“I’d like a boring life more than this,” I muttered, gesturing toward the chaos unraveling in front of us. There was always something: a new enemy, another fight, some fresh threat on the horizon. “I’ll be honest with you, sweety pie, I’m a little tired of facing down another battle. I can’t even remember the last time I sat down to dinner, like a normal person.”

“You had a meal a couple of hours ago,” he grated, his voice laced with irritation. “I always made sure you ...