Dragon Actually (Dragon Kin #1)(37)

Morfyd covered her face with her hands. “Just bloody wonderful.”

Fearghus walked past his treasure room toward his lake. He stopped, taking several steps back. Gwenvael sat on his pile of riches like he owned it.

“What are you doing?”

“Waiting for you. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“As if you are worth avoiding.”

“Well, it was either sit here or go sit on Annwyl. But she’d hurt me. Of course, I’m not sure I’d mind.”

Still drenched in sweat from his last encounter with Annwyl, he could still smell her all over his body, still taste her on his lips. So, he wasn’t about to let his idiot brother upset him. “What do you want?”

“I’m waiting for you to give me a message to take back.”

“There is no message. It’s none of their business.”

“Do you really think it’s that easy? Do you really think you don’t have to live by the same laws the rest of us do?”

Fearghus snorted. “What laws do you live by, little brother?”

Gwenvael grinned. “The ones that keep me alive and healthy.”

“Go back to them. Tell them anything you want. But when Annwyl leaves to fight her brother, I will be by her side.”

Gwenvael sighed. “She could never love you, brother. She’s human. I’d hate to see you give up your family for a girl that as soon as she finds out the truth, will run fast and far from you.”

Fearghus gritted his teeth and tamped down his desire to blast Gwenvael where he sat. He didn’t dare go near him. He might shift and rip the little bastard’s guts out.

“Get from my sight, boy. Before I send your head back to

them as a gift.” Fearghus headed toward his lake.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Gwenvael yelled after him.

Annwyl leaned her forehead against the dragon’s snout. “You’ve been very quiet this evening. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

She knew he was lying. He’d barely spoken two words in the past hour. “Did I do something?”

“No. Of course not. It’s just family problems. Nothing to concern yourself with.”

“That message Gwenvael brought with him. They don’t want you involved with my war, do they?”

The dragon sighed, heavily. “What they want doesn’t concern me.”

“I won’t come between you and your kin. You saved my life, you owe me nothing more.”

He pulled his majestic head away from her. “This isn’t about owing you anything, Annwyl. I fight by your side because that is what I choose to do.”

He moved away from her. Restless, he didn’t stand still for long this night. She also sensed his anxiety and annoyance. And she knew that somehow she stood at the heart of it, but she didn’t know what she’d done. Unless, of course . . . “Is this about the knight?”

The dragon stopped moving, but he didn’t turn to face her. “If I asked you to stop seeing him, would you?”

Annwyl closed her eyes. Finally, the question she dreaded since this all began. But she only had one answer for the dragon. Only one answer that would not be a lie.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you asked me to. And I am loyal to you and you alone. I’ll always be loyal to you, Fearghus.”

“Because I saved your life?”

“No. I owe you my life for that. If you hit me with a ball of flame I wouldn’t try and stop you. My life is yours to take. But my loyalty is not. That has to be earned. And you have.”

“How?”

“You’ve made me feel safe. When no other has.”

Annwyl drifted slowly to him. Once in front of him, she rested her hand on his snout. He closed his eyes at her touch. “For that you’ll always have my loyalty.”

She walked around the dragon and wrapped her arms as far around his neck as she could. She hugged him and, as always, he let her. “Good night, my friend.”

“Good night, Annwyl.”

She headed back to her chamber, but couldn’t help but slide her hand across his leathery wings and the scales of his body. Like she did every night.

Fearghus didn’t watch her leave, as he often did. His emotions a jumble in his head. The man that he played by day railed against the fact she could so easily give him up. The dragon agonized in confusion because she was willing to give up for him something that she clearly desired. But not once had she mentioned love. Only loyalty. Of course, he had not mentioned love either.

The little human managed to completely confound him and he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to forgive her for it.

She watched the soldiers quietly flow into the glen. She could smell their fear. They didn’t want to be in Dark Glen, no sane person would. So their other option must have been much worse. And once she recognized their armor, she realized it was. They were Lorcan’s men. He sent them to her brother’s glen. Sent them to find Annwyl.

She let them get farther in, away from any troops that might be waiting in safety outside the glen. She waited and she watched. When the time was right, she moved behind them, clearing her throat. The men stopped. At first, they wouldn’t turn around. Afraid of what they might find. But she waited, knowing their human curiosity would get the best of them. It did. When she saw their eyes, Morfyd let go a stream of fire that scorched them to cinders before they could scream.