Court of Darkness

19. Back to normal, sort of - Nicki

Their relationship was still messy, for a good reason. Alexander had broken Nicki's trust. He had to regain it again. That wasn't done within a few days. It could take a while. Nicki kept herself busy in the evenings by honing her fighting skills, stealth and horseback riding. She didn't know what had happened to those skills after months of not working on them. She was a bit sloppier than she used to be but her skills quickly returned. She just needed to find the feeling again.

She was currently eavesdropping Alexander's conversation with Johnson, the vampire who currently gave Alexander intel on the rebels instead of her. She was hiding in the secret passage that let to Alex's office.

"Ah, I see. You're sure he was the only one?" She heard Alexander ask.

"Yes my king, as far as I can tell he was the only one. They weren't able to get more insiders. Everyone who is currently present in the palace is either loyal to you or against the rebels. I know for sure that they wouldn't side with them." Good. Johnson had slipped up once. It had been a very big mistake. One that had hurt many people, but mostly her and Alexander. She had heard the servants gossip about the incident. They had known that there had been an attack on the king. They didn't know the details but it meant that the rumours would reach the outside world.

"Have you been able to shadow Nicki?" She heard Alexander ask. Huh? Why did he request someone to shadow her? She didn't need a babysitter, nor was she unreliable.

"Yes, my king. Well a little. I've seen her working on her fighting skills and she rode her horse a few times this week but sometimes I've lost her for a few hours. At least it means that her skills are like they used to be before the... incident." Thank you Johnson. That was considerate of him. He didn't have to avoid the word but she appreciated it. Alexander most likely did it too. The two of them hadn't mentioned the pregnancy after that night. They slept next to each other but didn't speak much yet. It had been a week and a half since the long conversation. It was still awkward between them. She and Alexander had to get used to each other again.

"Do you know her current location, Johnson?" There was a short silence. Johnson had probably responded non-verbal. She heard Alexander chuckle. The door that led to the secret passage suddenly opened. It had been hidden behind a bookshelf. Nicki blinked so her eyes could adjust to the bright light. She had been sitting in a slouched position and quickly stood straight again.

"Hello Alexander." This was so awkward. She patted her pants in the hope to make her look less embarrassed. The king looked amused at her.

"Old habits die hard. I knew I could find you here. You've always had the habit to eavesdrop whenever I had an important conversation without you. Or at least you consider it to be important enough to eavesdrop." She sighed and let her head hang.

"Please tell me you're not angry at me for doing it." Alexander simply shrugged.

"Well, you are my spy. I could've expected you to spy on me as well. You've always been a curious one, even as a human." Nicki looked past him and saw Johnson standing in the middle of Alexander's office. He looked lost. This was probably embarrassing for him.

"Alexander, may I suggest giving Johnson permission to leave? He's just standing there and seems like he has other things to do." Johnson gave her a grateful smile behind Alexander's back. Alexander looked behind him but was too late to see the smile.

"Johnson, you're allowed to leave. I'm sorry for wasting your time." Johnson simply bowed for Alexander.

"No need to apologise, my king. I shall leave now." The spy quietly left. Nicki stepped out of the secret passage and closed the door again. Her hiding place was ruined now anyways. She grabbed a wine bottle from Alexander's collection and sat down behind his desk. She put her feet on the desk and opened the bottle.