About a Dragon (Dragon Kin #2)(85)

“Is it all right if I have dinner in my room tonight?”

Talaith looked up and couldn’t help smiling at how beautiful her daughter was. And how lucky Talaith was. Not only to have finally gotten to meet her after all these years, but that her daughter survived with her wits and heart intact. Unlike Talaith, there was no bitterness in Izzy. No callous distrust of everyone. A glowing, happy girl who loved life but didn’t fear death.

How did I get so lucky?

“Of course you can. Is everything all right?”

“Aye. Just don’t feel like smiling and being polite tonight.”

She knew exactly how the girl felt, but if Talaith didn’t go, she knew Briec would think it was because of him. Of course, he’d be right.

“I understand. Feel free to eat in your room. You know, Izzy, you don’t actually have to ask me that. I’m sure you can decide where you’d like to eat without my help.”

Izzy shrugged. “I know.” She rubbed her hands against her leggings. “It’s just…”

“It’s just what?” she prompted when Izzy stopped.

“I don’t know what I should and shouldn’t be asking you. I mean, this is all a bit new to me.”

Talaith held her hand out and her daughter took it gratefully, crouching beside the tub and holding Talaith’s hand close to her heart.

“I have no idea what I’m doing either, love. So we’ll figure it out together. You and me. Does that sound about right to you?”

“Aye. Except….”

“Except what?”

“What about Briec?”

It took all Talaith’s strength not to pull back her hand in shock. “What about him?” Damn. She didn’t mean to sound so angry. A bit of a clue something was wrong.

“Shouldn’t you both be making decisions together?”

“And why would we do that?”

“Because he loves you.”

Dammit. “Does he now?”

“Aye. And it hurt him you didn’t tell him that after he told you.”

Now Talaith did snatch her hand back. “And how do you know that?”

“He told me after I fell out of the sky.”

Briec…quickly forgotten. “Pardon?”

Now Izzy showed true annoyance. “Well, you can blame Éibhear for that.”

“I can?”

“Aye. If he’d just taken me flying when I asked him too, I never would have grabbed on to his tail which led him to drag me through the trees trying to get me off.”

All those muscles Talaith had unknotted when she first got in the tub were now tight and painful.

“You did what?”

“Why are you yelling at me? You should be yelling at Éibhear.”

“You ask me if you can eat dinner in your room, but you don’t ask me if you can torture Éibhear to take you flying?”

Truly perplexed, Izzy asked softly, “Why would I ask you that?”

* * *

Éibhear lifted up the heavy bed, with Briec face down on it, and checked again.

“What are you doing?” his big brother asked, voice muffled by the bedding he’d buried his head in.

“Looking for my sword. The one Annwyl gave me. I was going to wear it at dinner.”

He dropped the bed back down and Briec grunted.

“Exactly how long are you going to mope over this, Briec?”

“Until I die of old age. Now you won’t have to ask me that damn question again.”

Éibhear opened his closet and rifled through there. “I hate seeing you like this.”

“Aye,” Gwenvael agreed from his safe position on the windowsill. “You are quite pathetic.”

“I will kill you,” Briec warned without lifting his head from the bed.

“Well, what did you expect Talaith to say to you?”

“I expected her to tell me she loves me.”

“Maybe she doesn’t…ow! What the hell was that for?”

Éibhear shook his hand out. It was true. Gwenvael did have an amazingly hard head. “Accident.”

Gwenvael’s body tensed and Éibhear prepared himself for a fight when a loud banging at his door stopped them both. They figured it was Fearghus from the sound of it.

“Come.”

The door opened and his worst nightmare walked in, pushed by her mother who had firm hold of her shoulder.

“What do you want, little girl?”

“Be nice,” Briec growled without lifting his head from the pillow—until he heard Talaith’s voice. Then his head snapped up and he stared at her.

Aye, his brother truly did love her. Éibhear could see it in the dragon’s violet eyes.

“Say it, Izzy,” Talaith snapped.

“I don’t think I should…ow!”

Éibhear bit back his smile when Talaith tugged her daughter’s hair.

“Don’t make me tell you again.”

The girl’s light brown eyes locked on his and he raised an eyebrow, thoroughly annoying her. But it seemed she didn’t want to test her mother. “I’m sorry…” Her glare became worse when he gave her a huge, taunting grin.

“Finish it,” her mother ordered.