Just this once

Chapter sixteen

Hunter's POV

"No they won't! You don't understand- you don't know my parents!

Nononononononononononononono-"

She falls to the floor, her breathing becoming shallow and irradicate.

"Erika!" I lunge at her trembling frame and pull her onto my lap, resting her head on my chest.

"Calm down, you're having a panic attack." She isn't listening to me, I can see her beginning to lose consciousness as her eyes glaze over.

I can feel her heart racing against my chest.

"Shhhhhhhhh, hey it's okay. It's going to be alright..." I start stroking her hair and rubbing her back in an attempt to soothe her.

"Relax, deep breaths, can you do that for me?" She nods slightly and does as I say.

"In...out...in...out. That's good keep going." Her eyes are starting to come back to focus and she keeps taking deep breaths.

She finally slows down the pounding of her heart and looks me in the eye.

She looks so scared, so vulnerable that her voice cracking at the end of her sentence puts me into overdrive.

"I-I'm so sorry. God, I-"

"Erika," I cut her off with her name, and wrap my arms tightly around her frail figure. I pull her into my chest and bury my face in her hair.

"Hunter, I don't understand why you're doing this," Her voice breaks and so does my heart.

"No, Erika don't." My voice sounds muffled through her hair.

"But I don't-"

"I care, how many times will I need to say it for you to believe me?!?" I can hear frustration creeping into my voice but I don't try to hide it.

'Damn it Erika, the things you do to me!'

"Hunter, you know better than anyone that I have serious trust issues. You at least should be able to understand that."

'That night' I think 'She is bringing up that night.' Do I say something about it?

Is she ready for this?

I look at her and she looks away, unable to meet my gaze.

I can't do this to her, I can't force her to discuss this.

She's not ready to relive it just yet, but almost.

"I'm sorry," Her head snaps up to look at me, surprise is clearly written all over her face.

"What did you say?" She says cautiously,

"I said I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you. We can talk about it when you're ready." She looks like she's debating something in her head when she flings both of her thin arms around my neck and pulls me into a hug that she started, not me.

She buries her face in the crook of my neck and whispers

"Thank you Hunter- for everything."

" My pleasure, Princess."