-Kaden's POV-
"I will gladly fight beside you, Angel."
I couldn't ignore the way my heart beat louder and faster against my chest at his words.
"Angel?" I had never been given a pet name before, mostly because I had never been in a relationship, but nobody even dared to call me anything other than Kaden, Sir, or Your Majesty, though honestly, I didn't like the last one much.
He smirked, meeting my eyes in a silent challenge that had me swallowing down in anticipation.
"Does it bother you? It seemed fitting with the positioning of the light right now and your golden eyes, you really do look ethereal, Kaden."
I didn't hate it, though I had a feeling if anyone else called me that I would, but with Adam it seemed okay.
"Maybe I could get used to it," I mumbled, lost in my own thoughts but I caught the smirk that graced his lips from the corner of my eyes, dragging my attention back to where he sat.
"Don't make me regret saying that," I teased, watching as his smirk only grew.
"I wasn't sure you were even aware you said that out loud."
"I may be disorientated but I'm still aware of when I'm thinking something or actually saying it." I was actually very good at keeping my thoughts to myself, after all, it was practically needed for my job.
"The things I would do just to get a glimpse inside that head of yours." His smirk had settled more into a smile. He was analysing me, trying to read into something, anything.
"It's funny to think I could make that come true by just bedding you," I joked, pleased at the laugh that filled my ears.
He leaned closer and the mood in the room shifted, his lips parted, and I eagerly awaited his next words. However, I never got to hear them.
Adrian barged into the room in that moment, and he did not look too pretty. His hair stuck up at all angles, he was breathing heavily, and his knees barely carried him into the room, he looked damn right exhausted.
"Sir! Oh, thank God, you're awake. I honestly wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to do this for, I really don't give you enough credit. Like seriously, how on Earth do you do this everyday?!"
"Adrian."
"I mean, I've barely had time to breathe, and even though Zach has been helping me where he can, I feel like my whole system is just shutting down, my brain is holding way too much information right now, and this can't be healthy."
"Adrian."
"And the reports keep coming in, everyone seems to need something-"
"Okay, Adrian!" I had to snap him out of it, it was very rare I had to use my 'King voice' on Adrian, but by the sounds of it the last few hours or so hadn't been easy on him. Now that I think about it, I didn't actually know how long I had been asleep for, I was almost scared to ask.
"Sorry, Sir. I'm a little out of it right now." He bowed his head, then remained silent, waiting for me to speak.
"It is okay, Adrian. I am sorry to have put so much pressure on you, but now I am awake, I can help."
I went to get out of bed, my body felt very stiff from laying in bed for so long, so it would be good to stretch properly.
"No, you should rest," Adam sounded worried, and then I noticed them both looking at me in worry, neither of them clearly happy about me rushing back into things, but Adrian very clearly needed my help.
I lay back down. "Adrian, could you get the doctor for me please?" I would have Keiron run his tests, if he told me I was well enough to work then I would.
"Yes, Sir."
Adrian swiftly left the room before returning a moment later with Keiron by his side, the man bowed once he saw me, a smile on his face.
"It is good to see you awake, Sir. I hope the current arrangements are acceptable, I am afraid decisions were quite difficult without your advisories." I was glad to be in the infirmary as apposed to my bedroom, that would feel far too personal for my liking, they were my private quarters after all, and nobody had been in there before.
"Thank you, Keiron. It was a wise decision, and I am quite comfortable here," I assured him, pretending not to see the relief that flashed in his eyes.
"I am glad. How are you feeling?" He asked, presenting me with a bottle of water that I gladly took from him.
"A bit disorientated and my body is quite stiff, but I feel okay." I opened the bottle and practically downed its contents; it was hard not to with how good the cool water felt on my throat.
"That is to be expected, I'm glad you're feeling better, but I would like to run a few tests if that is okay with you, Sir."
"Of course, do as you must." I gave him the permission he needed at he got to work, while I turned my attention back to Adrian. He was running a hand through his hair, and I could tell from his stance and the glazed over look in his eyes that someone was talking to him through a mind-link, I didn't want to interrupt but I was very worried about my friend.
"Is it important?" I asked him, his eyes flickered quickly to me, and it was evident just knowing I was awake was helping him.
"No, Sir. I should probably get back to it though," he sighed. Stress did not look good on him.
I nodded slowly, trying to come up with the best solution to take some stress off the boy. Obviously, the best solution would be for me to take back over and let him rest, but I would have to wait for Keiron's analysis first.
Adrian stepped towards the door, his mind clearly going a mile a minute right now, and it was then I noticed he didn't have his usual headphones hanging around his neck, or pressed against his ears.
"Adrian." I called his name and he stopped, turning towards me sheepishly but I didn't let him speak.
"Where is your keeper?" Instead, I asked.
"He's at home. He's honestly been an angel-" Adam and I shared a look at the word, but I quickly looked back to Adrian, trying to ignore the smirk Adam was sending my way. "-but I don't want to put so much stress on him, and I know he doesn't like seeing me like this. He's just taking a few hours, you know? He was insistent on coming back to help though, so he'll probably be back in an hour or two."
I'm glad he wasn't alone through this, but of course, Zach would never leave his Keeper to handle everything by himself.
"And Cameron?"
"In the office, he's working on paperwork at the moment. For me it's the worst part, but he seems to enjoy it to some extent and Gabe is keeping him company. I think you'll be impressed with how quick and efficient he has been with it, I know I am," he chuckled.
"Thank you, Adrian. We'll finish the tests here and then I'll be with you shortly."
"Yes, Sir, thank you."
Adrian rushed off, getting back into work while I patiently waited for Keiron to finish his tests.
"Okay, everything looks good, but I will say, you did overexert yourself, so you may find yourself getting tired quicker than usual over the next few days. However, it shouldn't take too long to get back into the swing of things. I recommend a hearty meal though; your body will thank you for it." Keiron smiled kindly.
"Thank you for your services, Keiron, it is greatly appreciated. I am feeling much better and cannot thank you enough for all that you have done."
"It's an honour, Sir." He bowed, then excused himself, leaving me once again alone with my keeper.
I finally caved to my aching body and got out of bed, I stretched and flexed my muscles to try and return the feeling to them, blood rushed throughout my body and though I was achy, and half numb, it felt good to move them again.
Adam didn't speak as he watched me, and I didn't miss how he checked out, taking his time as his eyes moved over every inch of my body, and I found myself loving the attention.
"I should relieve Adrian of his duties, he is in dire need of a break, I should also check in on Cameron. You are more than welcome to join me, however, I understand that you may be tired, so if you wish to go home that is also okay, I don't want you to feel compelled to stay if you don't want to, or if you simply just need some time." I didn't want to guilt him into staying if he didn't want to, and I tried hard to make him sure it was completely his decision.
"I would love to join you if that is okay, I weren't sure if I could really leave this room," he smiled.
"You are with me so it's fine, we will keep to the castle grounds for now anyway, nobody will question you while you're with me."
I could see the excitement in his eyes, and I was glad I offered for him to stay, just to see the look of joy on his face.
Oh, I almost forgot.
"How long was I asleep for?" I should have asked the doctor really, but I was already hesitant to hear the answer, it would be easier to hear it from Adam.
"You passed out about this time yesterday, so probably around 24 hours," he explained, watching me closely, he spoke softly, probably sensing my hesitance.
That wasn't too bad, a part of me was dreading he would say days, knowing I had slept for a whole day made me wonder if I would be able to sleep tonight. It would give me the time to catch up on everything if I couldn't though.
I grabbed Adam's hand, leading him towards the door, but I had to make sure before we left.
"Are you ready?"
"Absolutely!" He looked more than ready, the excitement shone in his eyes, and I was surprised by the sudden temptation to push him up against the wall and kiss him senseless.
I didn't. My guard was down, and he was already effecting me in so many ways, I didn't trust myself to stop if I started now. So, I forced the feeling back and opened the door, stepped out into the corridor, while I gently pulled Adam along by his hand.
Keiron was locking up the door next to us and bowed slightly in respect once he saw us. I was about to lead Adam to my office, but his words stopped me.
"Keiron," Adam spoke.
The man in question turned towards us with a smile, his eyes on Adam. "Yes, Sir?"
Adam's surprise was evident, his eyes flickering between me and the doctor, and Kerion caught the reaction, quickly faltering.
"I apologise, I shouldn't have assumed, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he quickly apologised.
"It is fine, Keiron. You are correct, he was simply not expecting to be called in such way," I explained, hoping to ease some of the tension. Keiron quickly smiled, nodding his head in understanding.
"Kaden is right, you didn't upset me, I am just not used to hearing it and wasn't expecting it. I appreciate the respect though. I just wanted to thank you personally for looking out for us, for the food and everything." I couldn't even begin to describe the pride that filled my chest, nor the smile that took hold of my features.
"It is honestly a pleasure, Sir. Thank you for looking out for our King."
Adam seemed content yet unsure of how to finish the conversation, although he was an Alpha, and held control over a whole pack, I'm sure he ran things quite differently than we did.
"Have a good night, Keiron." I finished the conversation for him, feeling him squeeze my hand gently in appreciation.
"Thank you, Sir. I hope you have a pleasant night." He bowed again before he left.
"Your doctor is so friendly, ours barely talks unless he has to," he chuckled.
"He's trained hard to get to where he is, he really loves his job which is a plus, there's not many people that do."
"Do you like your job?" He asked, side eying me. I took a moment to respond, it wasn't an easy question, sometimes I loved it, and sometimes the stress made me wish for a different life, but I don't think I would ever willingly change it.
"Sometimes," I went for, a small smile playing on my lips, which was instantly responded with a grin from him. "Do you like your job?" I threw back, though I was genuinely curious.
"Sometimes," he replied with a cheeky grin, and I couldn't help but laugh, pushing my shoulder into his as I guided him into my office, where Adrian was glaring down at the desk.
"You may go Adrian, please get some rest, and make sure you've eaten properly. Is there anything I should know?" He was stunned, staring at me with his mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out, before he forced himself to breath and try again.
"Sorry, Sir, you surprised me. Are you sure you are feeling well enough?" He was doubtful but I'm not sure his mind or body had the strength to actually fight me on it.
"I am fine, Adrian," I confirmed.
"Right, if you insist. Um...I've pretty much written everything down so everything you need should be here." He held a sheet up that was scribbled with his handwriting. "There's still no news of Amelia and her crew, and everything is still pretty settled so nothing to really worry about. Mr. Powl has been complaining once again, and seems insistent on talking to you, I had to hold him off since it wasn't possible, and he was getting a little suspicious but finally dropped it after I told him I could get him a personal appointment with you later in the month, sorry to drop you in it like that, Sir, but I saw no other way. I've already been so stressed, and he wasn't helping the matter, and of course, he doesn't know that I'm-I was covering for you, so he was so damn right disrespectful, I'm gonna be honest, Sir, I nearly punched him."
Adam chuckled and I couldn't help but smile. Adam finished his rant and released a long breath.
"I understand. You should go and rest now, get some sleep and spend some time with your keeper, once you are feeling more like yourself again, come and see me."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." He bowed, about to make a quick escape.
"Oh, and Adrian?"
"Sir?" He stopped, turning to me once again and giving me his full attention.
"Thank you for your services, I really couldn't have done it without, I am glad to have you by my side." And then I did something I would have never done under normal circumstances. I bowed my head slightly; I wanted him to know just how much I appreciated and respected everything he had done for me over the last 24 hours.
Adrian's eyes widened, and then his usual shit eating grin took place on his lips.
"I think that just made the last 24 hours of hell worth it, Sir. Thank you for everything you do, it is an honour to work beside you."
I wasn't expecting to hear from him again tonight, I just hoped he would feel better tomorrow, but I knew being able to relax with his Keeper would very quickly nurse him back to health.
"I need to read over these notes, and then check on Cameron. I can give you a tour afterwards if you'd like, it may have to be brief though, I apologise." I felt bad that I couldn't properly show him around, but I was quick to remind myself that there would be other times, better times.
"Sounds good," he nodded but his eyes were looking around the room.
"This is my office, well the main one anyway, I usually do all the heavy work in here, we have a separate one where most of the paperwork gets done, that's where Cameron is."
I read through Adrian's notes quickly while Adam looked around, everything seemed to fascinate him, I suppose our technology was a bit different from what they had on Earth, but he looked almost scared to touch anything.
Everything seemed in order, so I took the time to quickly check in with my guards. Thankfully, they didn't ask about my absence and once Adrian was fully coherent, I would need to get more information out of him about everything I had missed, but for now I should check on Cameron, hopefully he was in a better state than Adrian.
"Do you have any questions?"
"Only like a thousand," he chuckled. "What is this?" He pointed towards the interface on one of the walls, it nearly covered the whole wall and was currently sitting on standby.
"It's an interface." I stepped towards it, using the imprint of my hand to gain access and it quickly sprung to life. We were presented with the map of Galtolga and I watched in amusement as Adam's eyes widened.
"This is a map of Galtolga, it covers every area in real time." I showed him, zooming into an area away from the castle, I didn't want to spoil too much as I would take him outside later. Instead, I zoomed in on a local park, we were in a face down view so he wouldn't be able to see the sky.
I showed him a few more areas before switching settings, moving over to the files.
"This holds all the information on Galtolga, residents, rules, contracts, stuff like that. I'm the only one who has access to this."
"So, you probably shouldn't be showing me this, right?" He asked, he looked almost apprehensive.
"Sooner or later, you will have access to it too," I told him, although I wasn't sure how he would take that information, I was fully aware of how overwhelming it can all be.
But he surprised me by grinning wide, his eyes holding clear admiration as he looked at me, it was something I would gladly get used to, nobody had ever looked at me like that before, not with such intensity and realism.
I felt the air leave my lungs and forced myself to look away, pretending not to notice the blush that was slowly creeping up my face, but I still didn't miss his smirk.
"We should check on Cameron." I cleared my throat, taking his hand once again and leading him out of the room, after I made sure to turn the interface off.
He followed me willingly, his eyes everywhere, but it wasn't far to the other office, so we weren't walking for long.
Cameron sat at a desk, scribbling furiously at the sheet beneath him, Gabriel sat to his side, a book in his hand but they both sat in silence, the only noise in the room coming from the pen Cameron was holding, scratching against the paper as the ink bled into the page.
"Cameron."
His head shot up, eyes wide as he stared at me, Gabriel had also put his book down to glance in our direction.
"Sir! You're awake," he observed.
"I am, how are you two? I know Adrian wasn't doing well so I have sent him home to rest, you two are more than welcome to do the same."
Cameron looked a lot better than Adrian did, maybe a little flushed and less distracted than he usually was, but appearance wise he looked well.
"We're good, thank you, Sir." He looked a bit lost now we were here, and I almost felt guilty for interrupting. "Um, how are you two?" He asked, glancing between me and Adam, his eyes lingering for a few more seconds on our connected hands before he smiled gently.
"We are well, thank you. Unless there is anything that needs immediate attention, I'm sure that can wait." I gestured to the paperwork, there were large stacks in front of him that looked daunting even from where I stood.
"I don't mind the paperwork so I told Adrian I would get through as much as I could since I know he hates it, and he's been super busy. I think it would be nice to take a break though, we've been here for a while," he was looking at Gabriel by the time he had finished his sentence.
"Take the night off and get some rest, we can catch up on everything properly tomorrow, thank you for your help, both of you." I'd been thanking people all day, but I owed them for everything they had done.
"Oh, I didn't really do anything," Gabriel admitted.
"You stayed here with Cameron while he worked, I'm sure that helped him get through it, I'm also sure you did that more for him than for me, but I appreciate it either way," I said with an amused smile.
"Thank you, Sir. I'm glad you're feeling better. Please excuse me if I'm out of place saying this, but I am very tired. Adam, please look after him." Cameron smiled sheepishly.
"You have my word," Adam grinned.
Cameron nodded his head; satisfied, and with a whispered thank you, he bowed, then pulled Gabriel from the room.
"I like your friends." Adam was still smiling. He was playing with my fingers on the hand that held his, sending little tingles through the digits.
"I'm glad you do; they mean a lot to me. And for what it's worth, I like your friends too." I did, they were all really easy to get along with, and honestly, it was hard not to like them.
"I can see why they mean so much to you," he grinned. "And it's worth a lot, thank you for saying that. I would be really sad if you didn't like my friends," he chuckled. "Oh, there was something I was meaning to ask you, and I realise now that I probably should have asked a lot earlier, so I apologise if I have made things awkward for you."
He looked guilty but I was confused, I hadn't felt awkward at all, in fact, I was thoroughly enjoying him being here, or was that it? Was he worried because he was here when he shouldn't be?
"You can ask me anything, Adam," I assured him, giving him my undivided attention.
"I was just wondering if I should be calling you...sir?" He asked hesitantly.
My eyes widened and I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled in my throat. It was somewhat surprising yet exciting how often this man could make me smile and laugh, it was definitely a welcome surprise, but also something I would slowly have to get used to, I guess there was a lot I was going to have to get used to.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not sure I like the idea of my keeper calling me sir. Kaden is fine, you're my equal here as well as on Earth. You don't expect me to call you Alpha, and I don't expect you to call me sir."
Adam smiled, linking his fingers with mine.
"I'm very happy, Kaden," he told me. "If my pack were to see me now, they would probably wonder what you did with their Alpha. It's not a bad thing, just that you've got me acting more like a lovesick puppy, than a fierce Alpha," he chuckled, shaking his head at his own words.
I knew what he meant, he did seem a lot more at ease here, he was definitely more comfortable than I thought he would be. It allowed more to let down my guard a bit, no pun intended. Knowing he was comfortable and safe helped me to relax and enjoy our time together.
"I'm glad you feel comfortable here, I'm happy too. I probably should be stressing right now considering I have just slept for 24 hours, and Adrian looked seconds away from a breakdown, but I feel calm. I really want to show you our world, and I really, really want to kiss you," I confessed, enjoying the effects my words had on him as he sucked in a breath.
He just stared for a moment, his eyes quizzical but it felt aimed more at himself, than at me, like he was trying to decide on something.
Then all thoughts were washed from my mind as he took the initiative and closed the distance between us.
His lips touched mine tenderly, it was soft and gently, pulling a content sigh from my lips as they moulded with his.
It was bliss, and in that moment, nothing else mattered.