Kabal - 3. Chapter 3

Five days later, Nico mounted the motorcycle Landyn had sent ahead to a storage unit near the pier. The address of Diarmad's new summer house was already keyed into his phone, so he turned around and waved a last good-bye to his friends standing in front of their boat, before he pressed the ignition. While he waited for a gap in the oncoming traffic, he doubted once again he was doing the right thing. Pushing the unwanted thoughts aside, he followed the directions of one bossy lady telling him the way.

In the end, the dominatrix guided him over endless small streets and barely-there roads to an impressive gate, flanked on both sides by a high-wire fence. He pressed the button of the unmarked intercom and waited anxiously; nothing really indicated he was at the right place except the blinking spot on his GPS. After a while, he heard a distorted voice through the speaker, "Yes?" and then a gasp. "Your Highness?"

He bent over the handlebars of his bike to be closer to the intercom. "Ivan, is that you? This is Nico. Can you let me in?" He already knows it's you, idiot. There has to be a camera somewhere.

"Of course, Your Highness," Ivan answered. "Does the king know...?”

Nico cringed. "Um... no. Surprise?" and then asked as an afterthought, "Is he home?"

"No, he has an appointment today; he and Ronan will be back in the early evening."

Somehow Nico was relieved that he had been given a short reprieve before he had to encounter his mate. "Oh good, and Ivan? Please don't call him as soon as you release the button, okay?"

The short hesitation before he answered gave him away. "As you wish, Your Highness."

"Ivan?"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"It's Nico, simply Nico. We agreed to that months ago, right?

"Yes, Your... Nico. I'll open the gate now."

"Thank you." Nico grinned. He had had the same conversation with Keith several times in the past and the smile vanished as fast as it had come.

From the gate he couldn't make out the house, only a small road winding through gentle slopes of green hills and then finally disappearing somewhere behind them. The distant sound of the sea; however, promised that the shore must be near. Nico followed the paved path until he reached the highest point from where he got a first glimpse of an impressive building residing high above the ocean on a cliff. The main two-story part was an almost perfect square, and a smaller single-story rectangular wing huddled beside it. On the other side of the house was parked a beat-up blue car. Must be Ivan's.

Nico drove slowly along the driveway, eventually stopping the bike beside the blue Nissan LEAF, and swung his leg over the saddle. He stretched a little to loosen up his cramped muscles, and then fumbled with the bungee cords strapping his luggage to the bike. After shouldering his backpack, and picking up his swords saddlebags, he walked across the gravel up to the main entrance and lifted his hand to knock. The door opened immediately and a frowning Ivan stood before him, eyeballing his luggage.

"Your Highness? Did you just come back from Japan?"

Nico repressed a stupid remark about a spaceship having dropped him and the motorcycle off hours ago, but answered earnestly, “No, no I’ve been back for a little over two weeks, actually. Landyn and Simon picked me up from the airport, but I stayed with them on their boat for a while." When Ivan still didn’t give way, he pushed on until Diarmad’s housekeeper finally stepped aside so he could enter.

Turning around his own axis, he took in the black and white tiled foyer, from where dark, wooden stairs led to the second floor. The double door to his left was closed, but the door to the right was open and allowed a partial view into a large room with a massive fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows, which allowed a spectacular view of the bay.

"Nice."

Ivan ignored his remark, grabbed one of Nico’s bags, and climbed up the stairs. "I’m giving you the guest room on the king's floor. Is that okay?

After a last glance around the foyer, Nico followed the housekeeper. "Sure."

"Did you plan on a more extended visit this time?" The housekeeper discreetly gauged the weight of the saddlebags.

"How do I say this...? Yes, if everything goes as planned." Smooth... and so very subtle, Nico.

Ivan stopped mid-step and turned around. "And the king─"

"Doesn't know yet." Nico continued to climb the stairs as if he had not just admitted to a major blunder. One did not simply drop by the king’s house without prior notice, even as his mate. His separated mate. Judging by Ivan’s behavior, the man probably suspected he had nefarious motives. When he reached him, he asked innocently, "Where to now?"

But Ivan seemed to be frozen on the spot. "Oh...."

"Yes, exactly." When he still didn't move, Nico grinned with more bravado than he felt. "Don't worry; it will be fine."

At least I hope so.

"If you say so." Ivan finally seemed able to move again and led Nico to the right side of the landing. He pointed to a carved door. “The king's private rooms." Then he opened a similar door on the opposite side. "This is your room." He stepped aside and let Nico enter.

"Wow, this is a guest room? Beautiful!" Then he pointed at the two small doors inside the room. "Bathroom and closet?"

"Yes, the left is the bathroom." Ivan set the bags on the bed. "I'm sure you want to unpack first and freshen up. Maybe later, after a quick lunch, I could give you a tour of the house, if you want."

Nico nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, I'd like that, both actually, although Simon warned me about your cooking."

Already on his way out Ivan stopped, and his hand tightened around the doorknob. "Oh?"

Nico smiled mischievously. "Yes, he told me how good it is, and that I should make sure to workout, otherwise I'd get fat while I’m here."

Ivan rolled his eyes and then smiled back. "We wouldn't want that now, would we? Okay, when you're finished, come find me in the kitchen; it's the door on the left behind the stairs."

"I will do that. Thank you, Ivan."

Diarmad stared vacantly out the window; he felt worn out even though the day hadn't been bad. The joining ceremony he visited was touching and beautiful. Until the man's new mate sat down at the piano. As if that hadn’t been enough, he played one of Noël‘s favorite pieces.

He almost stormed out the minute he recognized the song. Instead, he controlled himself and applauded politely at the end. The second it was over though, he said his goodbyes. In hindsight, his departure might have been rushed, considering he hadn't even eaten anything at the reception, but sudden exhaustion had overwhelmed him, and all he had wanted was to be home.

Of course, Ronan noticed his mood. Barely back in the car, the man reminded him he had not seen Noël for over six months.

As if he had to be reminded.

He only realized they had reached the gate to his property when Ronan rummaged through the glove compartment for the remote control. As always, he felt better the minute the gate closed behind him.

When they approached the house, he immediately spotted the unfamiliar bike. ”Ronan, have you seen that motorcycle before?"

"I wanted to ask you the same question. Are you expecting anyone for dinner?"

"No, not that I know of. Maybe it's one of Ivan's friends."

Ronan snorted. "I didn't know Ivan had any friends." After he stopped the car near the side entrance the king preferred to use, he asked, "Should I come with you?"

"No, thank you Ronan. I don’t think Ivan would let a dangerous person into the house; he must know them." Diarmad gathered his briefcase and coat. "Send my regards to Becca when you call her tonight. When does she come back?"

"She’ll be home in two to three weeks, thank you for asking, sir." Ronan paused. “My lord, I would feel better if you’d allow me to escort you inside and meet the visitor.”

Diarmad frowned, then nodded his acquiescence. “Then come. But don’t bother opening the door for me. I am quite capable of doing it myself." Diarmad got out and looked at the bike one last time before they made their way to the house.

As soon as they opened the door, Diarmad felt calm. Taking in a deep breath, he let the atmosphere of the house soothe his weary body. For a brief time, he even thought he could sense Noël’s presence but quickly discarded the feeling. The day must have been more strenuous than he thought.

At that moment, laughter and muffled voices came from the kitchen.

Noël. Diarmad pushed the thought away savagely.

Quickly, Ronan stepped in front of his king. “Let me go first!” He pushed the slightly ajar door open.

Straddling a kitchen chair backwards, Nico listened to one of Ivan's stories, shaking with laughter. Although their start had been a bit bumpy, they'd hit it off pretty well after Ivan had given him a tour of the house.

Suddenly the kitchen door opened, and he heard a loud gasp. "Noël!"

When he looked up, he saw Diarmad retreating in the background and Ronan’s large body leaning against the doorframe. Puzzled, he looked at Ivan. "That went well."

"He is shocked. Maybe you should have called him to announce your visit after all," Ivan stated.

Ronan snorted. “You think? But our king’s mate prefers the shock treatment, eh?” Grinning, he left the room. “We’ll catch up later. Aaand I’m out of here.”

Nico got up from his chair. "I'd better follow D. What do you think?"

"You'd better. Dinner will be ready in an hour; try to get everything sorted before then."

"The emphasis is on 'try'," Nico joked half-heartedly.

He found Diarmad standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, watching the rolling sea. "Hi...."

When he didn't get an immediate answer, he settled himself on one of the large, blue plush sofas and waited.

Finally, Diarmad turned around and crossed his arms over his chest. "Did I miss an email?"

"How should I know?" Shit! Well done, moron. Nico sighed, rubbed his hand over his forehead, and then said apologetically, "I'm sorry. It's just... I didn't know... well, I guess I wanted to surprise you."

"I see. When did you come back?"

Shit, shit, fuck! Landyn and Simon would thank him later. Not. But he couldn't lie to Diarmad. "A week ago, or two. Landyn and Simon picked me up at the airport, and I stayed with them on their boat. Before you get angry at them, I asked them not to tell you, because as I said before, I wanted to surprise you."

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"Um... Ivan said dinner should be ready soon, so do you mind if we talk about this later or... tomorrow?"

If Diarmad suspected there was more behind him evading the question, he didn't say so, but nodded and left the room without uttering another word. After waiting a moment, Nico followed him, feeling happy and anxious at the same time.

Diarmad wanted to kick himself. Instead of welcoming Noël composed and unperturbed, his first reaction was to run from the room like a petulant five-year-old. That was undignified... cowardly... absolutely unacceptable. ...and also inevitable. When Noël was involved, the ability to think rationally had left him every time in the past, so this was really nothing new.

At least he had been able to compose himself somewhat before Noël followed him to the dining room. This was so typical of him, turning up without telling anyone.

He is even more beautiful than before... my mate... not going there, Diarmad thought.

On the way, Diarmad pondered Noël's reluctance to talk about how long he wanted to stay. He probably has a new place already and did not want to admit he only dropped by to do his duty as my mate, to ground my soul. It has been over six months; this is too long to be apart from him without feeling the strain, and he knows that.

When they entered the dining room, Diarmad stopped briefly at the sight before him. The long, dark-wood table was set with a white tablecloth, silver candleholders, crystal glasses, and under plates made of dark blue glass. At least Ivan seemed to think Noël's presence was a good enough reason to celebrate.

Seeing his mate hesitate in the doorframe, he pointed to his right. "Take a seat, Noël."

"It's Nico now, remember?" Noël said quietly while he crossed the large room to get to his seat.

"Yes, I know, but it will take me a while to get accustomed to your new name, if ever. In my mind I will probably always call you Noël. I hope you can forgive me for that," Diarmad said in a strange, broken voice, before he cleared his throat and removed the elaborately folded, damask napkin from his under plate, shook it, and laid it down on his lap. Nico did the same while covertly watching him through his bangs. Diarmad's thick, chestnut-brown hair was a little longer than he remembered; it curled up against the collar of the black evening suit he was wearing. Damn--he'd forgotten how good those suits looked on him. Together with the matching waistcoat, it showcased his broad shoulders and slim waist. The first two buttons of the black dress shirt were open, allowing a glimpse of dark hair and ivory skin. Fuck! Now Nico remembered, wondering about the discarded bow tie lying on the coffee table; Diarmad must have taken it off before Nico had come into the room. Where the hell was he today?

At that moment, Ivan entered the room, carefully carrying a steaming soup bowl. "Ahhh, you're already here, good, good." Then suddenly uncertain, he looked at Diarmad. "I hope this is all right. I set the table a little more, um, festive than usual? I thought because we're having a special guest tonight...."

Diarmad frowned but then gave a short nod. "It is fine." And he realized he meant it; it was good Noël was here, if only for a few days; it would help him to stay calm and focused at the upcoming negotiations. Yeah, right. He felt a short pang at the thought of Noël leaving soon, but then he brushed it away. Focus.

With a relieved smile, Ivan placed the bowl on the antique sideboard beside piles of plates he had left earlier. He opened a bottle of red wine, then came to the table and poured a small amount into Diarmad's glass. The king took a sip and nodded. "Very good, Ivan."

Ivan smiled, poured more wine into the king's glass, then filled Nico's and his own before he went back to the sideboard, where he ladled the hot soup into three bowls. He placed them on the under plates and sat down.

The other men started to eat without further ado, so Nico followed their lead. As soon as he'd tasted the first spoonful, he couldn't suppress a moan. "Hmmm, Simon didn't exaggerate; this is heaven." When nobody spoke, he looked up and felt two pairs of eyes on him; Ivan's light green twinkled with amusement, while Diarmad's midnight blues showed a hint of silver. Huh?

Nico shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just that I love soup, always have, and this is perfect." He continued eating, humming and moaning in appreciation, totally oblivious to the stares of the other two men.

Ivan smiled and shook his head before he turned to the king. "How was the joining ritual? I bet they are very happy now their leader has finally found his second mate."

That's where he'd been... a joining ritual. Nico felt strangely relieved.

Ivan and Diarmad then started to talk about people he didn't know, and every now and then Ivan would get up and clear the plates and go back to the kitchen to serve the next course.

Nico watched them interact, all the while pretending to be concentrating on his dinner. Their conversation was very business-like; nothing at all like it had been in the past, when Diarmad had joked and laughed with his people at the cabin or even at the penthouse. He suddenly understood what Simon meant by aloof and detached behavior; Diarmad treated him like a business acquaintance and not friends, let alone mate.

The conversation moved on to the next day's schedule, and Nico learned that Ivan also worked as Diarmad's secretary, at least when they were at the summer house.

After dinner, Diarmad immediately got up, wished Nico a good night almost as an afterthought, before asking Ivan to bring him a coffee later, then he hurried out of the room.

Nico didn't know if he should be relieved or disappointed. Had it been a mistake to come here? Then he caught a short glimpse of Diarmad's face in the mirror over the fireplace. For a moment, he saw such longing in the midnight blue eyes it made his heart stop, then it was gone and he was sure he had only imagined it.