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“You’re a Little, Savannah,” Jax said kindly. “You need rules and guidelines before you embark on any kind of power play relationship. To keep you safe.”
“Safe,” said Savannah bitterly. “Everybody keeps talking about keeping me safe. But if I can’t go anywhere or do anything, what’s the point? I might as well justdisappear, like Mia.” She felt her eyes prick with tears.
Jax reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t say that. Please. This situation is only temporary. My brother is doing everything he can to protect you while you’re in danger. He obviously fucked up by not making a contract when things became . . . sexual. But believe me when I say he cares about you.”
Savannah felt her cheeks redden even more. “Mm-hmm. Yeah, I can tell. It’s just . . . I’m not used to being looked after. It makes me feel . . . small.”
“Then you need to talk to Blake about that,” said Jax. “He’s a good guy. I’m sure he’ll listen.” He sighed. “The thing is, Savannah, he would give his life to keep you safe. That’s just what he’s like.”
“But he barely knows me.”
“Ever since our sister, Chloe, disappeared, that’s how he’s wired. To be honest, he was like that after our parents died, too. He took it hard. Felt responsible.”
“But why? It wasn’t his fault.”
“He can’t bear the thought that he could have saved someone if he’d been in the right place at the right time.”
Savannah nodded, thinking of the guilt that gnawed at her own heart over Mia's disappearance. “I guess I can understand that.”
Jax nodded solemnly. "I think he sees you as a chance to make things right, to protect someone who needs it."
Savannah's heart clenched at the thought of bearing the weight of Blake's guilt and regret. She didn't want to be someone's second chance—she wanted to be cared about for who she was.
"But I'm not weak," she insisted, her voice cracking slightly. "I can take care of myself."
"I know you can. But we all need a little extra help sometimes, especially when there’s a target on our back. So . . . let Blake take care of you.”
She frowned. “And what if I don’t?”
“That’s your decision. But I know it would devastate Blake."
Savannah's thoughts raced, torn between her desire for independence and the longing for the security Blake offered. One thing she knew for sure: she didn’t want to be a stand-in for Chloe, if that’s what she was.
Jax sighed. "Now, will you please get back to that safehouse before my brother murders someone?"
Savannah chuckled and nodded. “Okay, Jax. Thanks for the chat.”
***
Savannah opened the door timidly, hoping that she wouldn’t find Blake back yet.
But of course, he was.
She saw him pacing by the window, his jaw clenched and eyes filled with worry and anger.
"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down her spine.
"I went to the library," Savannah replied, her voice steady despite the trembling in her hands.
Blake's eyes narrowed, the possessiveness in his gaze almost tangible. "You disobeyed me, Savannah. You left the safehouse without permission, putting yourself in extreme danger."
Savannah shrugged. “The library isn’t dangerous! I mean, some of the old books were a bit dusty, and I guess if you have a dust allergy—”
“This isn’t the time to joke, young lady. If Jax hadn’t messaged me to tell me you were safe, I’d have taken to the streets with a damn pistol by now.”
"I can take care of myself, Blake." She crossed her arms, her defiance fueled by the desire to prove herself. "I wasn’t doing anything stupid. I just wanted to go look at some books. Do something on my own terms."
“We had an agreement,” said Blake. “I told you to stay in the safehouse until I got back. If you want to go gallivanting around a university library, you ask me to take you there.”
