“Goddess above,” I breathe between bites. “I wish you would’ve told me.” Regret pulses across his face as he stands there next to me, watching me gulp down the food. He swallows and glances away for a second. “I was trying to protect you.” Then he draws in a deep breath and meets my gaze head on. “But I was wrong. You don’t need protecting.” A wicked smile, full of approval, spreads across his face. “It’s the world that needs protection from you.”
