“Not really. Can you shoot a gun?”

Genuine amusement flashed in Seb’s hazel eyes as he lifted his head to look at Alex. “Are you challenging me to a duel? Pistols at dawn, best man gets the girl?”

“Dream on,” said Alex. “No, I’m thinking about when you and Willow go into the cathedral – if I should give you a gun or not. I’ll be right there on the other side of her when you both ask to be blessed, but if anything happens to me, you’ll be the best-placed person to defend her. Because she’s not bad when it comes to shooting at targets, but if she had to take a shot at another person—”

“She wouldn’t,” said Seb immediately. “Not unless someone was threatening you. Or maybe me. But it’s so totally against her nature – I can’t see her doing it to protect herself; I think she’d hesitate.”

It made Alex’s jaw tighten to realize how well Seb knew Willow – not to mention that he’d included himself in that list. Though Alex had an uncomfortable feeling he was right. “I know; that’s what I’m afraid of,” he said. “So – can you?”

“I’ve shot one a few times,” said Seb. “Tin cans in fields, that kind of thing. I couldn’t do what you do, but I could probably peg someone who was coming at me. Or Willow,” he added.

Alex made a face. Why was he not feeling reassured? “Are you any better with a knife? You’ve got one, I’m assuming.”

“Yes, and yes.” Seb pulled a leg up and rested his forearm across his knee; his expression as he regarded Alex wasn’t friendly, exactly, but it held understanding. “Look – you really don’t have to worry about this,” he said. “If Willow’s with me, I’ll keep her safe. No one will hurt her while I draw breath.”

“Yeah, I know that,” confessed Alex. And he did – it was one good thing about knowing that Seb loved Willow as much as he himself did. The only good thing, in fact.

Willow came back downstairs then. She gave them an arched-eyebrow look, as if she knew they’d been talking about her, but didn’t comment. “That should do it; they were completely black,” she said as she started reconnecting the spark plugs. “Between them and that bag choking the flow to the carburettor, it’s no wonder the poor Shadow was acting draggy...it could hardly breathe.”

Alex smiled, but was uncomfortably aware of what he and Seb had just been talking about, and what Willow would think if she knew. Meanwhile, smells of dinner were starting to drift out of the kitchen – he could hear Liz moving around in there.