How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin #6)(115)

“Which is where you should be. In your own room.”

“I’ve been sleeping with you for the last few nights. Why would I change that now?”

She walked to the bed. “Because,” she explained, still whispering, “I think it would be rude to f**k under their roof when clearly they’re not okay with it.”

“Who said anything about f**king?”

Frowning, Izzy asked, “You just want to sleep with me?”

“If I hope to sleep well . . .” He patted the bed. “I promise, just sleep.”

“Where’s Macsen?”

“Under the bed and quite comfortable.”

“Under the bed?”

“He’s not outside, is he?” Éibhear gazed at her with those silver eyes. “Don’t make me sleep alone, Izzy.”

Gods, how could she resist that? Pathetic weakling that she was. It was the blue hair. It had to be the blue hair. She’d been enamored of it since she’d first met him. And if he lost it all? Well . . . all right. Perhaps she’d still be attracted to him, but she doubted she’d be so weak about where she slept and with whom.

Removing her travel clothes, Izzy slipped on a long cotton shirt that reached her knees and got onto the bed with Éibhear. She turned away from him and he settled in behind her, his arm around her waist, his face buried against the back of her neck.

“You worried about tomorrow?” he asked.

“Probably more than I should be.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be there every step of the way.”

“To protect me from my grandmother or my grandmother from me?”

Soft lips kissed the back of her neck before she heard, “Both.”

Annwyl sat up in her bed, a book open on her lap. Fearghus would be coming home late tonight, but that just meant she had a little time to herself to read. Unlike most nights when she ended up happily wrestling with Fearghus.

In fact, she was so looking forward to some time to herself, when she heard that knock on her bedroom door, she sighed and crossed her eyes before she said, “What?”

The door opened and to Annwyl’s surprise, her son stuck his head in. “Hello, Mum. Got a minute?”

“Of course. Come in.” She put a leather strip in her book to mark her place and put the book aside.

“What are you reading?” he asked.

“A history about wars in the Eastlands.”

“Interesting?”

“Very. But you didn’t come here about books, my love. What is it?”

Talan closed the door and walked into the room, sitting on the bed by Annwyl’s hip. “I have something to show you.”

“Then show me.”

The boy sighed before pulling a scroll out of the top of his boot and handing it to his mother.

“Someone sending you messages?” Annwyl asked, taking a look at the once-sealed document. Usually Annwyl was informed about any messages that came in for her offspring, but she’d heard nothing about this. Not even from Dagmar.

“Aye.”

“Instead of me reading it, just tell me, Talan.”

He cleared his throat and Annwyl realized this was the first time she’d ever seen her son look . . . uncomfortable. And, to be honest, knowing he had the ability to feel that emotion was surprisingly soothing to her.

“It’s all right, Talan. Go on.”

“Promise you won’t get mad?”

“No.”

Her direct answer made him laugh. “True, I shouldn’t ask the impossible.”

“I thought you’d have known that by now. So what is it? What’s in this scroll you think I should see—without your father here?”

“Far, far to the west, past the Sovereign Provinces, is a brotherhood of monks.”

“Monks?”

He shrugged. “Monks.”

“And what do the monks want?”

“They’ve offered me a place to be trained in Magicks involving nature. Powers almost completely pulled from the earth as opposed to the gods.” “You want to join a monastery?”

“Not permanently.”

Annwyl had to quickly scratch her head to stop herself from laughing. “Do they know that you don’t think of this as a permanent solution?”

“I don’t know what they know. I just know what I know. And I know I’ve learned all I can from Aunt Morfyd, Aunt Talaith, and Grandmum. But I’m not done learning.”

Annwyl glanced down at the scroll in her hand. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I know I can’t have sex while I’m there.”

“That wasn’t going to be my question, although your immediate response was quite telling. Best not have that same response around your father. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now my question is this.... Are you and your sister leaving because of me?”

It was only a moment, but she saw the look of surprise on her son’s face. The fact that Annwyl knew, without anyone telling her, that Talwyn was also getting ready to leave blindsided him. But he quickly concealed his surprise and answered, “I promise, Mum, if we could, Talwyn and I would stay here forever. Just . . . loafing around and getting in fights.”