Damien set down his fork, really looking at her.
"I think you're brilliant and terrifying in equal measure. I think you've sacrificed more than I can comprehend to keep me alive. I think you carry eighty-four percent corruption without becoming monstrous, which is either remarkable or deeply concerning." He paused. "And I think I'm starting to understand why you might be important to me beyond just tactical necessity."
"Starting to?"
"The fifty percent corruption still makes emotional clarity difficult. Everything gets filtered through analysis first. But there's something there when I look at you. Recognition. Understanding. The comfort of someone who sees the same darkness I do and isn't afraid of it."
"That's not love. Not yet." But her voice was soft. "But it could be?"
"It could be. If we let it develop naturally instead of forcing it."
