Daises

Damon was surprised and also relieved that Ashley took in everything he had told her softly. The talk actually went on better than he had expected. He had no idea that she would be getting to know all this so soon.

He couldn't tell her more because he had seen the way she felt, even though he couldn't know what she was thinking. That was too much for any human being to just know. Well, maybe not too much for her, she had already seen it before he told her, Damon thought seeing it would be more frightening for them than just hearing it.

It could even be hard to believe and hilarious to just hear that demons were on earth unless one sees it for himself. That would also explain why Ashley believed it after he told her. She should have maybe burst out laughing at the talk but she had become pale and looked like she was going to throw up any minute.

If there was a way he could have prolonged all this, he would have have but circumstances didn't permit that. Everything had been happening so quickly since he met her.

Now she suggested that he keep watching her the way he had been doing. Damon wanted to chuckle. If it was that simple he wouldn't even be asking her to come stay with him till he cleans things up.

He knew she was watching him as he stood outside. He had never been one to be so anxious about anything but now he was. He felt so uneasy and he wasn't sure why. If it was because of what was happening then it wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to be distressed. Maybe because he was scared of failing again.

Damon was so bent on protecting this lady and he wasn't even sure if she was the one he was looking for. True, the urge to protect her shouldn't be there if she wasn't his mate but he hadn't found anything reasonable enough to make him know if she is or not. Maybe this urge was supposed to be the reasonable proof he was looking for or perhaps he only wanted to save her because he felt guilty of not protecting his mate many centuries ago.

She probably wasn't the girl he was looking for.

He walked away and to his car. Then stayed for a while inside it watching Ashley's apartment.

The woman just never ceased to amuse him. She was smart and also a fast thinker. She also dared to talk back at him, sometimes stubbornly, other times she gave a very sweet smile. He smiled inwardly.

Her scent also did something to him. He remembered when he was driving her home in the morning to get ready for work. Her scent just kept invading his senses and he really wanted to wind down the windows of the car just to let fresh air come in before he got suffocated. As if that wasn't enough, while he was waiting by his car somehow lost in thoughts, the sweet smell of daises hit him again this time even stronger and he just couldn't get enough of it. Sephirah also smelled of flowers in spring but that did nothing to him.

He had raised is head up and saw her staring back at him ready for work. Even though she was dressed simply, she still looked... enticing to him. Now, thinking of it, he wondered why he chose that word.

Their eyes met and they had stared at each other then he saw Ashley shake her head before she started walking towards him. Damon thought of just hugging her when she got to the car just so that he could have more of her scent fill his head, but he quickly put his hand on the car door handle and held on to it tightly just to hold himself from doing anything foolish. He sighed inwardly. That was so not him.

He could hear her loudly beating heart as she neared.

Damon knew he had an effect on her too but she hid it pretty well except, of course he could know and tell, since he could hear her heartbeat.

He remembered the day she was lost staring at him while he was shirtless in the room. He didn't interrupt and just let her stare all she wanted. God it would have been so good to know what she was thinking.

Damon smirked again but suddenly shook his head.

No, "what in the name of Hades is wrong with you" He scolded himself and started the car.

This same lady was bringing back his old self even with just the very short time they had spent together and he wanted her to come stay with him. Damon scoffed. He wondered what would become of him then. He couldn't remember the last time someone amused him the way Ashley did, not even Sephirah. Ashley had made him chuckle once and smile more than usual.

For a very long time, after Irene's death he had not thought of a lady the way he thought of Ashley now. He never cared if he had an effect on a girl nor did he feel strongly attracted to any girl the way he was to Ashley.

He hadn't been with a woman for over four hundred years and now this woman suddenly made him long to be with one. Maybe not just any one though.

He tried to push away all silly thoughts then he drove away.

Maybe he was going to give sleep a chance this night. He hadn't slept in days. Not like he needed it anyway. But he would today to ease out whatever stress he was feeling.

Finally he got to his home. The place he had made his home now. The human world had been changing since he came and he had been adapting to the changes. Technology had advanced alot. If he didn't find his mate in another hundred years, the world won't probably be what it is now and he probably won't be here anymore. But for now this was his home. He wondered when he would ever return to the underworld, where his real home was.

He had left his duties for more than a long time just because of love. Maybe it was because he knew she was going to be reincarnated. If not he might not be doing all these.

Damon got into the mansion and was welcomed by some of the very few servants who were busy cleaning. He didn't hire many of them because he didn't want the whole place crowded. And he put the servant quarters away from the mansion. Only the butler stayed in the mansion.

They greeted him and he gave them a nod. His butler, Jacob came to him.

"Welcome master. Should I serve dinner?" he asked.

"I'm not hungry." Damon said walking away from him.

He walked to the elevator and went up to his room. One thing why he hated servants around. He couldn't teleport when he wanted to.

He had a very cold bath before he went to bed and then he laid there for a long time waiting for the sleep to take him but it just didn't come. After some time of turning back and forth he drifted into a deep but not too deep slumber.

Damon found himself in a garden, and he saw Irene. She was standing far away from him and had her back facing him but he knew very well that she was the one because he had never for once forgotten what and how she looked like.

She was dressed in a very beautiful red gown, her golden hair glowing radiantly under the sun. He kept looking at her refusing to go close, afraid she might disappear.

As if sensing his presence, slowly she turned to face him. Damon had missed seeing this beautiful face of hers.

"Drac is that you?" She asked.

Damon opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't. He had missed her so much and her voice and the way she used to call him. And he wanted to hear it again.

"Drac..." she called again

"Irene... It's... It's me." He stammered, and sounded like he wanted to cry.

"Oh Drac, what took you so long? I've been waiting." She smiled.

He started walking towards her. "I'm sorry." He said.

He kept walking but he wasn't reaching her so he started running. Suddenly she frowned.

"Drac!" She screamed and Damon furrowed his brows and ran faster holding his hand out and so did she.

"Drac help!" She screamed again.

Damon didn't understand what was happening but he was almost touching her now and as soon as he held her hand, he found himself in the dark, in a different place. He looked around wondering what happened before he recognized where he was and then he saw what had been haunting him all these years.

She lay there lifeless on the cold ground and he shook his head, hoping it would go away. A tear dropped from his eyes then another and another before he let out a very loud and angry growl and fell on his knees on the floor beside her. He watched her fade away from his very eyes.

Tears came out of his eyes where he lay on his bed and he opened them slowly. Damon blinked a few times. He had been thinking too much about Irene that he finally dreamt of her and that dream was... gosh he didn't want to think of it anymore.

He touched his face, it was wet with tears. Standing up, he walked into his bathroom and washed his face. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back to that sleep. The one he just had was okay for now, it didn't even ease out the stress he was hoping to ease.

He went to his balcony and sat there sipping wine while waiting for the sun to rise.