Lane shook her head when he mentioned the "taste of power." That was not what she liked about the feeling, it was something separate entirely. She liked not feeling helpless or insignificant. Maybe the power helped with that, but she had no intention of letting any of it go to her head. For a moment, those feelings reached her face and she grimaced as she looked at James. Lane was quick to force that look back down, but it was as if all the glitter had come off in the last hour. He had watched dark powers consume her ancestor, a woman he had clearly loved. The power of the Valkyrie felt both dark and light, as if it danced upon a delicate balance between the two. Life and death. War and peace. She was part of that thin line between them now, she was certain of that much.<br/><br/>"That's not a good way to live, James." She said softly, trying to take out any possible fury or anger in her voice. Perhaps he had not realized it, but each word he spoke pulled at her. He had intended to use her, just as she had thought initially. Yes, things had changed, but something about his admission did not sit right in her gut. She knew those feelings were chained to her tumultuous past, to boyfriends who had cheated, lied and manipulated their way into her heart and now she wondered if he was some of the same. What if he had fallen for his own tricks? What if he had seen the echo of Adella in her eyes and that made it all the more easy to fall for her? She tried to push those thoughts away. The ground already felt rocky under her feet and she was sure it was not going to be solid again anytime soon.<br/><br/>"So what you're telling me, is that you want to use this new power to tear asunder a woman who saved your life? Well-- A demoness who saved your life? I'm sorry, I'm a little confused. Which woman was the demon and why do so many of your former paramour's have names that begin with the letter "A"? " She was not sure which woman he intended her to try and take care of, but Lane's doubts only grew as his story continued. The way he told the story to her now, it sounded almost as if he was the villain, or at least a more complicated participant than she had believed initially. This person--being-- had helped him and now he wanted to go back on the deal. She could understand if perhaps he wanted revenge against the woman that had put him in that cage, or freedom from the fire in his leg, but so far he had been preparing her to do serious damage to a demon.<br/><br/>"I can't--can't do that." Her eyes searched his, and she almost pained as she did it. A reflex kicked in and told her to run, but some other voice in her head told her that running wasn't going to help her now. Whatever had happened to awaken this new power within her, it had tied her fate to his. Lane looked down, and suddenly felt as if it was not just her fate, but her heart also. "...But I can't abandon you either..."<br/><br/>She pushed out a sigh and again looked at him. This time her eyes held an energy and a confidence they had lacked before. "It can't just be me playing by your rules though, you saying "no"because something poses a risk to me. You've done enough of that, and whether you like or not, you've pulled me into this. You're not dumb or naive enough to think I can get out without a mark, I know you're smarter than that. So if we're going to figure this out, we do it together. As partners. Equals. Not as the silly young witch and the age-old professor."