Page 72 of Born into Madness
I put my phone away and then attach the knife sheath I’d had specially made to my leather belt and slip it through the loops on my jeans.
“Do you seriously never go anywhere without that?”
I lift my eyes to Cyn’s. “Never, especially not when you’re with me.”
“I really don’t think anyone is going to try and hurt me when I’m standing right next to you.”
I grin and buckle the belt before grabbing my knife and sliding it into the sheath that’s now resting along the small of my back.
Walking over to her, I tilt her face up and trail my finger along the light dusting of freckles that run under her eyes and over the bridge of her nose. “Have I told you how much I love these?”
She wrinkles her nose at me, making it clear she doesn’t share my opinion.
“Well, I do,” I tell her before she can tell me she hates them. “They’re sexy.”
She snorts out a laugh. “Nothing is sexy about me, Sasha.”
“Every single thing about you is sexy,” I correct. Not giving her the chance to argue, I smack the perfect ass that I will never get enough of and tell her we need to say goodbye to Chort or he’ll destroy things while we’re gone.
Grinning up at me, she says, “I don’t believe you. He’s an angel.”
“You are in for a rude awakening when it comes to him. No one in my family will touch him,” I tell her. “They’re too afraid he’s going to bite their hand off, and they’re not wrong.”
She thinks I’m joking, so she laughs and threads her fingers through mine when I offer her my hand. While she hugs Chort goodbye, I ask, “Do you have your inhaler?”
“I do. Don’t worry, I always keep it on me.”
“I will always worry,” I tell her. “Do you have your knife?”
She looks up, laughing when Chort licks her cheek again. “But I’ll be with you,” she says, and I shake my head.
“Anytime you leave this house, that knife goes with you,” I tell her. Walking over, I hold my hand out, waiting for her to take it before I pull her to standing. “You promised, Cyn,” I remind her.
“I would never go back on a promise,” she says while tilting her head to look up at me. “I just didn’t know you also meant when I’m with you.” Her eyes run over me. “There’s no way I’m going to need it when you’re with me.”
“I appreciate your faith in me,krovinka, but I still want it on you. I will always keep you safe, but I’ll breathe a little easier if I know you’re armed.” The corner of my mouth lifts when I tap the tip of her nose. “Even if you are a delicate stabber.”
“What?” Her laugh is cute as hell, and then she eyes me, trying to decide if she should be angry or not. “What does that even mean?”
“It means your movements don’t scream that you’re wanting to hurt someone. It’s more like you’re apologizing as you’re trying to stab. There’s a hesitancy there that we’ll need to train out of you.”
“So you’re training me now?”
I lean down and kiss her forehead. “I am, yes. I hope you’ll never need to use any of this, but you have to know how to protect yourself. The night we met proves that, and besides, every woman should know how to defend herself.”
“That’s true. Okay, I’ll let you teach me how to not be adelicate stabber, but I really hope I never have to use any of this.” Her green eyes meet mine, and I see the worry in them before she says, “I don’t want to hurt anyone, Sasha. I’m never going to want to do that.”
I know exactly what she’s asking me, and I hate that she’s worrying for one second about this. Threading my fingers in her hair, I lean closer and say, “I don’t want you to be like me, Cyn. I’ve never wanted that, and I have no desire to turn you into anything that you’re not. I don’t want to change anything about you. I just need to know that if the worst case scenario happens, you can keep yourself safe until I can get to you. That’s all I needyou to do. Stay alive, no matter what, and then I’ll take care of the rest.”
Before she can start worrying about what-ifs and possible worst case scenarios, I say, “Nothing is going to happen to you,krovinka. I just like to be prepared, and knowing you’re always armed will make it a little easier for me to breathe.”
“Give me a sec, and I’ll go get it then.”
She runs off to do what I’ve asked, and I keep my eyes on her the whole time. Keeping my voice low, I scratch Chort’s head and say, “I’m glad you like her because we’re keeping her.”
He grunts his approval and leans into my touch.
A few minutes later she’s on the back of my bike, her arms securely around my waist, thighs pressing in against me, and a curious pair of hands that can’t resist exploring every time I have to stop at a red light. When I park in front of Bean Me Up and pull off my helmet, she must do the same, because before I can even turn my head, I feel her lips pressing against the nape of my neck in a sweet kiss that manages to both steal my breath and force all my blood back to my cock.
