Shaking her head, Annwyl headed toward the Great Hal , but she slowly came to a stop when she saw them walk out the doors. She swal owed, feeling such a jumble of emotions at the moment, she simply couldn’t suss one out from the next.

Unlike Fearghus, Annwyl had not been home since the day she’d headed into the west with her army. Then, her children had just turned two.

They’d been cute and impossible, and she’d adored them like the suns.

But now they were five years older and scowling at her from the stairs, her daughter looking more like her grandfather now than any of them would want to admit and her son looking like . . . wel , like Annwyl.

When neither moved, Annwyl did the only thing she could think of. She crouched down and opened her arms and, to her great relief, both her children ran to her, throwing themselves into her arms as if pitched by a catapult. She caught them and pul ed them tight into her body, hugging them with al her strength. They put their arms around her shoulder and buried their faces into each side of her neck.

The twins had grown into a right pair of little brawlers, just like their mum. Strong arms held Annwyl, little scars from fights and hard play littered any exposed flesh she could see. They were dirty and probably even worse nightmares to deal with than they had been.

And they were hers. They were hers.

Annwyl didn’t even realize she’d begun to cry until Fearghus’s thumb wiped the tears from her cheeks. He now crouched in front of her and smiled at her with such love, she didn’t know what to do, what to say. Al she knew was that she was home, she was safe, she had her family, and the heads of Overlord Thracius and Lord Laudaricus had been planted on spikes outside her gates. Although that was temporary, since the troops she’d be sending off to help the Rebel King Gaius claim his empire would bring those two heads with them.

Standing, Fearghus took Talwyn and Annwyl kept Talan. Together, they carried their children inside their home and Annwyl knew that final y, she could get some sleep.

Chapter 37

Rhona wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tight. “Hel o, Daddy.”

“My girl. I’m so glad to see you. I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Me, too” She sighed. “But . . .” She pushed her father back from the flap and farther into his tent. “Mum’s on her way in. She’s not happy.”

“This isn’t the Dragonwarrior thing again, is it? Because I won’t listen to any of that centaur shit yet again.”

“No, no.” She looked away from her father’s dark gaze.

Sulien chuckled. “Let me guess. It has something to do with that Lightning.”

“He says he loves me.”

“Of course he does. You couldn’t tel ?”

“Wel —”

“Forget I ask. As bad as your mother.” He kissed her forehead. “Wel , you know I’l have to terrify him at least a little.”

“I know. I think he’s expecting it.”

“That takes the fun out of it.”

“Daddy,” she laughed.

Her mother walked into the tent and Rhona stammered, “Wel . . . uh . . . must go.”

“Like a rat from a sinking ship!” her mum yel ed after her.

“Made a run for it?” Vigholf asked. He stood next to the tent, patiently waiting for her.

“I didn’t want to hear it.” Especial y since she’d heard “it” al the way back from Euphrasia Val ey until Ghleanna had final y barked, “Pack it in already, Bradana! We’re sick of hearing about it!”

Gods, she loved her Aunt Ghleanna.

“You know what?” Vigholf asked.

“You’re hungry?”

“Starving.”

She took his hand in hers. “Then let’s go feed you, yeah? Before you starve to death.”

“You’re okay with this?” Bradana asked her mate.

“I don’t have a problem with Lightnings. Of course, my people didn’t try to systematical y wipe them out either.” Bradana shrugged. “It wasn’t systematic.”

“And in answer to your question . . . yes. I’m okay with this. He makes her happy, he cares about her, and the dragon can wield a mighty warhammer.”

“He’l take her back to the north, you know? To live with that Horde of his.”

“So? I came with you, I’m no more the worse for wear.”

Bradana examined the blades her mate had hanging from a rope. “You don’t think she’s leaving just so . . .”

“She can get away from you?”

She shrugged again. “I know I pushed her a bit. Expected more from her than the others. Maybe she’s just doing this to get out from under, yeah?”

Sulien slipped his hand around the back of Bradana’s neck and pul ed her close, kissing her cheek. “If there’s one thing we both know about our oldest girl is that she’d never leave her siblings except for a dragon she loved. If she goes with him, it’s because she wants to. Because she loves him. Not to get away from you or anyone else.”

Bradana hugged Sulien tight, dropping her head against his shoulder. “I’l miss her when she’s gone—the impossible little cow.”

“Of course you wil . Who wil you complain about if she’s not here? Ow! That was unnecessary, female!” Ragnar stopped walking and sighed. Loudly.

“What are you doing?” he asked the She-dragon he loved, who’d wrapped her arms around his shoulder.