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Chapter 9

Kel's Plan

Kel twisted her head from side to side to try and see behind her back but to no avail. The cloth being wound around her was too tight. She could barely breathe, never mind see behind her!

"Stay still!" Sally scolded as she pushed another pin into the fabric – and right into the flesh under Kel's right arm. Kel yelped at the sharp pain but Sally only pulled the pin out and stuck it into the fabric. "I told you not to move. If you won't listen, then you'll have to feel."

Kel scowled at the reply. "I wouldn't have moved if we haven't been at this for the last hour and a half," she muttered between clenched teeth. She knew they were doing her a favour, but after being shoved in all direction, scrubbed like she'd rolled in mud before being squeezed to death while being poked and prodded she was feeling less thankful. "Besides," she went on as she tried to study the dress again, "is this even decent?"

Sally stabbed another pin into Kel's skin. "Sarah dear, you're a newlywed, the dress is for your husband, it's not suppose to be decent!"

Kel felt her blush all the way to her toes. If she'd know Sally would take this so far she would never have asked for the help. Sally was treating this like a personal mission and no matter how hard Kel complained, argued or threatened she wasn't giving up. Kel had tried to refuse but Sally had simply forced her into place and given her the same speech.

"Sarah, do you want Robert to think you're sexy or not? This dress is sexy and it's going to knock his feet out from under him. It'll make him see the newlywed he married and not the old woman he'll be married to in ten years. So what if you show off a little skin, it'll be worth it."

Kel wasn't so sure. For one she didn't think even if she and Dom were married she'd look like an old maid in ten years. And secondly, the dress was showing off much more than 'a little skin'. In Kel's opinion it was right on the edge of indecent, unevenly balancing and tilting dangerously toward the wrong side.

"Your father must have been a cruel man to have let you work so hard! No woman should have this much muscle!" Sally yanked hard and Kel could almost feel her lungs collapse. Mithros she missed Lalassa. She had never pulled this much or complained non-stop about Kel's muscular stature. Sally on the other hand seemed to believe that the more you pulled the better the dress would fit, something Kel could confirm was untrue through first hand experience. The dress was pulled once more. By now she missed Lalassa and breathing!

"There, just stand like that until I get more pins,"

Leaving Kel standing there like a fly stuck in a spider's web Sally exited the house. The second she was out the door Kel used the last amount of strength she could muster and yanked out a few pins. As the dress loosened from her chest she sucked in a few mouthful of much needed air. That was better. She spun around until she faced the mirror Sally had so carefully managed to hide. Kel's hazel eyes widened in shock. There she was, her brown hair carefully combed until it hung smoothly and brushed her shoulders while her face had been carefully painted. She had thought that it would be too much in the beginning but Sally had been more of a master than she had anticipated. Her eyes looked large and clear, the black lining bringing out more green than brown while her cheeks had a light pink flush to it and her lips looked natural and healthy. The dress had Kel torn. Sally had been right, she did look sexy, and not in a bad-almost-prostitute-like way, but in a what-every-young-court-lady-wished-she-could-look-like way. Maybe it was because she wasn't use to wearing cloths that revealed a little bit of skin that Kel felt so uncomfortable because now that she saw it for herself she had to agree with Sally. This was exactly what she needed to win Dom over.

"Oh no, you looked!" Sally suddenly reappeared carrying another box of sharp pins. Kel didn't want to go near her. "And you undid some of the pins!"

"Sally, I couldn't breathe"

Sally's expression said she didn't see the problem with that. "Why didn't you tell me then?"

"I thought my yelps of pain were giving a clear enough indication."

Sally's eyes narrowed. "Now's not a good time for sarcasm Sarah, this is a war. You may not know what war is like being a sheltered little village girl from the other side of the country, but let me tell you, war is serious business. One wrong move and you could let your entire army down. Do you want to let your entire army down?" Kel had to fight a smile while slowly shaking her head. "I didn't think so," Shaking her head at Kel's folly, Sally stated looking Kel up and down, moving her this way and that until she seemed satisfied. "You know, I actually think it looks better like this." Kel breathed a mental sigh of relief. Finally, after a day of running around in the snow to get things perfect, things seemed to be falling in place. She had managed to beg the kitchens into bringing her and Dom's meal home so that the two of them could eat there, had managed to find some aromatic candles from some of Sally's friends and had begged a bottle of wine from one of the cellars even though they at first refused to open due to the snow. The man would have been happy to leave Kel out in the snow and slam the door in her face had Grace not suddenly approached in the distance. He had pulled her inside the building quicker than she could yell, "Hi Grace!"

The only thing left to do was the dress. She had intended on doing it herself at first – it wasn't a complicated dress and she had over three hours to stitch it – but Sally had refused.

"If your other cloths are anything to go by, you're not very good at stitching," she had said without even looking sorry for her words. Kel didn't mind, she couldn't really tell Sally that none of the cloths in her closet belonged to her. Besides, now there were three people working on her dress – Sally wasn't any good at it either but she did have a lot of friends – and she had an hour left to relax.

"What would you have done if I hadn't helped with the dress?" Sally asked as they hung the new curtains in the main room. Kel had thought it was beyond time that she got some privacy in her own home and if things went according to plan that night she wouldn't have to convince Dom to stay in the bedroom. If things didn't proceed that way she would willingly lock him out herself.

Kel nearly dropped her side of the curtain in surprise. Had Sally always been that harsh with her? Wasn't Sally the nice one while Grace was the one she avoided like death?

Sally's expression fell as she noticed Kel's shocked expression. Her gaze turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, that came out a little harsh, didn't it? I tend to get a little overexcited when I want something to be perfect. I hope you didn't take offence?"

Kel had taken offence but she had faced much worse in life so it was easy to brush off something as minor as that. "It's alright, no harm done,"

Sally's eyes shone with relief and Kel was once more thankful she was such an easy going person. Her ability to keep calm had solved this problem with such easy proving once more that getting angry solved absolutely nothing. Alright, maybe sometimes it helped, but only in the cases where people wouldn't get information past their inflated egos no matter how hard you tried.

"Everything's set, right?"

Kel nodded. "Everything's set. This was the last curtain, the dinner's coming just before Robert does, the wine is on the table and the candles can be lit when dinner arrives. I just need the dress to be finished and then I'll be ready as well."

Sally clapped her hands together in glee. "I can't wait Sarah, this night is going to be so romantic and perfect, I can just tell."

Kel sincerely hoped she was right. She hadn't had a clue what she had wanted to do when she originally came up with her plan. All she knew was that she needed to give Dom one of the most romantic nights he had ever experienced. She needed him to see that she was willing to give the relationship a chance if he was. She just needed to believe. He wasn't Cleon, he wasn't about to be forced into marriage to save his fief and leave Kel like she was some toy to be played with before being thrown away. As far as Kel knew Dom's fief was faring pretty well at the moment, he was, after all, a Queenscove cousin and, being in the King's Own, Dom couldn't marry anyway, never mind be forced into marriage. Kel would worry about that when the time came, at that moment she still wanted, no needed, to hear Dom say he felt the same way.

The dinner, candles, wine and looking sexy had been Sally's idea. Just look at the catch she had gotten, she had laughed. Kel had sat there with a goofy grin on her face. It was the only smile she could force so it was either that or look at Sally with a horrified expression. Kel wasn't sure she could classify Cain as a 'catch'. To each their own she guessed.

"The dress is ready Sally!" one of the women called and held up the garment for inspection. Kel felt a bubble of anxiety raise in her throat. This wasn't going to work. She was going to make a fool of herself and ruin the entire mission just because she had been stupid enough to get Sally to help her. She was a complete and utter fool for thinking something as trivial as looking attractive could convince a man like Dom to fall for someone like her. Someone who fought for a living and who had enough muscles to prove it. Someone who went around in a shirt and breeches and demanding respect like a man did. Someone who towered over most people and, according to her sister-in-law, looked like a cow! She had to flee now, before this went too far.

"Oh no you don't," Sally grasped her by the arm, the expression of panic giving away Kel's plan, "You're going in there and you're going to put on that dress. In ten minutes you're going to come out and show us all what it looks like and then you're going to wait for your husband to come home so that he can drool over how wonderful you look. Now go!" She shoved the dress into Kel's hands and pushed her into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her with a snap and closing off the only exit route.

Kel took a deep breath as she surveyed her options. She could gather every inch of courage she had and go put on the dress so that maybe, just maybe, she could have one of the most wonderful nights of her life. Or she could try the window.

Making sure that the door was firmly closed Kel dashed across the room to the window. Darn, there was no way she would ever be able to fit through it! Her gaze turned to the dress. She was going to have to be brave, there was no escape – Kel didn't think she could overpower Sally and her three friends without raising any suspicion. Stalking behind the screen Kel couldn't help but think Dom had better be extremely grateful.

Sally had given her ten minutes to get dressed and Kel decided to use all the time she had. She got dressed leisurely, checking every inch of the dress while she knew Sally waited impatiently behind the closed door. Kel had to admit, the seamstresses were wonderful at their job. In the short time they had been given they had turned the soft white fabric – there hadn't really been much choice when she and Sally had gone to buy some fabric – into a gown fit for a Queen – a Queen that had very strange dressing habits, but a Queen nether the less. The dress fell to the ground in a curtain of white lace, the sleeves extending the length of Kel's arm while the neckline plunged further than Kel preferred. It didn't reveal that much, a fact Kel had made sure of several times by peeking in the mirror, but it was still the most risqué outfit she had ever worn. The snow white colour of the material made Kel almost feel like a bride in her wedding gown, but the neckline and wrap of the dress made her feel daring and sensual like the woman who would lure the groom away from his own wedding.

Kel took a final peek in the mirror. What would her mother say if she saw her now? Gone was the knight Kel had worked so hard to achieve, her place taken by a woman who was now finally ready to take charge of her life.

It was the dress that gave her the courage to push open the door and face Sally and the seamstresses, Kel was sure of it. Her entrance was met by clap and a – embarrassingly loud – wolf whistle.

"Oh Sarah, it's perfect!" Sally was practically jumping up and down with happiness as Kel turned in a slow circle to show off the dress. Her mind couldn't help but flash back to the last time someone had admired her dress so thoroughly. It had been the night of Neal's wedding, outside in the garden when she and Dom had been waiting for Alanna and Raoul to reappear. Kel could feel Dom's hand on hers, spinning her in a quick circle, before the moment turned intense as he leaned towards her… and then Neal had interrupted! Kel felt the sudden need to strangle her best friend. If it hadn't been for him she might have already know whether Dom liked her or if he had simply been confused by the intensity of the moment. She frowned. She almost wished the night was over. She was steadily beginning to lose her courage again by the second and if Dom didn't come soon she was going to hide in the cupboard.

"Here," Sally stuffed a glass full of wine into Kel's hand. "It'll help you relax."

Kel looked down at the glass. She wasn't much of a drinker and preferred juice to wine but maybe the situation called for something a little stronger than usual. For courage, Kel thought as she took a deep swallow.

A Few Hours Earlier…

The room was packed with travellers desperate to escape the cold, their cloths and hair dusted with a covering of snow as they automatically crowded towards the fireplace. Most were shivering, their hands and feet wet from having to travel through the unexpected storm towards the nearest tavern. It was a hard job getting warm, especially because a short redhead sat at a table directly in front of the fire and was refusing to move.

Alanna didn't care that everyone arriving at the tavern was cold. She had gotten to her table first and if they wanted it they would have to take it by force. She hated the cold more than anything else in the world – except maybe travelling by boat. She hated that just as much.

She turned her purple eyes to glare at a new group of arrivals heading directly for the fire. They pushed tables out of their way in their haste to reach the warmth but Alanna was going to be much harder to brush aside.

"Shorty, could you move?" They didn't even try to be nice, their tone clearly indicating that they thought themselves far superior.

If they weren't going to play nice then neither was Alanna.

"No," she raised her eyes to glare directly at the man that had spoken. He gaped at her in shock before suddenly bursting out laughing. His loud booming voice echoed across the room and several heads whipped in their direction to see what was happening.

"That wasn't a question, lady, it was an order. Move out of the way or we'll do it for you."

Alanna's eyes narrowed and glittered, challenging them to try their best. "You can try, but I won't recommend that."

The man laughed once more and tipped his head towards one of his companions to send him to do the dirty work. His lackey was a stocky man with a wild tangle of dirty brown hair and a thick beard that was covered in dirt and food. He looked none too bright to Alanna, which was probably why he had been demoted to lackey. He was dressed in a thick fur lined coat but Alanna could see that he was well muscled underneath. She didn't care. If large idiots scared her she would never have made it to where she was. If he wanted to provoke her then she wouldn't stop him. It wasn't her fault that he didn't know this lioness could bite.

His mouth pulled into what was suppose to be an evil smile – his stained yellow teeth somehow ruined the effect – he reached forward towards Alanna. She didn't even give him the opportunity to touch her. In one swift movement she dug her elbow into his stomach, reached up with both hands to grasp him by the head before slamming it face first into the table. He dropped like a stone, out cold. Alanna lazily wiped two broken teeth from the table before returning her gaze to the rest of the men.

"You were saying?"

The man that was suppose to be in charge stared at Alanna in pure horror, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. She could literally see him shaking in his boots. His cronies behind his weren't faring any better, all of them strategically hiding behind their so-called leader. Alanna had the distinct feeling that if she shouted "boo!" they would go running into the hills.

"N-nothing, we didn't say nothing! You just stay there, enjoy the fire, we'll go somewhere else!" Tripping over his words and his feet he turned and rushed out of the room twice as fast as he had entered it.

"Pathetic," Alanna muttered shaking her head. Either she was getting rowdy in her old age or the world was growing soft. People use to challenge her, physically and intellectually, but nowadays she was growing bored with it all. She needed something new to do and messing with Kel's life was only going to keep her busy for so long. She couldn't imagine something going wrong with the plan she had so carefully formulated. Well, she, Raoul and George had come up with the plan together but she was going to take the credit if, no, when, it succeeded. George was her husband and had absolutely no choice but to agree with everything she did and Raoul… well, she and Raoul were old friends, they understood each other. If she had to stoop to blackmail he knew she wouldn't be bluffing. It was nice knowing that she was fully in charge of her own world. Days like these she was glad she had never accepted Jon's proposal and become Queen. She would have permanently been in trouble, always been controlled and told to do the politically good thing, never been allowed to fight like the knight she was. Instead she would have been stuck inside making small talk and forced to converse with prudish old men and their stuffy old wives. Besides, the older she got the more she realised she and Jon would never have had a calm marriage. They fought constantly, about big things, about small things, even about things they had nothing to do with! She was happy she had picked George – or rather, she should say, he picked her. She was sure marriage to the Lioness was not the easiest task in the world, but George treated her with the same love and respect he had on the first day, even after all the years.

She sincerely hoped Kel and Dom would share the same sort of relationship. Every Lady Knight needed a strong and caring man standing behind them, and Alanna felt like the luckiest woman in the world for finding her perfect match.

If only she wasn't so bored with the monotonous way life was proceeding!

As if reading her thoughts George slid into the chair next to her. His careful hazel eyes studied the scene around his wife before he lifted one eyebrow. "Was all this really necessary love?"

Alanna studied the setting around her, a slight expression of mock surprise on her face as if it was the first time she had noticed the change. The man she had knocked unconscious was still laying there, his mouth slightly ajar to reveal at least four missing teeth. Lying scattered around him were those very teeth, each one in an individual direction from when Alanna had carelessly swept them from the table. The occupants on the tables around them had moved their tables and chairs as far away as they could possibly get from Alanna without actually sitting on their neighbours laps. Alanna looked up, her expression as innocent as a baby's.

"Would you believe me if I said he had had a little too much to drink and accidentally knocked his head on my table when he stumbled by?"

George wasn't stupid. "I don't see or smell ale Alanna."

Keeping her body perfectly still and moving only her arm, Alanna dumped her tankard of ale on the unconscious man's head. "You don't? How strange!"

George shook his head, trying to be stern, but smiling nether the less. "You'll never change lass." He murmured softly. Alanna wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult. "Are you bored again?" He knew he too well.

She sighed loudly as she thumped the tankard back on the table. "Is it that obvious?"

George laughed. "Lass, you look like you're ready to charge into the wilderness like a wild hippo. Something tells me the only thing stopping you is this blasted cold. I know you; you'd rather joust with Raoul than be caught in a storm."

"True, but only because I'd probably thumb Raoul in the joust. It's better to let him keep his pride and let him think he's the best."

George didn't even answer, just smiled and shook his head.

Alanna leaned back in her chair, wishing she could go visit the Bloody Hawk, her Bazhir tribe in the desert. It had been some time since she had been there and the warm desert would have been a welcome respite from the chilling cold. If George wasn't always so busy she would gladly drag him along as well. "Aren't you missing too much work staying here?" she asked the thief turned spy.

He shook his head. "Nah, winter's never the best time for spying anyway. Everyone wants to stay in warm castles and remain nice and toasty. Those in charge of spying on Maggur will probably remain there until there's sign of the army getting ready to move and not even he is crazy enough to send his troops out in this weather. Besides, I'm enjoying the time away with my wife too much."

Alanna smiled coyly. "Why George, if I didn't know any better I'd think you want something."

He reached out and captured one of her hands before laying a soft kiss on her palm. "All I want is your love lass. It's all I've ever wanted." As he kissed it for a second time the seat opposite them was suddenly occupied by a figure in a dark cloak. Alanna tugged her hand out of George's so hastily he almost fell forward off the chair.

"Colin," he murmured as he regained his balance.

The man lowered his hood and nodded in greeting. He was a young man, barely older than Kel, with untidy brown hair and stormy grey eyes. He looked too healthy for someone in such common cloths, his skin shining in wellbeing and his teeth a bright white. He didn't look like a man that could fit in almost anywhere and extract information from places and people other didn't even dare to dream about. He was the fourth son of a nobleman and had been brought to Myles when he had been only ten years old. His father had noticed his skills from a very early age, how he could steal anything he wanted from the kitchens without the cook noticing, how he could slip from the house without a single soul being the wiser and even how, despite only being ten, he could charm him way into anything he wanted. Myles had seen the potential in the boy too and had sent him to George to be trained. Alanna didn't think her adoptive father could ever have imagined what a great success the boy was destined to be.

"George, we have a major problem."

Both George and Alanna snapped to attention in an instant. Since Colin had currently been in charge of Kel's mission they both knew he wasn't playing around.

"What's the matter?" George's tone had gone from relaxed to businesslike in seconds.

"We have an intruder in the mission."

"An intruder, what does that mean?" Alanna couldn't stop herself from interrupting but George silenced further questions by placing his hand on her arm.

"Start at the beginning Colin," he requested.

The young man nodded. "This morning I went to see Stone to see what the status with the mission is. Stone is the man who's in charge of all the different undercover jobs we use in missions like this one and he's the only one who has any contact with the spies. He's the only one who knows there names and the roles they've been placed in." The extra information was for Alanna. "Yesterday he had received word that two of the spies – a couple – had been murdered and their identities assumed. Since Stone's the only person with contact with the spies – they don't even know who the other spies are – and he had let them assume the roles they wanted to instead of assigning roles to them, he had to get in contact with everyone he had sent in to figure out who the impostors were. He was awaiting three more answers when I arrived. He was willing to share them with me though and he waited for me to unsaddle my horse." Colin's face turned dark. "When I returned he was dead on the ground in front of his house, five arrows in his back.

George sucked in a breath. This was bad. "What about the information?"

Colin shook his head and tapped his skull. "All in there. He was a spy George, he burned everything the second he was finished with it. Just like you taught me to do."

George nodded. Alanna knew it was an action that kept spies safe countless times. Even she herself liked to burn letters so that unwanted hands did not get hold of them.

"This is bad," George's voice was soft as he spoke, "This is really bad. Kel and Dom's mission just went from a matchmaking scheme from heaven to a true spy mission from hell. As long as they stay near the right people they'll be safe, but if they've befriended the wrong people then things could take an ugly turn,"

Alanna frowned. "Kel isn't stupid George; she knows how to defend herself and thinks that this had been a dangerous mission all along. She won't be led astray that easily,"

"These are trained spies Alanna. Kel may be good, but I don't know if she'll expect one of the innocent villagers to be a deadly killer." He rubbed his forehead in frustration. He looked up at Alanna, saw the pleading in her eyes and took a decision he had known would be inevitable in case the mission went wrong all along. "Colin, I need you to travel to Corus and get Lord Raoul here. Tell him that a problem had arisen in the mission and that his help is needed straight away. Tell him we're moving on to phase B. He'll know what that means and what'll be expected of him. Don't be seen and return here straight afterwards, we might need your skills later." Colin nodded and with a swish of his cloak he was gone. Next George turned to his wife who was already smiling. "Pack your bags sweetheart," he said trying not to smile, "it's time to put that little trick up your sleeve into action,"

Alanna was out of her chair and racing up the stairs before George could even get up.

Meanwhile Back in Darkwood…

Dom never ever wanted to see another pile of snow. He had been stationed at the north edge of town, the side facing a large hill, and had spent the last six hours watching snow flakes fall to the ground and freeze his butt off. He almost wished someone would attack and put him out of his misery. He had joined the Own specifically so he didn't have to do lack witted dull jobs like this. If it hadn't been for Kel, and his own pride of course, he might have turned around and marched back to Corus after the first hour. Even being mauled by bandit along the road had to be more exciting than this.

He stretched his sore back. All he wanted now was a nice dinner, a warm bath and sleep. He didn't even mind sharing with Kel at this stage. If the mattress did this to his back he definitely didn't want to know what the sofa would do. Please please please don't let Sally or Grace – especially not Grace – be visiting. He didn't have the energy do deal with feminine gossip at this moment in time. He felt like he could drop dead on the floor as he pushed open the door and entered the house. He hoped dinner would be served soon and that the village was burned to the ground so he wouldn't have to suffer through another round watch duty. Maybe he would help set the fire. He dragged his weary body into the main room, rubbed his aching head, and suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Kel was standing by the table dressed in the most scandalous, most delectable, most sexy dress he had ever seen her in. He felt his lips part in slight shock at the sigh, and could mentally see his eyes widen. Tiredness, his headache and his aching back all went zooming out the door in a hurry.

He hated it. He had to, why else would he staring at her like that. Kel knew she shouldn't have followed Sally's plan. She should have tried to fit through that window even if she had ended up getting stuck. At least then he wouldn't be looking at her with such a shocked expression. Maybe she should have drunk some more wine, Sally had certainly been eager to get her to drink as much as possible so she could 'relax', but it had only taken one swallow to realise the wine tasted like sawdust. That was the same swallow Kel had almost choked on. She would never ever have her first taste like that again. Sally had filled her glass to the brim and ordered Kel to drink before returning to the table to check the dinner that had just arrived. Kel took that opportunity to toss the contents of the glass out the nearest window. Sally, thinking she had downed the glass, left her on her own then, a happy smile spread across her lips.

Now Kel was beginning to wish she hadn't left so she could throttle her. She should have left things as they were. Why did she have to mess with something that hadn't even been wrong in the first place? She had to escape now.

"Kel?"

Dom's voice stopped that train of thought in its place. Kel couldn't raise her eyes to meet his. She knew he wanted to ask what was going on and there was no way she was going to be able to answer him if she looked him in the eye. "I'd had planned on us sharing a ro – eh, a dinner, but now I realise that might not be the best of ideas. I'm sorry Dom, I shouldn't have…" her voice cracked up, she couldn't go any further. Her mind was screaming one word: run! She turned to flee but before she could Dom caught her arm and turned her towards him.

"You planned a romantic dinner?" He sounded almost… happy? Kel looked up into his smiling face, his eyes filling with an emotion Kel couldn't even begin to figure out. Dom looked down at the dress, his gaze inspecting every inch of her. This was becoming a habit, Kel thought as turned a deep red. He was a master of making her feel like she was the most beautiful thing in the room by merely looking at her. What she wouldn't give to know what he was thinking. Dom smiled at her, the mysterious smile Kel was having such a hard time getting use to, and reached for Kel's hand before placing a silk soft kiss on it. "Why would that be a bad idea? I can't think of anything I'd like to do more." Kel could barely believe what was happening. It was like she was stuck in a nightmare that had suddenly turned into the most wonderful dream imaginable. Her need to run was slowly disappearing and being replaced by worries. Was this truly happening?

Sensing her insecurities Dom straightened and looked her deep in the eyes. He looked at her like she was the one thing he wanted the most in life, Kel realised with shock. Could that be? Almost as if to answer her question Dom leaned down but froze inches away from Kel's lips. Looking reluctant he pulled back. "If I do that now there's no way we're going to eat that dinner you took such care to have brought over. I'm afraid if I don't eat I'm not going to survive the night, Kel," he looked so apologetic Kel had to smile. Somehow she didn't think he was planning on leaving the romantic dinner, or the dress for that matter, there. She let him lead her to the table and into the closest chair. He pushed closer to the table, like a true gentleman, before getting a seat straight across the small table from her. "Wine,"

Kel cringed. "Eh, I think you may want to get rid of that. It tastes a bit like sawdust."

Dom looked at the bottle before taking a sip straight from the bottle itself. "Ugh, agreed." He pushed the bottle aside before grabbing a plate of food.

Kel slowly gathered her own plate. She needed to eat but for some reason she felt too nervous to eat, like something import was about to happen, she just didn't quite know what. She was busy picking at her food when she noticed the speed Dom was eating at. He wasn't really eating, more like wolfing his food down. "Dom, slow down, you're going to choke if you keep that up!"

Dom stopped only to grin at her. "I'm in quite a hurry, Kel my dear,"

Kel didn't need to think to understand what he meant. She forced herself to return to her food, sure that she would never get the chance to finish. She had barely forced down three bites when Dom was finished. He didn't even wait for her to finish, just as sure as she was that she wouldn't be able to finish. In the wink of an eye he was around the table and at Kel's side. Wrapping his arms around her waist he lifted her from her chair and onto her feet, pulling her tightly against him in the same move. And as easy as that he was kissing her, this time with no audience in sight. He wasn't kissing her to put on a show this time, but because he wanted to. And Kel wanted it more than she had ever imagined. She melted into his embrace, sucked into his passion which wasn't about to come to a halt anytime soon. Her mind spiralled off into some unused corned of her brain, every inch of her focused on the man making her feel like she had floating on a cloud of bliss. She had little experience with passion except for the few stolen kisses she had shared with Cleon but she knew this was something in a league all of its own. Everywhere she and Dom touched Kel felt like she was on fire. She didn't even notice when Dom picked her up and lifted her so that she sat on the table. She simply wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life. She felt Dom's hand slide down her sides, one moving to rest on her hip while the other moved to the back of her dress and started pulling apart the fastenings. Kel didn't even dream of stopping him, her love for Dom as inevitable as her hate for Blayce had been. He had just managed to pull the fastenings free when the door suddenly burst open. Pulling apart in shock they stared at the door in horror as Alanna the Lioness walked inside. She didn't seem to mind the position she had found them in, in fact it seemed to have quite the opposite effect.

She was grinning broadly as she threw open her arms in welcome. "Robert," she cried happily, "come give your mother a hug!"

Haha, you didn't expect that, did you?

So, what do you think? Love it, hate it, want to hit Alanna over the head with your shoe? I know I do!

Who do you think the villain is?

Show you care and please leave a review! =)

As a treat I'll try and update on Christmas!

F²