Page 27 of Destined to Fight

“We’ll eat, then I’ll show ye around.” Kade started to walk down the hall.

“Um, Kade,” she called after him. “I’m soaked and freezing, Can I change and brush my hair out before we eat?”

He turned back to her. “Aye, of course. I’ll show ye to yer room.”

Clearly having lost any gentlemanly inclination for the evening, Kade turned again and walked away, expecting her to follow him. She sighed and hurried to catch up. This man was going to drive her insane with his mixed moods and messages.

They walked for what seemed like a mile, turning down this hallway and that. The walls were solid stone and so was the ceiling, arching high above them.

“How old is this place?” she asked, thinking out loud.

Kade answered without turning back, “It was built in the early 1400s.”

Stopping in front of a solid wood door, he opened it with a creak. “Here ye are. There should be some things for ye to wear. I’ll wait out here for ye so I can lead ye to the dining room.”

Kelly walked into the room, and Kade closed the door behind her. The room was straight out of a fairy tale and bigger than her last apartment. A large four-poster bed backed up to the wall opposite the door; the posts and headboard were at least eight feet high. There was a bench at the foot of the bed and two chairs facing a large window to the right. An armoire was against the wall opposite the bed with a vanity next to it. All the furniture was made of the darkest wood she’d ever seen, and it was carved with beautifully intricate designs.

On either side of the bed was an archway. She chose the one on the right and walked into the biggest bathroom she’d ever seen. It was simple yet beautiful, with stone walls and gray marble floors. The space was long and narrow with a single window at the end above a large circular tub that was sunken into the floor. A sink and vanity were against the back wall, extravagantly crafted with the same wood and marble that adorned the rest of the space.

Kelly resisted the urge to lie down on the bed and bask in the aura of the room. Instead, she grabbed the set of sweats that were laid out on the bench and changed into them. Unsure where to put her wet clothes, she laid them over the edge of the tub. A hairbrush was sitting on the vanity, and she quickly brushed out her hair, then put it back into a bun so it wouldn’t soak the back of the sweatshirt.

She opened the door to find Kade waiting patiently against the wall. He gave her his crooked smile, seeming pleased to see her. “Better?” he asked.

“Yes, thank you.” She held out his jacket, and he took it from her.

“Dinner then?”

“Yes, please. I’m starving. What are we having?”

Kade began to head back the way they’d come, and she fell into step beside him. “I’ll be having my usual. I’m not sure what they cooked up for ye. We have a great chef, though, so I’m sure ye’ll like it.”

“Oh, right. I forgot you don’t eat.”

“Well, I do, sort of.”

The dining hall was close to the front of the castle where they’d come in. A horseshoe-shaped table took up most of the room with seats for at least eighteen.

Kade led her to the back of the table and pulled out one of the chairs in the center, gesturing for her to sit.

She did, looking around the room. It was exactly like movies depicted large dining halls, except smaller. There wasn’t room for more than a few people to dance in the middle; the setting was more intimate.

Rags to riches, baby. Her inner voice was back. Look at you, sitting at a royal dining table in a medieval castle—cue the dramatic pause—in sweats.

They’re comfy, she thought to herself, and no one seems to mind.

Except no one was there. Until Fabian walked in. He had changed but still wore his typical slacks and button-up shirt, this time in a dark purple instead of blue. His swords weren’t with him, which was a first; instead, he carried a single katana at his hip.

He smiled at her as he took the seat to her right. “You look much more comfortable.”

“I am, thanks. What’s with the single katana? I don’t think I’ve seen you without two.”

“A warlock came by to place wards on the castle grounds, and there is a very small chance someone will break them. I still need to be ready in case something happens, though.”

“Do you ever wear something casual?” she couldn’t resist asking him.

“Not unless I am training or in private quarters. You must understand, being here is my job right now. Your life is in my hands.”

“A bit dramatic, Fabian.”

---