“Would you kill me if necessary?” The question startled me into silence. So we stared at each other, a dying monster in my arms, and I realized that he was asking for the same mercy. That if he became a monster, if he lost control, he’d want a quick death. “Yes,” I whispered. “If I must.” “Swear it.” There was an intensity, an edge, to his voice that made it difficult to breathe. “I swear it.” “I will hold you to that vow.”
