Page 77 of Warlord’s Empire

“I… we… were napping together.” She pushed the hair away from her wet face and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “I woke up with him over top of me. His eyes were open, but I could tell he wasn’t really there. He accused me… or whoever… of trying to kill him, then he… then he….” She touched her throat where he’d tried to squeeze the life from her, a shudder rippling through her body. She’d never in her life felt more helpless.

“You were able to get to your gun?” Shola prompted, dragging a blanket from the bed and covering Radik with it, tucking the edges around him.

Saskia nodded. “I was close enough to my nightstand I was able to get to the gun. When he adjusted his grip on my throat, I broke away and rolled off the bed. He woke up just before you came in.”

“Oh.” Shola grimaced. “He probably won’t appreciate that I didn’t stop to verify if he was awake or not before shooting him.”

“I appreciate it, even if he doesn’t.” As in love as she was with Radik, she didn’t want to die. She picked up his hand, hugging it to her. “What now? Do we just wait for him to wake up?”

Shola nodded, settling on the floor on his other side. “It won’t take long.”

“How many times have you tased him?” Saskia stroked his arm, trying not to panic over how still he was.

“Three times,” Shola said, casting her eyes down. “Once as a test to see if we could bring him down this way and twice to protect you. It was as he ordered.”

Saskia bit her lip, wanting to order Shola to never tase him again, but she also saw the necessity. He’d nearly strangled her while in a dazed state. “Can you maybe only taser him if I’m in immediate danger?” Saskia asked. “Like maybe I can give you a signal that I’m in trouble and then you taser him. I’m starting to worry about what all these shocks are doing to his brain and body.”

“Yeah, me too,” Shola admitted, which wasn’t comforting. Saskia would have preferred a full-throated denial that he could be injured in any way. “I suppose we can work on a signal when he has future episodes.”

“There won’t be any.” It was Radik who spoke, his voice weaker than Saskia would’ve liked.

“Muhammed,” she said, stroking him. “How are you feeling?”

He sat up, pushing away from her. “I won’t put you at risk again, which makes Shola’s vigilance unnecessary.” To Shola, he said, “Move a cot to the saferoom and have the security software updated so I can’t leave that room at night without someone letting me out.”

“That’s too extreme,” Saskia protested, but he ignored her, continuing to speak to Shola.

“Put a guard on the room and instruct them on my condition. Under no circumstances is Saskia to join me.”

“I will do as you command, General.” Shola stood and swiftly left the room, probably to avoid what was coming next.

“You can’t be serious!” Saskia’s voice shook. “Your solution is to lock yourself up, making yourself a prisoner in your own home? And what about me? We were finally finding a new kind of normal in this relationship. How are we supposed to be together if you insist half of our lives must be spent separately?”

“What do you want me to do?” he snapped, sitting on the bed. The blanket fell to his waist, baring his broad, muscular upper body. He rubbed a hand over his face and head before looking at her. She could see the naked fear in his expression. “Look at your neck, I could have killed you. It would be so fucking easy for me. Like batting a fly.”

Saskia touched her neck. Her skin felt hot and sore and it hurt to swallow. Pushing herself off the floor, she went to her mirror and examined herself. There were red marks that would almost certainly turn into bruises. “It’s not that bad,” she said. “Besides my throat, I actually look pretty good.” Better than usual, in fact. Tucking her blanket around herself like a towel, she looked at herself from all angles. She was fuller, her cheeks rounder, her skin clearer. It must be all the organic, hearty food and fresh air she’d been getting. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I look great.”

He didn’t smile like he normally would when she said something cheeky. “You’re not listening,” he growled. “I could have killed you. It was luck that stopped it from happening.”

“Luck!?” she said incredulously, spinning around. “I stopped you, not luck.”

He shook his head. “Impossible. You couldn’t have stopped me.”

And just like that, he lost her sympathy. “I’m not completely useless, you know. I do come with a few combat skills, curtesy of my dad, my cousin, Havel, and multiple tutors. Even your sister taught me some stuff. You weren’t awake during the attack; you didn’t see what happened. I fought you off and got away from you.”

He stood, fists clenched. “Alright, you fought me off. What about next time when you can’t get away from me? Or even if you do, what if I don’t wake up? What if you have to shoot me?”

She deflated, her argument turning to ash as she imagined herself shooting him.

“Would you have done it?” he demanded. “Would you have pulled the trigger?”

It hurt to think about, but she forced herself to do it, admitting, “I don’t know… maybe.” She was a fighter with strong survival instincts.

“How would you feel if you had to maim or kill me to stop me from hurting you?”

Tears gathered in her eyes and her voice was choked. “I don’t know. Really bad, if I hurt you. Devastated… despondent… if I k-killed you.”

“Then why would I put you in the position of feeling that way if it can be avoided?” He gripped her arms, and while his hold was firm it was also gentle. “Locking myself up at night might seem extreme, but it’s a necessary precaution. Keeping you safe is my first priority, no matter what that entails.” He kissed her forehead, saying in a low voice, “Please don’t fight me on this decision. It’s not easy for me to be parted from you for any length of time, but if I know you’re waiting for me, I can do it willingly and gladly.”