The Broken Angel & Her Overprotective Brothers

"For being late..."

Shadow's vague reply did nothing but confuse Emily even more than she already was. She just stared at the man with the same questioning look in her eyes while she let her hand, which was cupping his face, fall on her lap.

He noticed the look on her face and it made him reach out for her hand which he took between his warm palms before speaking, "It's nothing, to be honest. I just feel like... If I could have entered your life during your birth... you could have lived a happy life." 

What he just said, was true to some level. The reason behind his guilt was his stubbornness that kept him away from her. He's known as the one who knew everything and could predict the future but how come he didn't know that his decision of staying away from her would bring so much pain and suffering to his Princess.

Recently, he's been realizing that all his decisions regarding Emily had gone wrong from the very beginning. He decided to stay away from her even when he was supposed to protect her from the very day of her birth. Back then, he thought that she would be safer if he stayed away from her life. This was his first mistake, one that became the main reason behind the guilt that he was currently suffering from.

He also thought that a mere mate bond won't be able to shake his heart. That no matter what, he won't fall for the girl that was chosen for him. And again, he was proved wrong. He was given an angel as his mate. Someone who had become the only source of light and warmth in his dark and cold life. But he was late in recognizing it.

It won't be an understatement to say that his Princess was the best present he had received in his entire life of an Immortal. But at the same time, it was also true that he didn't deserve her, especially after all that he had made her go through just because of his stubbornness.

His decisions caused her pain and now, he had to live with that guilt. He failed her. He definitely failed as her destined mate, and he also failed as her guardian. And it seemed like, he would fail her as a friend too.

Shadow shook his head slightly as if to get rid of the thoughts that did nothing but bring him regret, anger, and self-pity. He could do nothing about the past but he didn't want to ruin her present and future, and for that, he would do anything.

On the other hand, Emily was surprised by his answer. She was having trouble understanding why he was holding himself responsible just because he thought that he was late in finding her? Besides, his idea of being with her from her birth didn't really sound that enticing to her. 

"It's good that you weren't there with me from day one. Otherwise, I will be calling you Uncle at this point." She commented with a shake of her head, clearly showing her displeasure against the idea.

"Uncle? Why?" Shadow couldn't hold himself from asking as he stared at the girl with a surprised look on his face.

"Mmhm...! I'm sure you looked thirty years old on the day of my birth just like you look now. Then, uncle should be the right word for me to use for you." Emily answered honestly and received a very displeased look from him.

"Are you calling me old?" Shadow asked as he stared at the girl who seemed to be enjoying their current topic about his age.

"You are old," Emily replied with a little shrug of her shoulders. It was the fact after all. Even he couldn't deny that and if she had to speak the truth... the man could be called ancient.

Shadow probably saw her thoughts through her eyes and it made him huff in response as he clearly showed that he wasn't pleased with her calling him old. Just because he was a couple of thousand years old didn't mean he was old!

Emily chuckled lightly, happy that her teasing him had lightened the previously tense atmosphere in the room. This was a new trick she had learned from Crist. Her brother had this special talent of lightening the tense atmosphere with his weird comments and out-of-the-blue topics. 

Shadow just shook his head but remained silent, all the while staring at his hands that were still holding one of her hands.

She wrapped her other hand around his before giving them a light squeeze, bringing his attention towards her face. "Do you still remember what you told me during my first session of magical therapy in my first academic year at Nightfall?" 

Shadow kept looking at her but from the deep expression in his eyes, it seemed like he was trying to recall that day, and soon enough, she saw the realization dawning over him as he finally recalled their conversation.

A small smile appeared on her lips as she started speaking, "That day... I was shivering just after ten minutes of the session, recalling those bad memories. I almost threw a fireball at the doc even though I was barely able to control my fire element back then. So instead of doing that, I ran away and an hour or so later, you found me hiding in one of the empty rooms on the auditorium building."

"That day... you told me something that gave me the real boost to fight for myself. I still keep your words in my heart to this day because I really believe that what you told me was true." 

A small smile made its way to her lips as Emily recalled that beautiful moment. "You told me that even though my past is full of painful memories, it's also my biggest strength... because today.... I"m who I am because of that past and because of that fear."