The Key to My Hart

Chapter 14

Kaito followed me quietly as we weaved throughout the servants' passage. Once we reached the second floor, I turned to go towards Rowan's room rather than continue to the third floor. I needed to check on him, to see how he was handling the extra blood in his system. I felt around in the dark for where I assumed his door to be, as I had misplaced the flashlight somewhere down at the barn earlier.

When the cool metal of the latch kissed my hand, I paused, trying to listen to anything on the other side. Azrael's keen sense of hearing would come in handy right about now. The only sound I was able to pick up was gentle snoring. I don't remember Rowan being someone who snores, but maybe he was so out of it due to the beating and my blood.

I cracked the door open and peered into the room. My eyes had adjusted enough to the dark to be able to see by the little light streaming through the windows. I closed the door just as quickly as I had opened it, heart pounding. It wasn't Rowan's snores I had heard, but Gunner's. He was passed out asleep in a chair, presumably having fallen asleep while "watching over" Rowan.

Rowan's form was still in the bed, covered by blankets. I would just have to wait until morning to check on him. I pushed Kaito back towards the way we came, lightly shoving him towards the stairs so we could move on to the room above us.

Kaito hesitantly moved upwards. I didn't rush him, just left an encouraging hand on his back. The space was too small for us to switch positions and I take the lead. We came to the top, and Kaito relaxed a bit as he took in the space. I felt his arms lift as if he was about to sign, but I walked further into the room.

My palms were suddenly sweating as I realized it was just the two of us alone in a room full of beds. I walked over to the stash of food I had stolen earlier and the spare flashlight. After lighting up the room, I held up a jar of water and some food. "Are you thirsty or hungry? There is enough here for the both of us. We can split the green beans and jerky tonight and leave the peaches and apple butter for breakfast tomorrow."

Kaito crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside me. He placed his hands over mine, forcing me to look up at him. Once he knew he had my attention, he signed. "You are acting strange. Your body language changed the moment we entered this room. What's wrong?"

"Leave it to you to be super observant," I muttered. "I'm fine. I promise." I gave him a tight smile, knowing it looked more like a grimace.

He lowered his lashes and the corner of his mouth quirked up. "You're nervous about being alone with me, aren't you? Why?"

I was glad it was dark enough to hide my blush. I thought about evading his question, but he had always been open and honest with me. "Think about it, Kaito. You and I have yet to be alone. Not like this. The last time we had something close to one-on-one time, we were watching over Chogan. We are in a room, full of beds, just the two of us, with hours until we act. So yes, I am a little nervous."

His smile was soft and sincere. "I am nervous, too."

"You? You're always so cocky and confident. What do you have to be nervous about?" My brain seemed to fritz out.

I could hear him inhale deeply as he looked down at his hands. The last time I saw him this serious he had been telling me about his time as a prisoner of war. I reached out and placed my hand on his knee. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

His lip quirked up on one side. "I will always be open and honest with you. I only hesitate because part of the story also involves Rowan, but after your unexpected introduction to his entire family, I don't think he will mind me revealing this."

I bit the side of my cheek in anticipation. Kaito leaned over and tapped the side of my face. "You've been doing that a lot recently. It might be a nervous tick you've developed. Anyways, when I came back from the war, I already told you that it was a rough time with my family. I signed up to take some ASL classes at the local college. I met a girl there.