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“You don’t have to?—”

“She was breathing. Barely, but breathing.” I force myself to continue. “The men who did it were in the next room. Three of them, playing cards like they hadn’t just tortured a child. We got her out. But first...” My hand clenches involuntarily. “First, I made sure every motherfucker in that compound knew exactly what happens when you hurt kids on my watch. Afterward, people on my in squad started calling me Reign. The nickname stuck after that.”

“Did she survive? Amara?”

“She did. Medevac got her out, multiple surgeries stateside. Last I heard, she was living with an aunt in California. Wantsto be a doctor.” I manage a real smile this time. “She sends Christmas cards. Calls me Uncle Jackson.”

Audrey cups my face in her hands, forcing me to look at her. “You saved her life.”

“I was too late to save her childhood.” The guilt I carry surfaces briefly. “Too late for her brother.”

“You did what no one else would do. You chose her life over orders, over your career, over your own safety.” Her eyes shine with unshed tears. “That’s who you are, Reign. Someone who protects the innocent no matter the cost.”

“Is that who you see?”

“It’s who you’ve shown me. From the first night in San Diego when you made sure I was safe, to building me a studio, to right now.” She presses her forehead to mine. “You reign over what’s yours. And you protect it fiercely.”

The understanding in her voice undoes something inside me. She doesn’t see a killer or a soldier who went too far. She sees a protector. Someone who’ll burn down the world for those who matter.

“You matter, Audrey.” The words come out rough with emotion. “You’re under my protection now. And I’ll rain down destruction on anyone who tries to hurt you.”

“Even Gio?”

“Especially Gio.” I let her see the promise in my eyes. “I don’t care about his connections or threats. You’re mine now.”

She kisses me softly, a gentle contrast to our earlier passion. “I’ve never had someone willing to fight for me before.”

“Get used to it.” I roll onto my back, pulling her on top of me. “Because I don’t do anything halfway. When I claim something, I defend it with everything I have.”

When we finally break apart, she’s smiling—a real smile that transforms her face, makes her look younger, freer. This is whoshe is beneath the performance, and fuck if I won’t do everything in my power to protect that.

“Ready for round two?” I ask, already hardening again with her weight in my lap.

“Already?” She shifts deliberately, grinding against me. “Someone’s eager.”

“Princess, I’ve been hard since the moment you walked into my bedroom. The first round just took the edge off.”

Her eyes widen, then darken with renewed desire. “Show me.”

“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” I flip her onto her back, caging her beneath me. “What happened to my obedient girl who calls me sir?”

“Maybe she needs more convincing,” she challenges, wrapping her legs around my waist.

I grin, dark and promising. “Careful what you wish for, Princess. I’ve got all weekend. We’re just getting started.”

FOURTEEN

AUDREY

The restof the weekend goes by in a blur. Every hour feels both endless and far too short, time bending around us like we exist in our own private universe.

We make love on every surface of his cabin. Slow and tender in the morning. Wild and claiming against the kitchen counter after lunch. He feeds me strawberries in bed, and I paint his portrait while he reads, both of us naked and completely at ease in a way I’ve never experienced before.

But Sunday morning arrives with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, and before I know it, it’s time to leave.

I’ve been in the studio since sunrise, trying to capture the view from the north window. It’s my third painting of the weekend. I know it’s my attempt to hold onto this feeling, to create something tangible I can take with me when I have to leave.

“Almost ready to go, baby?” Reign’s voice comes from behind me.