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“Alone?”

“No. She’s not fucking alone!” Revik turned on him, his voice harsh, even more heavily accented. “I doubled the team on her. I had them turn the security feeds back on. I told them if they hear a fuckingsoundin there, they were to contact me and break down the door. I told them to give her an escort if she tries to leave… to contact me before she passed the goddamned threshold of those walls… foranyreason!”

Revik trailed, falling silent seemingly with an effort.

Making a vague gesture with one hand, he inclined his head.

“She’s not alone,” he finished coldly.

Balidor watched as the Elaerian raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing his temple. Muttering something under his breath Balidor didn’t catch, Revik combed a hand through his black hair, using the same hand that wore Alyson’s ring.

Balidor watched as he paced in front of the desk in two long strides, moving like a caged animal. The tension vibrating his light smacked into Balidor’s like a live wire. Everything about him felt manic, like he had to fight just to remain in one place.

“Nenz.” Balidor made his voice soft. “You cannot simply imprison your wife. You cannot. No matter what your concerns. She will not tolerate it, for one. Her followers won’t tolerate it, either. You’ll have a mutiny on your hands––a real one. You’ll divide the whole crew. You must work this out between the two of you. You must come to some agreement. Something you can both live with.”

Revik gave him a hard look.

The taller male seer seemed to remain silent just long enough to control the emotions shifting behind his clear irises. Once he had, he leaned over the table, placing his hands there, even as he glared into Balidor’s face.

“I’m not asking to revoke all of her fucking authority, ‘Dori.” His voice grew colder, quieter, more uncompromising. “I’m not. That was never even remotely my intention, so if you or anyone else tells her it was, I’ll break your goddamned arms.”

Pausing to let that sink in, he added,

“I have absolutely no intention of ‘imprisoning’ her, either. I’m simply asking to be able tooverruleher, with certain agreed-upon limits of discretion, where and when her or our children’s safety is the dominant risk factor in a decision. I’m asking to have final say in those protocols that concern her and Lily’ssecurity,okay? That’s it. Thatone fucking area.I’ll follow any other order she gives me, Balidor. Every single one, no matter what it is. But not in thatonearea. Could I possibly be any clearer than that, ‘Dori?”

“Again. On what grounds?” Exhaling, Balidor leaned back in the bolted-down chair. “I have no grounds to grant you such an exception, Nenz. Illustrious Sword or no. There is no provision for fearful husbands, as much as you might want there to be––”

“Bullshit,Balidor!” Revik slammed the flat of his hand on the desk. “I can evoke spousal privilege! That’s in the fuckingCode. It predates Adhipan, predates Seven, predates any of the edicts your people have defended since! Further, I’m her second in command. I can make a judgment on her ability to keep herself safe, if it’s warranted. I have that right. Hell, I have thatresponsibility,goddamn it!”

His jaw hardened at Balidor’s silence.

His eyes seemed to grow paler, more filled with light.

“She won’t listen to me, Balidor! She won’t take it seriously! You said it yourself. She justtalkedto that fucker! She refused to disengage. She didn’t use the link to call me. She justtalkedto him, as if she was having a goddamned business meeting with him and Menlim, and la-de-da, and it’s all perfectly okay. As if Terry didn’t justkidnapour kid. As if he wasn’t still working directly with the fucker who tried tomurderher, less than a year ago. Hell, Terry probably stood there and watched, while they cut into her…”

He flinched at his own words, wincing, his jaw hardening more.

“…She’s not fit to make decisions in regards to her own goddamned well-being, ‘Dori. She’s not. She’s fuckingproventhat. And I won’t fucking stand for it anymore.”

“You locked her to the bed,” Balidor reminded him, glancing over Revik’s shoulder to the other room to ensure his words wouldn’t being overheard. “Nenz. Think about it. What was she supposed to do, precisely, when you––”

“Are you going to honor my request?” Revik snapped. “Am I going to have to do this by force, Balidor? Or were you not aware that was the subtext here?”

Balidor stared at him.

Hearing the other man’s words, he felt his body tighten as their meaning sank in.

They might actually have to restrain him.

They might, at the very least, have to order him back to the tank.

In all honesty, however, Balidor couldn’t be certain that wouldn’t make things worse, if only by giving him too much time to grind over his own fears and lack of control. It was possible at least part of this problem came from having kept him locked up for too long already.

Feeling another pulse of misgiving as he felt the currents snaking through the Sword’saleimi, he made up his mind.

He pinged Wreg.

He felt the other male’s presence at once, and breathed a sigh of relief.