**OLD DRAFT**Sworn: Book 2 of Protectors**OLD DRAFT**

Chapter 4

It took a long time for Jade to fall back asleep. She kept opening the connection with Phantom to assure that Reiner was fine. Each time he was at peace, Reiner was asleep and oblivious to the world. When Jade did manage to sleep, she felt that she had rested only a moment before she was woken by a knock to her door.

"Yes?" Jade sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes.

"Just checking to see if you're awake, I had breakfast brought up for us," Reiner's voice travelled through the door and Jade nodded as though Reiner could see her and fell back onto the pillow. Jade rubbed her hands down her face and yawned. She felt exhausted. She had had a fitful sleep with foggy fragments of memories and dreams. Jade dressed brushed out her hair and wove into a quick braid. She carried her katana in her hand and emerged from her room. Reiner was sitting in a chair in front of the fire, a small knee high table had been set before the fire, and it was covered with food. Phantom was lying behind Reiner's chair.

"Good morning," Jade greeted and took one of the chairs. She rested the katana beside her, propped against the chair. Reiner was pouring himself a cup of coffee. A small stick of cinnamon poked out of the dark liquid.

"Good morning," he greeted without looking at her, focused on not spilling the coffee. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes please," Jade said. She watched him carefully. He poured her a cup and placed a cinnamon stick in it then slid it across the table to her.

"It's a chilly morning today, should warm up later but we'll want our cloaks today. I was informed that your clothes are almost complete. So maybe tonight you'll have some new things to wear." He stirred the coffee with the stick of cinnamon then sipped. Jade took a small sip as well, barely tasting the bitter liquid. He's avoiding looking at me.

"Reiner?"

He kept talking. "I mean it's not that you need fancy clothes, you look fine either way. But I think you'll feel more comfortable-"

"-Reiner-" Jade put her cup down.  

"-around the court. I put a request in for some of your things, I think you'll be pleased-"

"-Reiner...please." He grew quiet, his jaw locked and flexed. He stared at his coffee stubbornly, and then slowly he lifted his eyes and looked at Jade's neck. He flinched and looked away. Jade noticed at least that his cheek hadn't bruised. She touched her fingers to her neck, it was sore, she wasn't sure how bad the bruise was, she hadn't looked in the mirror. There was stony silence, Phantom Jade knew, could smell the tension.

"A dream," he whispered. "I prayed to God this morning that it had all just been a dream. I didn't-I never..." He swallowed hard and dropped the cup onto the table loudly. He pushed his face into his hands. He seemed almost panicked. "I'm a coward." How do I fix this? The fact that he had attacked her last night and tried to choke her meant nothing to Jade, it changed nothing. She knew it hadn't been him, he doesn't know that I understand. He'll think that I think the worst. That he's some sort of sick monster, or that I won't trust him now. How to explain to him that I'm not skittish kitten?

Jade took a moment and chewed over her thoughts carefully and then looked at the fire. "I bit my uncle my first time. He didn't know what was happening and I don't remember doing it, but he reached for me and I locked onto his arm like a rabid dog. He had a hell of a time getting me off, or so he told me. He's got a scar from where my teeth sunk in and drew blood. He had to have to wound stitched it went so deep. I remember waking up the next morning and seeing his arm wrapped and bloody. When I asked what happened, he said he had fought a ghost. It wasn't until I was older that I found out what had really happened. He never said anything to me, never blamed me or shied away, it went on for months until I started getting better, the terrors turned into nightmares and everyone could sleep again." Jade turned her head. Reiner was looking at her and his eyes were wide, searching her face to see if she was making up the story just to make him feel better. "The nightmares never go away, but they get easier with time, and eventually they make you stronger."