“Your dragon?” That should sound stranger than it did. But it felt right to Talaith, which concerned her even more. “Are you ashamed?”

Talaith thought on that for a moment, but only a moment. “No. I feel no shame. And I won’t start now.”

“As you like.” Morfyd smirked. “And no. I won’t tell Annwyl about your dragon.”

“I see she wears their image all over her armor and branded on her arms. Has she actually killed one in battle?”

The witch began coughing and Talaith felt sure she only did it to cover up her laughter.

After clearing her throat, she said, “You might say she’s faced down one or two during her reign. One of them, she ripped his heart right out of his chest.”

Talaith winced. Lovely, Talaith. A dragonslayer. Perhaps next you could align yourself with a witchhunter. “Should I be concerned if she finds out?” She at least wanted to find and save her daughter first before the queen turned on her.

The witch smiled and Talaith felt no comfort from it.

“Concern yourself with your daughter for now Talaith, Daughter of Haldane. The rest will work itself out…in time.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Wake up, Briec.”

Throwing one arm over his head to block out the glare of light, Briec ignored the voice calling him to get up. He didn’t want to get up. In fact, the way he felt at the moment, he planned to never get up ever again.

“Briec. Up. Now!”

Groaning, his head moments from splitting completely in half, Briec forced his eyes open and stared into the beautiful face of his baby sister.

“Keita?”

She smiled. “I was starting to worry you’d never wake.”

“I don’t want to be awake. So why are you waking me?”

“Fearghus sent me for you. He needs you and Gwenvael and Éibhear to do something for him.”

Briec rolled over, resting his dragon head on his scaled forearms. “I’m not his errand boy. Nor am I the errand boy to his bitch.”

His sister, still in human form, crouched beside him. He knew why Fearghus sent her instead of coming himself—Briec had a harder time saying “no” to his little Keita. Especially when she said, “What’s wrong, brother? You’re never this surly to me.”

He sighed. A big, long sigh. “She left me, sister.”

“The female you had here? Why? Was she unhappy?”

“I didn’t think so. But I guess she was.” Briec sat up a bit, his claw to his chest. “What is this unbearable feeling in my chest? It’s driving me mad!”

Fighting her smile, his sister reached over and ran her hand through his hair. “That, my sweet brother, is called heartbreak.”

He glanced down at his chest. “Will that be a physical deformity?”

Now his baby sister punched his shoulder. “Briec, you fool. I mean she broke your heart. You cared for her.”

“A human? Broke my heart?”

“Deny it if you want, but I can see it in your eyes.”

Briec pushed himself up. Even still sitting he towered over his sister’s human form. “Good gods, the witch has hexed me!”

“No, brother. You simply fell in love with her.”

He glared down at her. “Now you’re just pissing me off.”

Sighing deeply, she said, “As you wish, brother. I’m in no mood to fight you.” She stood in front of him. “Now, Fearghus needs you.”

“To run errands.”

“No. He found one of Lord Hamish’s spies at Garbhán Isle. He was planning to kill Annwyl upon her return.”

For a moment, he did not forget Talaith, but he pushed thoughts of her back for something a bit more urgent.

“When is her return?”

“She actually should have been there by now, but a messenger came and told Fearghus she and her guard were delayed. Although her army finally made it back about three days ago.”

“The spy?”

“Fearghus killed him…when he was done.”

“And we know it’s Lord Hamish?”

“Aye. He’s always hated her, but no one ever thought he’d be stupid enough to go this far.”

“So what does Fearghus need of me?”

“He wants you three to go into Lord Hamish’s lands. Find out anything you can. Especially if his troops are moving out.”

Briec nodded. “Aye. I’ll go.” Annwyl was hardly his favorite human, but once she’d mated with Fearghus, she became kin. Which meant, if one chose to be her enemy, they brought the wrath of the House of Gwalchmai fab Gwyar down on their head. “But I’ve already been there. I found nothing.”

Nothing but the woman who made him insane with lust.

“Look deeper. That’s why Fearghus wants Gwenvael to go with you. If there’s one thing our brother does well, it’s get information.”

“True. I’ll see what we can find out.”

“Good.” She pointed to her passed out brothers lying across his cave floor. “Now help me wake these two idiots.”

* * *

“Perhaps you can poison him. Something that will make his eyes pop out and his tongue grow too large for his mouth.”

Talaith again looked at Morfyd. She’d been doing that the last two hours they’d been riding toward Madron. Annwyl would say something particularly odd, and Talaith would look to see if Morfyd found it odd as well. Clearly the witch did, but it seemed she’d gotten used to it.