Page 424 of Reign

“What are you doing?”

“Remembering why this started.”

I stay where I am.

“When I asked you to teach me, I told you I wanted control, choice, and safety.”

“I remember.”

“I’ve been thinking about everything since yesterday.” She pauses. “And once I stopped letting all of it get jumbled together, I realized there’s one thing I actually need.”

“What?”

“I want to feel protected.”

The words hit hard.

“Elena—”

“Not by you.”

I go still.

Her mouth twitches faintly. “You already protect me.”

“I was almost too late.”

“But that’s kind of my point,” she says gently.

I cross the room.

Her eyes follow me the entire way.

She doesn’t move when I stop in front of her. Doesn’t shift out of position or lower her gaze.

I slide my fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face.

“What point?”

“My brothers trained me to shoot. I know how to use a gun.”

My hand stills.

“They trained you and then didn’t give you a gun?”

“Yup.”

Her nose crinkles before the word is even completely out. I almost smile. I love that damn crinkle.

But her brothers half-ass everything, taught their sister enough to survive, then decided she should wait for one of their men to handle it anyway.

My fingers resume their path through her hair.

“I’m out of practice,” she continues. “So I need retraining.”

“No.”

“No?”