Chapter 214 — When Kael Comes Home
Kael came home carrying someone else's broken gate latch.
Nia looked up from the low table.
He stopped just inside the cave entrance.
The latch was a thick piece of shaped wood with one end split nearly through. A length of old binding cord still hung from the lower hole.
Nia looked at the latch.
Then at Kael.
“Do I want to know?”
“No.”
He crossed the entrance space and set the broken piece near the wall instead of bringing it farther into the cave.
Nia leaned back on one hand.
“That means I'm going to ask.”
Kael's mouth shifted.
He had been out since before first bell. Dust darkened the lower edge of his trousers, and one shoulder of his sleeveless outer layer carried a pale streak where something had rubbed against it. His black hair had been tied back for work, but enough had loosened near his temples to make the day visible on him.
“The west-side household below the second rise replaced their gate three days ago,” he said.
“And?”
“They used the old latch.”
Nia waited.
Kael looked at the broken wood.
“They blamed the new gate.”
She laughed.
Kael's expression did not change much, but his dark eyes warmed.
“What did the gate do?”
“Nothing.”
“So why is the latch here?”
“Because tomorrow Selvan is going to show them where it split before they tied it onto the new wood.”
Nia looked at the abandoned piece again.
“You brought evidence home.”
“I brought it far enough that they could not put it back.”
That made her laugh harder.
Kael stepped around the table.
Nia had spent enough time with him to recognize the moment his attention stopped being divided between home and everything beyond it.
His gaze moved over her face, caught briefly on the curls that had escaped around her cheeks, then lowered to her hands.
“You washed.”
Nia looked down.
Most of the drying-frame dust was gone, although a thin pale line remained beneath one fingernail.
“Not well enough, apparently.”
Kael took her wrist.
His thumb passed once over the side of her hand.
“You missed some.”
“I've been home less than half an hour.”
“You had time to sit down.”
“I also had time to eat.”
His gaze shifted toward the small bowl beside her.
Only a smear of sauce remained at the bottom.
“Shen made that?”
“I made it.”
Kael looked at her.
Nia narrowed her eyes.
“I can still cook.”
“I know.”
“You looked surprised.”
“I looked at the bowl.”
“You looked at me after the bowl.”
Kael bent and kissed her before she could continue arguing.
The kiss was brief and familiar, his hand still around her wrist.
When he straightened, Nia stared at him.
“That was cheating.”
“It worked.”
She tried not to smile.
Kael released her hand and moved toward the washing area.
Nia watched him go.
There were days when Kael returned from chief work still carrying Hearthfang in every part of him. His shoulders stayed tight. His ears tracked every sound outside the cave. A meal could be interrupted twice before he finished it because someone needed a decision that could not wait.
Today the tension was absent. His shoulders had dropped since entering the cave, and the ordinary sounds from the path outside no longer pulled his attention toward the entrance. The long day had left him tired, but nothing in his posture warned her that trouble had followed him home.
Nia pushed herself up from the floor.
“Is the western rise still restricted?”
“For heavy carts.”
Kael poured water into the washing basin.
“What about the smaller loads?”
“They can use the inside line if the ground stays dry tonight.”
Nia came closer.
Kael stripped off the dusty outer layer and dropped it into the washing basket. Beneath it, the muscles across his back shifted as he leaned over the basin.
Nia stopped behind him.
There was a shallow scrape near his left shoulder blade.
She touched beside it.
Kael glanced back.
“What happened?”
“Stone edge.”
“You didn't mention that.”
“You asked about the western rise.”
“I asked what happened today.”
“No. You asked about the latch.”
Nia pinched his side.
Kael turned and caught her wrist before she could retreat.
“You knew what I meant.”
“You asked about the latch.”
“You are being difficult on purpose.”
His mouth curved.
Nia tugged against his grip.
Kael released her wrist only to slide his arm around her waist.
She put both hands against his chest.
“Anything else?”
“No.”
“The shoulder?”
“Stone.”
Nia stepped back and looked him over deliberately.
Kael let her.
His body had never stopped being startling to her, even after familiarity removed the uncertainty from touching it. He was broad through the shoulders and chest, his strength carried in heavy muscle that had been built through hunting, patrols, territory work, and years before she had known him.
Nia touched the older scar near his side.
Kael's hand settled on her hip.
“You're checking injuries that healed before you arrived.”
“I know.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm looking.”
His thumb moved once against her skirt.
Nia lifted her eyes to his.
Kael's hand tightened.
She smiled.
“There you are.”
“I was here.”
“You were thinking about gates.”
“I stopped.”
“When?”
“When you touched me.”
Heat moved low through her.
Nia rose onto her toes and kissed him.
Kael met her without hesitation.
His hand slid from her hip to her waist, drawing her fully against him. Nia's palms moved over his chest and up around his neck.
He tasted faintly of the bitter leaf he sometimes chewed when a workday ran long.
Nia pulled back.
“You didn't eat enough.”
Kael looked at her.
She laughed softly.
“I can kiss you and still notice.”
“I ate.”
“When?”
“Midday.”
“It is not midday.”
“There was work.”
“There is always work.”
Kael's fingers moved beneath the loose fall of her curls at the back of her neck.
“There is food.”
“Yes.”
“Then I will eat.”
“Good.”
He kissed her again.
Nia let herself enjoy it for several breaths before pushing lightly at his chest.
Kael stopped.
“Food first.”
His gaze stayed on her mouth.
“Nia.”
“You're the one who waited this long.”
Kael exhaled through his nose.
Nia smiled and slipped out of his arms.
“Wash.”
His eyes followed her toward the kitchen.
“You are enjoying this.”
“Very much.”
She heard water splash behind her.
The food was simple because Shen had left earlier with medicine supplies for an older male whose leg swelling had returned after too much standing. Before leaving, he had set aside cooked grain, sliced spring greens, and a covered dish of meat from the previous evening.
Nia reheated the meat with a little broth and added the greens near the end so they softened without collapsing.
Kael washed and changed while she worked.
By the time he returned, the dust was gone from his skin and his black hair was damp around the edges.
Nia handed him a bowl.
Kael sat.
She sat beside him rather than across the table.
He ate the first several bites without talking.
Nia rested her cheek against his upper arm.
Kael shifted the bowl into one hand and put the other on her thigh.
She stayed there while he ate.
After several more bites, Kael held a piece of meat toward her.
Nia opened her mouth.
He fed it to her.
“You already ate,” he said.
“I can eat again.”
“I know.”
She chewed.
“You sounded judgmental.”
“I gave it to you.”
“That doesn't mean you weren't judging me.”
Kael offered her another piece.
Nia accepted it.
He looked down at her.
“Eat your stolen food.”
“It isn't stolen if you hand it over.”
Kael's hand tightened lightly on her thigh.
Nia grinned and leaned closer.
They finished the bowl between them.
Kael set it aside.
Nia reached for it.
His hand caught hers.
“I'll take it later.”
“You just got home.”
“Yes.”
“You've been working all day.”
“Yes.”
“And you think you're washing the bowl?”
“Yes.”
Nia held his gaze for another moment, then released the bowl.
“Fine.”
His thumb rubbed across her knuckles.
Nia's gaze dropped to their hands.
The orchid mark over his heart was hidden beneath the clean wrap he had put on after washing, but she knew exactly where it sat.
She moved closer and kissed his jaw.
Kael turned his head.
The next kiss landed at the corner of her mouth.
Nia caught his face between both hands.
“Bad aim.”
Kael kissed her properly.
She laughed against his mouth.
His arm came around her waist.
The low table shifted when Nia's knee bumped it.
Kael reached out without looking and moved the empty bowl farther from the edge.
Nia laughed again.
“You're still protecting the bowl?”
“I don't want to step on it later.”
“Very romantic.”
“You like that bowl.”
“I do.”
Kael lifted her.
Nia's laugh broke into a startled breath as he settled her across his lap.
“There.”
“What?”
“The bowl is safe.”
She hit his shoulder.
Kael caught her hand before she could do it again and kissed her palm.
Nia's laugh faded when his mouth moved to her wrist.
She curled her fingers against his cheek.
Kael looked at her.
Nia leaned in.
The next kiss lasted longer.
His hand moved from her waist to the small of her back, holding her closer as she slid both arms around his neck.
Nia pushed her fingers into his damp hair.
Kael's mouth moved along her jaw.
She tipped her head before he reached the place below her ear.
His lips touched it.
Nia's fingers tightened in his hair.
“Kael.”
His hand slipped beneath the lower edge of her top and spread against her back.
Nia turned his face toward hers again.
A damp lock had fallen across his forehead.
She pushed it aside.
“You need another trim.”
“No.”
“It gets in your face.”
“You pull it.”
“That is unrelated.”
“It is not.”
Nia tugged the same lock deliberately.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
She smiled.
His hand moved higher beneath her top.
Her breath changed.
Kael's gaze stayed on her face as his thumb traced the warm skin at her side.
Nia kissed him and shifted closer across his lap.
He stood with her in his arms.
She wrapped her legs around his waist before he had taken the first step.
The movement brought her mouth beside his neck.
Nia kissed him there.
Kael's grip tightened beneath her thighs.
She kissed the same place again.
He stopped walking.
Nia lifted her head.
Kael looked at her for a long second.
“Nia.”
She smiled. “What?”
He resumed walking.
She laughed and kissed his neck once more before they reached the sleeping space.
Kael lowered her onto the bedding with one arm braced beside her.
Nia caught the front of his clothing and pulled him down.
His mouth met hers.
She reached for the fastening near his waist while Kael worked her top upward.
The fabric snagged.
“Wait.”
Kael stopped.
Nia reached behind her head and found one of her curls trapped beneath the edge.
She worked it free.
“Okay.”
Kael pulled the top over her head.
Nia watched it land near the folded bedding.
“At least you missed the oil.”
“I knew where it was.”
“You didn't look.”
“I put it there this morning.”
Nia opened her mouth.
Kael kissed her shoulder.
Whatever she had been about to say disappeared.
His mouth moved toward her collarbone.
Nia slid both hands over his shoulders. Her fingers reached the shallow scrape she had found earlier, and she immediately shifted her grip away from it.
Kael adjusted his weight at the same time.
Nia ran her hand down his uninjured side and pulled him closer.
He kissed her again.
She knew the roughness of his palms against her skin and the weight of his body without needing to brace for either. When his hand moved over her waist, she turned into the touch. When she wanted him nearer, she hooked a leg around his and pulled.
The bedding bunched beneath her hip.
Nia shoved at it with one hand.
Kael lifted enough for her to drag the fold flat.
“Better?”
“Yes.”
He lowered himself again.
Nia caught his mouth before he could say anything else.
His hair fell forward.
She pushed it back.
It fell forward again.
Nia laughed into the kiss.
“I told you.”
Kael caught her hand and pressed it into the bedding beside her head.
“You were saying?”
“That your hair is too long.”
He kissed her neck.
Nia's answer turned into a breath.
Kael released her hand.
She immediately buried it in his hair.
His mouth curved against her skin.
Nia tugged.
He lifted his head.
“Unrelated?”
“Completely.”
Kael kissed her until she forgot to defend the argument.
Later, Nia lay half across him with one leg thrown over his.
Kael's hand moved slowly along her back.
The cave had gone quiet.
Outside, someone passed along the upper path, footsteps fading before Nia could tell who it was.
She traced a line over Kael's chest.
His skin was warm beneath her fingertips.
“You're going out again tonight?”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
Nia lifted her head.
“No messages?”
“Someone else can bring one if something changes.”
“No western rise?”
“Still there.”
She smiled.
Kael's hand slid into her curls.
“No broken gates?”
“They can survive until morning.”
“Good.”
Nia lowered her head again.
Kael kissed the top of it.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Nia could hear his heartbeat beneath her ear.
She rubbed her thumb over his side.
“Does your shoulder hurt?”
“No.”
“That means nothing when you say it.”
“It means it does not hurt.”
“You also said the stone scrape wasn't worth mentioning.”
“It wasn't.”
Nia lifted herself enough to inspect it again.
The shallow mark had reddened slightly after washing but had not opened.
She touched the skin beside it.
Kael watched her.
“You're fine.”
“Yes.”
“I know.”
She kissed the uninjured skin near the scrape anyway.
Kael's fingers tightened in her hair.
Nia settled back down.
A few breaths later, Kael said, “How was your day?”
She laughed into his chest.
“What?”
“You waited until now?”
“You asked about mine.”
“I interrogated you about injuries.”
“You asked about the western rise.”
“That too.”
Kael's hand resumed its slow path along her back.
Nia thought through the ordinary pieces of her day.
“The drying frame was warped.”
“Which one?”
“The one near the far wall.”
Kael frowned.
“That frame was repaired before winter.”
“The crosspiece was. The post shifted this time.”
“Soft ground?”
“I think so. They found it when the new crosspiece still sat crooked.”
Kael looked toward the cave ceiling for a moment.
Nia knew that expression.
“You're thinking about going to look at it.”
“Tomorrow.”
“You promised you weren't going out again.”
“I said I wasn't going out tonight.”
Nia lifted her head.
“That sounded suspiciously precise.”
“It was precise.”
She narrowed her eyes.
Kael's mouth curved.
“The frame workers straightened it before I left,” Nia said. “You can inspect it tomorrow if you absolutely need another piece of broken wood in our cave.”
“The post isn't coming home.”
“You say that now.”
“It is a post.”
“You brought home a gate latch.”
“To stop them using it.”
“If you come home carrying a drying post tomorrow, I'm putting it on your side of the bed.”
Kael's chest moved beneath her with a quiet laugh.
Nia smiled and rested her chin on him.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You laughed.”
“The post will not fit on my side.”
Nia stared at him.
“That is what you took from that?”
“It is too long.”
“You could cut it.”
“Then it would be useless.”
“Kael.”
He was openly amused now.
Nia climbed higher over his chest.
“You're impossible.”
His hand settled at her waist.
“You married me.”
“I was clearly distracted by your face.”
Kael's brows lifted.
Nia kissed him before he could answer.
His hand tightened at her waist.
When she pulled back, his eyes stayed on her mouth.
“Still impossible,” she said.
Kael rolled, catching her surprised laugh as he moved above her.
Nia wrapped both arms around his neck and pulled him down again.