put an end to this overprotective bullshit right now.
This was my job. If Nik was going to be a part of my life, he needed to get used to that. Which meant he and I needed to set up some ground rules, in addition to whatever he worked out with Gantry. I wasn’t going to be ordered around by him down here, no matter who he was to me. I wouldn’t tolerate it, whatever his intentions, and Nik needed to figure that out fast.
Or he and I were going to have a serious problem.
I also realized again that I needed to have a good long talk with him about the realities of law enforcement here on the ground. He needed to fully understand his situation here on Earth. Either that, or I needed to have Gantry explain it to him. Or possibly Irene.
No way was I letting Jake get anywhere near that one, but someone had to explain the facts of life to Nik before he got all of us thrown in a federal prison, or some kind of Homeland Security / FEMA quarantine site.
I was still thinking about all of that, when Jake touched Nik’s arm.
“Thank you,” he said, sounding sincere. “I appreciate what you did. You should listen to my sister, though...she’s right.”
I gave my brother a wary look, sure he was playing another of his stupid games.
I saw real gratitude in Jake’s eyes, though, as he looked at Nik. I also saw a faint glimmer of that same worry that was making my blood pressure rise.
Still, that Bundy guy must have really freaked Jake out, for him to be acting like that. Jake continued to watch Nik’s face after the morph nodded, acknowledging his thanks with an openly wary look before Nik turned his stare back on me.
For a moment, Nik didn’t say anything, only looked at me.
Then his eyes drifted down, once more taking in my body in that form-fitting dress. I felt something off him, even as he nodded, right before he moved closer to where I stood.
“I understand, Dakota,” he said.
“Do you?” I said, skeptical. “Do you really, Nik? Because I’m beginning to think we need to keep you inside until you get the rules better here.”
“No.” Nik shook his head. “And I would rather if you and I talked...not Gantry. Or Irene. I understand better when you explain these things, because of the lock.”
“See,” I said, lowering my voice to a near whisper, even though no one stood near us. “It’s stuff like that, Nik. You can’t talk about stuff like that...not in public.”
“I will stay with you from now on,” he said, not a trace of a question mark in his words. His still-dark eyes met mine. “And you will explain these things to me. I will listen to what you tell me, Dakota...but no more going out without protection. Not until the immediate threats are dealt with.” Probably feeling the anger rising in me at his words, he cut me off. “If you wish for me to obey you in these things, then you need to obey me in certain areas, too, Dakota. Gantry agrees with me. You are in danger...”
Likely seeing the protest rising to my eyes and lips again, he cut me off a second time.
“I do not only mean this person,” Nik said, his voice hard. “Although he has already said he intends to try and hurt you. I mean Razmun, too. I mean whoever has this contract out on you. I mean your own government...in addition to the people we know want you dead. Like it or not, your situation is changed. Pretending you can go back to your old life, only with me here, is delusional. So you must bend, too, Dakota. You must.”
I heard the deeply stubborn note there, along with a flare of anger I probably felt through the lock.
“A compromise,” he added, his voice still slightly hard.
I shook my head, but didn’t bother to argue with him.
Clearly, that wasn’t going to cut it for him.
“A compromise, Dakota,” Nik said again.
I gave him a look. “Fine. We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“You agree that this is both ways?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes.”
I mean, shit. What else could I
This was my job. If Nik was going to be a part of my life, he needed to get used to that. Which meant he and I needed to set up some ground rules, in addition to whatever he worked out with Gantry. I wasn’t going to be ordered around by him down here, no matter who he was to me. I wouldn’t tolerate it, whatever his intentions, and Nik needed to figure that out fast.
Or he and I were going to have a serious problem.
I also realized again that I needed to have a good long talk with him about the realities of law enforcement here on the ground. He needed to fully understand his situation here on Earth. Either that, or I needed to have Gantry explain it to him. Or possibly Irene.
No way was I letting Jake get anywhere near that one, but someone had to explain the facts of life to Nik before he got all of us thrown in a federal prison, or some kind of Homeland Security / FEMA quarantine site.
I was still thinking about all of that, when Jake touched Nik’s arm.
“Thank you,” he said, sounding sincere. “I appreciate what you did. You should listen to my sister, though...she’s right.”
I gave my brother a wary look, sure he was playing another of his stupid games.
I saw real gratitude in Jake’s eyes, though, as he looked at Nik. I also saw a faint glimmer of that same worry that was making my blood pressure rise.
Still, that Bundy guy must have really freaked Jake out, for him to be acting like that. Jake continued to watch Nik’s face after the morph nodded, acknowledging his thanks with an openly wary look before Nik turned his stare back on me.
For a moment, Nik didn’t say anything, only looked at me.
Then his eyes drifted down, once more taking in my body in that form-fitting dress. I felt something off him, even as he nodded, right before he moved closer to where I stood.
“I understand, Dakota,” he said.
“Do you?” I said, skeptical. “Do you really, Nik? Because I’m beginning to think we need to keep you inside until you get the rules better here.”
“No.” Nik shook his head. “And I would rather if you and I talked...not Gantry. Or Irene. I understand better when you explain these things, because of the lock.”
“See,” I said, lowering my voice to a near whisper, even though no one stood near us. “It’s stuff like that, Nik. You can’t talk about stuff like that...not in public.”
“I will stay with you from now on,” he said, not a trace of a question mark in his words. His still-dark eyes met mine. “And you will explain these things to me. I will listen to what you tell me, Dakota...but no more going out without protection. Not until the immediate threats are dealt with.” Probably feeling the anger rising in me at his words, he cut me off. “If you wish for me to obey you in these things, then you need to obey me in certain areas, too, Dakota. Gantry agrees with me. You are in danger...”
Likely seeing the protest rising to my eyes and lips again, he cut me off a second time.
“I do not only mean this person,” Nik said, his voice hard. “Although he has already said he intends to try and hurt you. I mean Razmun, too. I mean whoever has this contract out on you. I mean your own government...in addition to the people we know want you dead. Like it or not, your situation is changed. Pretending you can go back to your old life, only with me here, is delusional. So you must bend, too, Dakota. You must.”
I heard the deeply stubborn note there, along with a flare of anger I probably felt through the lock.
“A compromise,” he added, his voice still slightly hard.
I shook my head, but didn’t bother to argue with him.
Clearly, that wasn’t going to cut it for him.
“A compromise, Dakota,” Nik said again.
I gave him a look. “Fine. We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“You agree that this is both ways?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes.”
I mean, shit. What else could I
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