"Are you worried about me?"
He was silent for a moment but then slowly nodded.
"I'm not gonna die, Quil," I said with confidence.
He needed to know that I had no plans of dying. The first time around I had my regrets, but falling off that building made me realize I would have lost the chance to love this amazing group of men.
"I won't let you die," he vowed quietly, meeting my gaze.
I could see the pain in his eyes as they shifted to a teal. My gut told me he was afraid and didn't know what to say to stop me from putting myself in danger.
"Quil, you have to trust me. Just like how you trusted Storm. I know...it's hard. It’s difficult to watch me enter this world with no knowledge or expertise aside from what I've gained as a human. But you can't shelter me from everything. As much as you and the others want to protect me from danger, there may be a time when you guys won't be with me. I'm gonna have to learn how to fight by myself," I explained.
He was silent, but I knew he was taking in my words. I shifted to face him and slid my free hand against his cheek.
"It's okay to be afraid of me getting hurt. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I just need to do this. I need to get stronger and fight my own battles when the time comes. Because... I may never get to again once this is all over. I'll never be able to experience the thrilling excitement of fighting and using the magic bestowed upon me. When this is all over, I'll return to the girl who paints to make a living. I want to embrace this while I can. I want to enjoy how it feels to be like you guys. To be a shifter or mage or heck, both would be cool. But I need all of your support. I can't guarantee I won't get hurt. But that's why I have you guys. So, can you help me get better?" I pleaded.
His eyes met mine, and I watched them transition to a light pink. He gave me a small smile and leaned forward to press his lips against my forehead.
"You're right. I am scared. It’s hard to admit it, but I just don't want you getting hurt. The others are worried too. Storm...meant a lot to us and because of a miscalculation, she was gone. We let her out of our sight and she ended up in a casket. I can't go through that again, Crimson. She told us to move on and I have. I'm a little happier with each day we get to spend with you. I won't say that my heart doesn't still hurt or I don't miss her. But I'm trying to move forward," he confessed.
He took a deep breath then looked at me with a new confidence. "As scared as I am, I don't want to take this from you. When you explain it that way, it makes sense and you have every right to learn how to defend yourself. You're not some damsel in distress or a sheltered princess. You’re a strong woman who wants to help us and avenge Storm, wherever her soul is. I'll support you, just don't push it, okay?" He gave me a small smile.
I returned it and nodded. "I'll make sure my health is first before anything else," I promised.
He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. I blushed at the gesture and noticed his eyes were a mixture of red and pink.
Red eyes...why does red remind me that I'm forgetting something? Hmmm.
"Did you guys make up yet?" Malachi called out.
We turned to see his wide smile before he moved to dodge a fireball that Aki threw.
"Hey!"
"Don't 'hey' me. You're so not romantic at all. You ruin everything," Aki mocked.
Itsuki laughed. "Malachi has never been romantic. He's too clueless for that kind of thing."
"You two just wait. I'll be the most romantic guy in this damn group!" Malachi announced.
Yoshi came to stand between Aki and Itsuki. "Sureeeeeee you will," he drawled out with a wide grin on his lips.
Quil snickered, shaking his head before getting to his feet. "Haru will always beat you in that category, Hottie McHot Pants," Quil shouted back at Malachi.
I tilted my head before glancing at Haru who was observing the exchange. He turned to meet my gaze and gave me an innocent smile before returning to his book.
"Haru's the most romantic out of you?" I asked, glancing up at Quil who smirked.
"Yup. Trust me. You don't want to know what he got Storm on Valentine's Day. Malachi was put to shame," Quil replied, purposely talking louder for the others to hear.
"QUIL! Get your ass over here so I can kick it!" Malachi yelled.
Quil laughed and removed his shirt before glancing my way. "You coming, Crim?" he asked with a grin.
I had to take a few seconds to appreciate his body before glancing at the other four bare-chested men. Imagine being in bed with that much sexiness... oh god, I'm going to hell.
"Yes. Hold on." I stood to remove my shirt, leaving me in just my black and white sports bra and a pair of black short-shorts. Quil’s eyes trailed down my body and he didn't even try to hide the hunger that reflected in his now dark red eyes.
I gave him a seductive smile. "Now, you guys can't be teasing me with all that chiseled definition and think I won't try to get even," I teased, sliding my hand in his and pulling him forward.
He laughed and I noticed the others’ stares as they clearly checked me out, including Haru who paused in his reading to watch me.
"You're something else, Crim," Quil whispered huskily.
"I'm hoping that's a good thing."
"It sure is," he assured.
I reached the others and I put my serious face on before I took a step back and bowed.
"Please train me so I won't be a burden to you all, but an ally if a fight arises," I requested. I kept my head down in my bowed position, but I heard footsteps approach me. I felt something soft rub my head which made me lift my gaze where I met Haru's gentle expression.
"We'll teach you everything we know and you'll never be a burden to us, Crim," Haru declared.
I looked at the others who all nodded in agreement. I rose and smiled, looking at each man standing before me.
Aki clapped his hands together, creating a small fireball. "Let's get to work."
"Crimson! Faster!" Malachi ordered.
I gritted my teeth in frustration as I dipped down to miss Aki's fireball followed by twirling in time to dodge Quil's ice attack. I lifted my hands and used the dull twin blades in my possession to block Itsuki's attack that came from behind.
I twisted my body and dodged out of the way to miss Haru's attack, who then crashed into Itsuki, both of them falling to the ground. I didn’t have time to celebrate before Aki began throwing mini fireballs and Quil ice shards. I summoned the wind by twirling twice and using the blades to send wind gusts to stop their assault. I jumped, using the wind again to gain extra height to avoid Yoshi's sword attack. I landed with grace, but cursed when I noticed how close Malachi was, knowing I wouldn't be able to avoid his attack. I lifted my swords in defense, creating an X and took his sword attack at full force. I almost lost my balance, but held my stance as I used the wind to help me hold him off.
"Crimson, you know I'm going easy on you," Malachi announced in a hushed tone.
I narrowed my eyes at him and the magic within me began to build at his taunt. "I'm aware of that," I grumbled, using more energy to try and fight him back, but he wouldn't budge.
"If you want this hard enough, you can't hold back," Malachi pointed out.
"I'm not."
"You are," he countered, taking a step forward and pushing me back with no apparent effort.
I leapt back to try to put some distance between us, but he was right there in a blink and I had to go on the defensive again.
"How bad do you want this, Crim? If you don't want us babying you, then stop holding back and take this seriously," he demanded.