Noah's body was so deeply exhausted that every time he fell asleep, he almost immediately fell into the deep sleep where dreams took hold. Every now and then through the short hours he had to rest, he'd jerk awake in panic from the nightmares, but eventually doze off again. Undoubtedly the soft lull of creatures outside of his apartment played a role in his mind's restlessness, and by the time Dmitri's knock sounded on the door, Noah's shower felt mostly pointless. He was drenched in sweat.<br/><br/>Brown pools of life flickered open and the male sucked in a sharp breath, his mind in a fog between dreams and reality. He couldn't tell himself for certain what was real until he laid there for a long moment, mulling it all over. His fingers traced up over the sloppily placed bandage on his neck with disdain. The vampire outside his door... that was reality. He didn't know whether that was comforting or dreadful, because the monsters outside were reality as well. Whether Dmitri was there or not, Noah was very much trapped... was it better or worse to be trapped with someone who promised to whisk him away and keep him safe?<br/><br/>Among the nightmares, a dream less terrible in nature had played out from the imaginings of his subconscious mind. A dream of safety. A dream where he was pampered and kept at his best at the low price of his blood. If he was a prisoner, he at least didn't have to work. He didn't have to worry anymore about covering his scent all the time. He only had to worry about one creature, and that was the one standing outside his door with the courtesy to knock even when he didn't have to. Sleep had perhaps given him a different perspective on his situation that was less... hostile.<br/><br/>That didn't mean he was accepting it. The stubborn side of Noah refused to let the pompous creature win. He didn't want to belong to anyone, and he didn't want to lose control over his own life. He ignored the whispering voice in the back of his mine, one that asked him what control he had before now.<br/><br/>Standing up, he pulled on a shirt with a higher collar that would cover the necklace and moved to his door, pulling it open with a more neutral expression than he was happy giving the smug bastard. "I'll make one clear," After the fitful sleep he had, his voice was rough and gravely. "I really don't favor dying today. I'll do whatever you say to make sure that doesn't happen, but only until we're safe again. So, don't get used to it, leech."