How to Drive a Dragon Crazy (Dragon Kin #6)(34)

“What is wrong with them?” Annwyl petted his cheek. “You poor, poor thing.”

Behind the women, Izzy’s mouth dropped open and she gawked at him.

“It’s all right,” Éibhear said, lowering his eyes to look more sincere and to give himself a moment to get control in the face of Izzy’s outraged expression. “I’m sure they didn’t mean it.”

“They just don’t deserve you as a brother,” Talaith nearly snarled.

“I’ll go talk to them,” Annwyl said. But she cracked her knuckles. “Right now.”

Izzy cut in front of Annwyl, forced a smile. “Why don’t I talk to them? Daddy listens to me.”

“You want my sword?”

Izzy blinked. Hard. “No. I don’t think that’s necessary. To talk to my father and uncles that I adore.”

“You want me warhammer then?”

Deciding not to answer Annwyl, Izzy turned and faced her mother. “Hi, Mum.”

Talaith went up on her toes and hugged Izzy tight. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Did you send for me?” she asked.

“No.” Talaith stepped back. “I didn’t. Why?”

“Ragnar said she was wanted home,” Éibhear explained.

“That didn’t come from me.”

“Dad?”

“You’ll have to ask him. I’m not talking to him right now.”

Izzy cringed. “Again?”

Lips pursed, Talaith turned from her daughter. “He’s in the war room.”

Izzy headed off, but as the other women focused back on Éibhear, Izzy turned on her heel and shook her head at him in disgust. Too bad for her that only made him laugh a little.

After getting Gwenvael off the floor and fetching cold cloths for her father and uncles’ heads, Izzy asked, “So Mum has been right all this time.... You do continue to fight with him.”

“He started it,” they stated in unison and Izzy rubbed her forehead with the tips of her fingers.

“That’s pathetic. You’re his wiser and older brothers . . . and Gwenvael.”

Gwenvael smiled. “I missed you, too, Iseabail.”

She kissed the dragon’s golden head. “And I you. But I still don’t know why I’m here.”

The three dragons looked at each other and back at her, then shrugged.

“Why are you here?” her father asked.

“Didn’t you send for me?”

“No.”

Fearghus cracked his neck. “Last we heard, you were killing ogres. Why would we stop you from doing that? We know how you enjoy it so.”

“Ragnar said I’d been sent for. At least that’s what he told Éibhear.” She briefly studied the males. “And why were you fighting with Éibhear?”

“He didn’t like what we had to say about why he was sent to the Mì-runach.”

“Although, he was lucky,” Briec argued. “It could have been the salt mines.”

“Did sending him away have anything to do with me?”

“Sending him away?” Fearghus shook his head. “Of course not, Izzy. We’d never do that.”

“Good.”

“But keeping him away? Aye. That we did.”

Izzy winced and had to admit, “That doesn’t seem fair to him.”

“Perhaps, but it seemed easier that way,” Briec sighed.

“Easier for whom?”

“For me. Was I not clear on the importance of me?”

Izzy smiled at Fearghus and Gwenvael. “I love my daddy.”

Briec sniffed. “Of course you do.”

Éibhear grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table, shaking his head as he bit into the fruit.

“Ragnar didn’t tell me who asked for her,” he said around the bite of fruit in his mouth. “Then again, I didn’t ask.”

Annwyl, who was sitting on the table and ramming the wood with a dagger, demanded, “How could you not ask?”

“By not opening my mouth and speaking.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You and that sarcasm.”

“I was actually just being honest.”

Talaith checked Éibhear’s head wound again. “That ointment I put on there should help heal this by tonight.”

“Will it leave a scar?”

“Do you care?”

“Maybe. If I’m left hideous, will you still love me as you do?”

Talaith folded her arms over her chest. “Who says I love you now?”

“You do . . . with your eyes.” Talaith and Annwyl laughed, and Éibhear, grinning, reached blindly over for another piece of fruit. But what he now held in his hand didn’t feel like an apple. More like a melon . . . covered in chain mail.

Confused, he looked over and realized that he’d inadvertently taken hold of Izzy’s right breast. Even worse, his three brothers stood behind her, all of them focused on where his hand met her chest.

Éibhear raised his gaze and met Izzy’s. They stared at each other, with Éibhear’s hand still . . . there.

Izzy raised a brow and asked, “You just going to leave it there?”