Silva shifted his weight and watched China closely, waiting to see what she would do. "China?" he asked again.

She finally blinked and took a breath. She looked over to Rome.Is he okay?

Silva sighed and fell back on his butt, dropping his head into his hands. "The idiot is fine. It's a defense that all purebloods have. If their bodies go under extreme physical or emotional stress they shut down and a shield forms that prevents anything from getting close. The only problem is that no one knows how long it lasts." he explained. He glanced over at Rome and shook his head. "What a pain." he muttered.

She nodded and looked down.And its my fault.

Silva rolled his eyes. "It's not your fault. The poison his father gave him a few days ago weakened his body and mind. Then seeing your distress finally sent him over the edge. He loves you nearly too much." he told her. He ran his hand through his long hair and grumbled under his breath as he fought with the tangles. He finally managed to get his hair back into a neat braid and tied it with a black string. He looked at China, his eyes turning serious. "What happened? Why did you attack him?" he asked.

Silva looked at her, tilting his head like a dog. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused.

Silva sighed. "I'm starting to think that spellcastors and vampires are more alike than I thought, and that's not a good thing for my job." he groaned. He leaned back and yelped when he bumped against the blue shield, receiving a burn on his arm. "I can't wait to get my hands on him. I'll strangle him." he growled, glaring at Rome's motionless body. Thistle moved over to Silva's side and sat down beside him, her ears and tail twitching. She reached out and gently wrapped her long, delicate human fingers around his arm. He let her pull his arm towards her and watched as she placed her palm over it. When she pulled away the burn was gone.

She sniffed and crossed her arms.When will he wake up?

Silva nodded to Thistle in thanks before turning to China. He shrugged. "The last time it happened he was out for a while, but you never know. Maybe you could talk to him. The last time he was out like this I said a few words I shouldn't have and the moment he woke up he tried his hardest to kill me. I didn't think he could here anything and unfortunately I was wrong." he told her. "I can take Senshi and Thistle with me to check out our surroundings to make sure nothing is gonna sneak up on us if you want. " he offered.

She nodded.Thanks Silva. You're a good friend.

Silva gave her a small smile and nodded his head once before standing up. He motioned for Senshi and Thistle to follow him and soon all three of them disappeared into the dark shadows, leaving China alone with Rome.

China moved a little closer to Rome.Rome, I don't know if you can hear me.

Rome's body stayed completely motionless, but the shield around him flashed a light blue. It was as if the shield recognized China's voice.

She had to clear her throat a few times.I know you probably love me... but I... I haven't dropped my love magic from you yet. It might not be real love. I need to see the truth.

The shield around Rome flashed. Rome could hear China and wanted nothing more than to be able to move, but his body refused to do anything. The first time the shield had formed he'd panicked, making the shield stay for days. It had only happened a few times after, but every time it happened he couldn't help but feel fear and panic because of his inability to move. He struggled to move now, but his body remained frozen. The shield flashed again, rising and falling as if it were breathing.

She held her breath and dropped the magic.

Rome froze as he felt as if something was lifted off of him. Suddenly the shield around him went crazy. It flashed and stretched, going chaotic. The was a loud cracking sound and the shield shattered, disappearing as if it was never there. Rome's eyes flew open, but other than that his body remained motionless.

China tensed up, expecting the unexcpected, her heart ready to be broken.

Rome blinked a few times and tried pushing himself up with shaking arms. He managed to sit up and then shook his head as if to clear it. He suddenly whipped his head around and looked at China. Without warning he grabbed her arm and yanked her against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. I'd thought I'd lost you." he whispered against her hair.

She said nothing, turning her head in to his shoulder and trying not to cry.

Rome held her tighter in his arms, as if he never wanted to let go. He pressed his face against her hair, taking a deep breath. "No amount of magic could ever make me love you more or less." he whispered.

She closed her eyes and leaned into him. Where was Silva?

"That was faster than normal." came Silva's voice. Rome jerked back and whipped his head around, but couldn't see him. "I'm up here." Silva said. Rome looked up and spotted his friend sitting high up in a tree. "What are you doing up there?" he asked. Suddenly Thistle came sprinting out of the trees, snarling loudly. "Where is he?" she growled her teeth bared. She suddenly saw Silva out of the corner of her eye and started circling the tree, her tail lashing back an forth. "Get down here!" she snarled. Senshi walked out of the trees, pushing his long hair out of his eyes. "He's as good as dead." he chuckled, glancing up at Silva.