happened? – Jay asked after a moment of silence.

-       When we got back I hadn’t much time. You yourself also had a real avalanche of tests and exams. – Jay only nodded. – One day I didn’t go for the classes coz I had to finish my painting.

-       I remember. – Jay sipped her coffee, enjoying the story.

-       I was in my studio when the front door slammed. – She was recalling with dreamy eyes. – At first I thought that you’d forgotten something, so I didn’t get away from the easel. I heard heavy footsteps going to my room. He opened the door with a sudden jerk. He was outraged. He had such a wild eyes. – She paused for a moment and smiled at Jay. - He came to me, took into his arms and kissed. Without unnecessary words! Just like that! – Mel finished with dreamy look.

***

       Meanwhile, Christian and Bryan walked toward the nearby forest, silent. None of them knew how to start the conversation, which they must necessarily carry out. They were friends from the cradle and always managed to get along. They didn’t want any misunderstandings or misconceptions, but it didn’t change the fact that the topic was a bit embarrassing for them. In the end, there was an unwritten rule regarding sisters! And it sounded "DON’T TOUCH!" Which, incidentally, they both have broken.

       When they reached the small clearing, they sat on a fallen log. They looked around still avoiding the subject and looking at each other. In the end Christian couldn’t bear the restless silence.

       -    I guess it's too late to ask for permission? – He said laconically.

       -    Indeed. – Bryan was nervously twisting a broken twig in his fingers. – It never dragged me in, but I have to admit that I’d love to smoke right now.

       His friend's nervous laughter assured him that he had the same feelings.

       -    How long…? – Christian asked uncertainly.

       -    We started meeting in September. – Bryan said. – But when it comes to me, it started earlier. – He took a deep breath. - Much earlier.

       -    Why didn’t you say anything? – Christian asked reproachfully.

       -    Probably for the same reason, that you and Mel hadn’t say a word. The unwritten rule. Besides, Jay asked me not to tell you.

       -    Bitch! – He snorted.

       -    I guess she was afraid of your reaction. – He looked carefully at his buddy. – Rightly?

       -    Yes. No. I don’t know. – Christian shrugged. – Maybe. But if it comes to me, I rather don’t have anything more to say in this matter.

       -    Rather not. – Bryan agreed with him. – Listen! I’m not going to get mad or forbid you to meet my sister. But the rule is the rule!

       -    Carry on. – Christian encouraged him to continue.

       -    If you harm her in any way, I’ll kick your ass! – He warned and reached out to Christian.

       His friend watched his hand for a while, and then he sighed and shook it.

-       Agreed! – He said finally. – There’s one condition! Because I can’t promise you the same, as if you hurt Jay she’ll defend herself, you have to accept other condition.

-       What? – He asked suspiciously.

-       I’ll hold you while she’ll be kicking your ass. – Christian grinned.

-       I think I can accept it. – He smiled back. – All okay between us?

-       Yeah, I guess. Let’s go back before they’ll start looking for us.