She was too good. Too good for him. For this. He knew it, deep down. There were a lot of things he knew, so deep down that he could hardly admit to them, even to himself.

In that same buried place inside himself, he didn't want to hurt her. He'd done too many things in his life -- duties to a family and a dark lord who wasn't worth serving -- that he wasn't proud of.

"This can't end well. You do realize that, don't you?"