Tears of the Neko (15 page)

"Hey, Nickolaus!" Garin called over to one of
the men sitting at the table. "When you are done, you guys can run
these baskets of food to Arnett and Brenner at the den and
barracks."

The man nodded. "Got it."

"Lizzy," Garin turned to one of his
assistants who appeared to be chopping carrots, "How was the
kitchen staff over in the east wing doing? I know they just have
the carpenters and slaves to feed right now, but eventually, a
master will be moving in over there and they need to be ready."

"They were fine, sir," the tired looking
woman stated. "I brought them a bunch of herbs and stuff yesterday,
and the overseer said everything was going well. Master Harrison
and Master Roman have been checking in each day on the progress as
well."

"Good, good," Garin nodded.

Kayden saw Ysmenia breeze in from the other
entrance. "Just took Master Roman the lunch he demanded," she
grumbled. "I swear that man..."

Lizzy laughed as Ysmenia shook her head. "Did
he grab your bottom?"

Ysmenia chuffed, "No, he knows better than to
do that with me."

"Then count yourself lucky," Lizzy chuckled,
slamming the knife down on a head of lettuce, causing Kayden to
jump slightly.

"Tell me about it," one of the young male
servants at the table gruffed. "He smacked me once for accidently
spilling his drink. It was a fucking accident," he mumbled.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and
he'll
move
into the East Wing," the man called Nickolaus said.

"I bet we can't get that lucky," another
said. "Besides, I saw Master Harrison and Miss Penelope in the
garden earlier. I wouldn't be surprised if he proposes soon and
they
move into the east wing."

There was a round of laughter, and Kayden
shifted against the wall, still unsure if he could enter the
kitchen and ask for his master's lunch. What if the chef yelled at
him? What if...

"Hey, Garin, think you have a visitor,"
Nickolaus called, lifting his chin in Kayden's direction, and
Kayden froze when so many eyes suddenly turned on him. He had the
sudden urge to flee back to the study.

"Oh, kit!" Ysmenia cried excitedly. "Come on
in, sweetheart. Did Master Damien send you for something?"

He nodded quickly, grateful to her for asking
a question he could answer with a nod.

"Well, don't just stand there, boy, come on
in," Garin grumbled at him, and he didn't hear any anger in the
man's voice. In fact, he seemed rather...nice.

Kayden took an uneasy step forward as Ysmenia
hurried over to him.

"So, does he want lunch now?" Ysmenia
guessed, receiving another grateful nod.

"For just you and him?"

Kayden paused. Did Damien want him to eat
too? The man hadn't said he could, but he had never said he
couldn't either, so Kayden gave a hesitant nod, figuring if his
master didn't want him to eat then he wouldn't offer any.

"Okay, good," she said. "It won't take but a
minute, since I just made Master Roman's. If you wait, I'll walk
back with you."

A small smile tipped the corner of his mouth
as he nodded, slipping to the corner next to the fire. He noticed
eyes watched him curiously, but none gazed at him in the malicious,
lustful way the hunters had, so he was able to sit down on the
hearth without the urge to dart away.

When he returned with Ysmenia to the study,
Damien rose from his desk as the food was placed on the low table
in front of the couch. Kayden hovered as he waited for Damien to
settle on the couch, surprised he didn't sit in his favorite
wing-backed chair.

Damien then patted the couch next to him.
Kayden hesitated, wanting to drop to the floor. The floor was
always safer. But he had been safe next to his master last night on
the couch in his room.

So Kayden slowly crawled onto the couch,
tucking his legs close instinctively as his master offered him a
small bowl of roast, apples, and carrots.

"Here you go, kitten," he said. "I'm sure
you're hungry. I made you wait so long for lunch."

Kayden was sure the man was teasing.

Damien leaned forward to pile his own roast
between layers of bread, making it easier to eat.

"You can relax you know," Damien said, "You
don't have to always sit so curled up."

Kayden mumbled something under his breath,
and his master turned.

"What was that?" Damien said absently, taking
a bite of his lunch.

"I-it m-makes me a smaller t-target," Kayden
said softly, then added, "Sir."

He saw his master's mouth open, then close,
stunned at his comment.

Damien didn't know what to say to that,
although it made perfect sense, and explained why the boy always
sat so curled up. He was saddened to think that the boy felt that
way in his home.

"Kayden," he said gently, "I'm not going to
hurt you, you know that right?"

And Kayden nodded, because he did believe
that this man wouldn't hurt him. So he smiled slightly as he
untucked his legs, and they both dug into their lunch.

****

"I'm so glad you were able to come over
today," Harrison said, gently letting his hand glide over the laces
down the back of the simple day dress.

"Me too," her light voice teased his ears.
"You know I love spending as much time as possible with you."

Lady Penelope looked radiant, as she always
did to him. She turned her smile on him and his heart just flipped
with joy. She was so sweet and pleasant to be around, not like so
many of the other phlegmatic girls he'd dated before. Most were
aware of how close he was to the crown with his uncle being the
king (and his brother as the heir), and somehow thought that it
would be a great notch in their status if they could marry him,
even if he was never going to be king.

But Penelope had been different. She was the
first to actually turn him away the first time he'd met her, as she
knew of his brother's reputation in societies' upper circles. But
he wasn't like Roman, so eventually, he had managed to convince her
to give him a chance.

They had been seeing each other for several
months now, since the Fall Harvest Festival that Damien threw each
year. Her family had visited and stayed over at the manor for the
Winter Equinox Celebration. They had approved of Harrison Whitmore
courting their middle daughter. And after spending much of the
winter (when snow didn't keep them apart) and most of these early
spring months together, he was beginning to feel that his heart was
long past being lost to her.

As he grinned down at her, he knew it was
time for him to talk to Damien about asking her hand in marriage.
He briefly wondered if Damien would disapprove for some reason, and
that made his heart ache.

As they approached the door, and he led her
to her waiting carriage, he paused. He cupped her cheek and stole
the kiss he wanted to take. She pressed back eagerly. It wasn't
their first kiss, by any means, but they still were hesitant out in
the open. The carriage driver ducked his head away, pretending to
be interested in the flowering bushes by the door.

"I love you, Penelope," Harrison whispered
against her ear as he pulled away.

The bright smile from the petite
auburn-haired woman lit up her fine features. Her light gray eyes
danced with excitement and happiness. She brushed her fingers
through his blond waves. "I love you too, Mr. Whitmore," she
smiled.

Harrison couldn't help the goofy grin on his
face as he helped her into the carriage, casting a glance at the
smirking driver, who gave him a wink and a nod.

After watching her off, he turned back to the
manor. Maybe Damien wouldn't be too busy, and he could talk to him
now, while he still had the nerve to admit his feelings.

Harrison heard his brother's voice from his
office and realized the study door was already open. Apparently,
whatever meeting was happening was not a formal one, so Harrison
made his way over to the door, immediately recognizing Damien's
good friend Oliver Druet relaxed in the armchair. So now probably
wasn't a good time to talk him. He started to turn away but
something caught his eye and he froze.

He was shocked to find his brother lazing
idly on the sofa across from Oliver, with the neko at his feet,
head resting on his brother's thigh. His normally stoic and tense
brother was, well not relaxed totally, but definitely not his usual
stiff self. He was gesturing in animated conversation with one hand
to Oliver, while his other hand played lazily in the ebony locks of
the feline at his feet.

He had heard rumors over the last week from
the staff, Drystan specifically, that Damien had become more
comfortable with the boy, but he hadn't realized just how much
so.

His brother looked different, his face not
etched in the permanent frown... Harrison grinned at the thought
that the young neko was indeed growing on his older brother, and
both of them seemed to be having a calming effect on each
other.

"Hello, Damien," he greeted from the door,
and he noticed that the neko flicked a swift wary gaze at him, ears
twitching. But with a languid flick of his tail, the neko ignored
him and closed his eyes again.

"Harrison, come on in and join us," Damien
waved.

When Harrison shot a raised eyebrow and a
quick glance at the boy, Damien laughed softly, glancing at
Kayden.

"We've gotten more comfortable with each
other," Damien stated the obvious.

"Yes, I can see that," Harrison smiled.

"Would you like something to drink?" Damien
asked, and when Harrison nodded, he turned to Oliver. "A
refill?"

"Of course," Oliver grinned, "It's been
forever since we've had time to catch up. I'm quite enjoying
it."

"Kayden," Damien tugged slightly on the boy's
hair. "Would you get Harrison a glass of..."

"Whiskey," Harrison supplied.

"Whiskey, and Oliver a refill of
bourbon?"

Kayden nodded with a slight smile and rose to
his bare feet, silently padding over to retrieve Oliver's glass
before going over to the side bar and filling two glasses with the
requested drinks. Harrison watched in awe as the previously
skittish neko moved with easy grace to bring their drinks.

Harrison noticed the neko suddenly tense as
he passed over the drink. The boy's nose twitched as he glanced
toward the door, his ears flattening out.

Roman appeared in the doorway, greeting them
all jovially. Harrison frowned as the boy seemed to shrink, his
eyes casting down, and hair falling over his face.

"Join us, Roman," Damien waved, obviously in
a good mood, but oblivious to the discontent of his pet.

"I think I will," Roman said.

"Kayden, bring Roman a whiskey," Damien
called over as the boy had backed away from the group.

Harrison eyed the boy as he took a sip of his
drink. Roman took a seat next to Damien on the couch as they
continued to talk with Oliver about some idle gossip about the
Leichesters. Kayden seemed to slink over to the bar, his whole
demeanor changed from the relaxed figure he'd seen when he'd first
come in. When he returned with Roman's drink, Harrison noticed the
slight tremble in the boy's hand as he handed it over.

"Ahh, so the little tiger is good for
something," Roman leered as he accepted the glass. Harrison noticed
the boy's eyes narrow slightly.

Roman surveyed the young neko with something
that Harrison couldn't describe. The look was so brief that
Harrison wasn't even sure that he'd seen it before Roman redirected
his attention back to the conversation, his hand briefly managing
to slide along the neko's tail as the boy turned away.

Kayden flinched, his tail curling in tight as
he retreated to the back of the room. Harrison watched as the boy
folded himself down into his usual spot by the window, in the
sunshine. He eyed the group of men warily before settling down into
a tight ball for a nap, his tail flicking in agitation.

Huh
, Harrison thought as he sat back
in his chair, taking another sip of his whiskey. The boy obviously
didn't seem to have a problem with Oliver or himself, but Roman
seemed make the young feline very nervous. He must still remember
Roman's reaction to him in the slave yard.

"Guess he doesn't like you," Harrison
muttered before he realized he'd said it out loud.

"What?" Damien asked as the other men stopped
to look at him as well.

"Oh, sorry," Harrison started, "It's just the
boy," he gestured with his glass towards the neko who no one else
had noticed disappearing into the farthest corner. "He doesn't seem
to like Roman."

Damien scoffed as Roman's eyes narrowed.
"It's because Roman is loud," Damien guessed, but Harrison
suspected it was something more.

"He's probably exhausted anyway after all the
work of serving drinks," Roman said flippantly, and Harrison
watched the sharp flick of the neko's tail--the boy was more than
aware of what was happening in the room, even if he appeared to be
indifferent. "Besides, it's not like he could join us on the couch
or anything."

"True," Oliver agreed.

Harrison caught his oldest brother casting a
glance at his pet over the top of his glass. A slight furrowing of
his brow made Harrison think that just maybe Damien also thought
something was wrong.

Over the last few days, Damien was becoming
used to coming back from his evening walk to find Kayden sitting in
front of the fireplace after his evening bath. Kayden seemed to
love the fire, so Damien had made sure to tell Drystan to make sure
one was going by the time he sent Kayden up after dinner. The boy
was mesmerized by the dancing flames-- and, Damien thought with a
smile, water swirling down drains as well. He'd caught Kayden more
than once flushing the toilet constantly to stare at the water
swishing down.