"I want that too." He smiled as he felt her hand slip into the crook of his arm. Soft and genuine that lit up his eyes. "Because I want an equal. Someone who can handle themselves with or without me. Someone who understands why, out in the rest of the world, I am the Dark Lord, the Prince of Nightmares. Someone who sees me here in this place."

He shook his head slightly. "I can't have someone like that. I don't want to risk them given the life I lead. Someone's always waiting for me to slip up and have a weakness. I can't ask anyone to bear that burden."