She held him so tight with her arms and legs and yet that was nothing when compared to the viselike grip she had on his cock. Did she train her muscles to do that? Whether she did or didn’t, he knew he’d been right. This tail belonged to him. But how he would keep the one making his eyes cross and his knees weak was a thought for another day. Right now, right here—he had al he needed. Rhona in his arms, her hot wet pu**y wrapped around his cock, and her breath in his ear as she panted and made this delightful little squeal every time he thrust into her. Gods of fire and death, he could listen to that sound until the end of time.

But when she squeaked rather than squealed, he knew she was about to come. Her arms and legs tightening even more, her body shaking and twisting in his arms. He sought out her mouth again, pressed his tongue inside and licked and sucked his way to paradise. He final y came when she squeaked one more time, the sound dragging him over the edge. And he was glad that she was right there with him. Unable to imagine anyone else but Rhona ever being there again.

He leaned his head back and found her peering at him, her cheeks flushed, her lips swol en. He nearly laughed, realizing that they’d been so busy ripping at each other’s clothes, they didn’t even think about or discuss whether to shift back. But that was something they could save for another time since he enjoyed taking her as human so much.

Rhona took in a breath, about to say something when that large and round fruit slammed into the back of Vigholf’s head, turning Rhona’s words into a fit of laughter.

Vigholf glared over his shoulder at the stal ion standing a few feet away.

“Jealous bastard,” he sneered before he had to drop both him and Rhona to the ground, another piece of fruit winging its way right toward them.

Chapter 20

They were supposed to be sleeping. Mommy wouldn’t be happy if they weren’t sleeping. But it was al so fun! Like a picnic . . . in the dungeon! So how could they sleep? Instead they stayed awake and talked. Not out loud, though. Mommy wouldn’t like it if they were chattering away. That’s what she cal ed it when others did it. Chattering.

So they talked to each other just by thinking. They did it al the time. It was fun!

They were so busy chattering and thinking and having fun that they almost didn’t notice. But her cousin Tal y did. Tal y noticed everything first.

“She’s your first line of defense,” their friend said about her. They had lots of friends. Friends Mommy and the others could never see. Except Auntie Dagmar, but she was never around when their friends visited. Not since that first time one of their friends had come to see her and Tal y and Talan.

She’d stil been in her crib then. Not in her big-girl bed. And Auntie Dagmar had been so angry at their friend, he never came back while she was around. None of their friends did. They were afraid of Auntie Dagmar—but they pretended they weren’t. But when they did come, they were al pretty and shiny, glowing like bright lights in the dark. Sometimes she had to look away, it burned her eyes.

But those creeping in through the back door, they weren’t pretty and shiny. They were bad. They hurt the two guards watching the door while the witches had gone to investigate noises in the other hal way. With al the fighting outside the castle wal s, the witches didn’t think there was any real danger inside. But there was. There was danger and there would be until Daddy was home. Daddy and the others.

Tal y got to her knees. Tal y hated outsiders. Even worse, she’d liked those guarding the door. They were pretty too, but without the glowing. Tal y liked pretty. But she didn’t like these men creeping in. She didn’t like them at al . And if she didn’t like them, Talan wouldn’t like them either.

These bad men would move fast and quiet, not even waking the dogs, sacrificing themselves to hurt her and Tal y and Talan. She didn’t know why. What had she ever done? What had Tal y and Talan ever done?

Tal y, as always, moved first. Without a sound, she charged forward. The men didn’t see her coming. They didn’t expect her. She was too little, they’d say. Just a little girl. But Tal y landed on the back of one of the sleeping dogs that they played with every day, and launched herself up, spun, and rammed her sword into the chest of the first bad man. Tal y released her grip on her sword and dropped to the ground, and the man fel back into his friend. That’s when Talan threw his own sword, hitting the second man in his open mouth with it. Good thing, too, he was about to wake everyone up. Then Mommy would be upset. She’d cry and they’d have to go far away.

The men weren’t moving now. None of them were. Not the bad men or the nice soldiers who made her smile and let Tal y hit their shields with her sword.

She didn’t want to see this anymore. She didn’t want Mommy upset. When Mommy was upset, it made her sad. So she opened what Pretty-Ren cal ed a “doorway” and sent the bad men back to their friends outside the castle gates and the nice men back to the nice soldiers who would take care of them. It wasn’t a hard thing to do. Opening two doorways at the same time and making them al go away so no one would be sad. She wasn’t sure why it wasn’t hard for her because Pretty-Ren always acted like it was so hard.

But then her cousins turned and glared at her.

Our swords? Tal y snapped inside her head.

Even though she wanted to cry, she knew Tal y hated criers. So she did what Mommy always did when she passed some of the witches. Raised two fingers and flipped them up in the air.

“Are you three up?” Ebba asked. She’d also been asleep in the room. She could sleep while standing. Just like real horses!