Chapter 25 - What was she about to say?

Jasmine and Jane made eye contact. The commander glared at Sebastian.

"Don't mind Sebastian," the commander continued to explain, "He likes to pick on guests."

Jasmine immediately changed the topic, trying to reduce the tension, "I found a good book for you to read, Echo!" She nudged Jane's shoulder.

"Yes!" Jane blurted, pausing for a while, and then continuing, "It's about familiars."

"Speaking of her… Where is Hunter?" Jasmine asked.

Echo slowly glanced at Damon, and pursed her lips, "I forgot her at home."

Damon smiled, "You'll make a good mom one day. Don't worry."

Echo glared at him, "Hmm… you forgot her too, so you're no better than me."

"I didn't say I was any better," Damon blurted. She smiled standing up, and turned to Damon.

"Are you coming to get her?"

Damon stood up, following her back to the house.

The commander glared at Sebastian once the two were gone, "What was that? The last thing I want is a fight breaking out between the captain of the Elites and a demon who is way more powerful for any of us to contain."

"If he's that dangerous, why did you bring him here? Why are you letting him roam around freely?" Jasmine argued, glaring at her husband.

The commander turned to Jasmine, "Jas. Stay out of this!"

"No! You are making a stupid mistake here. If something happens, our kids are here too. Do you want them to get hurt? What about the other children, and the other warriors too? You said it yourself, you can't contain him. So just kill him. He is a demon!" Jasmine argued, raising her voice, attracting the attention of other Protectors in the library.

Jane anxiously held her sister's hand in an attempt to calm her. Sebastian stepped into the argument that was indeed meant for him.

"You guys arguing here is just going to cause panic, and more people are going to want to kill Damon. This isn't what we want, right? We don't want a fight breaking out, and Protectors being killed by Damon," Sebastian blurted. He stood up, and looked at the commander.

The commander sighed, standing up, and following Sebastian behind a shelf full of books.

Jane hugged Jasmine who was very obviously annoyed. She then pulled away with a smile, "Why are you picking a fight with the commander over Damon? Is it even worth arguing about a demon with your husband?"

Jasmine sighed, covering her face with her hands as she dropped her head, "It's just that I'm worried. I don't want this to backfire on him. You know how the Protectors are now… one small mistake and they've got their swords drawn ready to attack."

Jane patted her sister's back, "Don't let them get to you. Trust your husband, he's a smart man."

Jasmine took her hands off her face, and looked at Jane, "You're right. I should trust him, he usually knows what he's doing. And Echo seems to trust Damon too."

"There's no doubt something happened between the two of them," Jane added, with a small giggle. Jasmine nodded her head in agreement.

"Echo was too fast to say 'no'."

Jane smiled at Jasmine, and hugged her again.

—

Echo entered her house, with Damon following her close behind. Once the door closed, he glared at Echo, who was frantically looking for Hunter.

"Hunter!" Echo called out, she opened her bedroom door, and saw the cub asleep on the bed. She sighed in relief, and turned around. "You want something…" she trailed off when she noticed his glare.

Damon sighed, noticing her freeze for a minute. His glare dissolved as he looked at her with an expressionless face. "What was that about earlier? Nothing happened between us? Was I just imagining everything then?"

Echo sighed in relief, "No! That's not what I meant, Damon." She moved closer to him, and wrapped her hands around him. "I didn't know a demon would be this soft… and you of all people. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I just didn't want things to escalate. Sebastian… he can be a real jerk sometimes… trust me."

"I can handle myself," Damon wrapped his strong muscular arms around her, pulling her closer, until there was no space between them. He smiled, and looked over her head, "Are you scared that I'll hurt him? Is that what this is?"

"No ! Pfft… why would I be worried about him?" She asked, glancing down, and pausing. She looked back up at his face, as they locked eyes, "Okay… maybe I was worried about him, but like a tincy-wincy bit. I was more worried about what would happen to you after you start a fight with him."

"I can beat him very easily," Damon proudly stated.

Echo giggled at his prideful look, "I was more worried about what would happen afterwards. The commander would have put you back in the dungeons, or even killed you."

Damon chuckled, as he slowly raised his hand up to her face, he looked at her eyes, and cupped her cheeks. He was relieved at her reply. It even made him more excited, because she was just protecting him, but he didn't need protecting. "Love, I don't need you to protect me. You underestimate me."

Echo smiled sweetly as she lowered her gaze to his chest. She kept her hands on his chest, "But I want to protect you, because I l…" She shut her mouth before she could complete the sentence. What was she about to say? She had almost told him that she loved him… and he hadn't even asked her to be his girlfriend yet. What was happening to her? Why was everything moving so fast? Why was her mind moving so fast?

She pulled away and stuttered, "Uh- D- Maybe I- should check on Hunter… She must be h-hungry!" She turned around, and walked to her bedroom, sighing after she closed the door.

She couldn't wrap her head around what had just happened. She had so many questions running through her mind. The main one being if she really loved him. She sat on the ground, and glanced at Hunter who was beginning to wake up.