“How long are you going to keep him in the brig?” I ask as I fall into stride next to him.
“As long as it takes. Dane is convincing, and I need to make sure he isn’t going to hurt anyone.”
“You let me out before that. I tried to jump off the ship.”
He smirks at the memory, the fire from the torches dancing in his eyes.
“I did what I had to. You probably would have only hurt me, and I wasn’t worried about winning yet another spar against you.”
I shoot him a glare, and he laughs, the sound echoing in the tunnel and sending a shiver down my spine.
“He knows Jorn, so it will probably be quick. Hopefullyhedoesn’t starve himself.”
I roll my eyes. “You know I’ve had hostility training. You can’t blame me for trying to protect myself.”
“I can blame you if I have to watch it harm you.”
“Is that why you sat outside the door? Because I wasn’t eating?”
My mind flashes back to hearing him argue with Sig. Gods, it feels like a lifetime ago now.
He doesn’t answer right away, and when he does, his voice drops even lower than before. “I had to make sure you stayed alive. I knew what you were doing, but I did everything I could to get you to stop.”
“You sent Fin in.”
He nods slowly. “I knew you wouldn’t listen to me, but I hoped you’d listen to him.”
“You were right.”
“I usually am, princess.” His lips break into a sly grin, and I feel the urge to shove him with my shoulder, but I don’t. I keep my distance, knowing that every time he touches me, feelings I try to suppress come flooding back, and all I can think about is wanting his hands on me again.
The portal comes into sight, and I can see the rest of the crew crossing the beach onto the reef in the distance when Weston turns and stops in front of me. I stop abruptly and look up at him, but he stares at the ground, his brow furrowed.
“I don’t know who you’ve dealt with back home, what your relationships are like with your handmaids, and guards, and everyone else,” he says. “But I’m not like most of them. Remmington and Lyla were my friends. I cared about them. I’m not just someone who tried to climb the ranks and get to the top.”
He pauses, as if he’s trying to find the courage to say whatever he is thinking, and I seal my lips shut so I don’t interrupt.
Is he actually going to be honest and tell me how he feels?
“Keeping you safe is my job. I may have sworn an oath to the crown…” His teal eyes meet mine, shining with an intensity that makes my chest tighten. His arm extends slightly and I jolt at the whisper of a touch as the pads of his fingertips brush against mine. Fire burns low in my abdomen and I swallow hard, my eyes not leaving his. His voice is gruff as his molten eyes caress my face.
“But I do actually care. Even if I’m not supposed to.”
He holds my stare as he slowly steps backwards through the portal, before turning his back to me and striding toward the beach.
“Hurry up, princess,” he calls over his shoulder, but I just stare at his back, stunned.
Did I jump to conclusions because of my insecurities? Is it fair that I pegged Weston’s motives as solely from his duty and nothing more?
Yes, he treats me differently than the rest of the crew, but he does whatever he needs to do to save them. Jorn proved that. Weston saved his life numerous times.
Is being overbearingly protective how he shows he cares? Is that why he agreed to be my father’s First Guard to begin with, because of his love for his childhood best friend?
Maybe I don’t understand Weston as much as I thought I did. This caring man is hidden under a rough and protective exterior. He took on the responsibility for everyone in this crew, despite having no relationship with any of them before. He has been in this role for over twenty years, stuck here, fighting for a way home.
He wouldn’t be doing all of that if he didn’t care deeply, even if he has a terrible way of showing it.
This is why everyone says I’m the only one who thinks he’s an asshole.
