"Okay, okay." His hands are still up as he says it before he shoves them back into his pockets. He wants to ask if it's a lover or something, it's the best he can figure out in his head. But then he also wants to remind that protecting someone else is impossible. Marc should know this. But Kylar can see his gripping this idea of protection so tight that it won't matter. That topic is done.

"Then here's my free rule, you can't call me 'kid'. It's Kylar. I'm younger, sure. But in the grand scheme of things, I'm not that much younger. Just be glad I'm not asking you to call me 'Baron Stern' or 'my Lord'."