Become an Enemy to remain a Friend

Chapter 2

I'm shit at making dialogs look realistic, but I will try, promise

Disclaimer: Black Jewels belong to Anne Bishop

(placed after Queen of the Darkness)

(In my story, Delia wasn't adopted by Karla. Instead, it was agreed upon when Witch came back, that she will stay with the Arcerians)

Karla reminded Daemon strongly of Prick, in that she was crude, sarcastic and had little to none interest in opposite gender (Marian didn't count). What was different though, was that where Lucivar had no interest in his own gender too, Karla had. And she wasn't even really hiding with her interest. It irritated Daemon, if only because he never noticed the covert glances she shoot at some of the ladies, the way her voice became almost softer when she talked to them, while they interacted before, but it also amused him, that one of Jaenelle's female friends could have been his rival.

When he hesitantly told this to Karla, as a way to make him look like a normal idiotic male in her eyes, more than a danger(he was always a danger, but he didn't enjoy to always be reminded of that fact, not by people he liked), she snorted with laughter, before announcing that the Witch was the straightest person she has ever meet. It brought thoughts to his head, about other males, but he no longer felt so vulnerably unneeded, so they passed quickly.

After the first month of living together, Daemon and Karla could easily say that they were very good friends. This fact could be proven simply by looking at their interactions. There was no stilted politeness in Daemon's voice whenever he was annoyed, he didn't hide his emotions behind the mask, and though it was not visible, he no longer felt uncertain of how his actions would be received. It didn't happen often to him. All the other people who received this sort of behaviour from him could be counted on fingers of one hand, and there still would be some left.

Also, Karla finally adjusted to his charm and stopped reacting to it. It was not normal, Daemon knew Surreal for centuries, and she still reacted to him without fault, he suspected that Glacia's Queen's sexual preferences were the reason. But thanks to her immunity, the baths that she still had to take, and which he still helped her with, stopped being awkwardly orgasmic for her, and became just really comfortable.

Daemon also got many points from her for his neutral reaction to her orientation. Not many people just shrugged and joked at things like that. Well, maybe it also had something in common with her Triple Gifted status, and that there was a lot of people, not only males, who were of opinion that it was her obligation to produce children and continue her power. Not that she ever worried about other people's opinion.

And the other thing was, that she still got pitying looks from the Coven and boyos, on those days when she couldn't walk even with Craft. And she hated their pity, and their worry, because she was alive, for Darkness's sake, and if not for Jaenelle and Daemon, she wouldn't be. And he knew that, and he respected it.

And Daemon only needed to look at her once to know that she was filling out documents all night again and just didn't get any rest, or that she had to go check how her subjects lived and that she overtaxed herself again by using too much Healing Craft.

And he never disapproved like other boys were prone to do in that situations (she couldn't say that her sisters would not understand the need to rule), he just made sure that she was fully healed before allowing her to pull a sleepless night or to go on another adventure.

And if she promised to keep up the Ebony barrier at all times, he promised not to tell anyone from her court of where she went, and anyone from Witch's First Circle, why the barrier was elected at all. Not that anyone would ask him, at least not at the beginning.

It has to be said here, that though she was less of a social butterfly than Khardeen, Karla, even with her injury, was a force to be reckoned with, as in the First Circle, as outside of it. And her opinion could sway Lady's Court without use of any physical force.

So when Morghann and Khardeen first came to visit about two weeks since Daemon's arrival, and all that they could offer to him was short and polite "Prince Sadi," right after enthusiastic greeting with Karla, full of hugs and friendly jabs, she felt that something had to be done about it. Daemon's face was blank to begin with, but after that, all the little twitches that young Queen started to recognise disappeared altogether. Well, it wouldn't do.

*Do you trust me Daemon?* she asked on a private line of her Grey.

He looked at her with that bored expression, that made her feel lacking, but there was no hesitation when he answered *Yes* on the line of their communication.

It didn't take long after that, for her to take full control of the situation. She wrapped on of her arms around his shoulders and with a grin worth of Khaelas, moved her plan into action.

"Okay, enough of this bullshit. We all know that Daemon here was doing everything on Witch's orders. He saved Jaenelle and lost eight years of his live because he thought that he killed her," if she wasn't touching him, she probably wouldn't notice his minimal tensing at her words, but she moved on, even aware of his discomfort.

"Jaenelle trusts him with her life, and so do I. I know that your silly little feelings were hurt, but I thought that we trusted our Lady with doing what was right. Apparently I was wrong. You can go now, and you can come back when you get some reasoning back. And you can tell that to the rest."

Short to say, the Scelt couple hadn't stayed for long that time.

But when two weeks later Khary came, alone this time, he didn't pause before greeting Daemon with his usual, if maybe a little forced exuberance. They never apologised for their actions, Daemon because he was doing what his Queen wanted of him, and if he had to, he would do it again, which both of them knew, and Khardeen, because when he tried, Daemon announced that his reaction would be even worse if he thought that someone was trying to manipulate his Lady.

After this, it didn't take long for Khary to forgive when he had Karla breathing down his neck, and he could clearly see and remember the quiet desperation to hear more about Jaenelle's life, shining somewhere deep in Daemon's eyes. Maybe Khary's acceptance didn't seem like much, but it was enough for the gates to First Circle's social web to open once again for Witch's lover.