The Shadow's Oath, The Moonlit Reunion
He hesitated. Then said, "I require your assistance."
Her eyebrows rose fractionally, yet she didn't halt her stride. "Assistance?"
Leon's tone dropped, low but unyielding. "Yes. Natasha… Sona is my wife now."
She blinked but didn't appear shocked. "I had guessed so."
He spoke on, every word considered. "When I go tomorrow, I don't know what Vellore will attempt. As you put it—they have spies. Eyes in the capital, in the palace… closer than we would think."
He drew breath.
"I have no idea what they will attempt next. And if they go after Sona… I won't be there to prevent it."
His voice dipped, to something profounder perhaps, the fear of losing perhaps, or the weight of the responsibility perhaps. "If they move on her… I cannot afford to be unprepared."
He paused, to let the gravity of his words settle. Then:
I want you to be near Sona, I need someone I can trust, I want you to watch out for her to be there to protect her.
