Gwenvael winked at him over the top of her head and Éibhear rolled his eyes in disgust. No shame. His brothers simply didn’t possess the ability to feel shame.
Talaith waved the bottle of wine in Gwenvael’s face. “Oh no you don’t, dragon. I may be a little drunk, Handsome the Gwenvael, but I’m not that drunk.” Handsome the Gwenvael? Oh, she was so very drunk. “You’ll not defile me with this…” she looked him over carefully, “…gorgeous human body of yours.”
“I know. You’ll be defiled by Briec’s gorgeous human body.”
She punched him in the shoulder and Gwenvael actually winced. “I will not. He’s such a pushy, arrogant bastard. More than you, believe it or not.”
“Oh, I believe it.”
“But I have no desire to be…” She searched for words and Gwenvael decided to help her there.
“Fucked within an inch of your life?”
“Gwenvael,” Éibhear warned.
“I’m just helping her.”
“No.” Talaith shook her head. “You’re being a bastard. But I’m getting used to that. Besides,” she patted his shoulder, “you’re such a cute bastard.”
“Talaith,” Éibhear said softly. “Perhaps we should get you back to your room.”
“No. He’ll be there. Lurking outside my chamber like a giant scaly watchdog.”
“Briec would never force himself on you,” Éibhear assured her. Because he knew his brother never would. To be quite blunt, he couldn’t be bothered.
“I know. He can be so nice,” she said sadly, “when he’s not being an arrogant son of a bitch.”
“If you know that,” Gwenvael cut in, “I’m not sure why it would concern you where my brother slept. Unless it is your own control that concerns you, m’lady.”
Talaith raised her hand and flicked Gwenvael’s still-healing wound.
“Ow!”
“Don’t irritate me.” She hugged the bottle to her chest and sighed. “None of you understand. I’m trapped with no way out. I’ve been trapped now for sixteen years.”
Éibhear and Gwenvael exchanged concerned glances. What was she talking about? At first, he thought she was still talking about Briec, but she’d only known him a few days. For some other reason she felt the need to leave. For a reason Éibhear knew she’d never share with them. Talaith had been keeping secrets for a very long time. He knew that even drunk, she’d still keep those secrets.
“I wish you’d let us help you, Talaith.” He gently pushed her curly hair off her face. “At least let Briec.” Briec would do anything for her, except neither of them had realized it yet.
“No one can help me, Éibhear. I’ve learned that all too well, my friend.”
Somehow she pushed herself to her feet, the bottle still gripped in one hand and pressed to her chest. “I’m going to stagger to my room now.”
“Talaith—”
“No. No. I’ll be fine.” She took several awkward steps, then stopped. “You. I knew you’d be lurking.”
Éibhear turned to see Briec leaning against the entrance wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His human form looked casual enough, but Éibhear sensed his brother’s concern. Briec would never admit it, but he cared about this lovely but strange woman who couldn’t hold her drink.
“Come, Talaith. Let me take you to bed,” Briec offered.
“I can manage well enough on my own, serpent.” She walked toward him. “So just keep your claws off me.” She hiccupped once and pitched forward. Briec caught hold of her before she landed face first in the dirt.
“Briec?”
“Don’t worry, Éibhear. I’ll take care of her.” Briec lifted the unconscious woman up in his arms. “Thanks for finding her before she drowned herself.”
Éibhear waited until he was sure Briec was out of hearing range, then turned to Gwenvael. “You’re right, you know?”
“About?”
“She is going to make his life hell.”
Gwenvael grinned, his wound seemingly forgotten. “I know.”
* * *
Briec laid his drunken human down on the bed, finally prying the bottle of Fire Wine from her grasp. Even he didn’t drink his father’s homemade wine, but he had used it to clean rust off old armor.
He brushed Talaith’s hair off her face and her brown eyes fluttered open. “Oh. It’s you.”
Did she have to sound so disappointed? “Aye. It’s me.”
“Come to take advantage of me in my inebriated state?”
“I try not to do that. Nothing worse than the morning-after sobbing.”
She laughed while struggling to sit up. “I don’t understand you, dragon.”
“What don’t you understand?”
“Sometimes you can be so nice, and I can almost forget how annoying you are. And then you open your mouth, and I remember exactly how annoying you are.”
She finally found a way to sit up and, for a brief moment, he expected her to pitch forward again, but she managed to keep her seat. He watched her struggle with the ribbon tying her bodice together, which she managed to get completely knotted up.
Sighing, he kneeled in front of her and pushed her hands away. “At this rate, you’ll be sober before you get your dress off.”