Chapter 29 – Sibling Bonds

“Swear to me you won’t be a total ass today?” I asked Jax.

I was getting ready to go pick up Chloe and bring her back here for the day, and now that the time had arrived, I was worried how my dear old brother would behave. Dad warned Jax last night to be on his best behavior today, but Jax rarely listened to anyone. He wasn’t very fond of being told what to do.

He groaned and rolled his eyes. “I promise to be a good little boy, Dad.” He huffed. “You really need to relax.”

“I’m serious, Jax.” I pinned him with a death glare. “Don’t mess this up for me.”

“Doesn’t it get exhausting being wound so tight all the time?” He let out a teasing laugh. “You’ll be the first vampire in history to die of a heart attack.”

I flipped him off, which only made him laugh harder. Grabbing my keys, I headed out to my truck and drove to Chloe’s house. She came out at the same moment I pulled into her driveway.

“Hey,” I said when she hopped into the cab and closed the door.

She greeted me by scooting across the seat and planting a kiss on the corner of my mouth. I could certainly get used to that. “Hi.” She moved back over to her side and hooked her seat belt. “Curfew is at seven-thirty.”

I gave her a funny look, then laughed. I couldn’t recall ever having a curfew. “Well then, I’ll make sure you’re home by seven twenty-nine.” I took her hand. “How did things go last night after I left?”

“I went to my room like you suggested, and I heard him leave shortly after you did. I didn’t speak to him. Or Abby. No more weird mind tricks.”

“We’ll figure this out. I promise. Talking to my father will help. He’s been studying and following the Zoya for centuries.”

“Yeah, okay.” She stared out the window. “So, you’re sure your dad and brother are okay with me spending all day at your house?”

“Yes. My dad’s excited to officially meet you.”

“He is?”

“I’m not sure why that surprises you.” I glanced over at her, squinting against the sunlight blaring through the window. I grabbed my sunglasses and slipped them on.

“Considering how Jax is taking this whole thing, I guess I assumed your dad would feel the same way about you dating a human.”

“They’re more concerned for you than they are for me.” I reached over to take her hand again. “Please stop worrying.”

She rolled her eyes, and we fell silent as I made the drive to my house. She’d been honest yesterday that the plan to spend the day with my dad and brother made her nervous, and based on her stiff posture, her nerves had only intensified overnight. I wished I could say or do something to put her at ease, but if I was being honest, I was a little nervous, too. I didn’t fully trust Jax to behave himself today.

When I pulled up in front of the house, Jax was on the porch. I glared in his direction. We hadn’t even gotten out of the truck and Jax was already being a pain in my ass. Chloe cleared her throat, but ended up coughing so hard, her eyes watered.

I rubbed her back. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she choked out and wiped her eyes. “I’m fine. Just swallowed wrong.”

I caressed her cheek with my thumb. “If this is too much for you, we can leave.” I never should’ve suggested she come here. She wasn’t ready.

“No. It’s okay. I can do this.”

I kissed the tip of her nose, then got out of the truck. Chloe remained in the cab a moment longer before climbing out. I took her hand and led her toward the front porch. Her steps were reluctant, and I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. I smiled, but she didn’t return the gesture.

“Jax, you remember Chloe,” I said.

I silently pleaded with him to remember Dad’s warning. If he so much as said the wrong thing…

“Like I could forget.” Jax jumped from the top step to the ground.

“Hey, Jax,” Chloe said, giving a little wave.

“Is Dad home?” I asked. The sooner we could get away from Jax the better. At least until I could better gauge his current mood. Right now, he seemed okay, but the smallest thing would likely set him off.

“Yeah.” Jax crossed his arms over his chest. “We should talk first, though.”

“Jax,” I warned, my grasp on Chloe’s hand tightening. She winced, and I released her hand before giving her an apologetic smile. “You promised.”

Jax’s gaze flickered to Chloe, then back to me. “She needs to know the truth. About everything.”

What the hell was he talking about? First, Jax had no idea what I already told Chloe, so he had no clue what she did and didn’t know. And second, telling her the truth was not his responsibility. It was mine, and I was handling it. I didn’t need his help.

“She already knows everything.” My words were tight, and the muscle in my jaw ticked.

Jax sighed with aggravation. “You’re both making a huge mistake.”

I huffed. “Maybe so, but it’s my mistake to make, Jaxon. Not yours.” I stood face to face with my brother.

Jax hadn’t been shy about sharing his opinion regarding Chloe and my relationship with her, and that was fine. He was entitled to his opinion, but he had no right to voice it in front of Chloe like this. Especially when he was more than likely to say something that would hurt her feelings.

“Look, if it’s a problem for me to be here, I can go home.” Chloe hooked her thumb over her shoulder and pointed at my truck.

“No, you won’t.” I reached for her hand and pulled her up the steps onto the porch. “C’mon. You can meet my dad.” I gave Jax a dirty look as we passed him and went inside. I slammed the door, and Chloe cringed. “Sorry about him,” I said with a shake of my head. “He thinks he knows best about everything, and well, he doesn’t.”

She simply nodded.

“Dad?” I called as I headed toward the kitchen.

“He’s out back,” Jax said.

Chloe spun around, surprised. I put my hand on her lower back and stepped closer to her, a clear warning to Jax to back off.

“If you’re here to start another argument, go away.” My fingers tensed against her back.

Jax narrowed his eyes at me, then turned to Chloe, his expression softening a little. “I’m sorry for how I behaved, Chloe. None of this is your fault, and I can’t be mad at you when it’s my brother who should know better.”

This time, I narrowed my eyes. What game was my brother playing? Seconds ago he was rude and standoffish, and now he was apologizing. He was up to something, and as soon as Chloe left later, I was going to find out what. No way he’d had a change of heart so quickly.

“Um, thanks.” She gave him big smile. “I know being with Trent is dangerous. And I’m okay with that. It’s my choice. He’s not forcing me or anything.”

“Fair enough,” Jax said. “But now that you’re in this, you need to understand it’s not just about you and Trent. This involves our entire family, and that’s not something any of us take lightly.”

“I get it,” she said, her voice a whisper.

“Do you?” Jax raised a brow. “Because if you truly understood, you wouldn’t be here.”

“Give it a rest, Jax.” I groaned. “Let’s try to have some fun today, huh? You do remember how to have fun, don’t you?”

A competitive twinkle entered Jax’s eyes, and a slow, arrogant smile curved his lips. “Depends. Do I get to decide what’s fun?” Jax asked, his gaze slicing over to Chloe.

Distracting my brother with the threat of competition never failed to work. I chuckled. “And what’s your idea of fun?” I asked.

“Considering we have a fragile human tagging along… let’s take the four wheelers out.”

“What do you think, Chloe?” I pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Huh?”

I smiled. “Jax suggested we take the four wheelers out for a ride. What do you think?”

“Oh, um, I’ve never been on a four-wheeler before.” She laughed. “I wouldn’t even know how to get on one let alone drive one.”

“That’s okay. You can ride with me,” I said.

“You drive like a little old lady who can’t see over the steering wheel.” Jax shook his head. “You’re going to have a great time with him, Chloe.” He rolled his eyes. “If you want a real ride, stick with me.”

I punched Jax on the arm, and we both laughed. “I’m just safe, that’s all.”

“Why?” Jax asked, making a noise that sounded like a snort. “It’s not like you’re going to die or anything.”

“No, but I can,” Chloe blurted. “And I’d really like to wake up tomorrow morning.”

Simultaneously, Jax and I whipped around to stare at her. Joking about my immortality was one thing, but joking about her very real and fragile mortality was another thing completely, and so not funny.

“What?” she asked self-consciously.

“Are we gonna do this or not?” I moved my arm, so it was around her shoulders, turned her toward the kitchen, then led her out to the backyard. “The four wheelers are in the pole barn.” I nodded toward the large, metal building several feet away. As we approached, Sean walked out of the barn. “That’s Dad.”

Introducing Chloe to my father wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as being around Jax. Technically, Chloe had already seen Sean once before, so seeing him again now shouldn’t be too much of a shock for her.

“Chloe,” Sean said, his voice melodic. “It’s so nice to officially meet you.” He stopped in front of her, extended his hand, and she reached out to take it. “Sean Halstead.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Halstead.”

He laughed. “It’s just Sean.”

“Oh, right.” Her face reddened. “Sorry. Uh, yeah, I’m Chloe.”

Behind us, Jax chuckled. He was not helping an already uncomfortable situation.

Sean kissed the back of Chloe’s hand and momentarily froze before his expression softened. He abruptly dropped her hand. Unease slithered up my spine. What was that all about?

I turned my attention to my father. “We’re going to take the four wheelers out. That okay?”

“Sure. Be careful and stay on our property. We don’t need any trouble.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, we know the rules.”

“I know.” Sean put his hand on my shoulder. “They were for Chloe’s benefit. Not yours.” With that, Sean nodded at Chloe and headed into the house.

I took Chloe’s hand and tugged her toward the pole barn. Jax was already inside, claiming his four-wheeler. I offered her a helmet. She took it but hesitated as if unsure if she should put it on. Eventually, she did, fastening the clasp beneath her chin, then climbed onto the back of the four-wheeler I sat on.

“Hang on to me.” I started the four-wheeler, revved it up, and then sped out of the barn behind my brother.

The ATV lurched when I took off, and Chloe yelped. Wrapping her arms around me, she held on tightly as I raced to catch up with my brother. I loved the feel of her arms around me, of the trust she put in me not to harm her as I recklessly swerved in front of and around Jax. We screamed at each other in jest about going faster, while trying to get one another to slow down.

“This is crazy!” Chloe laughed, scooting closer and adjusting her hold on me.

In that split second, all my problems and concerns vanished. I was just a guy hanging out with his girlfriend and my brother, having fun and being goofy. Moments like this were incredibly rare, and I savored everything about it.

I flung my head back and laughed. Then I floored it and sped past Jax. After a few minutes, I slowed, then stopped, shutting off the engine.

“Something wrong?” She let go of me and removed her helmet.

I climbed off with ease. “Want to drive?”

“What? No.” She shook her head emphatically.

Her fear was tangible, especially knowing how Jax was driving, but I knew my brother, and he’d never be as reckless around her as he was with me. Despite his attitude, he’d never intentionally harm an innocent human, and that’s exactly what Chloe was.

“Come on.” I motioned for her to move forward. “It’s easy. I’ll show you.” I sat behind her—very closely behind her, closer than she was to me a few moments ago—and put my mouth near her ear.

Jax skidded to a stop near us. His eyes were bright with excitement. “Good idea. Let your girlfriend drive. Maybe then you’ll actually be able to keep up.” Jax smirked.

That was the first time Jax had referred to Chloe as my girlfriend in a non-sarcastic way. I was making progress with him. Still, he did insult my driving, so I proudly raised my middle finger at my brother.

“You want to learn how to drive that, let me show you.” Jax moved like he was going to get off his four-wheeler.

“Don’t even think about it.” I pointed at Jax. “All right, Chloe.” I directed my attention back to her. “Push this button here to turn it on.”

She did as I said, and the ATV roared to life. Her heart jumped, and I chuckled softly.

“Okay, grab the handlebars.” I placed my hands over hers, and she sighed, the sound wrapping around me in the best way imaginable. “Make sure you hold on tight, okay?”

“Okay.”

I moved my thumb over and pressed another button. I released her hands at the same time the ATV lurched forward, and she screamed, letting go of the handlebars. Her helmet rolled off her lap and onto the ground.

“Hold on,” I shouted, and we both grabbed for the handlebars at the same time.

Her hands now covered mine. Her heart was thundering, and adrenaline was thick in her veins. I slowly let off the gas and came to a stop before easing my hands out from under hers.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I panicked.”

“It’s okay. Let’s try again. Remember, you’re in control, so don’t be afraid. If you feel like you’re going too fast, let off the gas. And I’ll be right here with you.” My voice was low at her ear.

If nothing else, she should know by now that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Even if that anything was an out-of-control four-wheeler. She nodded, and I kissed her cheek. Her body relaxed. She blew out a breath, took hold of the handlebars, and gently pulled the throttle on the gas. The four-wheeler inched forward slowly. She pulled a little harder, and we went faster.

“Good. Now try turning.” I moved my hands, so they were on her thighs near her hips. She unexpectedly jerked the handlebars to the right. “Not so hard.” I grabbed the handles, correcting her turn. Then I laughed again.

Behind us, Jax was hooting and hollering, shouting jabs at me and Chloe, who eventually relaxed a little more and laughed, too. Hearing her joy, seeing the smile on her face… I could easily picture her in my life like this, as part of my family, and I wanted that more than anything.

“It’s probably better if you drive,” she said.

“I think that’s a good idea.” I climbed off the ATV, and she scooted back so I could sit in front of her. I pinned her with an intense stare. “It wasn’t so bad for your first try.”

“Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes.

Smiling, I leaned down and kissed her. She parted her lips, and my tongue hesitantly explored her mouth. I could get used to this, too—the freedom to steal kisses whenever I wanted, knowing she’d eagerly accept and return my affection.

I snatched her helmet from the ground and handed it back. “Ready?”

I climbed onto the seat, and she scooted back a little more.

“Hey, we’re heading back to the house,” I shouted over my shoulder at Jax.

Then we took off at a killer speed. She wrapped her arms tightly around my stomach and clung to me. Did she feel how incredibly perfect we were together?