Tears of the Neko (20 page)

Kayden immediately ducked in behind his
taller master at the angry voice.

There were several murmured 'yes, sirs' and
'yes, captains' from the gathered guards. Damien smiled as he made
sure that Kayden wasn't going to run.

"Maybe you should show them how it's done,"
Damien cajoled.

The captain's eyes widened as he sought out
the perpetrator of the taunt. Then he smiled as he saw his master.
"My lord!" he called, addressing the duke formally in front of his
men as he stalked over. "Maybe you'd like to help me show
them?"

"Not today. We're just out for a walk,"
Damien laughed, startling the captain. Geoff was shocked to see
Damien standing so at ease and a true laugh rumbling from the
man.

"No shooting or running off on your horse
today?" the guard looked stunned that his lord would be going
outside just for the plain joy of it. Usually, Damien came outside
to burn off excess energy because he'd finally reached a stressful
breaking point.

"Nope, just thought I'd walk the gardens for
a bit, enjoy the sun," Damien smirked. "Showing Kayden around
outside for a change."

"I see," Geoff eyed him incredulously, not
really believing him. He caught sight of the little neko nearly
hidden behind his master.

"Kayden, you remember Captain Brenner,
right?" Damien said while trying to extricate the little neko from
ducking into his back. Finally, he had the boy next to him, and the
boy nodded silently.

"It's good to see you again, little kit,"
Geoff smiled.

"We've been by the slave den, the barn and
the gardens," Damien said, "And now the guard barracks." Then he
pointed over to a massive structure on the eastern edge of the
property. "And that over there, Kayden, is the East Wing. It's
being renovated for guests right now, and when Roman or Harrison
get married they may choose to move out of the main house."

Kayden just nodded, taking in the stone
structure across the field absently before casting his eyes back on
the dozen men loitering in front of him. They were more of a threat
than some building in the distance, and he wasn't about to let his
guard down that easily. While he trusted Damien, he didn't trust
any of these men.

"I'm glad to see you feeling more at ease,"
the captain said, his gaze traveling up and down the boy.

Kayden only nodded again, allowing his long,
ebony locks to hide his face, ears half-flattened on his head.

The captain abruptly shifted closer, leaning
in toward his master, and Kayden stiffened warily.

"Damien," Geoff said softly, "were you in
such a hurry to go for a walk that you couldn't let the kit put on
some shoes?"

"What?" Damien jerked suddenly, glancing down
at Kayden. Kayden had one foot perched nervously on top of the
other, his bare toes peeking out from the hem of his pants.

Geoff looked amused as Damien stared in
shock, gaping at the young neko. It had not even occurred to him
that the boy might still be barefoot. His oversized pants had
always hidden his feet, and Damien assumed he at least had some
leather slip-ons like many of the house servants wore.

"Kayden! Fuck! Why didn't you tell me you
didn't have shoes on?"

Kayden ducked his head in worry that he had
angered his master, drawing the cloak around him tighter.

Brenner chuckled. "You expected him to
actually tell you that?"

And Damien shot his guard a glare.

"What?" Geoff shot back. "He hasn't said a
word since he's gotten here. Why would he tell you he needs
shoes?"

"Because he does speak," Damien growled back.
"To me."

Geoff's brows shot up into his hairline.
"Really?"

"Yes," he grumbled, turning his attention
back to the cowering boy. He hadn't meant to snap at him like that,
but he was so irritated with both himself for not realizing it, as
well as Kayden for not saying anything. His feet had to be freezing
and walking over the rough stones....

"Come on, Kayden," he said, pulling the boy
by the arm to get them away from the others. "Let's get you back
inside."

They walked quickly away from the guard
quarters, feeling the eyes of all the men on them as they headed
back toward the house.

"Kitten," he started, much softer this time,
"why didn't you tell me you didn't have shoes on?"

With a quick glance around, Kayden ducked his
head before whispering, "I- I didn't know it mattered."

"Why wouldn't it matter? Did you think I'd
want you to freeze your toes off?" the duke snapped back a little
more roughly than he'd wanted.

"N-no, sir. But I-I've never had shoes
before, so--"

"Never?"

Kayden shook his head.

"But--" Damien stopped himself, remembering
Kayden telling him about his time with the hunters and then the
slave market. While the hunters probably had not cared, the market
owner should have provided appropriate clothing. "But Master Farth
is required to provide suitable shoes to all slaves that he
owns."

Kayden looked up. "Even if I stayed in my
cage?"

"Fuck," Damien grumbled under his breath,
knowing the boy had a point, even if it wasn't right. He hated
thinking about Kayden like that. The image of his little neko
curled up and scared in a cage nearly tore his heart in two.

"Well," Damien huffed out a breath, "Do you
want me to carry you inside?"

The boy tilted his raven haired head to the
side curiously. "W-why would you do that?"

"Because your feet are cold? Because they are
sore from all the rocks we've walked over?" Damien snapped
sarcastically.

He was surprised when a slight smirk appeared
on the boy's face. "They aren't that cold, sir. And my feet are
pretty tough."

"Really?" Damien asked in genuine
surprise.

Kayden nodded.

"Oh, so nekos have ..." he trailed off,
realizing that was another difference about the other species that
he hadn't really known about. Of course, he'd always just looked at
them as humans with different ears and a tail. He'd never really
seen them as a truly different species. "I guess you have like
calluses or thicker soles on your feet or something."

Kayden nodded, smiling at the confusion in
his master. "Yes, sir, I'm just fine."

"The hell you are," Damien growled back.
"Your feet can still freeze."

Kayden shrugged. "It's warm enough."

"So not the point," Damien scoffed. "What did
you do in the winter? In the snow?"

"W-with my parents," he swallowed sadly, "we
wrapped in furs of the animals we hunted. Master E-Ehern gave me
scraps of fabric to tie around my feet."

Damien just shook his head, afraid he'd lash
out in anger again at the thought of the hunters' abuse on his poor
little neko. Damien suddenly swept the boy up in his arms.

Kayden squeaked in surprise as he was cuddled
into the man's strong arms. He squirmed trying to get free for a
second before the arms tightened around him, burying him against
the warm chest. Kayden relaxed and buried his head against his
master's shoulder.

"Well, you are getting shoes. And new clothes
that fit, immediately," Damien stated, as he stalked to the kitchen
door.

Everyone froze as their master strode in,
shocked by the bundle in his arms. "Find Drystan. Tell him I want
the tailor and the cobbler here tomorrow."

When he was greeted with just stunned
silence, he looked around the kitchen.

"Well?" he snapped.

"Oh! Uh, yes, sir!" several servants suddenly
startled into action.

"Good," their lord grunted. "I'll be up in my
room."

Kayden lifted his head slightly, peering past
his master's arm as he was carried through the kitchen. He caught
the amused looks of the chef and Ysmenia before he tucked back into
his master's arms. He felt his face flush with embarrassment at
being carried through the kitchen.

"Shall I send up a tray, my lord?" Garin
called when they were almost out of the room. Kayden could have
sworn there was a hint of laughter behind the words.

"That would actually be nice," Damien said
over his shoulder. "The kit and I are a little hungry after our
walk."

Kayden was glaring.

Damien was trying not to laugh.

The cobbler had left an hour ago, and Damien
had barely stopped laughing before the tailor arrived. The
shoemaker had brought a trunk-full of the smaller shoes that he had
in his store ready-made. The older man and his apprentice had
quickly become frustrated with the neko stomping around in the
various shoes he'd tried on. While Kayden never said anything, his
displeasure at having to put shoes on at all was clearly noted in
the frown etched on his face.

The slip-on loafer were obviously less
heinous than the boots the apprentice nearly got kicked with while
lacing them on Kayden. The neko had stomped around the room
dramatically in them like they were lead weights on his feet,
emphasizing his dislike of them.

Damien had tried to hide his laughter behind
his hand while the cobbler took note of measurements to make other
shoes. In the end, the man had left a pair of loafer and the pair
of boots that Damien insisted that Kayden needed if they ever went
outside for any length of time. He had ordered two more pair of
shoes for the cobbler to make in different leathers.

Now, the tailor had arrived and was measuring
Kayden to make new clothes. The man had brought several of his
smaller size clothes and had asked Kayden to try them on. Kayden
didn't like the way the man stalked around him, and he had to stay
still. He couldn't see the man when he walked behind him, and then
his cold hand would touch him and tug on the shirt or pants.

"It's been a while since I've made clothes
for one so small," the tailor mumbled. Being a higher end tailor,
he usually dealt with grown men, but when the duke demanded his
presence in fitting his new slave, the man had no qualms making
do.

"I'm sure we'll be having you make more
later," Damien said from where he was lounging in his wing-backed
chair, propped up on one elbow.

"Of course, sir," the man said. "Whatever his
Grace needs, I'm at your service."

"I want a full set of clothes--warm, cold,
several casual, a more formal set, and of course lounge
clothes."

"Not a problem, sir. I can leave these two
smaller pants with him, they nearly fit, so he has some pants that
fit him better than what he had."

"Good," Damien said, rising from his chair as
the tailor finished, and Kayden darted to his room.

"Is there anything else, sir?" the tailor
asked as he gathered the last of his things. "Anything for you,
perhaps?"

Damien shook his head then dropped several
gold coins in the man's hand. "Not today, thank you."

The man's eyes gleamed with gratitude. "Thank
you very much, your Grace."

After the man was gone, Damien stepped into
Kayden's little room, which had not been used lately, except to
store his clothes, and found the boy sitting sullenly on the
cot.

"What's wrong?"

Kayden peeked up at him over his folded arms.
"His hands were cold."

Damien chuckled. "Is that all?"

"And he kept touching me," Kayden said
softly.

Damien sobered at those words, not having
realized how much the boy was bothered by the tailor. He knelt down
in front of the little neko. He placed his hand gently on the boy's
knee.

"I touch you," Damien reminded gently. "You
don't mind when I hold you or touch you, or do you?"

"It's ... it's different," Kayden said. He
had gotten so used to no one but his master touching him in the
last few days that he had recoiled at the touch of the stranger. He
had always hated being touched before, but he'd endured it. Before
touches were painful, cruel, startling. He never knew what was
going to happen when someone touched him.

"How so?"

Kayden's teary eyes looked up at him, and
Damien swept the pad of his thumb across the wet cheek. "I know you
won't hurt me," he whispered, and Damien felt his heart clench.
"I-I don't k-know what others will do."

Damien was nodding, feeling tears prickle at
the corners of his eyes at the fear and torment the boy had been
through in his young life. "I see," he croaked out, barely able to
get his emotions back under control. He wanted more than anything
to make this boy feel safe, loved. "No one's going to hurt you
while you're with me now, kitten. I promise."

Kayden nodded, biting on the edge of his lip.
He believed his master would protect him if he could. But what
would happen if his master wasn't around?

****

A couple days later, Geoff Brenner was
heading to the Duke's study when he heard giggling from inside the
study. He paused to listen in confusion, but when he heard a
startled cry, he burst open the door in worry that someone was
attacking the duke.

He froze at the sight that greeted him.

Kayden had leapt at Damien, latching himself
to the taller man, wrapping his slender legs around his master's
lean waist. Damien had cried out in shock at the playful attack
that caused him to stagger, the back of his legs bumping against
the couch as he fell onto it. Kayden was perched on the duke's
chest, tail flicking excitedly.

Both of them looked back at the door as it
burst open. Damien fell back laughing, as Kayden tried to jump
away, but Damien held him in place.

"Yes, Captain Brenner? Something I can do for
you?" Damien asked casually, as Kayden tucked his face away from
the guard, hiding the blush that crept over his cheeks.

"Uh," Geoff stammered, unsure of what to say,
and suddenly forgetting why he'd needed to see his master anyway.
"Sorry?"

And Damien laughed even more. Geoff finally
smiled at the relaxed sound of his master's laughter. "I thought
you were being attacked or something."