"My cheeks heated. You don’t want this, I told myself. But I...

"My cheeks heated. You don’t want this, I told myself. But I felt my edges curl like a piece of paper held too close to fire. “Mal—”

“I need to keep you safe, Alina, to stay focused on what matters. I can’t do that if …” He let out a long breath. “You were meant for more than me, and I’ll die fighting to give it to you. But please don’t ask me to pretend it’s easy.”

- Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo [ snippet ]

Beautiful