Waking Dream

Chapter Four

Dream rubbed her forehead and stood up.

"Good." She said. "Sorry for attacking you."

"Forgiven." Anubis dismissed her apology.

She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Forgive so quickly. I thought demons kept grudges."

"Most do, but I have learned that some things do not require a grudge to be held. You attacked out of instinct, not malice. I do not begrudge self-defense."

Dream tilted her head to one side. Her hair fell over her shoulder. She studied him for a minute. He was like a never ending puzzle. The more she found out, the more confusing he became. All of the information from the books she had read - even though they were fiction - didn't apply to him. The demons in the books were evil, violent and vindictive. They had red skin, black as night eyes, and horns. Anubis was kind, gentle, and forgiving. He had tanned skin, green eyes, and even though he had horns, they were small. His entire demeanor was different.

"Why are you staring at me?" He asked, shifting uncomfortably.

He hated it when people stared at him. It made him feel like a freak. Being a demon made him different, but people usually treated him like a disease. He didn't like it and tended to stay away from people.

"I'm trying to figure out why you're so different from what I've read in books." She said. "I know the books are fiction, but you've said that most of the information was true."

"I am only part demon." He said. "My mother raised me until I was old enough to join the army that my father leads."

He waited for her to tell him that he should have listened to his demon half more. All of the people he had helped told him that he was a demon and should act that way. Only after he saved their lives, were they grateful that he was the way he was. An unfamiliar fear had his chest constricting.

"Being raised by a nymph would definitely bring out the good." She said quietly. "Thank you, by the way, for saving my life."

"I have not saved your life." He contradicted her.

She smiled and he felt a strange emotion warm him. He frowned.

"You're helping me and that's as good as saving my life."

Anubis gave her a confused look. She didn't make any sense. Before he could ask, she walked into the bedroom. He sat on the couch. With a sigh, he pushed a hand through his hair. The strange emotions within him were complicating his mission. As he tried to figure out a way to bury the emotions, the picture in his mind cleared up; a headstone with an inscription. The stone was cracked and he couldn't read the words, but he could see the name. Dream Josephina Byrd. He stopped breathing. The battlefield for the powers would be the cemetery she was buried in. Dream would have to face her own death.

~*~

Noir shook out her fur. The necklace jangled. After stretching, she trotted off to the hotel that the demon had found. He was on the couch. She could sense his surprise at something, but didn't linger to figure out what it was. Dream was in the next room of the suite. She was pacing beside the bed. Confusion and fear rolled off her in waves. Noir leapt onto the bed. After sitting down, the large wolf kept her eyes on the girl. Dream began to mutter to herself.

"Get a grip. This is no time to lose your head."

Noir agreed. Dream would need her ability to think.

"He's a demon. Trusting him could get you killed."

Noir sniffed and sneezed.

"On the other hand, he's had plenty of chances to kill me. I'm still here. If I don't trust him, I may be setting myself up for danger." She wrung her hands. "I've been on my own for a long time. No one else has ever been so involved in my life." She dropped onto the bed.