Disclaimer: All characters belong to Tamora Peirce in the Protector of the Small series.
Dom crossed the hectic ballroom with his back straight and his shoulders squared. He could feel several sets of eyes boring into his back as he left Neal and Kel's friends (he had always made the distinction). 'I am not nervous,' Dom chanted to himself as he felt his palms sweating. 'I have been with plenty of women – noble ladies and riders – it shouldn't matter that she's Kel. It shouldn't matter that she's the one Neal had loved. It shouldn't matter that this was the same little girl he had bet wouldn't fall off her oversized gelding.'
Dom took a moment to collect himself before he tapped Owen's shoulder and grinned winsomely at Kel.
"Owen, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I stole the last dance?" He addressed Owen but kept his gaze firmly locked on Kel.
Owen sighed as he stepped back from Kel, "And if I do mind?" His tone was resigned.
"You wouldn't ruin her reputation by doing so," Dom laughed, "You wouldn't even suggest it if Margarry was here."
Kel smiled lazily as she took Dom's proffered arm and began the slow, sad canon that was the last dance of the evening. She was far to tired to procure witty retorts to Dom's flirty teasing but smiled and laughed with him. She was comfortable here, dancing with friends.
The dance ended and Dom bowed low to Keladry. "May I have the pleasure of escorting you back to your rooms, Lady Knight?" His eyes twinkled and Kel felt herself nodding in agreement.
Kel smiled and laughed in all the right places as Dom led her through the winding rabbit warren to Kel's room in the knight's corridor. Outwardly, he flirted outrageously, saying things he would never get away with in front of a lady's chaperone (and certainly not in front of Kel's 'chaperones'). Inwardly, he was in turmoil.
'Am I really going to seduce Kel?'
'She looked so beautiful tonight, the faun silk hugging her delicious curves…'
'But she's not just some court fancy I can tumble and then forget, she's my friend.'
'Then marry her.'
'…'
Dom leaned up against the doorframe, lazily showing off his well-muscled arms and chest. It was only when Kel fumbled with her key and struggled with the lock that Dom realised she was still intoxicated. As Kel spins around she finds herself pinned between Dom's chest and the door, causing her face to flush and her heat to beat fast.
Dom leaned down to brush his lips softly against Kel's, barely a kiss, as he unlocked to door and pushed Kel gently inside. Dom's kisses became more passionate, his tongue probing for entrance and his breath coming raggedly as his hands tugged expertly at the ties of her dress. Her white corset was decorated with the same fragile lace he always wanted to rip off the bodies of court ladies. But Kel wasn't, a court lady, she was a knight he would treat with respect.
All of a sudden his shirt was gone and Kel's calloused hands were roaming across his chest. The cool air broke Dom out of his lust driven stupor and he pushed back gently, surveying the severely mussed young woman in his arms. He wasn't going to do this tonight.
Dom leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Come to the ball with me tomorrow?" He practically begged and Kel nodded her head, leaning back to sneak another kiss. Dom broke away and slipped quickly out of Kel's rooms, leaving the young knight standing alone and confused.
***
Yuki slept silently in her marriage bed as Neal slipped out the door, taking a moment to glance back at his delicate, feminine blossom. The guilt Neal felt as he sneaked out of his own rooms was blossoming painfully in his chest but he suppressed the desire to purge himself by remembering his 'good intentions'.
Neal had never imagined he would one day find himself slinking away from his still naked wife to visit the rooms of another woman. Never thought he would creep down the dark knight's corridor and use magic to force the door of his best friend.
But the emerald light glowed brightly around the lock and it clicked open, the sound breaking the leaden silence.
Keladry's room was warm, dark, silent. Neal could faintly see Kel's eyes staring back at him in shock as he sighed with relief, releasing his the anxiety, anger and secret jealousy that had become pent up inside him. Where he had expected guttural cries there was only soft breathing; where he had anticipated two there was one; where he had imagined writhing bodies there was stillness, darkness, peace.
But her eyes were red and puffy, her arms were wrapped around herself protectively and the look she was boring into him spoke of loneliness and vulnerability. And Kel was never vulnerable.
"I-I'm sorry Kel, I didn't mean to wake you." Neal's usually confident voice is strangled by remorse. "Did he hurt you?"
Kel shook her head as tears leaked out of her eyes. "He hardly touched me, Neal. There's no need to get so protective, I'm not a little girl." But Neal could hear the defeat in her voice. Kel didn't bother to put up her mask for him. Neal crossed the room to climb into her standard single bed, letting her cry into his nightshirt.
Kel sniffed unattractively, "I was so stupid Neal. I threw myself at him. I don't even know if we can still be friends, if I can even look at him again."
Neal chuckled darkly, the sound making his chest rumble in a comforting way, "You may have thought you were throwing yourself at him Kel, but trust me, compared to how he expects court ladies to behave, that was nothing. No reasonable person would even blink at your behaviour with Dom tonight."
Kel looked up at him, with a look of hope and Neal pressed on. "If he was still here, I may have accused him of taking advantage, because he was 'throwing' himself just as far as you were." Neal paused a while, stroking Kel's hair as the younger girl finished cleaning herself up on his shirt. "Your friendship will survive Kel. Dom and I may not always see eye to eye about you, but he's my cousin and I know he wouldn't do anything to wreck that. He certainly won't give up on it over one ball."
"He asked me to tomorrow's ball." Kel's voice betrayed some of the tentative hope she had been feeling since Neal had dried her tears and put her fears to bed.
"Well then, I was going to ask you save me a dance, but it seems I won't be getting one!" Neal's voice regained its usual bravado as they continued to talk, but he ended on a serious note.
"Promise me you'll be careful Kel. Promise it."
"Ofcourse." Kel's tone gave away her confusion.
"He's a lot older than you Kel, but he will respect you. And if you promise to be careful, I may get the boys to lay off just a little."
Kel smiled widely, "No more duels?" she teased.
"No more duels." Neal tucked her back into bed and slipped silently out the door.
***
Neal was shocked to find Domitan of Masbolle sitting against the wall opposite Kel's door.
"Thanks for helping her."
"You sat here and listened to her cry?" Neal's voice managed to be incredulous even at a whisper as he grabbed Dom's collar and jerked the older man to his feet.
"I didn't want to leave her. I couldn't help her. That's always going to be your job… I'm sorry I said those things about you liking her." Neal could tell his cousin was still upset, but his cousin let nothing through as he walked the sergeant away from the knight's quarters.
"You're serious about her, aren't you?" Dom continued looking to stare into the darkness ahead of them. "You had better be serious, because I'm not going to let you play with my girl and discard her like so many court beauties."
"I'm serious this time."
*** This was the final chapter, so I would love to hear what people thought and any suggestions for my future writing would be greatly appreciated. ***