Redemption

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

                Niki woke up to find Darius standing over her. Instantly awake, she jumped up and threw her arms around him. She couldn’t believe she had fallen asleep in the hallway of what she should have considered dangerous territory, but she had been too tired to stay awake. Fortunately, Garm could function as an excellent pillow.

                “Niki?” Darius asked, almost gasping for breath as she squeezed him. “What’s going on?”

                “The Anitreh are trying to kill you,” she said immediately, letting go of him and allowing him to breathe easier.

                Their fylgjas did not have as friendly a greeting as the two humans, at least not on Garm’s part. He growled at Viceroy, backing away from her slightly. Niki knew it was likely he’d just growl and not try nipping at her, but because she didn’t need the 60 kilogram wolf causing any trouble, she sent calming thoughts to him through the lihnyg. He kept his eyes on the feline, but stopped growling. Hopefully, he’d remain calm for a while.

                “So why are you here?” Darius asked, glancing over at Garm.

                “Not to kill you,” Niki said. “I’m here to save you.”

                “Save me?” Darius asked. “What do I need to be saved from? Thanks for the warning, but I figured you guys would be coming after me anyway.”

                “Darius! I’m serious!”

                “Yeah, me too.” He unlocked the door of his apartment and walked inside. “But hey, Niki, it’s nice to see you again. And you might as well come in and get cleaned up and sleep somewhere better than on top of Garm.”

                Niki sighed, knowing that achieving her goals would be difficult, but she wasn’t the type to give up so easily, especially with so much at stake. She walked into Darius’ apartment and was surprised at its state. She had never known Darius to be the most organized or tidy person, so she had expected at least somewhat of a mess.

                “Do you hire a maid?” Niki blurted out, unable to believe that Darius had kept his place so neat on his own.

                “Uh, no,” he said. “Not really. My, uh, friend helps with the cleaning.”

                “Your “friend?”” Niki asked, making air quotes. Even though they hadn’t spent any time together for two years, she knew there was something he wasn’t telling her. “What kind of “friend” is it? Imaginary? Boyfriend? Fuck buddy?”

                “Go through that door and to the right,” Darius said, pointing at his bedroom door. “There’s a bathroom in there. I’ll find you something clean to wear. How’d you get so dirty anyway?”

                “I’ll tell you after I shower,” she said. She followed his directions and found the bathroom with ease. Garm followed her, and even though it was a small bathroom that the wolf didn’t fit in very well, Niki thought it was for the best. At least he wouldn’t get into any fights with Viceroy.

                Niki stripped down, throwing her dirty clothes and torn into a heap. The only thing that was still in good condition was the power suit and that was only because it had been designed to handle stress. The only easy part of her journey had been the flight. Once she landed, things only became difficult and got worse the more time that passed.