“If it was you, I wouldn’t let anything stop me from coming for you,” I said, holding his gaze with a serious expression.
I’d pull apart realms to get to him. Risk anything if it meant saving him.
My confession had his face softening, his eyes searching mine as he cupped the back of my neck. “You are so hard to argue with.”
“That’s because I’m infinitely reasonable.”
Liam pressed his forehead against mine, a derisive breath escaping him. “You’re certainly something.” He lifted his head, his gaze finding mine. “I want you to promise me something.”
I stayed quiet, waiting to see what he had to say.
His lips quirked. “You’ve gotten smarter.”
“With you, it was that or continually be taken advantage of.”
“I’ll let you stay, but you’ll have to take direction from me. None of this running off alone business.”
“It’s cute how you think you can tell me what to do.”
A slow smile tugged at his lips. “Sweetheart, if I gave the order, I could have you bound and on a plane heading to the middle of nowhere in a second.”
I reared my head back, giving him a look that dared him to try it.
“I won’t,” he said when it was clear I didn’t believe him. “As long as you agree to do this together.”
Some of my resistance softened, my shoulders loosening. I could do that.
“And if Muiredach is here, you run,” he finished.
I scoffed. “Because that won’t be obvious.”
“Aileen,” he said, the warning in his voice letting me know he was serious.
“I will try to exercise caution,” I allowed. “But I can’t promise anything. Based on the circumstances, running may not be an option.”
In fact, it might do more harm than good.
Then there was that whole going off alone thing. I’d try. I really would. But things had a tendency of getting away from me.
Liam stared at me for a beat longer as if sensing what I wasn’t saying. Finally, he gave me a faint nod. His way of letting me know that my compromise was acceptable.
For now.
“Now that we’ve gotten my business taken care of, why don’t we discuss what you were doing coming out of the barrow with Alches. That was you, wasn’t it?”
Some of my memories from last night might be a little hazy, but that was one thing that I recalled with crystal clarity.
“Don’t even try to lie and say it had something to do with Thomas or council business,” I warned. “I know enough to realize you wouldn’t involve Alches in anything official.”
My shadow-hound might have a short attention span and a tendency to wander, but he wouldn’t help Liam unless it had something to do with me.
Or Noctessa.
“Liam,” I prodded.
His impassive mask did nothing to stem my worry.
“Is there something going on with Noctessa that I need to know about?” I asked.
