I should probably tell the guys about everything that happened, and especially the maybe new magic that I have, but then we’ll get distracted, and we really don’t have the time to do that right now. Besides, it's not life-threatening, so I can tell them after we’ve done the sales job instead. Especially since I’m not entirely sure that it was real, and wasn’t just a really vivid dream. For all I know, I could have just been fighting for my life in my tangled-up covers, which has happened before, so it’s possible.
The Voices mutter, and I hum in agreement, yeah, that doesn’t quite sit right, but we have the job with the wolf sales today.
It can wait.
So can my realization that the Voices are not the dead like I originally thought.
That’s a whole new thing that I will deal with later. Right now, I need to have a shower and try to get some of this soreness gone. Going into another potentially dangerous situation right now isn’t ideal, but there’s not really much I can do about it. I know I can handle it, I’ve been in worse condition than this and still done the job and succeeded. I would just rather not.
Hopefully, my healing will kick in soon, and it won’t be a problem. If it doesn’t, then I won’t have any choice but to tell the guys now so that they can pick up the slack. I don’t want to be the weak link.
I hate being the weak link.
As I get up, I can’t help but groan out loud again. Holy shit, every single muscle in my body hurts. Even muscles that I didn’t realize I had.
I’m glad that no one stayed in here with me last night because there’s no way that I would have been able to hide this.
A shower had better help.
I can’t help but glance down at my body to make sure that the huge slice across my stomach that I got just before I woke up is gone. Oh, thank the goddess, there’s nothing but bare skin. Looking back at my sheets, they aren’t stained with blood, so I haven’t bled in the awake world and then healed. It would appear that the broken skin wounds haven’t followed me into the awake world, but the soreness from fighting for so fucking long has.
I quickly gather my clothes that I’m going to need to kick ass today. Which is pretty much the same outfit that I was wearing in my dream.
Rummaging through my shirt drawer, I realize two things almost instantaneously: the first is that the shirt that I gave to Styx in my dream isnot in my drawer, and I know for a fact that it was there, I saw it yesterday when I was getting dressed. There is nowhere else that it could be. The guys have no reason at all to take it. Even if they did like my shirt, it wouldn’t fit any of them.
The second thing, I pull out of the drawer and hold it up.
No fucking way.
My brain short-circuits as I try to make sense of what I’m holding.
Styx’s shirt. Complete with blood splatter.
It doesn’t make sense. I burned it. I know I did, it turned to dust.
As my brain tries to wrap itself around the fact that it’s here, I remember that the color of the fire that burned Styx’s shirt was a new one that I haven’t played with before. Maybe that has something to do with it?
That still wouldn’t make sense. How does something burn to ash in a dream and then appear in the awake world in my chest of drawers? And where the fuck is my shirt? Does that mean Styx still has it?
This is so fucking weird.
I carefully put her shirt back into the drawer and then take my clothes into the bathroom and jump into the shower.
It only takes me until I’m stepping back out to realize that I should probably tell the guys about this sooner rather than later.
Styx’s shirt appearing in the awake world is a pretty big indicator that the dream wasn’t just a dream, which means everything that happened in it needs to be discussed.
I quickly pull on my clothes, deciding that it might be better to just show them the shirt and then explain as much as I can. We won’t be able to deal with it now, but considering things are making the trip back from the dream world with me now, that’s a pretty big deal.
I really don’t want to worry them, but they should probably know that I woke up feeling like I had been fighting all night too.
“Neith!” River calls from outside the door, making me jump and drop Styx’s shirt. “Ethel said I needed to come and get you, or you wouldn’t have time to eat before we had to go, and I’m not arguing with her, she’s scary.”
I chuckle, “I’m coming.”
Pulling the door open, he immediately pulls me into his arms, and I sink into his embrace. I’m still sore, really fucking sore, and cuddles from River always make me feel better.
He doesn’t hold me for as long as I would have liked, and after thoroughly kissing me, he hurries me downstairs.
