Red Sky In The Night

Three.

Encouraged by the red sky of the sunset that it was the right thing to do, Amerie was waiting for him in her usual place by the stairs. Only now when he left the house to take his seat by the window he could see her and this nearly had him dropping the plates.

"Hello?" He did not speak to her as he had done over their nights together; the friendly laid-back attitude was gone. He was guarded, on edge and the darkness crept further around him in a way she didn't understand.

What had changed? He knew she was there, yet he was still surprised?

"Hello Derek." She spoke like a whisper, almost as guarded as he was, yet there was something about the sad look on her face that made him relax slightly. What threat could this woman pose, especially now when he had the strength of a bear.

"How do you know my name?" He set the plates down on the table, folding his arms defensively over his chest now as he matched her with the memory in his mind. Her hair that appeared silver was now a light blond and the shimmer to her skin was replaced with an unnatural paleness. Everything about her appeared fragile; as if she was nothing but a carefully sculptured porcelain doll and her tiny stature was not helped by the soft pink hue of her gown that bloomed around her like rose petals, threatening to swallow her whole yet for as vulnerable as she appeared there was something there that was undeniably seductive too.

"You tell me every night," She stated, slightly amused. While she had considered herself brave, never had she imagined not only being in the presence of a human who could shift into a bear, but talking to one too and it had to be the scariest thing she had ever done. Derek didn't help by watching her with the eyes of a predator, his intense gaze leaving Amerie eager to disappear once more. She was out of her league and in some ways, so was Derek."Every night? You hear all of that?" Amerie only nodded, the steam no longer billowing off the plates and he caught her looking in their direction. But before they could eat, he had to know. "What are you?"

"What am I?" She titled her head slightly, slowly repeating the words back to him before sounding completely amazed he had no idea what she was. The Elders had never told them to expect a human not to know what they were and now she wondered if he would even know what kind of magic she possessed and since faerie cannot lie, she told him the truth. "Why I am a Faerie!"

"Not an angel?" He tried to mask his disappointment. Derek had never heard of such a being to actually occur away from author's imaginations for children's story time and fantasy movies. What would a faerie be doing out here, was that what Devony was? What did a faerie even do apart from follow mythical beings like Peter Pan around? Would not believing in her make her weak, would it kill her?

He didn't want to be behind another innocent dying so he tried to convince himself to believe in her.

"What is an, an angel?" Her mouth was watering in the most unnatural of ways while her stomach ached for what had become her one meal of the day since leaving her Clan, but Derek couldn't help recognized an almost seductive purr to her tone. It was so gentle in that come to bed way that had goose bumps breaking over his skin.

"They are from heaven, good people who come back to earth for whatever reason." He couldn't stop his frown and deciding to go against his better judgment he took a seat. This is what he had been aiming for since the night she first took his dinner; but now he had it, what was going to happen as who knew exactly what a faerie was capable of?

"I do not know this place called Heaven. I assure you I am not an angel." She didn't want to move closer yet as he picked up his knife and fork she wondered if she should do the same. After all, that second meal was intended for her.

"Sit, please." He motioned to the empty place he had kept reserved each night for his ghost of a guest in a rather friendly manner. "Can you tell me your name?"