The five who were never meant to love me
"That sounds like something you've been wanting to say for a while."
"Longer than I'd care to admit," Damon said, something raw and unguarded finally breaking through the careful control he wore like armor. He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a gentleness that felt entirely at odds with the lethal control he showed everyone else. "I know this isn't the right time. I know we have thirty other things demanding attention before either of us has room to think about anything else. But I needed you to know, before we walk into whatever's waiting out there tomorrow, that whatever this bond actually is between us, I'm not fighting against it anymore."