The Alpha Twins and their Runaway Witch

27

Ariel's sleep was restful as Binh ate every nightmare that bubbled forth from her subconscious. She would be a strong dreamwalker when she manifested. It was going to happen soon. She made steps to accept her familiar tonight. She should have accepted her powers years ago. He would help her, he could teach her the dreams, keep her safe.

The longer they drove, the more of her nightmares he saw, her past opening up to him like a novel. Revealing mental and physical scars his poppy flower was skilled at hiding. Binh felt complex emotions he had not previously experienced.

He had seen the worst in people for centuries now. What haunted Ariel's nightmares was not unique. What made her special was how many different nightmares she carried all at once. Not since the last truly global war had anyone held such a volume of darkness in their dreams.

He was going to need to prevent her from leaving his penthouse until her powers manifested. He could feel it, she burned with fire magic. He was always up for a little chaos, but burning down his diner, or hurting one of the other employees would not serve either of them well right now.

Ariel remained in her magic induced sleep as Binh parked his car in the underground garage that only he had access to. Parking the vehicle, he easily lifted her bag of everything she valued onto his shoulder before picking her up from the passenger seat. Carrying her in his arms towards his private elevator to his quarters.

No one would be able to reach them there. This was his domain, as it had been since he had legally gained control of this building and all the land on which it stood. Then he had poured decades into securing this building as his domain.

He did spare a lament for the newer demons, and those who had been too slow to see the writing on the wall and had missed their chance to use the rudimentary human legal contracts to properly obtain a binding ownership of any land. The Council and the Dragon Sovran and the Fae all loved to do everything could to have every single demon, marked, watched and accounted for. Bound and subjugated because of what they were.

It was quite recent in fact that the Fae were much more interested in stealing human children for their spells and transmutations and they got to be counted as the good guys in the history books. Never mind that it was even more recently revealed that the Sovran dragons had nearly exterminated the rightful Earth dragons and taken their place, and even more recently the long-standing Sovran King has been deposed by his own daughter as a traitor who sided with Erebus and darkness. So a few Baku had tortured and committed atrocities to feed their hunger for the darkest nightmares. It had been many years since a Baku had been the cause or manipulation behind anything truly evil.

Ariel's face was still far too thin, her body too light in his arms. He had struggled to understand human farmers once. Wanting to raise livestock with tender, affectionate care knowing the beasts were always intended for the slaughter. Binh looked at Ariel, he had no designs to lead her to any slaughter, but he believed he may have had a glance into the perspective of a farmer as he dreamed of taking care of his nightmare supply.

Making sure she ate and took care of herself and gained some meat on her bones. Ensuring she got a more than adequate amount of rest. Protect her and others as her magic manifested. Watch her powers grow in strength. Through her familiar learn more about the secret corvid societies. She would constantly delight him.

Binh Took Ariel directly to a more than comfortable guest bedroom. Removing only her shoes, tucking her under a blanket from the foot of the bed. Arranging her bag on a chair so that no matter what, she saw that all of her possessions and shoes were right at hand. Trying to consider all options to ensure that when she awoke in a strange location she did not feel enough fear for her magic to catch.