It’ll be all right. Darius is one of my warriors. He’s immortal. He can’t die from major blood loss. It will only make him very weak and vulnerable. The two spells—the one used to force him to shift and the one embedded in the dagger—must be stopping Darius from healing. I take it he’s still in his half-human and half-jackal form?
“Yes. He’s on the kitchen floor passed out.” A jackal. That made sense. Anubis was mostly portrayed as the jackal-headed god.
I can’t come to you, but I can be of assistance from the underworld. Stay here while I look Darius over.
Brisa impatiently waited for Anubis to speak again. The seconds seemed to drag on. She wanted to get back to Darius. The thought of leaving him alone, lying on the kitchen floor, bleeding all over it, made her anxious to return to him. Seeing him so wounded, looking as if he could be close to dying, all she could think of was that she didn’t want to lose him. She loved him. Brisa didn’t give a crap what he was, she just wanted the man. Wanted to see him unhurt, be as he’d been. She had to swallow back the tears that threatened to flow. Only one escaped, running down her cheek. With a rough sweep of her hand she wiped it away. Now was not the time to break down. Darius needed her.
Brisa?
“Yes.” The sound of Anubis’ voice never sounded so good.
I’ve done all I can for Darius. I managed to stop the bleeding, but until the spells wear off, he won’t be completely healed. The one used on the dagger is stronger than I’ve seen a demon capable of wielding.
“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this demon, along with I don’t know how many others, have escaped the underworld. The demon said they were hunting down the rest of the warriors of Anubis.”
That could be the case. Usually demons don’t work together, though. This is something new. I’ll warn my other warriors.
“How long before the spells wear off?”
I would think both by morning. The one used to force Darius to shift could be before that. It’s relatively weak compared to the one used on the dagger. Can you handle seeing Darius in his half-jackal form, Brisa?
She nodded, not sure if Anubis could actually “see” her. “I can now. Right after he shifted, it scared the hell out of me. Now I’m more concerned about the demon coming back. I did manage to cut him with Darius’ gold dagger before he disappeared.”
Where is it?
“Somewhere in the kitchen where I dropped Darius’ sword as well.”
Anubis was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. The demon’s blood was still on the blade. I used it to put a protection spell around the house. You don’t have to worry about him getting in while Darius is still too weak to fight him.
“The demon is going to come back, isn’t he?”
I’m afraid so. He won’t stop until either he or Darius is dead.
“I thought as much. Thanks for helping Darius. I should go to him.”
You love him, don’t you?
A little caught off-guard, Brisa stammered, “Y-yes.”
Then I suggest you keep an open mind when Darius tells you his story, and what it means to be one of my warriors. I’ve moved him to his bed for you. I look forward to talking to you again, Brisa.
She felt Anubis’ presence leave the room. Brisa walked out to the living room and headed for the staircase. She took the steps two at a time. At the top, she hurried down the hallway to Darius’ bedroom.
He lay under the covers, lying so still. Brisa switched on the light before she crossed the room and climbed onto the bed next to him. She lifted the sheets to see Anubis had cleaned and wrapped Darius’ wounds with what looked like unbleached homespun linen. She put her hand on his furred chest and felt it rising and falling with his even breaths.
With nothing to do but wait, Brisa climbed under the covers and carefully snuggled up against Darius’ side. She kept her hand on his chest. The fur that covered it was soft to the touch. She lifted her gaze to look at his face. The temptation to touch him there was too great to ignore. Brisa trailed her fingers along the top of his muzzle, then stroked his forehead to one of the pointed ears on his head.
Feeling no fear of him in this form, curiosity had taken its place. She now knew Darius was a warrior of Anubis, but she had no idea what all that entailed. Or how he’d become one. Anubis had said Darius was immortal. It made her wonder just how old Darius actually was. She had so many questions and none of the answers.
Knowing what Darius was, did that make the budding love she had for him any less? Not really. The only thing she had to wonder about was what his feelings were for her. Yes, he’d said he wanted her to keep him, but she wasn’t immortal. She’d grow old and die, while he stayed young forever. And given what he was, Brisa didn’t even know if he’d have room in his life for her.
It grew later, and Darius hadn’t awakened. Brisa finally got up and turned on the big LCD television that hung on the wall across from the bed, needing a distraction. Every once in a while she found herself putting her hand on Darius’ chest to make sure he was still breathing. She left his side only long enough to get something to drink, then use the bathroom.
Around three in the morning Darius stirred. He groaned before he blinked open his eyes. A sense of relief washed through Brisa, making her feel weak.
“Welcome back,” she said as she leaned over Darius. He tried to sit up, but she pushed him down. “Take it easy. We don’t want you to start bleeding again.”
He turned his head toward her. “You’re still here.”
“Of course I am.”
“I thought… I thought I frightened you too much in this form.”
“I’m not going to lie. You did, but I got over it.” To prove it, Brisa leaned farther down and kissed the top of his muzzle.
“I was going to tell you. I just hadn’t figured on doing it so soon.”
“Well, now I know.”
Darius reached across for her, then let out a groan as he dropped his hand back at his side. “That hurt. I don’t understand why I haven’t healed.”
Brisa stroked his brow. “Anubis said it’s the combination of the two spells used on you that is preventing it. He thinks once they wear off you’ll be fine.”
Darius gave her a surprised look. “You spoke to Anubis?”
She nodded. “Before you passed out, you said Anubis would help. I figured since you’re a warrior of Anubis, and that you had a room dedicated to him, that you used that spot to talk to him. Hearing you ‘praying’ early this morning helped me to put two and two together. I wasn’t sure Anubis would answer me, but he did. He managed to stop your bleeding and got you up here to your bedroom.”
He looked at her solemnly. “Thank you, Brisa. If not for you, I would have been left vulnerable to the demon. I’m surprised he hasn’t come back to finish me off as he said.”
“Thanks to Anubis, he put a protection spell over the house, using the demon’s blood from your gold dagger. I managed to slice him with it. As long as we stay inside he can’t get at us. Anubis also said he’d warn his other warriors. Maybe all of you should band together until the demons are taken care of instead of staying alone.”
“We can’t. Anubis keeps us apart from each other. He even makes sure there aren’t two of us in the same city. I’ve never met the others and have no idea who they are. And I’ve been a warrior for a very long time.”
“Just how long is that, Darius? Tell me your story.”
“I guess there’s no longer any point in not telling it to you. But first, help me sit up. I’m not doing it flat on my back.”