Payment

The Brood

Note: Rewritten but not triple checked for spelling and grammatical errors. If you see one feel free to comment

Dominik seemed to be in an especially foul mood. You could see it radiating in the loud screeching of his fork against his poor plate. Like a child, it dripped from his expression, hidden only within his silence.

"So, Kana. I heard you visited a friends house today?" I asked, desperate to relieve some of the tension. Looking across the table, I found her painted in a lovely rosy red. It was cute, youthful along her cheeks. She cleared her throat and took a moment to gather herself.

"Quite well, actually." She caught my gaze and shot me a playful wink. "He's a large man and has an aggressive edge to him, but he was splendid company."

I knew exactly what she meant and I just about choked on the carrot in my mouth. I was shocked that she would say such a thing aloud. Especially in front of her brother. Peeking over at Dominik I found that he was still glaring at his plate in silent misery. He wasn't even phased by her comment, almost as if he hadn't heard her at all. Though, I knew he had. It was subtle but it added to his scowl, deepening it more than I thought possible.

"I'll send flowers and an apology card saying you are no longer interested." He didn't look up once.

If his dish were alive it would surly drop dead from abuse. He hit it so hard it sounded like a pickaxe on stone. It made my flinch.

"Not yet. I'm staying for a little longer. I'll let you know when I'm done with him." She sighed.

I didn't know if I liked this side of Kana. I didn't think it was right for her to be toying with men and tossing them aside so casually. I know I wouldn't be able to. I couldn't understand how she didn't get emotionally attached. Though I had never been in love or anything close to her predicament, I liked to believe that when the time came for me to be involved with someone, it would at least last an entire summer. I wanted what Vera had at my age, a passionate love that sticks with me the rest of my life, even if it doesn't end well. Even if my man was in a permanent brood. 

I took another peak at Dominik, my mind racing as to why his face had popped into my head.

"How was your day, Nik?"

"Not as good as yours, that's for sure." He hissed, his hands hard fists around his eating utensils. "Giovanni and Renee are coming here in the morning. He changed the date of our monthly meeting."

"Why?" Kana asked. The confusion in her voice matched my thoughts exactly. The same question echoed in my mind as if she had spoken directly to my brain.

"Renee won't be with him on the day we had scheduled." He said, disgust clear on his face as if he were standing in the middle of a garbage dump. The anger in him seemed to rise even more, the topic bringing it all to the surface. I knew he was about to explode. It had been brewing since I brought him his afternoon tea

"So, Renee is Giovanni's brother?" I asked, more so to Kana. 

"Giovanni and Renee are identical twins." Kana informed me. "They do everything together. They are practically inseparable."

Suddenly, I wasn't so hungry. The food turned in my stomach, twisting and bubbling with anxious energy. I felt sick. And when I looked over at Dominik, I finally understood his behavior. He had just been brooding over yesterday and by morning he was going to be facing not one, but two Giovanni's. I hadn't seen the fallout between them, hadn't witnessed them fight. The blood on the ground had been enough to convince me they shouldn't be near each other. 

He turned and met my gaze, frowning at the green hue of my face.

"Its for business. You wont have to see them at all if I have anything to do with it ." His voice softened, his shoulder falling from their tense stance. "Just-"

"No one wants a war. I'm sure they will behave themselves." Kana stoke rather bluntly, plunging her fork into her steak like a knife in a corpse. It was oddly violent for her but she looked up and shot him a smile. "If they don't, just rip their heads off."

I froze. She seemed so nonchalant, so causal. But I knew very well that she wasn't calm at all. This was her being cold. This was her hinting at a secret. Her clenched jaw stayed hard, her smile forced.

"Kana-" He looked at her with pleading eyes but she simply threw her knife on her plate and stood.

"King Dominik." And with that she stormed from the room.

I watched the door, thinking maybe it was a joke and she would come stalking right back in with her usually cheerful skip. She didn't. I heard her footsteps lead down the hall until there was a loud slam.

Dominik closed his eyes and let out a long breath. His head fell back as he went slump in his chair. 

There was too much tension. It was turning the castle toxic, infecting everyone who wandered through its halls. It even effected me, though I tried not to let it. Like a weight on my shoulders, it was hard to shrug off but I managed to do it.

"Hey." I slid my hand across the table and placed it gently onto of his. It instantly reacted, turning and intertwining its fingers through mine. He squeezed me, his eyes remaining faithfully shut. "Its just one day. What could happen?"

He groaned as if I were speaking nonsense. 

"Fine." I chuckled. "Then how about we make a pact?"

This peaked his interest. When he opened his eyes they seemed diffused of all aggression, replaced now with a warm glint of exhausted content. His head lulled to the side as he took in my face, showing me he wanted me to continue. And I did with a gentle smile.

"They are going to stay the entire day, right?" He silently nodded his head. "Then, if they cause trouble, why don't we take a little trip away from the castle. Just the two of us. There are bound to be places nearby. A lake maybe?"

His expression cracked, his lips pulling tight into a smile. It showed his brilliant teeth and sent his eyes into a squint. Squeezing my hand, he sat forward, taking his fork up with his free hand. I was happy he didn't let go.

"There is." His voice was light and fluffy. As if hearing all the way from my stomach, the butterflies woke up to buzz around my ribs. They did loops and tricks off my heart, making it race.