In Dreams: One Soul

Demon Holiday

Harlee POV

"You took off, just like that?  Can demons even do that?  What do you even do on holiday?  Oh my God, I'm going to have to look at you all the time now!  Well at least my chest will stop hurting so much."  I dropped my toast onto my plate and brushed the crumbs off my fingers.

"What do you want to do first?  Bahamas?  A movie?  Too tame?  Uhm.. Disneyland?  I don't know!?"  I  wracked my brain for ideas.  What did Zeev even really like anyway?

"Actually, I'd just like to stay home and rest for a while.  Well, here 'home' if you'll let me."  He gripped his shirt and I nodded.  That actually sounded like a good idea.  I thought of sitting on the couch next to him all day and I felt like I could breathe again.

"That sounds nice."  He sighed.  "Let's do that.  We can watch whatever you like, or read or nap.  Just let's not stray too far from each other these next few days, until the balance rights itself."  Zeev suggested.  I nodded.

I fell asleep on the couch after putting a movie in, apparently I was more tired than I had thought.  I was leaning against Zeev, he had dropped most of the barrier so we could both benefit from the proximity of the two halves of our soul.  Our thoughts both drifted as we watched the movie mindlessly, until I couldn't separate his thoughts from mine, nor the waking from the sleeping.

"They say the eyes are the windows to the soul."  The beautiful voice purred from the shadows as a taloned finger extended to caress my cheek.  I panicked, struggling, but the other leather hand held my head in place, keeping my mouth closed, stifling my screams.  The claw dug into my cheek bone and into the orbit lovingly.  I bucked, screaming into the leathery hand as the claw tore away half my face.  I felt the flesh tearing and thought I would pass out-surely I would pass out.

"Such beautiful eyes."  The gorgeous voice cooed and there was a slurping sound within the shadows.  My remaining eye rolled back in my head and I felt the darkness begin to take me.

"Oh no...no...Harlee, isn't it?  No, my prey has to be awake for this...  You see, I need you to tell me I can have your soul..."

"Harlee!"

I snapped awake.  Zeev had me by the arms, shaking me, a grimace on his face.  My soul throbbed, our soul, uniting in pain.  He yanked me off the couch into his arms, the pull of the soul fragments too much to bear.

Zeev POV

Harlee's soul fragment called out to mine in her dream and then I saw what she was dreaming about.  Without realizing it, she invoked my True Name and I jerked, involuntarily being summoned to action against an invisible threat.  Technically though-the threat she was dreaming about was me.  I grimaced, the burning started deep in my chest.  The longer I ignored the call, the worse it would get.  What was I supposed to do?  She was having a nightmare for Heaven's sake!  I felt the call again, like a leash being pulled and was suddenly standing in front of her, as she lay on the couch.

"Harlee-wake up-that's enough!"  I growled and shook her shoulder.  In her mind's eye, I saw myself swallow her eye.  She called out again for me, and I dropped to my knees, beginning to sweat.  Struggling upright again, I grabbed her by the arms.

"Harlee-WAKE UP!  If you call my name again, it won't be good for either of us!"  I yelled

"HARLEE!"  I shook her hard.  She opened her eyes fearfully.  Her soul fragment struggled to break free of me and the mark burned on her half drew her to me.  I snatched her into my arms to silence the pain.  With a groan I sank to the floor.  I was shaking almost as hard as she was.  That was close.  The first call was a summons.  Three subsequent calls: a binding.  I shuddered.  She thought we had problems now, wait until I was bound to her like that..  In this instance, I would have been bound to destroy...me.  Mutually assured destruction indeed.  I took a deep breath and felt Harlee breathing deeply as well.  It was ridiculous how in sync we were getting.  She reached up and placed a hand on my chest.

"Do you feel better now?"  She asked softly.  Her-our soul strained towards her fingertips.  The mark emblazoned on it burned.  I gripped her hand and moved it away.

"You were the one having the nightmare-shouldn't I be asking you that?"  I responded derisively.

"Yes, but when I woke up, I felt the burning.  I didn't realize I had called you.  Though to be fair, you kinda deserve it after what you did."  She looked up at me and her eyes blazed orange, slitted pupils stared back at me.  I winced.  A reminder.  Once half her soul had become mine, and her soul had been burned with my True Name, she had begun to heal.  I shook my head, trying to tear myself away from the memory, while Harlee's orange eyes stared accusingly at me.

Harlee POV

Zeev looked at me with a mixture of guilt, horror, fascination, anger and hunger.  I wondered which would win out in the end.  One day, would we be unable to walk this perilous line and tear each other to shreds?  Zeev's expression cleared.

"Mutually assured destruction.  I'd rather not."  He said with boredom.  Wait, hadn't he just offered his Heart to me, not so many hours ago?  Zeev stood, setting me on my feet.  "Are you hungry yet?  It's past lunch time."  I looked at the clock.  Damn, time flies when you share a soul with a Demon.  Zeev walked to the fridge and pulled out a few items.

"I don't necessarily think you're entirely a bad Demon Zeev.  I've seen your memories.  I know you tend to side with humanity-and even help out now and again.  But you do eat people."  He set a bowl of grapes in front of me and I snagged one and popped it in my mouth, cradling my head in my hands, elbows on the counters as I chewed.  This was one of the things I rarely noticed anymore-how our two bodies could work as one.  Zeev could tell what I had a taste for and snagged the recipe from my memories.  Seeing the grapes in the fridge through his eyes, made me think they would be a nice snack while cooking.  We weren't even aware we were doing it until I brought attention to it.  Zeev growled in my direction, but continued cooking anyway.  I could tell through our link that he just really liked the mind-numbing task.

"Domestic Demon for hire."  I announced and Zeev threw a grape at me and hit me squarely in the face.  "Ugh, jerk!  Be glad that'll heal."

"I wouldn't have done it otherwise."  He said simply.  Not that it would have done much damage-if it hadn't been a Demon doing the throwing.  I wiped the squashed grape from my face as Zeev handed over the plate.  It was just a three cheese omelette with my own mix of veggies and spices, but it smelled mouthwatering, and Zeev made every dish perfect every time.  I felt him preen so I threw a grape back at him, borrowing from his strength.

"Don't get cocky."  I scolded, then dug into the omelette.  It was of course, delicious.  Zeev's self-satisfaction could be felt through our link.  I rolled my eyes.  He sat beside me-making sure our thighs were touching.  My chest loosened and I could breathe a little easier.  I always felt like I was under water these days.

Zeev broodingly picked up a grape and popped it in his mouth.

ZeevPOV

I watched Harlee finish her omelette as I slowly chewed the grape.  The crazy thing was, I could experience both flavors at the same time.  This is one of the reasons I secretly liked to cook for Harlee.  If I was going to have to taste the food she ate, I could at least make sure it tasted good.  If I let myself, I could even feel how full she was, or wasn't.  It was like a gnawing presence at the back of my mind, her body's needs and emotions.  I sighed.  Human bodies, so uncomfortable most of the time.

"Yup." Harlee agreed.  "Nothing quite like being eaten though."  She had to throw in the jab.

"I suppose I deserved that."  I exhaled.  "You done?"  I asked and she nodded.  I took the dishes towards the sink.  Suddenly Harlee was shrieking.

"Zeev, what is that?"  She screeched, clutching her ears as the dishes slid from my hands.

"Harlee-come here!"  I yelled, but I knew she couldn't hear me, at least not with her ears.  The blood was pouring from behind her hands and I could feel the pain, I knew her eardrums had been ruptured.  I dropped the barrier between us and called her with all our soul.  She came flying across the kitchen at me as the ceiling was ripped away.  I clenched my jaw as Harlee huddled in my arms, staring.

"What's going on?"  She screamed both out loud and in my head, her fear was palpable.

"Angelic emissaries."  I spat.  This was one reason I left.  "They don't care how much havoc they wreak or how much damage they do, so long as they get their target in the end.  Loss is acceptable, as long as it includes the original being of interest.  And don't bother trying to reason with them.  Once judgement has been made-your fate has been decided.  They're here for one thing and one thing only.  Executions."

"Abomination!"  A voice boomed and it shook the very core of our being.