Demons

Chapter 11: Where I'm Falling

"I honestly don't know, witch girl," he answered, tearing his eyes away from our hands to meet my gaze. "But I'm hoping to find out."

I was so caught up in our conversation, I didn't see the tree root sticking out of the ground until it was too late. I tripped and would've fallen, if Damian hadn't been holding my hand. He tightened his grip and hauled me to him before I could fall, his arm automatically coming up to wrap around my waist. When I was safely on my two feet, standing pressed up against him, I could hear him chuckling. "I didn't know you were such a klutz," he teased. And just like that, the magic of the moment was ruined.

Wow. Damian Wayne. Teasing me. I never thought I'd see the day. Maybe there is a normal side to him after all. "Only when I'm around you," I grumbled, pulling away from him. He was still laughing at me, and my lips were also twitching in amusement, but I tried not to let it show. There was no need to laugh at myself, since Damian was already doing a pretty good job at it. "I could just fly us up to the mountain, you know," I told him in a louder voice.

"Nah," Damian said as he took my hand again. With a huff, I followed. "That would ruin the whole point of exploring this place. And it's nice to talk while walking."

"Talk," I repeated the one word Damian did not really seem to like. "So you're saying we're going to talk?" I didn't want to be hopeful. I mean, this is Damian Wayne were talking about. There was no telling when his walls would suddenly come crashing down.

Damian sighed loudly, as if the prospect wasn't really a good one. "It would be terribly boring if we stayed quiet the whole way, don't you think? We can't possibly pass the time just by staring at each other," he replied. "Although, I wouldn't mind looking at you all day."

I blushed when he said the words, and I looked at him to see if he was joking. Damian's cheeks were also tinged with embarrassment, and there was an adorable little frown on his face. I think this was the first time I ever saw him blush. What a novelty. "I can't believe I said that," he muttered. "I sound like Grayson."

"I don't mind," I admitted, staring straight ahead. I didn't want to look at Damian as I said, "I could look at you all day, too. But then, I'd probably end up tripping again."

"What an odd pair we make," Damian pointed out, but by the sound of his voice, I knew he was smiling. Odd doesn't even begin to cover it, I wanted to say. But, I just made a sound of agreement instead. After that, we remained quiet as we walked, listening to the birds in the trees and the leaves rustling in the wind. Sometimes, Damian would help me over a fallen log or push branches and plants out of our way. There was no way to determine the time, and I didn't really mind. If I had to stay here forever with Damian, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.

When we reached a small creek, Damian sat by a rock and placed the basket down. He then opened it and pulled out a light blue cloth. After laying out the cloth, he gestured for me to sit on it. "We should have some breakfast first before we continue on our way," he said as he also plopped down in front of me.

I watched as he brought out some containers and laid them out between us. "So, this isn't the place Diana was talking about?" I asked.

"No," Damian answered, busily opening our food. He handed me a creampuff, and I smiled. I loved creampuffs. "But we're close. We'll be there before lunch."

"And you're still not telling me where it is?" Damian was watching me as I took a bite of the pastry, loving the way the creamy filling balanced out the crisp, flaky bread. I closed my eyes and savored the taste. Man, the Amazons knew how to make a good creampuff.