"Zion, aren't you scared?" Stella asked the young man as they were about to sleep. "Zaphiel's army arrives in a few days."
"What's so scary about it?" Thirteen asked. "If I fail, I die. That's all there is to it."
Stella pouted, finding the teenage boy's outlook in life too extreme. She had often wondered why Zion acted the way he did and realized that she didn't know him enough to know the answer.
For a moment, she envied Tiona, Sherry, Erica, Shana, Princess Aracelle, and Princess Xynalia for knowing much Zion better than she did.
They had been with him for years, while she had only spent a few weeks with him.
While she was deep in thought, she felt his hands wrap around her back, then he pulled her closer to him.
"Don't overthink things," Thirteen said before kissing her forehead. "I will protect you."
"Mmm." Stella nodded before kissing Zion's cheek.
A moment later, they shared a brief kiss on the lips, which Stella had taken the initiative to do.
