Page 54 of Truth (Wicked Empire 2)

“I don’t need a babysitter, Davit.”

“Don’t you?”

“I don’t,” I said, and then I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper at bay.

“We might disagree on that, but Erik is not a babysitter,” he said.

“Then what is he? A warden?”

“No, he’s the person who’s going to protect you from trouble, even trouble you try to make for yourself,” Davit said.

“Davit, I will not be—”

“You will not be what?” he said.

His voice was low, dangerous, and I looked away, but then shifted to look at him.

Could see the anger in his expression, and his unrelentingness.

“I told you I did something dumb. It won’t happen again. You don’t need to punish me,” I said.

“I’ll decide that, but Erik is not punishment,” he said.

“Then what would you call it?”

“I’d call it putting a person that I trust in position to take care of a person I care for,” he said.

He said the words reluctantly, almost like he didn’t want to let them out.

But whether he intended it or not, I felt myself softening.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“As you’ve said,” he responded, clearly not ready to let it go quite yet.

I ignored that, though, and walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around his waist.

He stood stiff, but eventually relaxed against me.

“Promise me you won’t do anything like that again,” he said.

“I promise,” I responded.

He hugged me tighter, but I didn’t know if he believed me.

* * *

Davit

“You thinkyou can handle the job?” I said to Erik in Armenian after I’d left Amethyst in the hotel suite.

He shrugged, but otherwise gave no indication that he had even heard me. “We’ll see,” he said.

I glanced over at him, a smile covering my face. “She’s just one woman,” I said.

“I’d rather take on a hundred men,” he replied without pause.

I laughed, but then sobered.

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