If he thought I didn't trust his abilities, he'd bail. Simply disappear one day, leaving me to guess at what I'd done wrong.
I couldn't walk on egg shells around him either. One, because I simply wasn't good at walking softly—as my sister and parents could attest. And two, because we had to be able to work together. That meant trusting he could handle whatever I threw at him.
I was tempted to let this go. Perhaps waiting until we had a relationship built on stronger foundations before addressing something like this would be smarter.
It took less than two steps for me to change my mind.
"Next time, perhaps warn me when you plan to take a field trip." If this was a partnership—and I still wasn't sure it was—there needed to be rules.
"Why?" Connor face was reserved, but there was no mistaking the edge of challenge in the question.
There it was. He had his father in him, after all.
I guess I should have expected this. If he was the type to fall in line without question, he and Thomas would probably have gotten along a lot better.
"The military has this thing called battle buddies," I shared. "Do you know why?"
Confusion and interest settled on Connor's face.
"It's because no one can watch their own back. Your battle buddy does it for you. You're powerful. Much more so than me, but you said you wanted to work with me. That means abiding by certain rules. I need to know where you are so that if something happens, I know where to start looking for you," I explained.
"You'd avenge me?" he asked.
He didn't seem put off by the idea. More like fascinated by it.
I lifted a shoulder and grimaced. "That's a strong word."
Anything that harmed him was likely to chew through me like I was tissue paper.
"But I would try. Sometimes being smart is better than being powerful."
There were more ways to bring down a big baddie. A head on fight wasn't always the best solution—or the wisest.
Nathan was doing a good job of being silent and unseen as he paced beside us, but I didn't miss the interest on his face as I navigated the challenging waters that was Connor.
"I will keep that in mind for next time," Connor finally said, inclining his head.
Not exactly the 'yes, Aileen, you are right' response I was hoping for, but it was better than him telling me to pack sand before stalking off in a snit. Small wins.
We reached Liam and Anton moments later.
"Why do you always draw the crazies?" Liam's warmth soaked into my skin, a beacon that seemed to radiate safety even if it was an illusion.
"Talent," I said flippantly.
Connor blinked at us. "Am I the crazy in this scenario?"
All of us looked at him with shock before I laughed, reaching over to pat his arm.
"Definitely, but in this sense, I think Liam was talking about her." I jerked my head at the medusa.
"I'm not crazy," Connor murmured softly to himself.
"I'll let you in on a little secret," I told him. "In this life, we're all a little crazy. Otherwise, it would be dreadfully dull."
"Interesting sentiment," Liam said with a glance at me. "It explains so much about you."
I tilted my head back and grinned at him. "What does it say about you that you choose to hang around me?"
