Tin Armor
Title: Tin Armor
Author: FeistyFox
Rating: M
Pairing: DG/Cain
Summary: After the witch falls DG may need more than optimism to make it in the O.Z.
This story is in progress. I hope those of you who are reading it continue to do so!
Chapter 35
Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine. I wish it were. I will be searching for a way to make it mine. But until then, it is not mine.
She woke up very early the next morning. Gray light filled the room and she assumed the first sun was only just rising. Her head was still on the Tin Man’s shoulder though he had rolled onto his back in the night. They had curled up together over the blankets the night before and for the first time she let herself look at him for longer than ten seconds. She was usually so eager to be touching him that she simply grabbed him and let biology take over. Cain was the patient one and had shown that again and again as he tried to slow her down.
As she gazed over his chest and spotted a scar she had never seen before she wanted to investigate him more thoroughly. They’d been together numerous times and she was hit with the realization that she had no idea where he liked to be touched the most. Well ok, she knew where he liked to be touched the most, but really… For the first time she understood his motivations in taking his time.
And they had to leave the next day. She had a feeling they weren’t going to be alone much once they left Finaqua. With that thought her curiosity took hold of her completely. She wondered if he’d let her do what she wanted as she reached out and ran a finger delicately over the newly discover scar. Before she finished tracing the thin line his hand had snapped up and covered hers as he muttered groggily. “What’re you doing now?”
She paused startled by how quickly he had moved. “I never noticed this scar before.”
He grunted incoherently letting his hand fall back to the mattress as his head fell twisting toward hers on the pillow. His eyes were still closed and his breathing evened out again. She bit her lip as she tried to suppress her laughter at his response. She wasn’t even sure he had woken up in the first place. Shifting she leaned over him pressing her lips over the small portion of shiny skin and he shuddered.
This time his hand moved to the back of her neck and squeezed gently. She was pretty sure he was awake now. Lifting her head she rested her chin on his chest and smiled into his sleep filled blue eyes. “You know, I didn’t think it was possible but your eyes are bluer right when you wake up.”
He blinked at her and she threw her leg over his hip as she draped herself across his body. His hand slid down to rest between her shoulder blades as she rubbed her nose under his jaw. Rumbling quietly his other hand moved to her hip and she felt him preparing to flip them over. Reacting faster than he could in his barely awake state she grabbed the errant hand, pinning it next to his head, while she readjusted her weight so they rocked back to their original position.
The Tin Man stilled, relaxing slowly underneath her as she kissed his Adam’s apple. “Getting into trouble already?”
Running her fingers in the soft hair behind his ear she moved her face so she could look down at him innocently. “I’m exploring, not getting into trouble.”
The hand he had on her twitched and a slow smile spread over his face. “With you it’s the same thing.” She pouted in response but he leaned into the fingers she was rubbing his scalp with and sighed contentedly as his eyes fluttered shut. “Down and to the left.”
She grinned and her fingers trailed to the base of his skull. He sighed softly and she rubbed a little more firmly when she realized she found a sweet spot. After a few minutes she kissed the tip of his nose and started moving down his body searching for more places that would prompt the same response. By the time she got past his neck and he could move his head again she saw him watching her fixedly.
Resting her arm on the mattress beside him she pushed up slightly and began to inspect the numerous scars that dotted his arms, chest and stomach. Cocking her head as she touched him she had to ask. “Did something find you to tough to eat, Tin Man?” She ran a finger over a series of small marks that arced over his rib cage. “What did this?”
He chuckled softly catching her hand. “A dog. Came after me when I was on a raid my first year as a Tin Man.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And that’s funny because?”
He cleared his throat pressing a kiss to her palm. She watched him puzzled for a moment when he didn’t answer then glanced back down at the mark. A huge grin spread over her face and he made a grab for her free hand when he knew she recognized her discovery. Managing to avoid him she dug her fingers into his ribs. He twisted below her trying not to laugh as she tickled him. She never would have guessed that he was ticklish. Gasping for air as he laughed he wrapped his arm around her in desperation and flipped her under him.
She giggled and thrashed as he wrestled her arms to her sides, pinning her down. His blue eyes were shinning as he huffed down at her. “That’s enough of that.”
“You’re cute when you’re being tickled and at my mercy.”
“At your mercy?” He stretched her arms up higher with a smirk. “DG, which one of us is trapped beneath the other?”
She laughed happily kissing him. “You act like that’s some kind of punishment for me.” Then she sighed wistfully rubbing against him. “Buuuuut, I was having fun before you so rudely interrupted me.”
With a grunt of amusement he rolled back so she was straddling him again. “Far be it for me to interrupt your fun, Princess.” His eyes ran over her. “The view isn’t bad for me either.” Pleased with the compliment she preened slightly and he smirked at her. “What are you plannin’ to do to me?”
Grinding her hips against him he grunted as the hand that he had on her back fell to her thigh holding her in place. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Gritting his teeth as she continued to rock gently over him he growled. “You’d best get to decidin’.”
Tilting her head at him she considered her options. While she was sure teasing him would be fun she really just wanted to make him feel good. After all he was so good at transforming her into a pile of goo she thought it was only fair that she should be able to do the same thing. Leaning down hesitantly, unsure of what she was doing, she pressed her lips against his stomach as she moved her body slowly down his.
She heard his breath hitch and he stilled under her as she moved farther down. As she dragged her arms down his thighs to help steady herself, one of his hands tangled in her hair, his fingers stroking her scalp encouragingly. Pushing away her apprehension she traced him with one finger and he stifled a groan his fingers tightening. “DG…”
Encouraged by that particular use of her name she lowered her head and kissed the underside of him. She heard him swear quietly, and looking up at him under her lashes saw him staring raptly down at her. A spike of heat tore at her and she smiled slowly at him as she moved her mouth up. Finding ways to make him squirm was easier than she thought.
After several minutes of this he tugged on her hair and catching on to his silent request she took him into her mouth and sucked gently. Muttering her name under his breath she felt his whole body tighten as she began to bob up and down. She found herself enjoying the sounds he was making immensely. In fact she felt herself getting wet listening to him plead to her. “DG…” His other hand came down and caught her upper arm but she shook him off. “Sweetheart, I’m going to-“ She sucked harder and he let out a strangled shout bucking under her.
His hand held her hair tightly and he hit the back of her throat as he came. She coughed sitting up and swallowing instinctively. Cain’s hand slid back to her neck as he panted and she slid back up his body watching his face. His eyes were closed and she wasn’t entirely sure she had done that right as she analyzed the strange salty taste in her mouth. Laying back over him she waited for him to come back to himself.
He opened his eyes lazily and she smiled nervously. “Did I do that right?”
He choked out a laugh wrapping his arm up over the back of her head and pulling her lips against his. Rolling them over he rubbed his cheek against hers. “Darlin’-“ His hand crept down between her legs and he began to stroke her deftly. “You couldn’t have done that wrong.” She sighed, spreading her legs for him as he dipped his fingers inside of her. Crooking them up he dragged them along her upper wall and she moaned. “So wet this morning.”
Clutching his arm she whimpered his name, pushing up against his hand. Shifting his weight over her he stared down at her face as his hand massaged her. “I love seeing you like this.” Her eyes shot up to his as she panted. “I love seeing your skin flush pink when you come for me.”
Arching sharply when his thumb pressed against her clit she began to shake as an orgasm rolled over her. The Tin Man bent down over her and whispered in her ear as he continued to stroke her, prolonging her pleasure until it was almost painful. “That’s my girl. Scream for me, Princess.” She was helpless to deny the man anything.
Taking his hand away at last he rubbed her shaking thigh as she lay among the blankets. She felt his lips on her forehead as he lay down next to her tucking her head under his chin. Turning she nudged her leg between his and cuddled against him. “Was a good way to wake up.” She muttered into his neck.
He grunted in amusement before relaxing back into the bed with a yawn. “In that case go back to sleep so we can wake up again later.”
She laughed breathily into his skin. “Best idea you’ve ever had.”
He hummed reaching blindly for the blankets. It seemed her hopes of spending the day in bed with Cain weren’t going to hold however because not five minutes after they were firmly snuggled beneath the quilt there was a knock on the outer doors of their room. She groaned wrapping her arm around his neck and holding onto him as he let out a litany of curses.
“Who is it?” He snarled at the doors as he brushed her hair out of her face.
There wasn’t even a pause at the Tin Man’s obviously displeased tone. “Jeb. We need to talk.”
Cain pushed himself up in surprise accidentally knocking her sideways. She let out a squeak as he dislodged her. He got out of the bed without hesitation. “Just a second, Son.”
She glared half-heartedly at him as he headed to the dresser. “Don’t mind me.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Get dressed, DG.”
She snickered as she tried to untangle herself from the blankets. “What, isn’t this proper attire to entertain your son in?”
His head went around to her as she shook her leg, hopelessly caught. Seriously how were blankets this tricky? It couldn’t be right. “You’ve got to be kidding.” She made a noise to indicate she had heard him as she tried to pry herself out of the bedding. This was all his fault for hurling her uncaringly across the bed in the first place.
After a minute or so of helpless struggling on her part Cain came over dressed as he had been on the road and picked her up, blankets and all, tossing her on the bed. “How do you manage to loose to a blanket?”
“Don’t judge me!” He rolled his eyes and grabbing a corner she hadn’t noticed yanked hard and had her free in less than three seconds. “Huh…” She glanced down at her now free self. “You’re good.”
He simply stared at her and she shoved him aside so she could get dressed. Throwing on the first set of clothes she could find she followed Cain through the now smashed doorway of their bedroom and into the sitting room as he opened the door for Jeb. The young man nodded briefly to her and she spotted dark circles under his eyes right before she heard soft clicking on the marble floor by his feet.
Her eyes went down and she spotted the same Papay that had followed her around so closely when they had arrived. She crouched down as it approached her and saw the Tin Man’s hand stray toward his gun. Jeb made an impatient noise and moved past them all as he shut the door behind him and headed toward one of the chairs slumping down. “He won’t hurt her.”
She held out her hand and the creature stepped up to her hand nudging it slightly. She smiled and scratched his face gently. “Good morning.” The Papay made a chuffing noise and she stood up heading toward the couch. When she sat down the Papay jumped up next to her curling up and leaning its body up against her leg. Cain’s eyes flicked between her new friend and his son as she laid her hand on the creatures scaly head.
Jeb rubbed his hand against his forehead. “Raw said he’d take care of her from now on. Something about a life debt. I honestly didn’t catch most of it.”
Her head snapped up from her inspection of his scales. There was no way that meant what she thought it meant. “You mean he’s my new personal body guard?”
The young man sighed tiredly. “Yes.”
She opened her mouth then closed it. She turned her head and stared down at the Papay who was regarding her with his bulbous black eyes. “You sure about that buddy? Cause really, I’m trouble. Just ask the tall grumpy guy over there.”
The Tin Man grunted and the Papay wuffled as it butted its head against her leg. “If you’re sure then I’m glad. You’re way better than a stuffy griffon. Plus you totally rock the scales better than those wolves.”
The farmer’s scales flared out at that and she assumed that was a positive thing when Jeb let out a short laugh. “Raw said to tell you to call him Decon. That’s what his name means but it’s too hard for humans to pronounce in their language.”
She simply blinked down at the Papay thinking that this was already turning out to be a strange day. Did other royals get non-human guards? Then again most of her days in the Outer Zone were strange so never mind. She and her new bodyguard sat inspecting each other as Jeb and Wyatt talked. The Tin Man was leaning against the hearth as Jeb glanced toward their bedroom. “What happened to the doors?”
Cain ignored this as Decon sat up slightly to see what he was talking about. “Why does she need a new bodyguard?”
Jeb rested his head back in the chair and regard his father. “What do you mean a new bodyguard? Look you might have been protecting her but you’re far too close to her to stay objective. Besides if she announces you as her consort you’ll be the one that needs a new bodyguard. The country can’t have one of the royals throwing themselves in the line of fire.”
The Tin Man narrowed his eyes. “You can’t expect me to sit on the sidelines-“
“I doubt that will ever be a problem with your luck.” Jeb stood up and began to pace about the room. She took note of his posture; he looked ready to drop. “And you need to take off your ring.” Her eyes dropped sharply away from the two men. “You should know better. She can’t claim you even if she wants to while you’re wearing that.”
Her eyebrows knit together and she was about to ask what he was talking about but Cain beat her to the punch. Grunting he glanced down at his hand and darting a look at her removed the ring from his finger before catching Jeb by the shoulder as he passed by. “Did you sleep at all last night?”
Jeb tried to shake him off. “No time.”
The Tin Man sighed and held him still. “I realize I’m your father, and as such don’t know anything, but you need to rest.”
“I’m fine.” He insisted stubbornly.
She had a strange urge to laugh at that. My that sounded familiar. Cain sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. “Son, if you’re not at your best then you’re going to get hurt.” She heard anxiety in his voice and saw the two men looking at each other. Jeb was startled by this sudden display of parental concern. She suddenly felt out of place and tried to make herself disappear into the couch. “I can’t loose you. Please go sleep.”
The young man nodded hesitantly. “Ok, Dad.” She saw relief and affection spark in Cain’s eyes when Jeb called him that. She figured it wasn’t something he heard often enough from his son and her heart went out to both of them. Before Jeb could leave the Tin Man caught his arm and held the ring out to him. The resistance leader looked at the silver band for a long moment before taking it. With one last nod to her he left clutching the ring in his hand as he shut the door behind him.
Cain stood staring at the closed door for a long time. Eventually she stood up, careful not to disturb her new guard, and walked up behind Cain wrapping her arms around him. She decided to stay away from the ring thing for now. Laying her head on his shoulders he reached up and held her arms against his chest. “He loves you, you know.”
“It’s just hard.” He admitted quietly.
Kissing the back of his neck she tried to reassure him. “There’s this saying on the Otherside that goes, ‘Nothing easy is worth having.’ Thing’s will get better. He just wants you to be proud of him.”
Lifting her hand to his mouth he kissed her knuckles. “Thank you, Sweetheart.”
“Welcome. Ready to take me down to Tutor?”
He nodded before urging her back toward the bedroom. “Get the emerald, then we can go.” Kissing his cheek softly she smiled at him. Hopefully once this whole Zero thing was taken care of things would get better for everyone.
Author Note: Ok sorry about the update time! I had that other plot bunny attack me and had to get it down. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave me one! Tin armor should be wrapped up in the next week or so. Hopefully…I’ll do my best…
Author: FeistyFox
Rating: M
Pairing: DG/Cain
Summary: After the witch falls DG may need more than optimism to make it in the O.Z.
This story is in progress. I hope those of you who are reading it continue to do so!
Chapter 35
Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine. I wish it were. I will be searching for a way to make it mine. But until then, it is not mine.
She woke up very early the next morning. Gray light filled the room and she assumed the first sun was only just rising. Her head was still on the Tin Man’s shoulder though he had rolled onto his back in the night. They had curled up together over the blankets the night before and for the first time she let herself look at him for longer than ten seconds. She was usually so eager to be touching him that she simply grabbed him and let biology take over. Cain was the patient one and had shown that again and again as he tried to slow her down.
As she gazed over his chest and spotted a scar she had never seen before she wanted to investigate him more thoroughly. They’d been together numerous times and she was hit with the realization that she had no idea where he liked to be touched the most. Well ok, she knew where he liked to be touched the most, but really… For the first time she understood his motivations in taking his time.
And they had to leave the next day. She had a feeling they weren’t going to be alone much once they left Finaqua. With that thought her curiosity took hold of her completely. She wondered if he’d let her do what she wanted as she reached out and ran a finger delicately over the newly discover scar. Before she finished tracing the thin line his hand had snapped up and covered hers as he muttered groggily. “What’re you doing now?”
She paused startled by how quickly he had moved. “I never noticed this scar before.”
He grunted incoherently letting his hand fall back to the mattress as his head fell twisting toward hers on the pillow. His eyes were still closed and his breathing evened out again. She bit her lip as she tried to suppress her laughter at his response. She wasn’t even sure he had woken up in the first place. Shifting she leaned over him pressing her lips over the small portion of shiny skin and he shuddered.
This time his hand moved to the back of her neck and squeezed gently. She was pretty sure he was awake now. Lifting her head she rested her chin on his chest and smiled into his sleep filled blue eyes. “You know, I didn’t think it was possible but your eyes are bluer right when you wake up.”
He blinked at her and she threw her leg over his hip as she draped herself across his body. His hand slid down to rest between her shoulder blades as she rubbed her nose under his jaw. Rumbling quietly his other hand moved to her hip and she felt him preparing to flip them over. Reacting faster than he could in his barely awake state she grabbed the errant hand, pinning it next to his head, while she readjusted her weight so they rocked back to their original position.
The Tin Man stilled, relaxing slowly underneath her as she kissed his Adam’s apple. “Getting into trouble already?”
Running her fingers in the soft hair behind his ear she moved her face so she could look down at him innocently. “I’m exploring, not getting into trouble.”
The hand he had on her twitched and a slow smile spread over his face. “With you it’s the same thing.” She pouted in response but he leaned into the fingers she was rubbing his scalp with and sighed contentedly as his eyes fluttered shut. “Down and to the left.”
She grinned and her fingers trailed to the base of his skull. He sighed softly and she rubbed a little more firmly when she realized she found a sweet spot. After a few minutes she kissed the tip of his nose and started moving down his body searching for more places that would prompt the same response. By the time she got past his neck and he could move his head again she saw him watching her fixedly.
Resting her arm on the mattress beside him she pushed up slightly and began to inspect the numerous scars that dotted his arms, chest and stomach. Cocking her head as she touched him she had to ask. “Did something find you to tough to eat, Tin Man?” She ran a finger over a series of small marks that arced over his rib cage. “What did this?”
He chuckled softly catching her hand. “A dog. Came after me when I was on a raid my first year as a Tin Man.”
She raised an eyebrow. “And that’s funny because?”
He cleared his throat pressing a kiss to her palm. She watched him puzzled for a moment when he didn’t answer then glanced back down at the mark. A huge grin spread over her face and he made a grab for her free hand when he knew she recognized her discovery. Managing to avoid him she dug her fingers into his ribs. He twisted below her trying not to laugh as she tickled him. She never would have guessed that he was ticklish. Gasping for air as he laughed he wrapped his arm around her in desperation and flipped her under him.
She giggled and thrashed as he wrestled her arms to her sides, pinning her down. His blue eyes were shinning as he huffed down at her. “That’s enough of that.”
“You’re cute when you’re being tickled and at my mercy.”
“At your mercy?” He stretched her arms up higher with a smirk. “DG, which one of us is trapped beneath the other?”
She laughed happily kissing him. “You act like that’s some kind of punishment for me.” Then she sighed wistfully rubbing against him. “Buuuuut, I was having fun before you so rudely interrupted me.”
With a grunt of amusement he rolled back so she was straddling him again. “Far be it for me to interrupt your fun, Princess.” His eyes ran over her. “The view isn’t bad for me either.” Pleased with the compliment she preened slightly and he smirked at her. “What are you plannin’ to do to me?”
Grinding her hips against him he grunted as the hand that he had on her back fell to her thigh holding her in place. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Gritting his teeth as she continued to rock gently over him he growled. “You’d best get to decidin’.”
Tilting her head at him she considered her options. While she was sure teasing him would be fun she really just wanted to make him feel good. After all he was so good at transforming her into a pile of goo she thought it was only fair that she should be able to do the same thing. Leaning down hesitantly, unsure of what she was doing, she pressed her lips against his stomach as she moved her body slowly down his.
She heard his breath hitch and he stilled under her as she moved farther down. As she dragged her arms down his thighs to help steady herself, one of his hands tangled in her hair, his fingers stroking her scalp encouragingly. Pushing away her apprehension she traced him with one finger and he stifled a groan his fingers tightening. “DG…”
Encouraged by that particular use of her name she lowered her head and kissed the underside of him. She heard him swear quietly, and looking up at him under her lashes saw him staring raptly down at her. A spike of heat tore at her and she smiled slowly at him as she moved her mouth up. Finding ways to make him squirm was easier than she thought.
After several minutes of this he tugged on her hair and catching on to his silent request she took him into her mouth and sucked gently. Muttering her name under his breath she felt his whole body tighten as she began to bob up and down. She found herself enjoying the sounds he was making immensely. In fact she felt herself getting wet listening to him plead to her. “DG…” His other hand came down and caught her upper arm but she shook him off. “Sweetheart, I’m going to-“ She sucked harder and he let out a strangled shout bucking under her.
His hand held her hair tightly and he hit the back of her throat as he came. She coughed sitting up and swallowing instinctively. Cain’s hand slid back to her neck as he panted and she slid back up his body watching his face. His eyes were closed and she wasn’t entirely sure she had done that right as she analyzed the strange salty taste in her mouth. Laying back over him she waited for him to come back to himself.
He opened his eyes lazily and she smiled nervously. “Did I do that right?”
He choked out a laugh wrapping his arm up over the back of her head and pulling her lips against his. Rolling them over he rubbed his cheek against hers. “Darlin’-“ His hand crept down between her legs and he began to stroke her deftly. “You couldn’t have done that wrong.” She sighed, spreading her legs for him as he dipped his fingers inside of her. Crooking them up he dragged them along her upper wall and she moaned. “So wet this morning.”
Clutching his arm she whimpered his name, pushing up against his hand. Shifting his weight over her he stared down at her face as his hand massaged her. “I love seeing you like this.” Her eyes shot up to his as she panted. “I love seeing your skin flush pink when you come for me.”
Arching sharply when his thumb pressed against her clit she began to shake as an orgasm rolled over her. The Tin Man bent down over her and whispered in her ear as he continued to stroke her, prolonging her pleasure until it was almost painful. “That’s my girl. Scream for me, Princess.” She was helpless to deny the man anything.
Taking his hand away at last he rubbed her shaking thigh as she lay among the blankets. She felt his lips on her forehead as he lay down next to her tucking her head under his chin. Turning she nudged her leg between his and cuddled against him. “Was a good way to wake up.” She muttered into his neck.
He grunted in amusement before relaxing back into the bed with a yawn. “In that case go back to sleep so we can wake up again later.”
She laughed breathily into his skin. “Best idea you’ve ever had.”
He hummed reaching blindly for the blankets. It seemed her hopes of spending the day in bed with Cain weren’t going to hold however because not five minutes after they were firmly snuggled beneath the quilt there was a knock on the outer doors of their room. She groaned wrapping her arm around his neck and holding onto him as he let out a litany of curses.
“Who is it?” He snarled at the doors as he brushed her hair out of her face.
There wasn’t even a pause at the Tin Man’s obviously displeased tone. “Jeb. We need to talk.”
Cain pushed himself up in surprise accidentally knocking her sideways. She let out a squeak as he dislodged her. He got out of the bed without hesitation. “Just a second, Son.”
She glared half-heartedly at him as he headed to the dresser. “Don’t mind me.”
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Get dressed, DG.”
She snickered as she tried to untangle herself from the blankets. “What, isn’t this proper attire to entertain your son in?”
His head went around to her as she shook her leg, hopelessly caught. Seriously how were blankets this tricky? It couldn’t be right. “You’ve got to be kidding.” She made a noise to indicate she had heard him as she tried to pry herself out of the bedding. This was all his fault for hurling her uncaringly across the bed in the first place.
After a minute or so of helpless struggling on her part Cain came over dressed as he had been on the road and picked her up, blankets and all, tossing her on the bed. “How do you manage to loose to a blanket?”
“Don’t judge me!” He rolled his eyes and grabbing a corner she hadn’t noticed yanked hard and had her free in less than three seconds. “Huh…” She glanced down at her now free self. “You’re good.”
He simply stared at her and she shoved him aside so she could get dressed. Throwing on the first set of clothes she could find she followed Cain through the now smashed doorway of their bedroom and into the sitting room as he opened the door for Jeb. The young man nodded briefly to her and she spotted dark circles under his eyes right before she heard soft clicking on the marble floor by his feet.
Her eyes went down and she spotted the same Papay that had followed her around so closely when they had arrived. She crouched down as it approached her and saw the Tin Man’s hand stray toward his gun. Jeb made an impatient noise and moved past them all as he shut the door behind him and headed toward one of the chairs slumping down. “He won’t hurt her.”
She held out her hand and the creature stepped up to her hand nudging it slightly. She smiled and scratched his face gently. “Good morning.” The Papay made a chuffing noise and she stood up heading toward the couch. When she sat down the Papay jumped up next to her curling up and leaning its body up against her leg. Cain’s eyes flicked between her new friend and his son as she laid her hand on the creatures scaly head.
Jeb rubbed his hand against his forehead. “Raw said he’d take care of her from now on. Something about a life debt. I honestly didn’t catch most of it.”
Her head snapped up from her inspection of his scales. There was no way that meant what she thought it meant. “You mean he’s my new personal body guard?”
The young man sighed tiredly. “Yes.”
She opened her mouth then closed it. She turned her head and stared down at the Papay who was regarding her with his bulbous black eyes. “You sure about that buddy? Cause really, I’m trouble. Just ask the tall grumpy guy over there.”
The Tin Man grunted and the Papay wuffled as it butted its head against her leg. “If you’re sure then I’m glad. You’re way better than a stuffy griffon. Plus you totally rock the scales better than those wolves.”
The farmer’s scales flared out at that and she assumed that was a positive thing when Jeb let out a short laugh. “Raw said to tell you to call him Decon. That’s what his name means but it’s too hard for humans to pronounce in their language.”
She simply blinked down at the Papay thinking that this was already turning out to be a strange day. Did other royals get non-human guards? Then again most of her days in the Outer Zone were strange so never mind. She and her new bodyguard sat inspecting each other as Jeb and Wyatt talked. The Tin Man was leaning against the hearth as Jeb glanced toward their bedroom. “What happened to the doors?”
Cain ignored this as Decon sat up slightly to see what he was talking about. “Why does she need a new bodyguard?”
Jeb rested his head back in the chair and regard his father. “What do you mean a new bodyguard? Look you might have been protecting her but you’re far too close to her to stay objective. Besides if she announces you as her consort you’ll be the one that needs a new bodyguard. The country can’t have one of the royals throwing themselves in the line of fire.”
The Tin Man narrowed his eyes. “You can’t expect me to sit on the sidelines-“
“I doubt that will ever be a problem with your luck.” Jeb stood up and began to pace about the room. She took note of his posture; he looked ready to drop. “And you need to take off your ring.” Her eyes dropped sharply away from the two men. “You should know better. She can’t claim you even if she wants to while you’re wearing that.”
Her eyebrows knit together and she was about to ask what he was talking about but Cain beat her to the punch. Grunting he glanced down at his hand and darting a look at her removed the ring from his finger before catching Jeb by the shoulder as he passed by. “Did you sleep at all last night?”
Jeb tried to shake him off. “No time.”
The Tin Man sighed and held him still. “I realize I’m your father, and as such don’t know anything, but you need to rest.”
“I’m fine.” He insisted stubbornly.
She had a strange urge to laugh at that. My that sounded familiar. Cain sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. “Son, if you’re not at your best then you’re going to get hurt.” She heard anxiety in his voice and saw the two men looking at each other. Jeb was startled by this sudden display of parental concern. She suddenly felt out of place and tried to make herself disappear into the couch. “I can’t loose you. Please go sleep.”
The young man nodded hesitantly. “Ok, Dad.” She saw relief and affection spark in Cain’s eyes when Jeb called him that. She figured it wasn’t something he heard often enough from his son and her heart went out to both of them. Before Jeb could leave the Tin Man caught his arm and held the ring out to him. The resistance leader looked at the silver band for a long moment before taking it. With one last nod to her he left clutching the ring in his hand as he shut the door behind him.
Cain stood staring at the closed door for a long time. Eventually she stood up, careful not to disturb her new guard, and walked up behind Cain wrapping her arms around him. She decided to stay away from the ring thing for now. Laying her head on his shoulders he reached up and held her arms against his chest. “He loves you, you know.”
“It’s just hard.” He admitted quietly.
Kissing the back of his neck she tried to reassure him. “There’s this saying on the Otherside that goes, ‘Nothing easy is worth having.’ Thing’s will get better. He just wants you to be proud of him.”
Lifting her hand to his mouth he kissed her knuckles. “Thank you, Sweetheart.”
“Welcome. Ready to take me down to Tutor?”
He nodded before urging her back toward the bedroom. “Get the emerald, then we can go.” Kissing his cheek softly she smiled at him. Hopefully once this whole Zero thing was taken care of things would get better for everyone.
Author Note: Ok sorry about the update time! I had that other plot bunny attack me and had to get it down. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Leave me one! Tin armor should be wrapped up in the next week or so. Hopefully…I’ll do my best…