Last Dragon Standing (Dragon Kin #4)(65)

“Now everyone smile! And welcome him!”

Keita took a breath and called out, “Talaith?” The witch, who’d gone back into the castle a few minutes before, came out.

With a nod of her head, Keita motioned behind her. “Look who’s here.”

Talaith stepped around her mate and Fearghus. “Gods…Éibhear?”

“He’s grown a bit,” Keita teased.

“Éibhear!” Talaith cheered, throwing her arms in the air before charging down the stone steps and over to their youngest sibling.

“See?” Keita pointed out. “That is welcoming.” Fearghus and Briec looked at each other, shrugged, and threw their arms in the air. “Éibhear!” they both cheered in high-pitched voices that made her stamp her foot.

“That is not what I meant!”

Another stunning woman charged over to the oversized pup and threw herself into his arms.

“What does that boy have?” Vigholf asked. As if Meinhard would know. He worked hard simply not to have human females run from him screaming. As his sister once put it, “That permanent scowl you wear and the fact you can’t really see your neck because of your shoulders just makes human women think you only want to rape and pillage their villages. But once they get to know you…”

“Talaith!” the pup said, spinning the female in a circle.

“I’m so glad you’re home.” She kissed him on the cheeks, then the mouth. “And look how big you’ve gotten.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“If you dropped me from this height, I’d be dead by the time I landed.”

“Stop it, Talaith.”

She hugged him again, laughed. “You look wonderful, and all I care about is that you’re home.”

“I’m glad to be home.”

Princess Morfyd walked up behind her brother, patting his back.

“Does my brother not look handsome, Lady Talaith?”

“Gorgeous, Lady Morfyd.”

“Stop it.” The Blue’s cheeks turned red, and he ducked his head.

“Is he blushing?” Vigholf asked.

“I think so,” Meinhard said.

“Have you ever blushed?”

“Not that I know of.”

“You’re forgetting your manners, brother,” Princess Morfyd lightly chastised.

“Oh. You’re right.” Éibhear carefully placed the woman in his arms down. “Talaith, Daughter of Haldane, this is Lord Vigholf and Lord Meinhard.”

The woman smiled, and all Vigholf and Meinhard could do was stare.

She cleared her throat and asked the royal, “Should I be running for my life?”

“No, no. I just think they’ve never met anyone from Alsandair before.”

“Ahh. I see.”

No. She couldn’t see. But Vigholf spoke for them both when he sighed out, “By the gods of war and death, my lady, you are astoundingly beautiful.”

Her grin grew, and she curtsied a bit. “Why thank you, fine sirs.” But before Vigholf and Meinhard could fight to the death to see who would claim her hand, they suddenly had some Southland dragon in human form standing between them and their prize.

“Lightnings,” he sneered.

“Fire Breather,” they sneered back.

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “This one’s mine.”

“Oy!” came the woman’s voice from behind him.

“Tragically, this one doesn’t have wings for you to hack off anyway, but feel free to go for the one that took your hair.” Vigholf roared at the insult, and Meinhard, hopping on one leg, reached for the battle ax tied to his back.

But good Princess Keita rushed between them. “No, no, no! All of you promised me!”

They had, and, as hard as it was, the cousins immediately apologized.

The Fire Breather, however…

“I promised you nothing, baby sister.”

“You most certainly…” The princess’s words faded, and she studied Vigholf and Meinhard closely. “Where’s Ragnar?” she asked them.

Suddenly that detestable Gold known among their people as the Ruiner caught his sister’s arm and swung her around to face him.

Meinhard reached for his ax again as the Ruiner demanded, “That purple-haired bastard is here?”

Éibhear pulled his sister away from the Gold and said, “He is, and you will not act like an idiot.”

“Where is he?”

“He went off.”

The Ruiner grabbed his brother’s nose and twisted until he had Éibhear bent at the waist. “Where, you idiot? Where did he go off to?”

“I don’t know! Toward some house in the woods outside the main gates!”

“Bastard!”

The Ruiner snarled and took off running.

The silver dragon, laughing, yelled after him, “Run, brother! Run before that Lightning snatches her out from under you—again!”

“And on that note…” Princess Morfyd clapped her hands together.

“Let’s get you upstairs, my lords, and get you settled.”

“I still didn’t agree to their stay—” a black dragon began.