Addolgar . . . the others?
Ease yourself, sister. They’re fine. But tell me you’re all right.
I’m fine, brother. Healing but fine. Are all the traitors dead?
No. And she could feel her brother’s anger even at this great distance. Feoras and quite a few others escaped while we killed their comrades. Seems loyalty is in short supply these days.
Good. Then I can kill Feoras myself.
We’re coming for you, Ghleanna.
No! You’ll be outnumbered and underwater has never been our best battleground.
I’ll not leave you to die among the Fins.
I have no intention of dying anytime soon, brother. Call to the Cadwaladrs. Get them ready for battle.
Those who aren’t already here are headed this way.
Good. Wait to hear from me. But do not, under any circumstances, come down here to fetch me. Understand?
Ghleanna—
Understand?
Aye. No need to bark so. I hear you just fine.
Then I won’t need to repeat myself.
After a moment, Addolgar asked, The royal?
With me. Alive.
Her brother grunted. Good. I owe that bastard an ale. Hate to have it over his funeral pyre.
That’s very sweet, brother.
Go, sister. Rest.
I will. But send a few of the cousins over to Bram’s parents’ cave and his sister’s. It’s best we watch out for them as well until Feoras has been dealt with. But tell them nothing. Leave that to Bram.
I’ll take care of it. Now get some rest, sister. The Cadwaladrs will be ready when you need us to be.
Ghleanna ended the communication with her brother and relaxed back into the mattress. Through tears of relief, she looked at Bram and told him, “All who betrayed us will die.”
Bram nodded and kissed the back of her hand. “And I’d expect no more and no less.”
Bram jerked awake, confused about where he was, his gaze searching the room. It wasn’t until he saw Ghleanna asleep in the bed, the fur covering her only up to her waist, that he remembered.
He didn’t know how the Fins did it. Lived under the ocean’s surface in the outcrop of caves they’d discovered eons ago. Bram couldn’t tell if it was morning or night. Had the suns come out or was it raining? Was it chilly or warm? He felt trapped in this place and he hated it. And although he could sneak out anytime he wanted—the guards barely noticed him and allowed him to leave the room as he pleased—he knew he wouldn’t go, which was why Helena allowed him the freedom of her palace. She knew he wouldn’t leave without Ghleanna.
He let his gaze rest on the She-dragon and again thanked the gods for saving her. She was healing quite well and was looking stronger with each passing hour. Aye, the wizards and surgeons had done a good job. But lack of skill, talent, and knowledge had never been a problem for the Fins. They were, in fact, well regarded for their knowledge on a vast wealth of subjects. No, the true weakness of the Fins was their arrogance.
Something that said a lot considering all dragons were arrogant to some degree. As a race they simply couldn’t help themselves. But even with their arrogance, most of them knew they couldn’t separate themselves from the world around them and still function. They needed humans, they needed other breeds of dragons, they needed the gods . . . they needed everything life had to offer. Yet the Fins felt they were above all that. They didn’t need anything but their brilliance and their ability to live under the vast ocean.
“Do you never rest, peacemaker?”
Bram blinked, realizing Ghleanna was awake and had been watching him. He’d been so busy letting his eyes rove over her exposed body, he’d failed to notice.
“I’ve slept some.”
“Just some?”
“It’s not easy to relax.”
“Worried the Empress will change her mind?”
“She’s been known to.”
Ghleanna started to push herself up and Bram came to her side, slipped his arm around her, and helped her until she could lean her back against the headboard. He brought the fur covering up until it covered her chest.
She glanced down and back at him. “Something wrong with me tits?”
“No. They’re perfect. That’s the problem.”
She smiled. “I didn’t know I was such a distraction.”
“Then you are remarkably unobservant.”
Laughing, she patted the bed. “Sit with me before I get sleepy again.”
Bram did, sitting on the edge of the bed. A very respectable distance.
“Here,” Ghleanna pushed. “Stretch out next to me.”
He thought about arguing but realized he didn’t want to. He hated being respectable all the time. Especially since most dragons weren’t, so why was he?
To Ghleanna’s surprise, Bram got on the bed beside her. He stayed on top of the fur and kept his boots on, but that was all right. She wasn’t sure he could handle it if she told him to strip naked.
“I have one question for you, Bram. And I want you to be honest with me.”
“Of course.”
“Are you in danger here? Should we be getting you out?” Bram gazed at her. “You think I’d leave you?”
“My assignment was to get you to Alsandair and back—alive. If something happened to me along the way . . . well, that’s the price one pays when a soldier.”
“Unless I know you’re safe, there won’t be an alliance.”
“But—”
“I’m not leaving you, Ghleanna. And we can argue about that until you pass out from exhaustion or you can just let it go so we can sit here and relax instead. Staring at that blue-green wall.”