About a Dragon (Dragon Kin #2)(23)

Chapter Seven

“Where the hell are the suns?”

Talaith’s head snapped up from her book at Briec’s angry shout somewhere off in the cave.

Gwenvael, who’d fallen asleep at the table, jerked awake, screaming, “I never touched her!”

Éibhear sighed in disgust. “You never fail to embarrass me.” He placed a bowl of hot porridge in front of Talaith. Where he learned to cook, she’d never know, but she appreciated it. He even made normally boring porridge delicious.

Gwenvael glared down at the bowl of porridge thrown in front of him. “Porridge? You want me to eat porridge?” He looked up at Éibhear. “Has your mind slipped since last night? Where’s that horse I found the other day?”

Talaith, unable to hide her shock and not really wanting to, stared at Gwenvael in horror.

Éibhear cleared his throat and glared at his brother. “The horse, idiot brother o’ mine, is safe and alive somewhere else.”

“Come on, Talaith,” Gwenvael implored. “You don’t mind if we eat—”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I do mind.”

He gave her what must be his best “imploring” face. “But, Talaith…my love.”

“Gwenvael…” she mimicked back to him, “…my pain.”

Éibhear laughed hard as Briec entered the chamber wearing only black breeches and boots. Does he have to look so…tasty? He sat in one of the chairs across from Talaith, threw his feet up on the table, pushed his porridge away and grabbed a piece of fruit. All while glaring at her.

She stared back, then said, “What are you looking at?”

He motioned to the ceiling with his hand. “Are you responsible for this?”

She glanced up at the rocky ceiling. It was actually kind of pretty with its sparkly shards hanging down. Of course, then she thought about those dropping on her head and suddenly they looked like dangerous blades. Shaking off the scary image, Talaith looked back at a still glaring Briec. “I didn’t do anything to the ceiling.”

“Not the ceiling,” he barked at her. “The weather.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Has being around dragons given me some kind of god-like status I am not aware of?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Éibhear bend his head over his porridge, desperately shoveling it into his mouth while Gwenvael simply laughed out loud.

Briec ignored his brothers and pointed an accusing finger at her. “You are the witch.”

“An untrained one, as you so eloquently pointed out. Besides, why would I play with the weather and risk angering the gods?” Like she didn’t have enough of that to worry about in general.

“Perhaps because you don’t want to leave. You seem so comfortable with my brothers, little witch.”

She leaned forward, ridiculously angry and loving every minute of it. For some strange reason, she felt completely safe arguing with this dragon—odd. “Because your brothers haven’t been pawing me or trying to see me naked.”

Gwenvael shrugged his massive shoulders. “Actually—”

Annoyed with the very sound of his voice, Talaith grabbed one of the fruits from the bowl near her plate and threw it. Her aim, as always, unerring. The large, round and juicy fruit slammed into Gwenvael’s head with unrelenting force.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Accident,” she snarled.

“Nice aim,” Briec grumbled. “For a quiet little wife.”

She turned to look at him, one eyebrow raised in challenge. “Your point?”

He growled, and she grinned. Which did nothing but piss the dragon off. But before he could do or say anything else, Éibhear looked up from his empty bowl. “So!”

Startled by his near shout, they all stared at him. “Doesn’t seem like the rain will let up. What would everyone like to do today since we’re stuck inside?”

Talaith pointed at the book on the table next to her bowl. “I’ve got this.”

“You read?” For some unknown reason, Éibhear seemed ridiculously happy about this.

“Aye.”

“She’s a well-read peasant,” Briec drawled out.

“I know where there are more books.” Éibhear jumped up and was out of the cavern in seconds.

“But I already have a book,” she said to no one in particular.

“I guess he feels you need more.”

Her eyes locked on Briec. “What I need is to be let go.”

“Why would I do that? Have you somehow fulfilled your blood debt to me without my knowledge?”

“I never asked for you to save me.”

“Most likely because of that rope choking the life from you.”

“Oh!” She stood. “I hate you. Perhaps you should go fly in the rain and lightning will strike you dead!”

Grabbing her book and ignoring her growling stomach, she turned and stormed from the cavern.

* * *

Gwenvael leaned back in his chair, his hand under his shirt so he could scratch his chest. The other hand rubbed his forehead where the fruit had made a rather unpleasant temporary dent. “So what is your obsession over this human female, brother?”

“She’s…” Briec struggled for words.