Two weeks later

Daemon moaned with sleep, then hissed with achy muscles. That alone would have pissed him off… knowing he was being watch all too closely by another dark jeweled Warlord Prince was nearly enough to push him to the killing field…

… Another time… another place… it would have… and the blood that would have been shed… he would have basked in it.

In a voice rough from sleep but still having a chill he spoke, " Is there a reason you're watching me sleep, Prick?"

Ah, Hell. He knew Daemon would wake pissed off. Hell any man who had lived through all of Daemon had would have. But he hadn't expected the Sadist to wake first. Then again maybe he had. With a sigh Lucivar answered, "You're wife made it clear that I was to stay here till you woke."

Or more like Witch had ordered him to deal with Daemon until he understood that all was well. That and the High Lord had ordered his daughter to take a long nap since he had been sure Daemon wouldn't understand the bitchiness was from the lack of her beloved coffee and not from something he had done… or the lack there of.

The air cooled a bit more. Jaenelle wouldn't have ordered her brother to such a task. Witch however… if there was a good cause… just might. In a swan song coo he asked, "And were you suppose to join me on the killing field or just point the way?"

Mother night. Forcing himself to take steady breaths Lucivar too calmly spoke, "Old Son, What is the last thing you clearly remember?"

Glazed sleepy eyes that he had kept closed before now locked with the … worried? … golden eyes of his brother and not that of a Warlord Prince ready to take to the killing field. It also made him see that he was in His room and not one that Lucivar would enter without a damn good cause. It was that and the way that his brother was too eagerly waiting for an answer that he made himself think.

Memories rushed at him. A jumble of images flashed through his thoughts. If in order or not he couldn't be sure. His hands covered in blood. A piece of a necklace that had been made for Jaenelle. A party at the Keep. Lucivar honing knives with a bit too much temper. His Father lying lifeless on the floor of the Keep. Jaenelle telling him something… the look on her face said it was important, but he couldn't hear the words. Lucivar calling him papa. Jaenelle's blood scenting the air… staining his clothes. Other images… older maybe? … maybe not…

He grabbed his brother's hand almost panicked now, "Mother night , What did I do?"

Lucivar blinked then winced, "Yea, That's what we thought." He said it barely above a whisper then continued in a more matter of fact tone of voice, "Nothing that a few new trinkets and spending some long days helping father at the Keep."

His heart skipped a beat. Oh that tone told him clearly whatever he thought had happen hadn't been his fault but he was still in trouble with his father and more importantly his wife… but it wasn't that bad. Still he could hear the lie beneath the words. "Liar."

"Father will be in to see you after he wakes from his nap… and… " Lucivar shuttered... he didn't mean to, but he did, "Jaenelle will be in when she figures out how to beat you with I believe she said one of your now healed ribs without using craft or actually hurting you until she has a chance to scold you for getting hurt to start with. If that makes any sense to you."

"Did it make sense to you when she said it?"

"Hell no but then again she was way past scary when she said it."

Wonderful. Not only did he have very jumbled images in his head threatening his very sanity he had done something to piss his wife off to the point of scary. "Lucivar could you very plainly tell me what I need to know?"

"I could tell you what I know, the rest a certain little bitch would have to tell you. But I have to warn you, She can't be touched until the Lady says otherwise."

Well that was interesting. Some little bitch had pissed Witch off enough to be dealt with personally. "I would never interfere in something that the Lady has personal interest in."

. He gave his brother long enough to find his legs till the Lady would have to remind him of that.

A moment later after making sure the shield contain in his ring of honor was firmly in place as well as a double Ebon Gray shield, Lucivar began with what he knew. No speculation. No opinions. Just facts. The cold blank stare was his gauge for Daemon's temper. Daemon just sitting there blankly with his fingers steepled doing nothing, worried him. He finished with "Karla and Gabrielle over saw the healing."

"And the Lady didn't?"

Mother night he doesn't remember… "She was unwell and there was another good reason for her not to. But she did sit next to you most of the time, just to be close."

"I see."

Cold, deadly ice was in those two words. "Prince, the Lady is…"

Daemon curled his lips into the barest of smiles, "One bitch couldn't have acted alone."

"Lucivar! I told you to make sure he was calm not Pissed off. I should dent you stubborn male head."

Arguing with her would only get him killed. Turning his back on the Sadist… death would only be too kind. "Sweetheart, would you rather he wake up confused or grumpy?" well Pissed off was a far cry from grumpy but was a lot better than confused and near panic.

Once she got near enough she sighed, "I should tell Marian to whack you upside the head." Then to Daemon, "If you disturb the healing webs I will find a way to make sure you don't leave that bed till I decide otherwise. Is that clear?"

Oh she was grumpy. Her hair was tossed with sleep or running her fingers through it… but she was whole and healthy. No scratches, no wounds that had been healed recently. Just grumpy and the worse thing she was mad about was him possibly harming the damn healing web… it was enough to lighten his heart and leash his temper. "Lucivar was just filling in some blanks for me, Darling."

"Uh, ha. I'm sure he was. And did he show you the papers that I had Papa draw up so we won't have to revisit this whole matter after The bitch is beyond the darkness?"

"Uh… no." He said it too slowly. Not that he wanted to draw the attention back to Lucivar but her transition from grumpy to being beyond pissed was enough for caution. The fact he truly couldn't tell if it was his wife asking or his Queen worried him. The phrase "beyond the darkness" scared him.

Another sigh and her to visibly trying to leash her temper. Then she said, "Well at least he did one thing I asked." Taking a seat on the side of the bed she added a bit too tartly, " unless you are trying to see how that shield holds up against the Black, I suggest you go pester your own wife for a while."

Oh he knew a dismissal when he heard one. Shit even if she hadn't said anything he had been slowly heading for the door. But hell why did she have give him an idea that he might actually test. "If you need me…"

Jaenelle turned slightly, "Lucivar, I'm sure if you're needed Daemon will know where to find you."

And that put him out of the room. There was no doubt Daemon would find him wherever he chose to play least in sight… but there was no reason he was going to give her husband a reason to see him as a rival. Not now. Not when he was unstable. And not when her temper was edging close to scary.

Before he too quickly made his way down the steps he thought, "Maybe I shouldn't have tried to find out who the boy was or how he was family." The thought of tricking his father into letting him into that room never crossed his mind.

"Is there a reason you're scaring your brother?"

Jaenelle gave her husband a long look. "First off he's your brother. And second every healer and Queen in the Hall right now is not pleased with him. And you really don't want to know what your father wants to do to him and would if he was years younger."

Daemon made a small gesture to stop her for just a moment, "Darling, not that I'm debating with you but when did Lucivar become my brother and not yours? And how pissed off is the coven and why?"

She gave him a thoughtful look. "My darling Prince, my brother would have known better then to enter a room that I specifically told him to stay out of. And the healers are pissed because his temper after enter that room slipped and nearly caused permanent harm to the one being healed. And the Queens are beyond pissed at him because his been walking much too close to the twisted kingdom and refuses to let Papa help him. And for the record some of this is your fault."

" And how is this my fault?" and if he was going to be blamed for something his brother had done… well he was more than capable of denting the man's head… if he cheated.

She blinked. Then gave a muffled response.

"Sweetheart, I may be a bit muzzy still. Would please repeat that."

Suddenly her nails required attention. She had been looking forward to this. Rehearsing what she was going to say… now that the time was here to say it… the damn butterflies in her stomach were having a ball. In a small voice she said, "Because I'm pregnant."

She waited for a response. Had assumed he would either roar or pull her so close that she could breath. She hadn't expected him to just look at her blankly. And hadn't expected him to ask, "I beg your pardon?"

In a weepy tone of voice she began, "I thought…You would be…"

"Darling I'm thrilled. But I am curious about how this bundle of happiness happen."

"Oh well, the spiders thought you needed something cuddly that you could carry around with you." Jaenelle shrugged, "The little Queen and I had a long chat about her gift. But I am happy Daemon. Truly I am."

And her happiness was all that mattered. Besides it would give him something to hold till it found its feet. Feeling more at ease, He pulled her gently to him and whispered, " Then Darling how is this my fault?"

A playful hit of his arm then, "You helped."

Daemon took a moment to savor the information that his brother gave him added to that the news of the up in coming addition to their family. Pieces were missing. Big pieces. Like how he had gotten hurt enough to warrant being in a healing sleep. Or … "What healing room did Lucivar enter?"