I will not lie to you, little serpent. I was expecting to kill you that night. But what I was not expecting was to love you so devastatingly much. It hits me so suddenly, so overwhelmingly, that I don’t even have time to brace myself against it. You glare at me, like you’re ready to go down fighting even against one of the most powerful men in the world, and I smile a little, despite myself. It takes me a minute to recognize the sensation in my chest. Pride.
