“When it involves death and treachery, it tends to.” He glanced at the opening of the tent. “And this isn’t just about me. It’s about them.” He jerked his chin toward the arguing voices.

“You really do love them.”

He nodded without hesitation. “Thia has already had her mother brutally murdered by her stepfather. Her father and stepmother would be devastated if something happened to her. Darice lost his father before he was born. His mother is an honorable female who doesn’t deserve to lose her son, too. He’s all she has in this world that’s keeping her sane and in it. She barely survived the death of my brother. She’d never survive the death of their son. If you have any decency at all, I…” He clenched his teeth before he finished with a word she was sure choked his pride. “Beg you, for all their sakes, not to add any more tragedy to their lives. They love their children as much as you love your daughter. This trip is supposed to be a happy memory for them. Please, don’t taint it.”

Tears choked her over his sacrifice. He didn’t ask to spare his own life.

Just theirs.

She wanted to hate him for what his brother had done to her sister. Needed to hate him so that she could complete this mission that would end with his capture and eventual death.

But having had her own innocence slaughtered when she’d been too young to deal with it, she had no desire to pay that forward to anyone. She would have given anything to have had a protector like this, guarding her.

No matter what, she wouldn’t see someone else’s children hurt. For any reason. “I swear to you, as a mother, that I will not harm them.”

“Or cause them to be harmed,” he added.

“Or cause them to be harmed.”

He inclined his head to her.

“Uh, Darice! I can’t believe you did that! Really? You suck so much! Your mother ought to rent you out for birth control. Five minutes with you and any fertile female would beg for sterilization!”

As Hauk stood, a pained expression crossed his face. Sighing heavily, he stuck his head outside the tent to check on his family. “What’d he do now?”

“He farted, belched, then spilled all the food onto the fire.”

“I didn’t mean to. It was accident.”

“Accident, my blessed buttocks! You burped with me telling you not to!”

“For the love of all gods, don’t kill him!” Hauk snapped at Thia. “His mom would really miss him. And I might, too. Maybe. Just… grab some water and bring it in for our guest. I’ll help clean up the mess in a second.” He growled low in his throat before he returned to his plate and held it out to Sumi.

Stunned by his kindness, she stared at it.

“Go on,” he said with a tenderness that shocked her even more. “I ate earlier today and you need your strength to heal.”