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Chapter 22

I wished I could have not told her. If I could have kept her from being hurt, I would have done it, but watching her from such a close range, I could see she was in agony, bleeding emotionally from a thousand raw wounds. I wanted her to know that it had nothing to do with her. She was perfect.

Yep. I was infatuated. Everything about Keira captured my attention. The fall of her hair, her seldom heard laugh, her graceful hands, her generous spirit. I couldn't help but feel that my brother was a moron.

I couldn't help but love her.

When Noah had vanished, I'd immediately dropped my vet days back to two mornings a week. I'd said it was out of distraction with everything that was happening, which was true. Part of the distraction was Noah. Mostly it was Keira. How could I spend time in the clinic when I could be by her side watching a movie or making her lunch? The chance to hang out with her was a temptation too great to resist.

Of course, I was still concerned about Noah. He was my brother, and as much as I didn't agree with his actions, I loved him and wanted him safe. But the days passed and he hadn't come back; either he didn't care enough about her to return or... the alternative was unthinkable, so I did the sensible thing and didn't think about it.

I'd shown Pop the highlighted passage in Noah's Bible. Pop had sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes hard before speaking.

"I wish he would have brought me this. I wish... we could have talked about it."

I shrugged. "What's to talk about? You know how Noah feels about the Bible. The word is the word; you couldn't have talked him out of it."

"You're angry at him." Pop wasn't accusing me, just trying to understand.

"Tell me why I shouldn't be!" I yelled, flapping my wings irritably. "He pulls a stupid stunt, flies off without warning, ditches Keira, you, me. And not a word! Not a phone call or an email - just lets us worry. He's my friend, my twin. We're brothers! I thought that meant something!"

Pop let me rant, then gave me a hug. "He'll be okay."

Inside the circle of Pop's arms, I was suddenly ten years old and alone again. I muffled my shaky words into Pop's shoulder. "How do you know?"

"Because Noah is tough. And so are you." We stood together, the littlest family ever. Pop eventually spoke. "Now, I have to be off to this conference, I'll be back tomorrow. And you have a friend to drive into the city, yes?"

I stood back, wiping my eyes hastily. "Yeah. Keira says we should only be a few hours so we'll be back here for dinner."

"Wear your coats. Be careful." The same rules Pop gave us every time one of us ventured into town.

"Will do. See you soon, Pop."

I left the library and went to round up Keira. She waited for me in the kitchen, looking like a beautiful but otherwise ordinary girl in her jeans and long white jacket. Her face brightened as I entered, and my heart lifted.

"Are you ready?" She pushed up out of her chair and moved towards me.

I stepped back, unable to have her too close for fear of kissing her without restraint. "Let's do it."

My seldom used car sat in the garage, a sporty Audi. It was a spoil I had bought with my vet earnings, silver and speedy. The almost-new leather seats creaked as we got in.

"How long to the city by road?" Keira asked.

I backed out and sped out along the beach road. "About the same as by air."