Suddenly, I find myself sympathizing with the boy—no matter how he acts or dresses, he can’t be more than eighteen years old. “You should go easy on him. It’s not like he actually managed to hurt me or anything.”
A cold note touches Alex’s voice. “He would have if I hadn’t stopped him.”
“But he didn’t. You got there in time. And I will watch my back from now on.”
He lets out a bitter laugh. “Right now, it feels like I cannot even trust my own people. You are the single most precious thing in my life, and they want to take you away from me.”
His words stun me. What did he just say?
I sneak a look at him, and he’s watching me, his gaze unwavering.
“You can’t say things like that to me, Alex. I don’t want you to lie to me.”
“It’s not a lie!” Alex raises his voice, sounding strained and
