“You sound very certain.”
“I am.”
“And if they bring half the village?”
I shrug slightly.
“Then half the village will learn a valuable lesson about provoking demons.”
Her eyes narrow.
“That is exactly the sort of answer that worries me.”
“I noticed.”
She turns to face me fully now.
“You promised.”
“And I intend to keep that promise,” I say evenly. “But I also promised to protect you.”
The bond hums faintly between us.
“That includes protecting you from yourself,” she adds.
“That is considerably more difficult.”
She huffs softly.
“You’re insufferable.”
“And yet,” I reply mildly, “you invited me into your bed.”
Her blush returns immediately.
“It was a door…and that is not the same thing.”
“Is it not?”
She folds her arms.
“You are changing the subject.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because,” I say calmly, glancing once more toward the growing chaos in the village square, “the alternative subject involves discussing how many angry villagers I can reasonably incapacitate without violating the promise I made to you.”
Her eyes widen slightly.
“That number should be zero.”
“That seems optimistic.”
She groans softly.
“Threxian.”
