I chewed my lip, staring down at our joined hands, Maeve’s words whirring around in my head. She had been trying to intimidate me, that much was obvious—it was her MO. But still, I couldn’t shake the horrible image of Cair using himself to protect me. Yes, he would heal, and yes, he was tough, but knowing I wouldn’t be able to do a damned thing to prevent him from getting hurt was unsettling me.

It wasn’t only on this journey either, but in general. I was mostly human. I was weaker and slower. Even with my Fae blood and the sharper senses I’d gained after our mating, it wouldn’t be enough against some of the horrors and skilled warriors of this realm. I had to rely on the competence of other creatures, had to put my mate’s well-being in their hands, because I was effectively useless. And for once, I wasn’t saying that out of self-pity. It was a fact.

I couldn’t wield a sword, couldn’t use a bow and arrow, could barely even swing my own fists without running the risk of punching myself in the face. It was embarrassing. There I was, holed up in a medievalesque palace, in a fairy-tale world, and I hadn’t taken the opportunity to learn how to defend myself or my mate. Hadn’t even thought of it as a possibility until now. But why should Cair have to be the only one who constantly put himself in jeopardy because I selfishly didn’t even think twice about it?

It was just one more way that I’d surrendered myself into the kept husband life. Who needed to learn how to fight when there was a strapping Fae willing to burn the world for me or a force of armed guards at my beck and call? My old self would have been mortified at the level of dependence I was displaying. Well, that was going to change.

Right the fuck now.

“I want to learn to fight,” I said resolutely, and Cair’s eyes widened. I raised my chin high to show I wasn’t taking no for an answer. “And I don’t wanna hear any protests. I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want to always have to depend on others for your safety, and I don’t think it’s particularly fair on you that you’re the only one defending this relationship. A mating is a two-way system, and I want to do my part. That’s all.”

For a beat, there was silence, and I geared myself up for a few rounds of dissuasion table tennis, but none came. In fact, Cair had a fond smile on his face, and he nodded in that graceful, princely way he had before saying, “If that is what you wish.”

I blinked. I’d expected at least a little resistance.