Chapter 45 - Stargazing With Damon

Echo sighed once she shut the door to their house, after Hunter and Damon stepped in. Her brows creased, and she scratched her head, leaving some blood behind on her face.

Damon noticed the change in her expressions, and then the blood on her face. He swiftly moved closer to her, and guided her to the sofa.

"Are you okay?" he asked, crouching down in front of her, next to the sofa. He wanted to treat her wound, and let her calm down.

Echo nodded, and glanced at the wound on her hand, "I'm fine. This is nothing," she showed him her crimson hand, "I'll clean it up. It won't take much time, you shouldn't worry so much."

Damon smiled at her. She was the one who was injured, yet she was worried about him. He felt happy at that thought, but he took both her hands in his, and looked at her injured hand. "Let me treat your wound. You just sit back, and… enjoy being pampered," his voice was soft and raspy, filled with so much warmth.

She stared at him, and nodded before thinking. She just stared at him, while he stood up, and got everything he needed to clean her wound. She had forgotten about everything that had happened earlier. Her heart was on the verge of flying away from her chest, while she admired the demon who was so hellbent on keeping her safe. An involuntary smile formed on her face.

Damon snapped his finger, and a flame appeared on his finger. He glanced at Echo. She was staring at him with a smile on her face. Her eyes looked like she was in a dreamland. He smiled, for a moment he hesitated bringing the flame closer to the wound. It was normal for demon's to just burn their wounds while fighting, to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

He blew out the flame on his finger, and dipped a clean cotton bud in some disinfectant. He gently touched the cotton bud on her hand. He expected her to flinch, but not a single muscle moved on her body. He looked up at her face, and saw her glaring at him.

Echo snapped out of her daze once she felt pain. She glanced at her hand, and saw that Damon was looking at her. She glared at him, and he immediately turned his gaze back to her hand.

Damon was extra gentle when cleaning her wound. He kept berating himself, 'How could I let her get hurt in front of me? I should have stepped in as soon as the commander drew his sword.'

Unbeknownst to Echo, when she jumped in front of the sword, hurting her hand, Damon's eyes turned dark ready to attack the commander and Sebastian. Both the commander and Sebastian saw his reaction, which was why they did not attack further.

Echo watched as Damon wrapped a bandage around her hand. She smiled, as she felt cared for after several years. It made her heart flutter and then it hurt. She couldn't quite understand the feeling. It made her want to hold him close to her and never let her go. She didn't know that such a small action would cause so many feelings in her heart.

"Are you okay?" Damon asked, noticing that she was deep in thought.

Echo snapped out of her thoughts. She faked a smile and nodded, "Yes!"

Damon pursed his lips into a smile. She looked so sweet despite faking the smile. He stared at her brown eyes, that had lost the glint of happiness that he noticed before they visited the commander's house.

Echo looked rather depressed to him. He stood up and stretched his hand towards her asking, "How about we stargaze before going to sleep? It might help you calm your nerves a little."

"My nerves are as calm as it gets!"

Damon nodded, "Then maybe help me calm my nerves a bit?" He still had his hand outstretched towards her.

Echo stared at Damon for a while. At first she thought he saw right through her fake smile, but when he stated that he needed to calm his nerves, she felt bad. It was all her fault that he was even in this position. She hadn't thought about how he must be feeling about anything. He wanted to leave, but she stopped him. Was she the bad person?

"How long are you going to keep me waiting?" Echo raised her head, glancing at Damon, who was still waiting for her. Her smile was long lost, and she had an expressionless look on her face.

"Sorry!" Echo smiled, and reached out holding his hand. She couldn't control the smile on her face. The warmth she felt from just holding his hand was breathtaking. She had never known that such a small action would just throw all the bad thoughts out of her head.

Damon felt his heart leap once she held his hand. The change in her expressions made him happier. He had thought that she would decline his offer.

The two walked out to the balcony. Standing at the railing, Echo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The quiet environment, blended with the cool breeze brushing on her face made her feel an instant surge of calmness.

Damon quietly watched Echo, she had the cutest reactions to things, and this was one of those reactions. He was glad he had asked her to stargaze with him. He admired her long lashes, which was enhanced by the moonlight falling on her face. Her hair was blown back by the breeze, exposing her neck and jawline. He almost forgot to breathe while staring at her.

Echo opened her eyes, and glanced at Damon with a smile. She then stared at the sky filled with stars that looked like tiny bulbs. It had been a while since she had stargazed.

"It's hard to imagine that most of the stars we see might actually be dead now."