Heart of Darkness

Rayven was surprised to find out that she had a dream about Skender. Why would she? Skender had always felt something special for her and now she had a dream about him. What did it mean? How were they connected?

There also seemed to be a connection to Constantine. She had a dream about him before she even met him. Maybe she just didn't remember? With William and her, maybe there was a past that remained hidden from them, to protect them. It seemed like she had experienced abuse at the hands of a shade. Hence her fear of fangs and claws. Now he understood why she had been more horrified about them than when she only found out that he was a demon. This also explained her fear of bats. He should have known that.

This was worse than he thought, yet he couldn't deny that he admired her. Despite her fear of all these things she managed to calm down quicker than he expected.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

She sighed and looked both sad and annoyed. "My Lord, why do you act as if you used to listen to me? Don't touch me, don't come to my side of the castle, don't smile and you didn't even eat with me. I thought because you were disgusted then why should I tell you anything? I was the one chasing you. You never asked nor showed any interest in knowing anything about me. I also have some self-respect. I came here to survive and you made it clear that what you wanted was also a benefit to you and nothing else. We weren't behaving like two people ready to get married and share everything in their lives. And now…" She took a deep breath. "You say you want to mate with me a day after I found you almost jumping and you knew I was a target for the shades. You say you care and want to protect me. When did that happen? Today? Yesterday? Do you understand my confusion, My Lord?"

Rayven nodded understanding that it was all absurd and he was going too fast.

"It doesn't mean that I don't appreciate you telling me those things. I do. I like the way you are right now, and I believe you are sincere when you say those things. Just not certain. So far I have been the one protecting myself and I need to keep doing so until I know you are certain you can protect me."

She could really see through him. He was indeed not certain and for that, he was glad that she wasn't fond of fangs. Mating with her when he wasn't sure wouldn't be right. Now his demon could calm down when there was no sign of willingness.

"I am sorry that you still have to fight alone," he said. She had fought for him and for herself all this time. She saved him and she saved herself. He didn't save her. God knew where she would be now if she didn't fight to come here.

"You must have been so lonely," he said more to himself than to her.

Tears filled her eyes but she didn't want to cry. She stopped her trembling lips by pressing them hard together. So many suppressed emotions were visible in her eyes yet she had smiled at him all this time. She must have felt lonelier than he did. At least his loneliness was his choice and he found comfort in it but she didn't.

A tear escaped her eye and she wiped it away quickly. "Is there anything else I need to know?" she asked.

"I know you are strong and you are taking this much better than I thought but maybe I should tell you the rest some other time."

"I don't think I am taking it well." She said shutting her eyes tightly and opening them a few times as if they hurt.

He smiled at her. "You are. You might even be taking it better than your brother did. I am sure he wasn't alright the first he found out of our existence in his nightmares."

Her eyes widened. "How… how did you know? Does my brother know?"

"He knew. He just has a name for it now, but his dreams had already told him and warned him of our existence. Preparing him for what he might encounter."

"Oh…" She said looking sad. "He was very scared. His first nightmares had been horrible and he kept saying it would happen in the future. He called you monsters. He didn't know what you were."

Rayven nodded. The boy had carried a heavy burden. Now it was time for his sister. Knowing about a world you never thought existed was never easy.

"He kept waiting for it to happen. His nightmares. He was afraid all the time. Worried. I told him it wouldn't happen. That he would be alright." She rambled, her eyes darting around.

"He will be alright. He is strong like you."

"Then…" her eyes were wide as she looked up at him. "The shades are looking for him. That is why they are looking for me."

Rayven blinked in surprise. How did she know? He had wanted to save that part for last because he knew how much she would worry.

"What do they want from him?" she asked.

"Your brother is a prophet. The first male prophet. Only females have existed before and the shades are looking for the prophetess. Probably because of the gift they have. They might think you are the prophetess."

Angelica just looked at him emptily, as if she could see nothing. "Angelica?"

Her eyes rolled up and she began to fall sideways before he caught her. "Angelica!" He shook her but her body was limp in his arms.

Panicking he lay her down and then looked around not knowing what to do? She was still breathing and her heart was beating then what was wrong with her?

In a panic, he reached for the other demons, not knowing which ones he sent a link to, but most of them it seemed to be. Skender, Acheron, Lazarus, and Vitale showed up in the room.

"I don't know what happened to her." He said .afraid

Skender came forward looking worried. He looked at her hand before touching it. "She is very cold. Her fingers are blue."

"What does that mean?" Rayven said.

"I don't know, we should bring a physician who knows about the human body."

"I'll go bring one," Acheron said and vanished.

"What happened?" Lazarus asked.

Rayven clenched his jaw. "I told her what I was, but I don't think it was just that. There was a shade here today and I had to explain the whole thing."

"Oh. Poor soul. They never take it well." Lazarus said. Then he came closer to the bed and looked at her with a frown.

"She must have cried a lot and not rested enough."

"She just woke up," Rayven said.

Lazarus raised a brow. "Did she have dinner?"

"No."

Rayven remembered that she hadn't had dinner for several nights. They had also skipped lunch because of sleep during the day and she missed a few nights of sleep.

"She must eat, Rayven. She is human. She looks thinner each time."

Skender nodded in agreement. "And she must sleep. At night for many continuous hours," he added. "Not during the day and having her sleep cut off."

And she had been having nightmares. He should have paid more attention.

"She looks tired," Skender said.

"She looks dead." Lazarus corrected.

Rayven looked at her. She was pale and her lips a little blue.

Acheron came back with a physician that he teleported right into the room. It was an old man and he halted his way to the bed when Acheron motioned for him. He was very focused on the task as a result of the compulsion.

The old man brought his face close to her mouth, then he used a strange object that he placed on her chest. "Her lungs are alright. Her breathing is slow." He explained.

Rayven listened anxiously.

The man then touched her wrist. "Her heartbeat is slow and irregular. Her skin is cold, her veins are blue."

"Is he good?" Rayven asked Acheron telepathically.

"He is ahead of his time," Acheron replied.

"Did she have any headache or dizziness lately?" The old man asked.

"I don't know," Rayven said.

He pressed the skin on her arm with his fingers and then her fingertips. Then he went to look at her feet. "What happened to her feet?" He asked.

Rayven went to look and saw the scars left from when she escaped. Her feet were covered with scars. She had been walking with these feet all the time and he never wondered. Never cared to look.

"She injured herself." He replied.

"I need to examine her body." The old man said.

Rayven froze. Was he telling him to undress her?

The others left them alone in the room.

"I need to feel her stomach. You need to remove the corset." He told him.

Rayven hesitated but then decided to do it. Her health was more important. He removed her dress leaving her with the gown she wore beneath. She was still covered so she wouldn't panic if she woke up. The old man pressed her stomach and moved his hand around.

"There is a lot of tension." He said.

To his surprise, he went and lifted her dress to see her legs. Rayven was about to burst into anger when he saw her legs and knees. A few scars on her legs and more on her knees. There was new skin growing back on her knees as if she had peeled off the old one.

What was wrong with him? He had seen her covered in rain and blood when she came to him. Why did he never care to look or wonder about her wounds?

The old man looked at him but said nothing. Still, Lord Rayven could hear his thoughts. He thought Angelica went through some hard labor work that put her in his condition.

Well, this all equated to harsh labor work.

The old man sighed and stopped examining her. "She needs rest and food. There is a lot of instability and tension in her body, indicating fear and anxiety."

The old man thought that he was the one putting her under pressure and abusing her. Rayven felt like strangling him but he was somehow right.

He covered up Angelica and Acheron took the physicians back to his place.

"What did he say?" Skender asked.

"She needs rest."

"Well then, take care of her."

Rayven told Skender telepathically to stay behind. He needed to talk to him.

Skender did as he was told looking worried. Once they were alone, "what is wrong?" He asked.

"I think shades might have been in Angelica's home looking for something. I am not sure what they found but we will have to keep an eye on William."

"I am keeping an eye on him," Skender said.

"Good. The shade who came here, Angelica said his name was Constantine. Isn't he an old power shade? One of their leaders?"

Skender frowned. "Did you say Constantine came here?"

"Do you know him?"

Skender nodded not looking so pleased. "He is a very powerful shade. You can't fight him alone. He is a direct descendent."

Rayven nodded. He already suspected that or the shade wouldn't be so confident to leave his name.

"If he personally came here, he found something that led him to Angelica and not William. He is looking for her, and I don't think it is because she is with you. He wouldn't bother getting back at "petty demons" as he calls us. He is looking for something bigger. Maybe what he found makes him believe she is the prophetess." Skender said.

It could be possible.

"There is something else. Angelica had a dream about him. Also about you."

Skender's eyes widened. "About me?"

"Did you lose your parents to shades?"

Skender seemed even more surprised but then nodded. "Why is she dreaming about that?"

"I wonder too," Rayven said.

"My parents died five hundred years ago."

That could not be a memory.

"But it is strange that William is the prophet but we still can't hear Angelica's thoughts. I have also sensed that she is a prophetess."

"Can you sense that?"

"I shouldn't be able to but I had a friend who was a prophetess. She was exactly like Angelica which gave me that feeling."

Rayven sighed.

Skender was quiet and thoughtful. "It was my friend, the prophetess who was thereafter I lost my parents."

"What does that mean?" Rayven was getting anxious.

"I am not sure.." Skender said.