I opened my eyes to darkness. I was laying on a bed with a blanket wrapped tightly around my body. Someone was pacing back and forth a few feet from the bed; by the way the boots barely made sound on the dark wood floor, I could tell he was trying to be quiet about it.
"Azazel?" I whispered, which was all I could do with the pounding pain in my head. The pacing stopped, and he immediately ran to my side.
"Dove, I... I'm so sorry," he choked. I held out my arms, groping in the dark for his body, then wrapped them around his shoulders when I found them. He clutched me back tightly.
"I had the weirdest... dream." But as soon as I said dream, I knew it hadn't been. It felt wrong to call it that. It had been real. But how?
"Tell me about it," he whispered in my ear, his husky voice sending shivers down my spine.
I told him about the woman, the land, and the three other women. Of how they reminded me of specific animals; a deer, a peacock, and a rabbit.
"Hmm. Maybe we should talk to Gaia about it. She knows a lot about dream symbology. Animals have meaning, spirit animals... maybe it was symbolic?"
I shook my head. No, I knew it wasn't! I didn't know how I knew, but I just did. Then I shrugged and said, "maybe." But I would talk to Gaia about it later.
After that, Azazel led me into the kitchen for breakfast. I was worried that it would be a repeat of the previous morning, but I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the high pitched squeal of Gaia, the deep, husky voice of Abbadon, and the feminine tone of Alaric.
The kitchen was also filled with amazing scents, and Azazel smiled at me proudly. "I will make sure you get a chance to try many different human foods," he boasted. I grinned at him, then butted his shoulder with my head. "Thank you."
We walked into the ruckus, and everyone stopped dead, staring. Then, all at once, everyone exclaimed at the top of their lungs, "Clariana!"
I cradled my head in my hands. "Owww."
"Guys," Azazel growled in warning. Everyone winced and looked ashamed. "Sorry," they all said again in synchronicity.
"Why does my head hurt so bad?" I asked Azazel. He grimaced. "You have a hangover. I'm so sorry, Clariana. It's my fault. Damn it, if I wasn't so selfish!"
I shook my head and held up my hands to stop him from speaking any further. "Azazel, it's ok. I'm ok, alright? Stop beating yourself up." I stood on my tiptoes and held him close to me.
He gasped sharply. "I'm changing you, Clariana. I... You're so different now. It's my fault."
I backed away to look at him in the eyes. "Change is not always bad, Azazel. What's so different about me anyway?"
"You're no longer innocent," he whispered. His eyes teared up. "I destroyed that part of you."
I blushed, "what do you mean, I'm no longer innocent?" I asked.
He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "Ok, well maybe you still are somewhat." And then he smiled that evil smile, the type of smile that I knew meant that he wanted to do wicked things to me. "Especially in the ways that count," he growled low.
I swatted his arm. "Azazel! Dear lord, you're so perverted!"
"You better be speaking of the Lord of Darkness," he muttered. "Because you're a demon now. You can't invoke his name here." He rose his eyes to the ceiling, making the insinuation clear. I gulped. "Sorry.
He looked away and sighed.
"Hey guys, come sit down and have breakfast with us already," Gaia called, purposely breaking the awkward moment.
