A/N: Hello wonderful readers. I wanted to take a moment to address the comments about updating that come in my reviews. I try to update twice a week to the best of my ability, once on Tuesday (my normal weekday off), and once on the weekend (also my time off of work). I try to have at least one chapter written and edited in advance so I can keep this schedule. That being said, my writing time is cut short this week because I have a short family vacation. That means I may not have anything ready for Saturday or Sunday. I apologize. I truly appreciate every encouragement you guys give in the form of reviews, follows, and favorites. Each one is a reminder to keep writing because I know people actually like it. Already this story has taken a life of it's own and run away from anything I thought it would be. Thank you all for everything you do!
Dom jogged the top of the curtain wall, making his third lap since false dawn. Since then the sun had started to show just above the horizon and the first bell of the day would be soon. His decision to get up and go for a run had simply been because his mind kept going back to the afternoon and evening before.
He had been in a position to see the carriage arrive back from the city and had watched Kel get out far more slowly than Shinko or Yuki. Her movements had been stiff and he would have bet almost anything she had been in pain. A brief conversation with the sergeant that had escorted them all day had told him that she had sat often and had been kept as comfortable as possible, so there was little they could have done to prevent her pain. The conversation had brought him near enough to Shinko and Yuki to have been privy to the conversation Yuki had been having with Neal when he had come looking for her.
"You will remove those charms at once and you will stop overseeing her life. It is her decision what she does with her body, not yours. If she damages herself further, that is her call, not yours," the lecture had gone on for several long minutes before Neal had disappeared, promising to do as his wife had asked.
Then Dom had lost sight of Neal and had gone to train only to have stumbled across a prank gone wrong on the Own's practice courts. Had he not escorted the victim to the infirmary to be examined by his uncle to determine the level of punishment he would need to issue, he would not have been in place to hear Neal come down and request his father go see Kel because she had refused to allow him to look at her leg though it was clear it was causing her pain. Neal had taken over the assessment and the treatment of the sprained arm.
"A few days and he'll be better," Neal had told Dom after the man had been released with instructions for protecting his arm.
"You removed the charms from Kel's bed then?" Dom had asked.
"No. I have no intention of doing so either. She was very clearly in pain and someone needs to be looking out for her when she is not capable of doing it herself. This outing today was a bad plan and she hadn't had the sense to say 'no' to it. I doubt she'll tell Kas 'no' when he comes back wanting her." Neal had grumbled.
"You are suggesting that Kel has no self control," Dom had pointed out knowing full well that Kel had more control over herself than anyone else.
"No, she's got plenty of that, and she uses it to try and control the pain, not the situations causing it. If I find the healer than cleared her to go today, I'm going to make them wish they hadn't crossed me," Neal had growled. "And Kas can hear all about keeping his hands off of her if he has the nerve to come back and try and get on her bed again. And I want to get a hold of the man that sliced Kel's leg as well. Give him a piece of my mind about how careless he was."
"I'm the healer that cleared Keladry to go today with the limitation that she use the carriage to avoid the steps and the extra walking," Baird had returned in enough time to have heard his son's speech. "It is my opinion that Master Lander is good for her health. She reports far less pain the days she is down here after he has visited the night before. And as for the man that accidentally hurt Kel," Baird had glanced up at Dom. "She saved your cousin's life and you have no need or right to beat him up any more than he already does himself."
Neal's look had been almost completely dumbstruck by the information. There had been little to argue about what Baird had revealed. Neal wouldn't have questioned or lectured his own father had he known it had been Baird that had cleared Kel for the day, nor would he have tried to argue against Kas after Baird had pointed out that from a healer's standpoint, Kas had been good for Kel. Dom had had no doubts that it had been because Kas was restricting Kel from pushing herself in his own ways. And Dom had had little doubt Neal would be looking to curse him for Kel's injury when it had meant his life. Dom was well aware that Neal viewed him like a brother and would have been just as devastated at his death as he had been by his elder brothers that had passed in the Immortal's War.
"Thank you for your assessment of my man. I'll be handing out punishments accordingly," Dom had dismissed himself and had gone to his rooms to contemplate what exactly he would do about the men that had pulled the prank. He had not wanted to stay to listen to whatever dramatics would have followed.
Less than an hour later, Neal had come to find him to issue his apologies about his outburst, particularly about his calling Dom careless without realizing who he had been offending or the entire situation of how Kel had been injured. Neal had then asked for Dom's account of that night and of what had caused him to send Kel back to Corus rather than keep her with him.
Then all of the sudden Neal had jumped to his feet cursing Kel and Kas' names while tugging at something under his shirt.
"It's far too early for him to be climbing in her bed!" Neal had snapped. Dom hadn't been sure if he had meant far too early in the day or the relationship. He had been about to point out that bedding didn't have to take place only at nighttime and that two months was a lot longer than most waited to bed when they weren't fourteen years old, but Neal had pulled a thin leather cord with no less than nine stone charms attached to it from around his neck. He had murmured something and his Gift had enveloped the middle charm which Dom noticed was slightly bigger than the others.
"Let Sir Neal come and tell me that you don't deserve to be held while you rest," Kas' voice had come out as little more than a whisper from the charm telling Dom that Neal had a listening charm in Kel's bedroom as well.
"What in Mithros' name is wrong with you?" Dom had demanded as the clear sounds of kissing had come through the charm. "Do you get off hearing what your best friend does in her bedroom?"
"What? No!" Neal had looked utterly disgusted at the idea. "I just wanted to make sure that he's keeping his distance. And you can see she's ignored my advice and warnings once again. She's a smart girl but she's never had a man be this aggressive with her. She's naïve about all of this."
"Weren't you the one that told her she needed to get comfortable being undressed if she ever decided to give herself to Kas?" Dom had turned on Neal. It had been distressing thinking that Neal had been spying on Kel, but even more distressing hearing exactly how much Kel was enjoying Kas' kissing. "Stop that now!" He had demanded with a nod to the charm.
"I need to go down there and stop all of that," Neal's Gift had flared around the charm and the noise had stopped.
"No!" Dom had barely kept his voice under control. "If you go down there and interrupt them, she'll flay you alive and likely hurt herself worse trying."
"But this needs to stop. She's not healed enough for any of this and it's far too early in their relationship for them to be considering any of this. I'm not ready for that." Neal had started towards the door.
"Let me go. I'll make it seem like I was checking in on her after talking to the sergeant that was with her all day," Dom had stopped Neal once again. He had kept himself from pointing out that Neal being ready or not being ready for her to bed her sweetheart was not to be a factor in Kel's relationship. There had been no chance he would have listened.
"Okay, you go. Break them up," Neal had given up fighting.
"Also, give me the necklace. That way I can keep an eye on them for you," Dom had held out his hand fairly certain it wouldn't work. Neal certainly had to have known there was no way between the Divine Realms and the Mortal Realms Dom would ever have given it back. But Neal had handed it over and Dom had felt the little charms buzzing in his hand like angry bees. "Go take care of your wife or read one of your books. That way Kel can't suspect you." Dom had shooed him from the room and had made it look like he was heading in the direction of Kel's rooms.
In reality, he had gone to Raoul's to discuss the prank and the man with the now sprained arm. He had had no intention of destroying whatever eased Kel's pain. If Kas had had the ability to keep her mind occupied until the pain had passed, then Dom had had no intentions of going to interfere. He also had had no desire to see if clothing had been removed and tossed about or any evidence that something more had been happening. But most of all, it had been the words that he had heard Kas say when the charm had been activated. Kel had deserved to be held while she rested.
Dom slowed to a walk above the gate that led down to the city. The necklace full of still buzzing charms had gone under his war hammer the night before. The little stone charms had taken a few hits but had finally smashed into small pieces. Kel deserved peace of mind. She deserved privacy in her own bedroom of all places.
Dom glanced back at the palace and stopped walking as his eyes landed on a lone figure walking towards the gate. He recognized the size and build of the man immediately. Kas was leaving the palace heading towards the city. It was barely after dawn which meant Kas had spent the night.
He wasn't sure what possessed him, but Dom was turning to walk down the nearest steps to the ground to flag Kas down. Kas slowed to a stop as Dom neared him. There was a smile on Kas' face that had Dom fully aware that he had enjoyed his night with Kel.
"Does Kel know you're sneaking out on her?" Dom teased when he reached Kas.
"No. She was still asleep, but I left her a note," Kas' smile stayed on his face. "She'll understand I had to get to work and she needs all of the rest she can get."
"Considering you robbed her of sleep last night, I'd say that's accurate," Dom offered in as much of a joking tone as he could manage.
"I didn't rob her of sleep at all," Kas' smile remained but a look that made Dom feel like he was going to be admonished for his thoughts flashed through Kas' dark eyes. "She fell asleep shortly after we finished dinner and I ended up staying because I thought she might wake up if I tried to leave. I'm not even entirely sure she will know I spent the night until she sees my note."
Dom found himself slightly floored by the announcement. Kas had spent the night not because he had bedded her but because he hadn't wanted to wake her. It almost felt far more intimate than knowing Kas had bedded Kel. It wasn't an experience Dom was familiar with. Any of the women Dom had been with had been more for intimate pleasure rather than what sounded far more like romantic love. It occurred to him that he could have had that with Kel had he approached her instead of handing her to Kas if she had been willing to love him, but that wasn't an option now.
"If you have the ability at all, can you make sure she takes it easy today? She listens to you," Kas sighed. "She respects you."
"I can try but you might be the only person that can truly make her rest it seems," Dom admitted. Dom had never seen Kel sleep past dawn or through someone in her rooms moving about as Kas must have done without the help of a larger healing to tire her out.
"I just made sure she was comfortable," Kas shrugged. "If you see Sir Neal, as well, please thank him for not barging in last night. I doubt she would have slept so soundly had he gotten her angry again."
"I would thank him but he's not responsible for not barging in last night. I got a hold of his charms and smashed them, so unless he replaces them, he won't have the ability to know you two are sharing a bed," Dom admitted.
"You smashed them," Kas stared at him in disbelief.
"I didn't think they would burn," Dom shrugged. "And Kel deserves privacy."
"Are you going to tell her you did it?" Kas asked.
"I suppose I had better. Neal certainly won't and until you come back she may feel more comfortable in her own bed knowing he's not watching somehow," Dom smiled. He could at least do that for Kel and not leave that bit of news for Kas to share. If anything, there was a chance she would sleep in her own bed again without Kas keeping her there if she knew the charms were gone.
"I should get going. I need to clean up and find something to eat before I get to work," Kas started walking towards the gate once more.
"In the future, if you tell the servants what time you are getting up they can have hot water and something for you to eat ready in time," Dom called after him. "Then you won't have to leave her as early."
"I'll keep that in mind," Kas called back as he waved. Then Kas was through the gate and Dom felt a slight ache that had nothing to do with his laps around the curtain wall.
What was it like to be that happy to simply hold a lover all night? He had never wanted to know before though he had seen the same smile on Neal's face often at the beginning of his relationship with Yuki and on Raoul's face often enough when he was with Buri. He hoped it was only affecting him so because it was something he had been directly involved in this time. He had brought Kel and Kas together and then he had made sure they hadn't been interrupted the night before. He very much hoped it was not because it was Kel. He needed to get beyond that. It wasn't helpful to Kel at all for him to be pining over her.
Dom sighed and decided he would check in on Kel, after he had visited the bathhouse and after he had had some breakfast. If she decided to sleep in, it would give her enough time to get up and be in a place where she felt presentable.
It was at the second bell after dawn when he finally found himself at Kel's rooms but he found no need to knock as he arrived just as Baird was leaving through the open door. His uncle stepped aside of the open door and waved him through. Kel was sitting at her small dining table with her leg propped up on the chair across from her, her attention divided between a piece of paper in one hand and the plate of food in front of her.
Despite the fact he had been let in, Dom knocked on the doorframe to get her attention. He did not want to be anything like Neal in her mind at all at this rate. She tore her eyes from the paper and he saw the most brilliant smile on her face that didn't diminish at the sight of him.
"Dom, good morning," she shifted to take her foot off of the other chair but Dom stepped forward to stop her.
"If it feels better to leave your leg up, leave it up," he advised. "There are plenty of other seats around," he couldn't help but smile in return. She was actually happy to a point where she wasn't embarrassed by the show of such a strong emotion. It was even in her voice. "I saw Kas leaving this morning so I take it you slept well."
"I must have. I don't even remember him leaving," Kel nodded to the note. "I slept through him raiding my desk to write that."
"Did my uncle give you another healing? I thought he saw to you yesterday after Neal fairly earned your wrath a second time," Dom grabbed the footstool from one of the armchairs and dragged it over to sit on near Kel.
"He wanted to make sure that the pain I felt yesterday had dulled after some rest. And he wanted to make sure that I had rested. Neal said something to him this morning about having kept Kas away again. But I don't remember him coming here at all last night and I'm not sure I would have slept through that." Kel glanced at the note again. "Kas didn't mention it in his note either."
"Neal didn't come here last night. He thinks I did instead," Dom informed her. He could at least give her that peace of mind. She would know he wouldn't have actually disrupted her night. "Yuki thinks he removed the charms from under your bed since that was what he was supposed to do when he came to visit you yesterday afternoon so she wouldn't have stopped him. So I lied to him and got him to hand over his charms last night."
"You have them?" Kel asked. "Will you give them to me? I'll give you anything." Her hazel eyes were earnest.
"Anything? It's worth that much to you?" Dom was a bit surprised. He knew Kel well enough to know that she very much would give anything if she said it, but to know that something as small as what having those charms meant had caused it was eye opening.
"I've never been… held… like that before. I've never had someone make me feel so," her eyes flashed with something Dom did understand while she seemed to be searching for the word. The word she was looking for had to be 'loved' but she didn't seem to be able to locate it. Likely because she had never had someone truly feel it and display it for her before in the romantic sense. "I would give anything to have just one more night like that."
"I can't give the charms to you," Dom sighed. He almost wished he hadn't destroyed them not to have her in debt to him in any way but simply to hand them to her and have just a sliver of her happiness. But he knew she have realized one of the charms had been different and he didn't want her to know Neal had been listening to her in his spying on her as well.
"Please Dom," Kel begged. "I really will do anything."
"I can't, Kel," he meant to go on and explain himself but the smile had fallen from her face. The sudden lack of happiness took his breath from his body. He hated seeing it drain from her. He wanted it to come back and he could only hope that explaining himself fixed it. "I can't because I took my war hammer to them last night. Neal won't ever get that set of charms back and he won't know I destroyed them either."
"You destroyed them?" She asked.
"I did. But that doesn't mean he won't try and do it again," Dom amended. "I'd suggest talking to someone about getting some privacy charms in place."
"That puts me in a delicate place. If I request privacy charms, everyone and their mothers will start talking about what I do behind closed doors again." The smile didn't return to her face and Dom found himself hating the shadow she was forced under by the busy bodies that had nothing better to talk about.
"Ask Roald," Dom heard the words leave his mouth. "He's a mage and he wants to see you happy as well. He told that to Kas while he was getting measured for clothes. You know he won't tell Neal."
"I'm not sure I can ask that favor from Roald," Kel sighed. "But for now, I don't plan on leaving these rooms today and Kas promised to come back tonight. Neal won't have a chance to replace the charms before then."
"Isn't that a little off of his normal schedule?" Dom asked glancing at the note. He had gotten the idea that Kas came about three nights a week, every second or third night. He knew that Master Reeves was supplementing Kas' payments with the extra funds Dom had been sending his way. So he knew that Kas worked late four nights a week.
"Yes, but apparently he's coming back tonight. He didn't say why," Kel looked to the note again.
Dom doubted Kas had much of a reason other than he had spent the night holding her and had enjoyed it. The smile that hadn't come off of his face when they had talked on Kas' way to the city had told Dom that much. But Kel likely wouldn't understand that, not until Kas told her himself.
"Well, I'm sure he'll give you a reason tonight when he comes back," Dom patted her knee. "Are you feeling better after resting last night?"
"More so than I thought I would, but like I said, I don't plan on going anywhere today. I'd rather play it safe for a few more days," Kel shrugged. "You can tell Mother Nealan that I am being good."
"I would, except I'm not reporting to Meathead. Kas asked me to try and get you to take it easy today. Seems to think you respect me for some reason," Dom teased. He knew she respected him enough. She had listened to him when he had told her to go back to Corus. He even had a guess as to why she respected him a little more than Neal who was prone to dramatic outbursts while giving orders and often forgot he needed to be respectful himself. Kel had often reminded him that she deserved a certain level of respect from him and Dom had heard Baird give several talks to his son about treating his friends as patients in the infirmary rather than people he could just bypass the formalities with.
"I don't know why Kas decided to ask you to do that, he wrote it in his note," Kel nodded to the note again and turned it slightly for Dom to see. It wasn't the two or three lined note that Dom expected of Kas explaining that he had had to leave for work and that he'd return that night. It was nearly the full page of neat writing. He could see that Kas had explained his need to go to work and his refusal to wake her. He could see that Kas had mentioned why he had stayed the night and expressed his wishes to do so again in the future. There was more in between but Dom wasn't really trying to read it. He was more impressed with how far Kas had gone. He knew he wouldn't have left such a detailed note for her.
"Is he always so thorough with his romances?" Dom asked.
"I suppose that's one way of putting it," the smile returned to Kel's face in full force. "I don't suppose I can thank you enough for arranging for us to meet. Until him I didn't think there was a man out there that would ever be willing to think well of me in the romantic way."
"You're wrong, Kel," Dom caught her hand and held it. "If he ever abandons you, I will make sure you are well aware of how wrong you are." He knew he had to have given her enough now to know exactly how he felt about her. But instead she only raised an eyebrow at him.
"More men that have approached you on my behalf?" She asked, disbelief in every word.
"I guess you'll find out if Kas ever screws up and lets you go," Dom forced a smile on his face. "But for your sake, I hope he doesn't. I like seeing the smile he brings to your face." That at least was true. He did enjoy what Kas had brought out in Kel. "So, since you are staying in today, do you have plans or can I exploit your math skills and make you fill out supply lists with me?"
"You can always abuse my math skills. I'm surprised Raoul isn't torturing Alan with the lists like he used to do to me," she shifted to look at him better.
"That would be correct if Alan had much of a hand at math. But it appears he doesn't. Either he's pretending to get out of work or he somehow bribed the Mithran priest in charge of teaching the pages math into passing him without a worry." Dom stood.
"I'd guess he's just good at faking it. He had to pass the little and big examinations each year which all include math. You should give him credit for strategy," Kel shifted to stand as well but Dom caught her shoulder and pushed her back down.
"I'll go get what I need. You finish breakfast and I'll be right back." He waited until she nodded and then left.
He needed the walk between her rooms and the Own's barracks to clear his head of what he felt about Kel and Kas. He did like what Kas was doing to Kel, but he wished it was him. But he also knew he likely wouldn't have given her as much as Kas was doing. He never would have left more than a few words telling her he had left to work if he had had to leave on her in the morning. Half of his letters to her when they were apart weren't even as long as what Kas had written her. So Kas was the better man for Kel and he would be happy for them completely. He'd continue to be the friend that wasn't ashamed of treating her like the woman she was. And that meant he needed to get back and abuse her math skills for the next several hours to hold his promise to Kas that he'd make sure she took it easy. After all, for her, math was easy.
