“But you’re going to.”

“There is no way in holy Hell you would’ve seen a human walk down this alley. I don’t think you would’ve heard Godzilla coming down the alley.”

My lips thinned with annoyance, partly because the first thing he’d said was true while the second part was ridiculous, but mostly because this seriously was a lecture.

“Besides the risk of exposure, we also kill quickly because it’s the humane thing to do,” he continued. “It’s the decent thing, Trin.”

A muscle tensed along my jaw as I averted my gaze. He was right. Killing quickly was decent and humane. Considering all the angel blood coursing through my veins, being decent and humane should be second nature to me. Hell, first nature to me.

Apparently the violent, destructive human side of me was in control.

“You can’t get caught up in the whys of the hunt. Even if the demon wanted to snack on a puppy,” he said, and my gaze flew back to his. “Doing so leaves you distracted and vulnerable, more prone to mistakes and open to attack. What if it wasn’t me who came up behind you? What if it was an Upper Level demon?”

“I would have sensed it and punched it, too,” I snapped. “And then you would’ve been pulling me off that one.”

He stepped forward. “You might be as badass as they come, but if an Upper Level demon comes up behind you and you’re unprepared, you’re in for a world of hurt.”

Annoyance gave way to anger as I stared at him. “You’re my Protector, Zayne, but you sound like you’re my keeper. You’re not my father.”

“Thank God for that,” he retorted, sounding disturbed.

Heat crept into my cheeks, and I snapped my mouth shut.

“I know you didn’t have any official training, not like I and other Wardens, but I know you understand the basics of what to do when you come across demons. You’ve proven that.”

“Thierry and Matthew did teach me the basics.” So had Misha, but none of them had prepared me for patrolling, because no one thought I’d end up doing that. But I knew the rules. Mainly because the rules were kind of common sense. “They talked about...stuff.”

“Did you listen to them?”

“Of course,” I said, affronted.

A deep, raspy chuckle radiated from him. “Yeah, not to sound like a lie detector, but I’m going to have to say that’s false.”

“Okay. I had a wee bit of a hard time paying attention, because I’m easily distracted and suffer from chronic boredom. Like right now. I’m bored. With this conversation,” I tacked on. “So, I’m suffering.”

“Not as much as I’m suffering right now.”