~Dark Princess~ (Edited)

~Shayne: Chapter 18~

Shit! I did not just start to murmur those words. The words that will surly end whatever we have going on right now. I cleared my throat, trying to figure out what to say in response. She scrutinized me the longer I took to answer her. Thinking quickly, I said something entirely different from what I was originally going to say.

"I'm supposed to protect you?" I said this with a tint of questioning, cursing myself for sounding so unsure. Her eyes narrowed and I knew that maybe I should have just taken a chance and went with what I was going to say.

"I don't need protection. Yesterday was just a mild set back. I don't know what happened, but I can protect myself." She pushed away the food I'd spent all morning preparing and was about to stand up, but I stopped her.

"No, that's... that's not what I meant. Please stay and eat. I'll explain myself." I said this in a rush and she froze. After debating with herself, she sat back down and began to eat, motioning me to continue. Gulping, I tried to think of what to say. God, I wasn't used to feeling this way. I never had to worry about being nervous while talking to a girl before. I never even had time to think about girls like this before. "I meant that I feel this... urge to protect you. Not saying that you need it, just saying that I want to. I protect things that I... care about." I refused to look in her direction as I said this, knowing that a blush was crawling up my neck.

"You... care about me?" She spoke hesitantly, as if no one had ever told her that. The blush grew as I met her beautiful dark eyes. She looked so confused, that it stopped my response.

"Has... no one ever told you that before?" I asked back cautiously, not sure if it'll be seen as something too personal. She didn't take it personal though, as she thought it over in her mind.

"My... foster parents. I knew they cared for me, but they never told me. They only told me that I was special; that I would make a difference in this world. But I never understood what they were talking about until after they died and I went in search for my biological father. Now, I'm thinking that maybe they didn't really care. They were made to protect me... it was the job my father had given them." She got lost in her thoughts, trailing off. My heart ached for her. Having to live all these years not knowing her real parents; not knowing the love of a real parent.

"Well... I know it seems crazy coming from me, since we've only just met, but I care." I mumbled, afraid that I might sound a little too mushy for her. She shook her head before meeting my gaze again and blinding me with a shy smile. It was a smile I hadn't seen her use yet and it rendered me speechless. God she was so gorgeous. She shook me from my stupor with her voice.

"We should... go ahead and set the traps." I nodded in response and put up the dishes, noticing just then that we had both finished eating.

All of a sudden, Annika went still and in a moment, I knew what she was sensing. Our powers were slowly coming back to us, but something about this dimension slowed their progress. But what she was sensing was that someone was coming towards us, without having set off any of the traps. She dropped to the floor right before a bullet whizzed past her.

Keon must have found us.