“What the fuck do you want?” I snap.
“You’re such a meanie,” Jax teases. “What did I ever do to you to deserve such a treatment?”
I scoff. “Where do I begin?”
He clicks his tongue. I imagine he’s waving his ringed hand in the air right now. “I’m much more curious about where do we end.”
As always, he wears the shield of amusement, pretending to be the easygoing sunshine. But without my shields back in place, I read right through him. He feels sorry for me. It makes me want to gag.
“I don’t need your fucking pity,” I say through clenched teeth.
“Reading my emotions without my consent? Rude.”
“I don’t have much of a choice right now. My shields are not…working properly. I didn’t ask you to come here and be in close proximity, so fuck off if you don’t want me reading your emotions.”
Jax chuckles. “You’re the most stubborn person I know. And that says a lot, considering my father is the man he is.”
I can’t help myself. “What sort of man is your father?”
The sadness and…shame wafts off Jax before he can rein it in. “A menace.”
Before I can ask more questions, Jax changes the subject. “So, you’re back to training?”
“I…tried. But it’s not…working.” I choke out the words.
“Well, if it ain’t working, you know what to do.”
“And what’s that, smart ass?”
“You ask for help. You’ve got me, Vera, and Kazh to get you through this.”
I lower my head. Do I? Do I still have them? Kazh told me she won’t help, not until I learned the lesson. But Jax’s right. I can’t do this by myself. I need Kazh to guide me through it.
My voice comes out small when I say the next words. “Kazh won’t help.”
“Eh, bullshit,” Jax says. My head snaps up. “She’s your mentor, of course she’ll help. She may be angry right now. But anger fades.”
I consider his words. Maybe he’s right. If I beg Kazh’s forgiveness and beg her to train me even while I’m blinded…maybe she’ll agree.
Maybe there’s still hope.
With newfound determination blooming inside me, I lift my chin. “I need your help, Jax.”
“Anything, darling,” Jax purrs.
A moment later I feel something under my hand. His arm. He takes mine and wraps it around his arm, and his bicep flexes. Damn. I’ve never noticed before how shredded Jax actually is…
Focus, I scold myself.What the fuck, Phoenix?
“Take me to Kazh’s Inn,” I say. A beat later, I add, “Please.”
Asking forhishelp, and trusting him to guide me through this while I don’t see a thing, is terrifying. I feel so vulnerable and…weak.
But I can’t do this by myself. I have to accept that if I want to win.
“That should be fun,” Jax says, amused, as he carefully guides me through the garden, back into Vera’s studio.
“And…before we go. I tossed my sho—” Before I can finish the sentence, Jax hands me the pair I tossed aside earlier. “Thanks.”
