Dawn returned his smile, feeling very comfortable in his presence. Peeking at his aura had confirmed something she had already suspected; Knox was a good man. And good men were worth getting to know, she told herself. Piper and Willow chimed in agreeing wholeheartedly with her through the bond.
“How did chades look to you?” Knox asked presently.
Dawn frowned a little but answered honestly. “Like blackholes.”
Knox’s smile was sad, “That is how it felt.”
“I’m sorry,” Dawn repeated.
“It was hardly your fault,” Knox pointed out.
“I’m not to blame, no. But in a way I was still responsible. As were the rest of the wardens. But I feel especially responsible because of my domain. Life – with all it entails – is mine to read and mine to feel. I can manipulate it to a certain degree. But when I looked at a chade I saw nothing but an abyss – a lost cause. I failed to see a sick man. And that fault is most certainly mine.”
“Dawn, nobody saw a sick man,” Knox said.
“That doesn’t take away the pain.” Dawn’s voice was resolute. “And thus, doesn’t take away the blame.”
As the day wore on and Knox worked side by side with Dawn as she sorted what needed to be moved and what needed to stay, he contemplated what he knew of Dawn so far. He hadn’t bothered to argue with her earlier in the day, knowing there was no chance of changing her mind. She clearly held herself to a high set of standards and when she failed to reach them, she beat herself up over it. Society probably had a lot to answer for there. No doubt she had been told from a young age that she was special and nothing less than perfect was acceptable. That she was a life warden first and Dawn second. But he knew it was her personality as well. She was kind and compassionate with a strong moral compass. She was a woman to be admired for sure. And admire her I do, Knox thought to himself. And not just for her amazing body or that spectacular face of hers. No, his feelings for Dawn were much deeper than that. It bothered him a little – being so enamoured of a woman so quickly and he wasn’t sure what to call it.
‘It’s called a crush, dad,’ Kellan’s voice could be heard through the Order link loud and clear.
Knox smiled, mentally agreeing with his son, feeling true joy that they were connected on such a level. Once, he had thought never to see them again. And yet, here they were, bound on a level that surpassed that of parent and offspring. Knox had never been so proud.
“You’re all aglow. What are you thinking about?”
Knox returned his attention to Dawn, his eyebrows raised in silent query. He was more than a little smitten when she blushed, ducking her head and releasing a self-deprecative chuckle.
“And I’m doing it again, aren’t I? Being invasive. I apologise. I am not usually so nosey, I promise you. You’re just …” she trailed off.
“Easy to read?” Knox volunteered.
“More like nice to read,” Dawn corrected.
Knox couldn’t deny how good it felt for Dawn to associate him and nice. But he was curious as to what she meant. “What do you mean?”
“Oh,” Dawn reached up and began twirling a thin strand of her hair around her finger. “It’s nothing – silly really.”
“Dawn, nothing you could say would ever be silly to me,” he assured her.
Dawn searched his face for a moment, as if gauging the truth of his words before turning and looking at her paladins who were hanging out with the triplets. Willow and Piper nodded their heads and waved enthusiastically, causing Dawn to face Knox again. “I’m sorry. I’ve had poor judgement in the past with who I share things with. I sometimes trust my paladins more than I trust myself.”
“I can understand that. I still doubt myself at times. But my sons are my anchor – I have the utmost respect and faith in them,” Knox revealed.
Dawn smiled, “Your anchor. I like that.” Then she explained herself; “Every person has a feel to them. Thanks to my element, I can sense that. And because of my empathy, I can feel it too. Some people are hard, some are raw, some people sting, some are easy, some are soft. And some, well, some just make you smile and want to curl up next to