"That was… that was just my fear talking," he rasped. "I never really meant it. I promise. I was just scared and a little pissed off."
"A little… do you have any idea—"
"Please, Kate. Please." He stands and crosses the feet between us in two steps to cup my face and stare intensely into my eyes. "I don't want you to be reckless. I want you to value your life as highly as I value it. That's love. That's not control. It's protection. Not selfishness, I promise."
"Chase, saving her, fighting Aiden… it's my calling."
