Drake Sisters 05 - Safe Harbor

love you."
    "I know that. Don't you think I know that? They'd walk through fire for me. I know how I'd feel if this had happened to one of them, but it didn't. It happened to me and I can't breathe with all the pity in this house."
    "Compassion," he corrected, narrowing his eyes as he stared down at the dramatic writing below. "That's a double 'S' she's drawn there—or a snake. Maybe she's asking if I'm a snake. R U a snake? And they have compassion for you. They were all terrified, honey, just like I was, the way your parents and aunts were. It's natural they want to look after you."
    "I know." Now she felt guilty. She was always guilty. She swam in guilt. She looked up at the sky and wished she could fly away.
    Jonas tugged her closer to him, bringing her beneath his shoulder. "Your sisters have always smothered you, Hannah. They can't help themselves. Maybe you're just a little more sensitive to it right now. And that's all right. Tell them to give you some space."
    He glanced back to the beach. "Joley is standing on her head. She really has lost her mind."
    Hannah looked down and sucked in her breath. "It's says 'Russian.' Elle's writing the word 'Russian.' Joley's wiping it out so if a photographer is still around no one can see.
    The Russian must be somewhere close."
    "How would they know?"
    "Joley would know. He did something to her—marked her in some way. She can feel him and sometimes he talked to her." Hannah waved her hands toward the beach below and the wind kicked up the sand, spreading it across the letters, effectively hiding the evidence. "I know he saved my life, Jonas, but what I don't know is why.
    He's too interested in Joley. At first I thought it was because he's a man and all men are interested in her."
    Jonas kissed the top of her head. "Joley's sexy. I figured out pretty fast I was going to spend a lot of time beating up the boys in her school if I didn't put out a few warnings.

    And just for your information, Joley doesn't appeal to me at all that way. I've never wanted anyone but you."
    "You're such a liar. You've always been a terrible flirt. And I remember the night you had an invasion of frogs and one of your little hussies came flying out your bedroom window."
    "I knew you did that." He laughed, and tipped up her face.
    Hannah pulled away from him before he could kiss her. She couldn't stand him looking at the ruin of her face. She couldn't stand to think of him seeing her body.
    Why hadn't she thought herself beautiful when she had the chance? She was always dieting and working out to get the right body for the runway instead of enjoying what she had. She'd never looked at herself and liked what she saw. Never. Not since she realized she couldn't talk in public and crowds made her panic. Not since she realized she wasn't anything like her beautiful, accomplished sisters.
    "What's wrong, Hannah?"
    She sank back into the chair. She was not about to tell him she was thinking he'd never see her as beautiful again. Would she ever stop whining to herself? She pushed her own personal grief aside and searched for something substantial, something real, to worry about. Something true so he wouldn't know she was so shallow.
    She forced herself to meet his eyes and voiced a concern she'd had since the party in New York. "I'm worried about what Prakenskii might want with Joley. He and Nikitin both mentioned her right before… it… happened. And Prakenskii asked me if she was a spell-singer."
    Jonas blinked. He wasn't exactly certain what spell-singing was. Joley had a voice that could have belonged to an angel or a devil. Either way she could mesmerize a crowd.
    But Hannah was worried; it wasn't that difficult to read her.
    She pressed a hand to her head. "I was running from him. I felt so threatened. I kept thinking if I got outside, I'd be all right. I remember being afraid for Joley."
    "Breathe, honey. Just take a breath and let it out. Libby said your memory might begin to return, but if it doesn't, it isn't a big deal. We're going to figure things out eventually. Give me a clue about spell-singing. What does that mean?"
    "Sergei Nikitin has been following Joley around for a long time now, trying to get an introduction, trying to find a way to get to her."
    "He wrote a couple of letters to her, but her manager intercepted them. Fortunately he always hands over letters to security, even though Nikitin has won some kind of celebrity status and pretends he's a legitimate businessman. He