Chapter 53 – Don’t Break My Heart

"Warren!" Anastasia barely managed to gasp out, still breathless from the kiss. She pulled away, glancing around as if everyone's eyes were still on them. "You just did that in front of everyone."

"So?" Bastian replied, grinning, not even thinking about letting go of her waist. His smirk had that mischievous warmth like he knew something she didn't.

"What do you mean 'so'?? You just basically showed everyone we have a thing…which I don't even know what that thing is," she huffed out looking at him like he was a naughty child.

When he first kissed her, she was wrapped up in the moment and it felt wonderful that the first thing he wanted to do, like a soldier coming home from battle, desperate to feel alive again. But while they passionately kissed because that's all she wanted to do due to this huge attraction and maybe some developed feelings, she asked herself, what were they really?

If she was being realistic, they weren't…anything except friends so what were they really doing?

"First of all, you're not in high school love," Bastian shot back, a teasing edge to his tone. "Second, if I want to kiss you, and you want to kiss me, why shouldn't we? Who cares what anyone thinks? No one's judging us. So, we kiss when we want." He looked so proud of himself as if that solved everything.

Just then Billy, having finished his own little public display of affection walked up to Bastian and clapped him on the shoulder. "Bro, as much as we all want to keep kissing these stunning ladies, we gotta hit the showers, ASAP."

"Yeah, you're right!" He turned his head back to Anastasia and pouted with playful eyes, "One more kiss?"

"No! No more," she said, shaking her head firmly. "Pretty sure my dad and brothers need a second to, uh… process."

Bastian chuckled as he and Billy headed up the stairs toward the house. But just as they reached the top stair, Bastian half-turned back toward her, one hand theatrically over his heart. "You're breakin' my achy breaky heart!"

Anastasia's smile faded and she just felt the whole world cave in on her in slow motion. Her face became shrewd and she looked like she was about to vomit. 'No! No! This can't be!" she thought. Her breath caught, her chest tightened, and the room blurred as she struggled to process it. 'Only one person ever said that! No, he can't be him!' Her heart pounded, but she felt disconnected, her legs weak and her body frozen in place. As she thought of all the times that they were so similar, the things he said, nausea churned inside her, yet she couldn't move, and though tears threatened, they remained trapped behind the shock. Time seemed to stop as she stood there, hollow and lost in a world that no longer made sense.

Bastian's smile immediately faded while he was about to open the door and he shot his face towards Anastasia as he immediately felt her distress. When he saw her pale face and how ill she looked, he flew down the stairs and held her arms.

"Anastasia are you okay?! What's wrong?" he asked urgently. Billy and Rose hovered nearby, equally concerned and Bastian's heart started beating fast when she just stared at him blankly as if she wasn't even there anymore. When Rose and Billy tried to speak to her, she didn't even look at them. The world didn't exist to her right then as she just stared into Bastian's eyes.

'His eyes, his face…it's not his but…it's so similar,' Anastasia thought. 'I thought the way he looked at me was weird but again, he was so familiar and felt so natural…how comfortable I was from the moment he danced with me…'

"Anastasia!" Bastian shouted, shaking her slightly, just as a tear slipped out of the corner of her down her cheek without even realizing it and he startled her out of her trance.

She blinked, looking at the three worried faces in front of her, and tried to regain her composure. "I'm sorry," she whispered, voice shaky. "I just… I just felt sick all of a sudden. Training, probably."

Bastian furrowed his brows as he knew she was lying because he was feeling her emotions right now and he felt a mix of confusion, fear, and shock which had nothing to do with her training. She must have seen something or maybe her demon hunter side must have sensed something but he couldn't say anything as he didn't want her to know he was reading her.

"I am just going to take a walk-"

"Maybe you shouldn't be alone right now," Bastian said firmly, not letting go of her arm just yet.

"I'm okay really… I just need a nice slow walk and water calms me so I will most likely walk on the pier," she forced a smile, hoping to convince him.

 "Alright. But if you're not back by nightfall, I'm sending a search party after you. And I doubt your father will push any more training today."," Bastian hesitated, then nodded slowly, letting her go.

She smiled again, though it didn't reach her eyes, and turned away before anyone could stop her. She walked off, her legs feeling unsteady, her mind spinning as she headed toward the cliffs by the river.

After a while, she reached one of the cliffs and was quite mesmerized by the spectacular view. The large open water resembling a lake, glistened in the sunlight, reflecting the dazzling blue shade of the sky, and the cliffs on either side of the river towered majestically, their rugged edges softened by patches of greenery. The gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh water and wildflowers, and the peaceful sound of the water's current and splashing below soothed her turbulent thoughts. Everything felt calm and serene, a stark contrast to the different emotions raging inside her.

This felt eerily similar to when she was on the roof staring out at the city lights, and the dark ocean – her thoughts as black as the water at the time. Then she remembered something…something important.

'At some point, I thought I was flying but I wasn't flying…I was carried by a winged creature…an ANGEL!' The memories came flooding back, one after the other. She remembered vaguely how she said out loud that she wanted to see Bastian again if she did fall but then the more she thought about it, she remembered the creature saying something to her before she completely got lost in darkness. 'What did he say? Remember Anastasia!' She then widened her eyes as she remembered, what he said "I'm right here Nasa. And I'm never letting you go again."

'OH GOD!' Her knees nearly buckled. 'It all makes sense – his close relationship with Billy who is also an angel so of course he would know, the loving looks and protectiveness, the way he almost called me Nasa the other night, and his kisses! Those familiar, beautiful kisses! He's an angel! It would make sense for such a beautiful person like him to become one! How could I be so blind?

Warren Derrick Baxter…is there something in his name that would give me a clue? His initials W.D.B. which is similar to…WAIT! Put them backward and…' Her eyes went wide again and gasped. 'B.D.W.' She laughed, almost hysterically, as the truth hit her full force and tears shone in her eyes.

'Warren is Bastian Dean Webber!'