“That’s hardly the same thing. She was…you all were sitting in the snow with a storm coming. I couldn’t just leave you there to die.”
“And since then? How long has it been since you could have taken us somewhere else?”
“It would have been risky,” I mutter.
“Bullshit. When we needed medicine, you managed to get to civilization pretty quickly. You want her to stay here.”
Iris is right—I probably could get Seri to Yellowknife at this point. Maybe not Fort Providence, but if I can get the Jeep to Whatì, I can get to the all-weather road that leads to Yellowknife. The trip would still have its dangers, and storms could still pop up without much warning, but I honestly haven’t thought about sending Seri on her way for several days.
“You don’t have to admit it,” Iris says.
“It’s still risky,” I say even though I know my position isn’t as strong as it once was. “Seri needed medicine for survival. Getting to Whatì to acquire something necessary for survival isn’t the same as trying to make it to a city.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
“You want to leave now?” I ask. “You want to get your shit together and have me take you away? On a good day, it’s three hours to Yellowknife. We might make it in six. Another storm could come up at any time and leave us stranded, but if you want to risk your life, I’m game.”
Iris glares at me with gritted teeth, and I wonder if I’ve gone too far. What am I going to say if she takes me up on the offer?
“We want to stay,” she finally says. “Netti says we are safe with you.”
“I said I would protect you, and I meant it.”
Iris’s expression softens. I walk around the chair and sit next to her, and when I hold out my arms, she climbs into my lap and leans against my chest. I wrap my arms around her.
“I will keep you safe,” I say again.
I hold her for a while with my lips pressed to the top of her head. I’ve spent time thinking about the differences between Seri and Iris but not much on their similarities. It occurs to me that they are both vulnerable in their own ways. They both have an internal strength as well.
“I don’t blame you for loving her,” Iris says after a while. “Everyone always loved Seri. She was the sweet one, the special one. I was the troublemaker who made her look like a saint.”
“You resented her.”
“Fuck you.” Iris gives my arm a squeeze. “I did not. She was my sister. I loved her.”
“You weren’t jealous?”
“Not in the way you probably think,” Iris says. “She was always more controlled, more centered. She was selfless whereas I was more likely to put myself first. I wanted to be like her even though I was the older one. I wasn’t always there for her when she needed me. If I had been…well, things might have ended up differently.”
She sighs and leans her head back against my shoulder. I hug her against my chest and kiss her temple.
“You better be planning to make all this talking shit worth my while.”
“Huh?”
Iris turns around in my lap and grabs the bottom of my shirt.
“Get those clothes off, Bishop. Let me see that beautiful cock.”
Chapter 22
I awake to the warmth of a feminine body next to mine, the familiar smell of her skin, and the soft sound of her breathing. I realize I’m smiling before I even open my eyes.
It’s still strange to me, this feeling of familiarity and comfort, but the more I accept it, the more I like it. I enjoy having her beside me when I sleep, and I like watching her all curled up with her head on my shoulder and Solo lying in a ball on her pillow.
When I lived with Margot, I’d often get out of bed in the middle of the night and sleep on the couch, just to be alone. She never said anything about it, but I know it bothered her. As much as she tried, I was never as comfortable around her as I am now with Seri.
And Iris. And, to a lesser extent, Netti.