Page 81 of The Warrior
“What else does he have to do first?”
“Well, this may sound silly to you, but if there is any sort of danger I would expect him to protect me. I mean, I want to be able to protect myself and all, but if I was with Magni it would be strange if he were to hide behind me.”
Athena smiled. “It should be safe to assume that you don’t have to worry about that with him. He’s very protective of you.”
“And I like that. I just don’t like it when he gets bossy.”
“Ahh, the old tale of balance.”
“Magni is always telling me what to do.” I affected a deep mocking voice. “‘Laura, it’s cold outside, you should put on gloves. Laura, did you drink enough? It’s important to stay hydrated. Laura, I want you to go to bed now, your body needs to be well rested or your immune system will suffer.’” I rolled my eyes. “It’s like that all day, every day.”
Athena’s chest rose in a deep intake of air. “Sounds to me like Magni is telling you all day, every day, that he loves you.”
My eyebrows drew close together.
“There are many ways to say I love you. You and Magni both have to practice communicating. You can’t only listen to the words, Laura. He’s speaking to you through his actions, his touch, and if you think about it every one of those bossy orders, as you call them, is an expression of love for you.”
I must’ve looked confused, because Athena elaborated.
“Maybe you would feel different if he said, ‘Laura dear, I can’t stand the thought of you freezing, so please remember your gloves.’ Or, ‘Laura darling, your well-being is of my greatest concern and I just want to make sure that you’re getting enough water and sleep.’”
I played with the tip of my braid. “Athena, I doubt that’s how he thinks.”
“Only Magni can tell you how he thinks. But if you can’t see the good intentions behind his requests, then you need to look again. It’s like he’s shouting I love you without actually saying the words.”
I scratched my shoulder. “I’ve never thought about it that way.”
“What do you think would happen if you showed him the same interest and care?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then maybe you should try it. My guess is that it would make him feel loved by you.”
Thinking hard, I played with my wristband for a while. “You really think I should tell him that I love him?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not you really love him.”
“I do. It’s just that he makes it hard. Like today, when I called to tell him that I had captured the last of the Nmen who escaped after the wall collapsed. Magni didn’t praise me for being a badass or anything. He just ordered me to come home right away. It’s like he thinks that now that I’m done chasing bad guys we can go back to the way things were.”
“And you don’t want that?”
“No. I want to be his equal. Not some sweet submissive wife he can just order around.” I paused. “I understand what you said about his concern being an expression of love, but Athena, you don’t know him. He can be overwhelming at times.”
Athena’s eyebrows rose in perfect arches. “You are talking to the woman whom he kidnapped. Believe me, I agree with you that Magni can be overwhelming.”
I closed my eyes. “I still can’t believe he would do that, and I’m so sorry that happened to you. I blame myself.”
“You’re not responsible for his actions. I’d like to think it was a desperate act of love.”
I leaned my right elbow on the back of the couch, and rested my face in my hand. “It blows my mind that you don’t hate him for what he did to you.”
“Oh, I’m no saint. I’ve had a few moments of intense dislike, and I’m still no fan of Magni’s.”
“But you don’t hate him.”
