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“Is that why you don’t want me to dish out some payback?” asked Tobe. “You hold yourself responsible? Because if so, that’s some ridiculous bullshit right there.”

“Not totally responsible,” Naomi clarified. “I just feel as if I should have seen that there was a flimsy ego beneath all that self-assurance and bravado he displayed. I’ve always considered myself an observant person.”

“And you are,” Jolene asserted, taking a seat across from her. “You would see through an act. But with Iain, I don’t think it was an act. I believe it was a case of someone fooling themselves so successfully that what they were hiding went unnoticed by others.”

Tia laid her hand on Naomi’s. “None of what’s happening is your fault. The blame does not lie with you.”

“It lies with that asshole who refuses to face the facts and plain ignores what you want,” Tobe insisted. “He needs some . . . convincing. A little help to make him see the light.”

Naomi shot him a pleading look. “Give Luka a chance to do that.”

“I already did,” her psi-mate reminded her. “Whatever he said or did wasn’t enough.”

“Which is quite shocking,” Jolene noted. “People generally don’t test Luka.”

And no one could blame them for that. “He put a tail on Iain just to be on the safe side, but Iain managed to give them the slip.”

“Determined little bastard, isn’t he,” Jolene muttered.

“Well,” began Tia, “I have a feeling Luka is gonna work harder to ensure that Iain finally keeps his distance from you.”

Naomi dipped her chin in agreement. “Luka was furious just now. He swore that Iain wouldn’t get near me again.

” She hesitated to add the next part, since it would clue people in to her fling with Luka, but it wasn’t as if they wouldn’t notice when he finally put a man on her.

“He also declared that he’s going to assign me a guard once Iain is released. ”

Tobe’s brows snapped together. “A guard? The fuck? Why would he do that?”

Naomi scratched her cheek. “Well . . .”

Her anchor went rigid. “Tell me you didn’t. Tell me you didn’t let that merciless motherfucker into your life in any way.’

“Um . . .”

Tobe cursed a blue streak, his face flushing with anger.

“Why the hell would you even give him the time of day? You can’t honestly think you’re safe with that guy.

You know who he is. You know what he is.

You know what he’s capable of—everyone in this room has heard of the messed-up shit he’s done.

Why oh fucking why would you ignore all that? You’re smarter than this, Nome.”

She lifted a calming hand. “I get why you’re worried, I do. And yes, I’ve heard the rumors. But never have I heard any claims that he harmed a woman. Have you?”

Tobe opened his mouth to respond, but then seemed to mentally falter. “That’s not the point,” he finally said.

“It very much is. I’m well aware that he’s dangerous. But I’ve not once felt threatened by him.” Intimidated, yes, but as a woman . . . because he was lethally seductive. “Neither has my entity. It doesn’t feel that I’m unsafe with him. It actually kind of likes him.”

Tobe cast her a dismissive look. “Your demon likes danger, that’s why. It’s an absolute nut and enjoys violence. If it wasn’t for the fact that you two have an understanding, it would be giving you all sorts of problems.”

Well, yeah. But that didn’t need to be relevant.

“Belinsky doesn’t have relationships, Nome,” Tobe went on. “He has flings. Keeps them short and sweet.”

“It hasn’t occurred to you that that’s all I’m looking for right now?”

His mouth snapped shut. “Even if you are, it doesn’t mean that you have to have one with him. It isn’t as if you’re not spoiled for choice. You could have your pick of guys.” He looked around the room, taking in each person. “Someone back me up here and tell her that he’s not what she needs.”

“Your issue here isn’t merely that Luka is dangerous, Tobe,” Jolene claimed. “You don’t like that he’s going to assign her a guard because you feel he’s trespassing; you feel that, as her anchor, it’s your job to protect her.”

“Well, it is,” Tobe asserted.

Jolene raised a finger. “But it’s Luka’s job to keep Iain in line, not yours.”

He frowned. “So you support this? You usually don’t like other Primes poking their nose in or trying to handle shit for any of your demons.”

“I’m the one who requested that he involve himself in the first place,” Jolene reminded him.

“I could ask that he drop his intention to put a guard on Naomi, but what would that achieve? He isn’t going to step aside if he’s involved with her—she’ll be classed as having protected status.

If he and I are at odds, it’ll create a hole in her security.

I won’t have that. It’s best I work with him.

Besides, if he says she’s under his protection, he should damn well back it up—especially when her current problem is one of his demons. ”

Tobe turned to Tia and Alfie, clearly intending to ignore Jolene’s comments because they didn’t suit him. “You two have to be opposed to this.”

“Not really,” said Tia. “Naomi being with Luka gives him more incentive to keep her safe. As she herself said, no rumors about him have ever implied that he’s violent toward women.

So I don’t consider him a danger to her.

And I appreciate that he’s had her back—not all Primes would care how Iain’s behavior impacts her; many would lie for him and take his side. ”

Alfie rubbed at his nape. “I’m not crazy about Naomi having Belinsky around.

He can be cold and cruel and a whole bunch of other unpleasant things.

But he clearly isn’t someone who would overlook women being preyed on, which says he does have some scruples.

That is more than can be said for Iain—a person you yourself thought would be good for her in the beginning, Tobe.

None of us anticipated what would happen.

One thing I think we can be certain of is that Belinsky won’t ever fall victim to a siren song. ”

Apparently still unwilling to drop his concerns, Tobe looked at Lachlan. “You’ll back me up, right?”

Blowing out a breath, Lachlan lifted his shoulders.

“Naomi’s a grown woman who has the right to make her own choices.

Expecting her to defend or change them won’t get you far.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from raising a strong-willed daughter, it’s that the more you object to what she’s doing, the more determined she’ll be to do it. ”

Tobe gritted his teeth, his nostrils flaring. “I just want you to be safe and be with someone who deserves you,” he said to Naomi.

“And I adore you for that,” she told him. “You’ll just have to trust my judgment when I say that I don’t feel I’m in danger with him. If that changes, I’ll walk away. Now can we get back to the subject of Iain and how I’d really prefer it if you let Luka handle him?”

“We can, but it doesn’t mean I’ll agree to what you’re asking,” said Tobe. “You wouldn’t overlook a woman behaving toward me the way Iain is toward you.”

Naomi heaved a deep sigh. She really couldn’t deny that.

“Which is all the more reason why Iain needs to be handled subtly,” Lachlan chipped in.

Naomi rolled her eyes. “An example. Give me one example of how you might subtly handle him.”

Lachlan looked off into the distance, twisting his mouth.

“ And he’s got nothing,” said Naomi.

He frowned. “I was thinking. You didn’t give me a chance to answer.”

“You don’t have an answer.”

“I don’t see the problem in making our statement in a very definitive way. In the name of the sanctity of retaliation—”

“Don’t,” interrupted Naomi, throwing up a hand. “Just don’t. I honestly can’t with you.”

“You sound like my daughter,” he complained.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Raini’s awesome. Now I really should get back to work.” Naomi rose to her feet. “Tobe . . .”

He exhaled heavily. “I’ll do as you ask and not retaliate.”

“That was a lie,” she accused.

“Of course it was. We tried things your way. It didn’t work. We let Belinsky try things his way. That didn’t work either. Now it’s time to step things up, and nothing you say will talk me out of it.”