My friends were all frozen in their seats, eyes all wide and faces pale.
"Y-You're sure it was a....." Everest started, and I nodded.
"A demon, yes... I still can feel the energy, the raw power of the being. This is different than any other demon I encountered thirteen years ago. This one... I couldn't make out any distinct facial features, but.. the eyes..... they were blue, but where the whites should've been.. there was only red. And I could make out that this demon had long hair, like mine," I replied, voice betraying the terror I felt inside of me. What we didn't know was that the demon was waiting, already poised to strike again.
"Alyx, do you mind if I sleep in your room with you?" Everest asked, and I nodded as we all trundled upstairs. We stayed up until 1:45 am, talking.
"If anything happens, try to break from the paralysis. Or, there is the option of not sleeping," Jake said, shrugging tiredly.
"You know I can't break out of the paralysis, Jake. Even if I did..." I trailed off, not wanting to think of the implications. He smiled sympathetically before heading into one of the guest rooms. Jordan and Ryan did the same as Everest and I went into my room.
Everest's hand curled tighter into mine, her mind far away in a dream. I checked the clock again, noting it was 3:33 am. Normally around the time I would be in full blown sleep paralysis. I looked over in the corner, where the figure had shown up a few nights ago. The corner, thankfully, stayed form free. I felt sleep finally pull me under, my body relaxing fully. The last thing I heard before falling asleep was a soft voice in my ear.
"Sleep well, my little dove."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun was just cresting the tops of the trees when my friends joined me on the back deck.
"Anything happen last night?" Jake asked as he sat down next to me. I shrugged and took a long sip of coffee before answering.
"No sleep paralysis last night. Did hear something, though..." I replied, shivering at how soothing the voice was. All four leaned in as I lowered my voice.
"The voice... first of all, it was extremely soothing and sultry. I've never heard any other voice so smooth... But it was what the voice said that has me reeling still. Because all I heard was 'Sleep well, my little dove.' As if the thing gave me a nickname," I whispered, shivering despite the morning's warmth.
"T-the demon gave you a nickname already.... holy shit, woman," Ryan whispered back, hands shaking so badly that his coffee threatened to spill over. I nodded as the others' terror showed on their faces.
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"Cregan, come in here for a moment." I groaned inwardly as my boss called me into her office. I shrugged out of my embalming gear before making my way to the office.
"Yes, ma'am?" I asked as I entered Gwen's office.
"Sit, please. Alyx, I've been reviewing your work recently. And, I must say, I'm very impressed by the progress I'm seeing. I know you just recently transferred from the funeral directing side to being an embalmer. I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of the person you've become," she said, and my heart hammered in my ears. My shoulders sagged as I realized I wasn't in trouble at all.
"Gwen, thank you. It means so much hearing this from you," I replied, shaking from relief and adrenaline. Her soft smile made her look ten years younger; Younger than she already looked. Despite pushing 48, Gwen looked to be in her mid to late 30's, with the energy to match.
"Which is why I'm also offering you a higher position. Same hours, but better pay and position. You'd be a senior embalmer," Gwen told me, assessing my reaction to the news. My eyes widened, and my breath hitched in my throat.
"I wholeheartedly accept the position. I won't let you down," I said calmly, and she grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I trudged up the stairs to my room, dead tired from the day. After the meeting with Gwen, I had three more embalmings lined up. Which, for those who are unaware, embalmings take a couple hours each, at least. I finally made it to my room, grateful to be home. I slowly changed clothes, sore from the six embalmings today. As soon as I was about to lay down, a creak sounded behind me. I jumped and spun around, coming face to face with the demon from the corner.
"Hello, little dove. Thought I'd make my presence known officially," they purred, staying half hidden in the shadows.
"W-what do you want with me?" I stammered, noting the claw like ring in it's right hand glint in the lamps glow. It then stepped into the light, allowing me to see it- no, see him fully. Blue eyes looked back at me, but they weren't normal. The blue lay against red sclera, where normal eyes lay against white. Long black hair fell past his shoulders, nearly to the bottom of his chest. Multiple chains and relics adorned his neck, along with several other rings on his right hand. A frayed red leather jacket encased his bare torso, leaving little to the imagination.
"What do I want with you, little dove? That's easy enough. I've been watching you since you turned twenty six. For two years, I've watched from the shadows, waiting. Biding my time for the perfect moment. Then, the weirdest thing happened," he crooned, abnormal eyes shimmering.
"And what happened?" I asked, terrified of his answer.
"The bond between life partners snapped into place. The other night, when I stood next to your bed," he purred, coming even closer. His scent soon overwhelmed my senses; notes of pine, cashmere, wood smoke and brimstone permeated my nose, the scents mingling and calming.
"Life... partners..?" His smile shouldn't have been as handsome as it was....
"Yes, little dove. You're mine, and I'm yours," he cooed, finally standing in front of me. He cupped my chin, tipping my head up.
"I don't even know your name," I mumbled, way too comfortable being this close to a demon.