The Truth

"How'd it go with your boss this morning?" Damon asked breaking the silence in the car once again.

"It went well. She wasn't mad or anything." Ashley shrugged and Damon nodded.

Ashley didn't ask or say anything throughout the rest of the drive and neither did Damon. She plugged in her ear phones just to keep herself distracted from whatever for a while.

Soon, they were at her house. Ashley got out of the car and went inside without waiting, Damon did the same and followed her in. She dropped her bag tiredly and sat down exhausted. She watched as Damon also sat on a stool and faced her.

So he was ready to talk, Ashley thought. Maybe she would find out something about him from whatever he was going to explain to her. I mean, he definitely did something to her to make her forget.

'You're related to him aren't you?' Ashley heard her own voice in her head and wondered when she had said that.

She then realized she had asked Damon when she was drunk at the bar. That had been her speculation. But she just didn't know. Damon was helping her, the other man was going to hurt her.

But why was there this same strong energy around both of them?

She was right about what she felt of Damon being dangerous if he wanted to be. She had witnessed it twice and her body had told her to run even though her mind told her he wouldn't hurt her.

Now, he sat there staring back at her coldly, his face void of any emotions as usual. She couldn't tell if he was serious or not. His cool ocean blue eyes didn't seem so cool this evening, it seemed there was a rage in them. And Ashley could feel the cold energy he was he was giving out. She wanted to wrap her arms around herself but then he spoke up.

"Would you run away if I told you I wasn't human?" He asked her, his voice deep and low.

Ashley watched his face carefully to know if he was joking and even though he was unreadable, she knew he wasn't joking. He stared back at her now, expecting an answer too.

"Are you?" She raised a brow. Then she saw a faint smile appear on his lips like he was amused.

"Now you're answering questions with questions?"

"You're doing exactly the same thing." Ashley informed him.

His eyes brightened a bit. "You amuse me."

Ashley didn't say anything then he continued.

"The first question you asked me was if you were in danger and if I knew anything about you." He said becoming serious again.

Ashley nodded and waited for him to continue which he did almost immediately.

"I didn't give you the real answer to the question but I will now. You're in danger." he started.

Well that, she already knew but since he had details she would like to hear them.

"Because of me." He finished and Ashley raised a brow in question.

"Uh, what's that supposed to mean?" She asked almost sarcastically.

"That is a very long story. I'll explain that part when I can."

Really?

"You wanted to know what I did to you that night." He said again. "It's nothing much. I only made you forget."

He made her forget? She knew he did something to her that made her forget. What exactly did he do?

In the novels and books she had read, humans didn't do that. It was powerful beings like witches or wizards or maybe demons that did things like that. Could he be one of those? Did he have magical powers or something?

"How?" She asked him.

He looked around the room then back at her.

"You believe in Angels don't you?" He asked and she nodded. What a question.

"Then you also believe in demons and witches?" He asked and she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side.

"Are those real? I've only read of them in books." Ashley told him.

But she began to think that at this point anything could be real. She had met with people who seemed to have superpowers, "not humans" as Damon had said so demons and witches definitely had to exist. Maybe even other creatures she didn't know of.

"They are very real."

"Are those that want to hurt me by any chance one of those? Because you told me one of them wasn't human."

"They're demons." He said bluntly.

Her eye brows rose questioningly again.

Demons? What did demons want with her? Damon said they were after her because of him. Why?

"You might as well know I am not human either. That would explain how I made you forget. I couldn't let you have a memory like that."

"Are you also a...." She couldn't finish.

Damon nodded slowly.

Ashley's eyes widened even more. He was! This was what was different about him. A demon. He was a demon! She had slept in the house of a demon twice! This was more than what she had thought or expected. She knew he was different, strange and something else she couldn't really say. This was it. The similar aura that the monster in her dreams and Damon had was all because they were both demons. She should have known. How would she have known?

Ashley felt her head spin. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out and she shook her head.

"I think this is enough information for now. I'll tell you more later." Damon suggested.

More? Of course there would be more but she wasn't sure she wanted to hear that more yet. This was a nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. She had been looking for answers, yes, but this was far from what she was expecting to get. And this would also mean Sephirah was the same?

"I just want you to believe that I'm not here to hurt you. It's the truth." He said with sincerity in those now calm eyes of his. "I know you don't fully trust me yet but you'll have to come stay with me at least till all this is over."

How long would that have to be? She wanted to ask.

"How did you know I was in trouble the other night?" Ashley asked instead.

"I have been watching you."

"Why do you want to protect me so much?" Ashley asked again.

"Because..." He started then stopped as if thinking of what to say. "It's because of me you're going through this." He told her and Ashley could see the flames in his eyes return. He really wasn't joking about that?!

'Do you really think hurting her would work this time?' Ashley remembered the anger evident his words that night. What "this time" was he talking about.

"Alright. I would love to go to sleep now I don't want to be late for work again tomorrow." Ashley said getting up.

"Ashley," Damon called. The way he said her name did something to her stomach and she frowned. What was that?

"After this night you can't stay here any longer." He said with a serious face.

Ashley should have felt happy that opportunities were coming but she didn't, instead she got another feeling in her stomach that made her feel like throwing up.

"I know it's not safe here but this is so sudden. And I'm supposed to be with Natalie tomorrow after work. It's a sleepover."

Ashley saw him shake his head and stand up. "I don't think you know how bad this is" he said gazing into her eyes. "Nobody can be trusted now."

She gave him a short smile. "Natalie is my best friend, I'll be fine besides you can keep watching me like you've always done."

He wasn't her guardian angel after all. She was so dumb to think he was an angel. Why was she taking the demon thing lightly when she should push him out of her house, and tell him never to come back.

At least he wasn't gonna hurt her. Her mind had been right all this while. She still wanted to know why she was involved when he said he was the one they were after.

She would not disturb him for that. If he wants to tell her then maybe she would listen. She had disturbed him for answers on one and got news more than she could bear, who knows what answers she would get from this one if she pestered him. She shivered.

Damon looked at her for a moment and Ashley wondered what he was thinking.

"Are you going to keep looking at me like that or allow me go to bed?" Ashley asked him and he shook his head.

"Goodnight." He told her and left the house.

She closed the door after he left and watched him through the window. He stood in front of her house for a while maybe thinking of something. And as if hesitant to leave.

After he drove away, Ashley became scared and silently prayed the night would go well for her. But she didn't think the prayers were answered because the nightmares she hadn't had in two days gave her a visit once again.