Alec laughed, a short, bitter, slightly hysterical sound. "You don't get it at all, do you?" he asked. "You are the biggest threat I've come up against in... I don't know how long. Ever, maybe. You've got me knotted up, spun around, and I don't know whether I'm coming or going and whether you want me to... and you, you, you..." He shook his head. "Shut me up. Please shut me up."