Well, that didn’t sound much better. But the thought of flying turned her stomach.
“Can’t we stay here?”
Gwenvael smiled. This cave was his. “Why, of course you…ow!”
His claw covering where Briec’s tail had slashed his snout, he yelled, “What was that for?”
“Accident.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Talaith stepped out from behind Éibhear, who looked ready to blast his brother out of the bloody cave. “Don’t fight.”
“Then we best leave.”
Talaith scratched her head and wished she hadn’t had all those sausages for breakfast. “Fine.”
“Talaith…” Éibhear moved toward her, but she immediately saw Briec wouldn’t stand for that.
“It’s all right, Éibhear. I’m sure I’ll be fine. If I don’t fall to my death.”
Sighing in exasperation, Briec barked, “Woman, you test my patience.”
“And you push mine,” she snapped back.
She smiled at Éibhear. “It was lovely meeting you, Éibhear.”
“Well, I hope we see each other again.”
He could hope, but she knew better. Instead of lying, she reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck…or, at least trying. Dragons were so big. “And thank you for all the books.”
“I’ll send you more,” he promised.
She nodded and stepped away. “Now please take care of yourself. Especially in this weather.”
“I will.”
“And don’t let Gwenvael goad you into a fight.”
“I won’t.”
Briec let out a big sigh behind her, but she ignored him. “And be good, Éibhear the Blue.” She rubbed his snout with her hand.
“Are you going to tell me to be good as well,” Gwenvael asked.
Talaith rolled her eyes. “Oh, why bother?”
“It’s polite.”
She turned from Éibhear and walked up to Gwenvael. “Perhaps. But you are not. Polite, that is.”
“This is true.” He lowered his snout close to her. “Can I get a rub as well?”
Laughing, Talaith reached up and rubbed her hand against the scale-covered flesh between his nostrils, successfully avoiding the fresh wound. “You are a beast, Gwenvael the Handsome. And I can’t wait until some female comes along who will make your life absolutely intolerable.”
“That’s a lovely sentiment. Could you put that into verse for me?”
“I’m waiting,” Briec bellowed.
With a resigned sigh, Talaith walked over to Briec. “Perhaps we could—”
“Get on or I’ll take you there in my claw.”
“You are not a nice dragon at all.”
She grabbed hold of his hair and awkwardly hauled herself onto his back.
“Comfortable?”
“I’d be much more comfortable back in my…aaayieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
And she screamed like that all the way to Briec’s den.
* * *
“How bad is it?”
Brastias shrugged at Morfyd’s question. “It’s slowed us down. The mud will make it slow going. Why?”
“Only wondering when we’ll get back to Dark Plains.” He didn’t like the frown of worry marring that beautiful face. He adored everything about that face, but especially the female beneath it. He didn’t like to see her upset.
“Before the storms I would have told you not long. I mean, we separated from the other troops to get back quicker. But when Annwyl began circling this general area—”
“We’ve been going in circles?”
Her angry exclamation startled him. “I thought you knew.”
“I’ve had so much on my mind.” She rubbed her forehead. “Where’s Annwyl?”
“Sleeping. And please don’t wake her up.”
“Yes, but—”
“You know how she is when she hasn’t seen Fearghus for a long time. And she hasn’t seen Fearghus for a very long time.”
In battle, the queen’s forced separation from her mate made Annwyl a formidable foe. But when the battles were over, the men avoided the woman like she bore the plague. Unless Fearghus was near to keep her…uh…occupied.
“All right. I’ll wait until she wakes.”
“Is it something you can tell me about?”
Those blue eyes he dreamed of almost every night turned toward him. “It’s nothing to worry about, Brastias.” She patted his shoulder and his entire body tightened. She had to stop doing that. She kept touching him like a friend or one of her brothers. The last thing he felt for Morfyd the White Dragonwitch of Dark Plains was brotherly.
“You sure? I can be quite helpful.”
Finally, she smiled. Good. He loved seeing her smile. “I know you are, my friend.”
Friend? “Morfyd, I—”
Lightning flashed and storm clouds suddenly appeared. Morfyd looked up at the sky. “Dammit.”
Brastias sensed her concern went beyond getting Annwyl back to Fearghus. “What is it, Morfyd? What aren’t you telling me?”
Shaking her head, the woman turned from him and walked off. He watched her until she disappeared into her tent, then the skies opened up and rain poured down on him.
* * *
“Hold on.”
“Hold on? Why?” Talaith finally lifted her head from where she had it buried in Briec’s mane of silver hair. She should have never looked. The dragon was heading right for a waterfall…and he wasn’t stopping.