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I occupied the hours I usually spent asleep analyzing every possible meaning behind Darius’s signature, as well as wondering where he wanted to take me and what he wanted to discuss.

Though I attempted to stay awake, my exhaustion eventually claimed me. Several hours later, a soft whisper pierced the foggy recesses of my dreamless sleep. “Pst, Nemesis!“

Too tired to remember why I’d been so eager for morning to arrive the night before, I groaned and buried myself deeper into my blankets, but it did little to smother the voice that had penetrated my blissful slumber.

“Wake up, Nemesis.”

“Mmm?” I peeked out from beneath the covers. Darius leaned against my doorframe with an adorable smile. I blinked blearily at him. “Darius?”

His grin widened. “Good morning, Nemesis.”

I gaped at him. If I wasn’t certain I didn’t dream, I’d suspect his presence was one. “You’re in my house.” My forehead furrowed. How was Darius in my house when its design was to keep other Nightmares out? “What are you doing here?”

His brow furrowed. “Didn’t you receive my message? I’m here to cheer you up.” His voice was bright, far too cheerful for the early hour. “Are you ready for your surprise?”

I continued to stare blankly at him. “My surprise?” I struggled to focus on his words, but I was never coherent upon first waking, making the task rather difficult. “It’s too early and I’m still tired. Can’t it wait until later?” Before he could answer, I rolled over and allowed my eyes to droop shut again.

He groaned from the doorway. “My darling, stubborn girl.”

Blissful silence followed his declaration. Good, he was gone. I snuggled deeper beneath the covers, so soft and inviting. Sleep was so near, a kind friend seducing me to return to its peaceful slumber...

“Nemesis!“ Darius hissed right next to my ear. I gasped and bolted upright, my elbow connecting with something fleshy. “Ow!“

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and Darius slowly came into focus. He knelt beside me on the bed, holding his hand over his nose. My hands fluttered to my mouth.

“Oh no, did I hurt you?”

“I didn’t realize waking you up would potentially harm my good looks.” He rummaged through his bag and pulled out his weaving mirror to examine his now bright-red nose from all angles. He winced as he carefully prodded it. “Thank the Universe it’s not broken.”

Seeing he was unharmed allowed me to relax my tense posture. “If it’d broken, you could have healed it with magic.”

“But what if the healing distorted it?” He pulled the mirror closer and continued studying his profile. “I hope the redness fades soon.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re so obsessed with your looks.” Though I secretly found it rather endearing, admitting that would only stroke his already inflated ego.

“Someone has to be. I wouldn’t object to you taking a turn.”

My cheeks flamed, but I was too tired to let his words deter me from more sleep. I sank back against the pillows. “Since you’re so entertained with examining yourself out in the mirror, how about I return to sleep?”

He set his mirror aside with a frown. “I thought you’d be excited to see me.”

“I am, but you underestimate the alluring power of sleep.”

“Ah, so it appears in the mornings I have a rather formidable opponent competing for your attention.”

His words made me smile. “I rather like the thought of you wanting my attention.”

Some of my exhaustion was dissipating, allowing me to fully appreciate the situation. Darius was here. In my room. The situation became even more appealing when he stroked my hair with an incredibly soft touch, so different from Mother’s.

“Please wake up. Why are you trying to go back to sleep? You’re already awake now, aren’t you?”

I peeked my eyes open a sliver. “Still tired. It’d be easier to sleep without a certain Nightmare lurking around.” Not that I wanted him to leave, not at all.

The bed jostled as he leaned closer, his warm breath caressing my ear. “If you’d like I could wake you up in a more entertaining way. Since you seem to be able to receive the dreams I weave, perhaps what you need is a juicy nightmare to get your heart pumping.”

I scrambled up at that and he laughed. I glared at him, but the effect was marred by my yawn. “I admit I’m happy to see you, but why are you here now? When you said you wanted to meet in the morning, I didn’t realize you had such an early hour in mind.”

He shrugged. “As a being who doesn’t need sleep, I didn’t realize the hour was so inconvenient. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”