He knew Talaith meant that bitch goddess, Arzhela. Briec shifted and, as human, grabbed Talaith by the shoulders. “You can’t face her alone.”

“I can. And I will. You can’t protect me from this, Briec. No one can.”

“Just listen—”

“Shhh.” She placed her hand gently against his mouth. “There’s nothing to discuss. Not when it comes to my Izzy. We both know that.”

Gods, he was going to lose her. Again. “Talaith, please…please don’t do this.”

She smiled and he felt his heart rip apart in his chest. “I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“Take care of Izzy for me. No matter what happens, protect her.”

He cupped her cheek in his hand. “She’s my daughter as you are my mate, little witch. She’ll always be protected by me and my kin. You’ll never have to worry about that.”

She nodded. “I know.” She removed the necklace he’d given her, unable to take it with her, and pressed it into his palm. Then she said the words he never thought he’d hear from her. “I trust you, Briec.”

He kissed her, pouring every ounce of feeling he had for this difficult woman into that one kiss, hoping she’d understand how much she meant to him. How much she’d always mean to him. Her kiss back was just as strong, her hands desperately clinging to him.

He held on until she abruptly pulled back, taking several shaky steps away from him. “I love you, Briec,” she choked out. “I’ll always love you. Never forget that.”

She turned and walked away from him, into the middle of a circle his sister had drawn in the wet, lake-side dirt with the tip of her tail. Talaith quickly removed her clothes, tossing them out of the circle.

She stopped briefly to take her dagger from its sheath. Then she kicked her boots and the sheath away from the circle as well.

Naked, Talaith knelt in the sand and raised her arms above her head. Morfyd walked around her three times, chanting. When she stopped, the circle roared to life with flame.

Ignoring the fire surrounding her, she cried, “I give you my life’s blood!” The winds suddenly whipped up, pushing Briec’s hair across his face as he watched his woman slash her forearm. Her life’s blood poured down her brown skin, pooling in the sand.

“Take me!” she screamed to the howling wind.

And then she was gone.

Briec sat hard on the ground, his head in his hands. But he could hear his sister’s soft words through the dying wind…

“Peace go with you, my sister.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Izzy pushed herself as close to the tree as she could manage as Arzhela walked closer to her.

She was beautiful, Izzy’d give her that. Especially here in Arzhela’s natural home. If she weren’t terrified, Izzy would roll in the tall grass or climb the enormous trees with the thick branches overloaded with green, gold and red leaves. She’d swim in the rushing river or lie under this place’s one sun and sleep like her old dog Gruffy used to—belly up and snoring.

But she wasn’t with her Protectors, safe and cared for. Or torturing the blue dragon she thought so adorable. And she definitely wasn’t safe with her mother and her dragon love, Briec.

Izzy was very much alone with a very angry goddess who hated her mother beyond reason.

I could definitely be in a better place at the moment.

Still, she reminded herself to be thankful for the little things…at least she was fully dressed since she came to this beautiful world with the goddess herself. Being naked now could be quite awkward.

Especially with Arzhela kneeling in front of her. Her gold waist-length hair hung in thick ringlets and she wore a garland of yellow and white flowers. Izzy didn’t think she was evil, simply a god who existed in fear. And that’s why she ruled with fear. It was all she knew.

“Tell me, little one, all these years I could not find you. Why?”

Did she really expect her to answer that question? Lying. Yes, at the moment, lying was her best friend.

“I don’t know, my…my goddess.” She stammered over the words because Arzhela would never be a goddess she worshiped. Not ever.

The goddess’ Crystal blue eyes narrowed on Izzy’s face. “Lie to me if you’d like, little one. It won’t stop me from destroying your mother.”

“Why do you hate her so much?”

A small white hand reached out to stroke Iseabail’s cheek. Somehow she managed not to cringe away from that touch. Instead she focused on something else. She thought of Briec and his brother Gwenvael. Yesterday, they’d caught her trying to mount one of the warhorses. After warning her how dangerous it was—especially with dragons around, which often led to unsteady horses rearing—Briec grabbed her under the arms and swung her around. Then he tossed her to his brother, and Gwenvael threw her in the air. She laughed and screamed until her mother came and almost took off poor Gwenvael’s head. Even funnier was how Briec lied and said he was just telling Gwenvael to put her down.

There she was safe. There she would be again. She had no doubt about that. She would believe it until the Old Ones of Alsandair called her home. As long as she believed it, Arzhela couldn’t touch her.

“She’s coming for you. Nothing you can do about it,” Arzhela gloated.

Izzy already knew that. She knew it like she knew the depth and dimensions of the scar on her leg she obtained when she found herself nearly impaled on a fence when she was ten.