Chapter 14Talis woke to a soft kiss against his cheek, in pre-dawn dimness; the early Church bells must have just gone, though he hadn’t heard them. He grumbled in wordless protest as Jer moved; Jer laughed gently, tucked the blankets back around him. “You don’t have to be up yet.”
“But. You are.”
“I’ve got some work to do.”
“Work?” The sun wasn’t even making an effort yet. The bed was warm, and Jer was warm. Talis rolled over toward his guardsman. “Now?”
“You’re not a morning person,” Jer said. “It’s all right. You can have a few more minutes.”
“I’m a morning person if I’ve got you in bed and naked,” Talis tried.
“If we’ve got time. Go back to sleep, I’ll wake you in an hour or so.”
“What’re you doing?”
“Finishing next week’s duty schedule for the scouts, since I didn’t do that la
