I'll Protect You (Original Version)

Don't be late for dinner.

He my gaze full on, a small smile creeping onto his lips as he saw my predicament. Great, just what I needed: someone to laugh at my struggles in life.

"You're kidding me, right? You can't even put on a dress right?"

"Shut up!" I snapped as he started laughing hysterically, and in his laughter I heard the words that sounded an awful lot like "You're so stupid" but of course Logan wouldn't say that about me. Who am I kidding, of course he would say that. It's Logan Frickin' Cross, for Pete's sake. He's called me worse than that for the past six years.

"It's tight, okay?" I snarled angrily, crossing my arms out of habit and glaring at him with all the frustration in my bones. He chuckled again and sauntered over by the three-sided mirrors. His dark gray t-shirt hung closely to his torso, falling just below the belt line of his dark blue jeans. My eyes darkened. What I wouldn't give to be back in my own capris.

"Do you need my help?" he asked kindly, his gaze gentle and lenient, holding no spite beneath the butterscotch pools.

Pursing my lips, I considered the thought. The faster I finished this exciting adventure of dress hunting, the more of the kingdom I could visit with Logan. And that also meant less gown time. "Yes," I sighed in defeat.

"Too bad," he laughed, but he hopped on over to a chair that was propped against the wall next to the mirror, sitting on the arms like a mystical cat, with mystical cat powers. With a deep scowl etched on my face, I resumed my quest, attempting to locate the zipper so I could get the day over with.

"By the way, your mother said that if you didn't hurry and be out of this room in five minutes, you have to help set up wedding decorations. Jasper also says that if he has to help you, he's stealing all of your sneakers so you'll have to wear heels from there on out."

That's it; I've concluded that my family was a bunch of demons possessing human bodies, because no human mother nor brother could be as cruel and twisted as mine.

Several more minutes passed until I had merely one minute left. Oh no. Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this kind of situation? It's as if life has a personal vendetta against me, and it was punishing me slowly.

I heard a sigh being released behind me before shuffling occurred and I could feel the presence of Cross behind me. "You're so dumb," whispered Logan. Within the next few seconds, the zipper was located and pulled up, causing my air supply to decrease by tenfold.

I choked and nearly fell backwards, realizing that it was going to be nearly impossible for me to stand straight. A pair of strong hands caught my bare back and held me up.Concerned pupils stared down at me, his pale lips pressed into a tight line.

"Sparrow, what's wrong?" he asked, pushing the strands of my hair out of my face. Trying to seem nonchalant about not being able to breathe, I waved the subject away and tried to regain my balance.

"Must...go...can't...risk...wedding...decorations," I gasped, feeling stiff and restricted as I tried to gracefully stride down the dimly lit hallway. Note the word gracefully. Because I'm pretty sure I had failed in that category; I felt like a gigantic penguin waddling down an odd patch of ice.

I arrived in the open, where my mother and Jasper sat in the armchairs seated by another set of mirrors with rows and rows of bagged dresses behind them. Jasper was reading his own private book, his large black rimmed glasses settled comfortably on the crook of his nose as his dark eyes skimmed the pages, while his mind soaked up every bit of information that was being presented to him.

He was reading my book. That little...!

Jasper, being the emotional bloodhound that all Sparrows were, sensed that he was being glowered at, looked up and caught my furious eyes. His eyes flickered down to the book before glancing back at me and winking.