What a Dragon Should Know (Dragon Kin #3)(67)

“It is that.”

“I hope my family wasn’t too overwhelming back there by the lake,” he murmured as he gently led her around two arguing merchants.

“I find it amusing you’d ask that after meeting my kinsmen.”

He chuckled, his hand lingering on her waist as he pulled her to a stop. “Now before we go inside—”

“Gwenvael!” The trio of shrieks startled Dagmar, and she turned in time to see three young and rather attractive women throw themselves onto the Gold, their arms wrapping around his neck, shoulders, and chest. They squealed again, showering his face with kisses.

Dagmar glanced around and quickly surmised they were in a section of the market where sex was sold. She rolled her eyes, wondering why the idiot couldn’t have found a less obvious place to have a chat.

Remembering each woman’s name, Gwenvael greeted them kindly and kissed each on the cheek. He asked questions about their children and business, surprising Dagmar with his knowledge of their personal lives. Her brothers barely knew the camp girls’ names, much less whether they had children or not.

Dagmar turned when she felt a tug on her sleeve, a human male standing next to her. “Yes?”

“Yeah, how much for the blonde?”

Dagmar blinked, glanced back at Gwenvael and the three girls before asking, “Pardon?”

“The blonde. How much for the blonde? The bigger one. Just for an hour or so?”

Of course. Dagmar would never be one of the whores … she must be selling the whores.

“Five coppers for an hour,” she replied. “Any more than that and it’ll cost you.”

“An hour will do.” He reached into his pocket and handed her five copper pieces. She dropped them into her satchel, tapped Gwenvael on the shoulder, and said, “He’s bought you for an hour of sex. Enjoy.”

She walked off, heading toward another set of gates that would lead her to more stables, more soldiers’ quarters, a main courtyard, and, eventually, the queen’s castle. But she laughed when the man behind her yelled, “Wait one damn minute!”

Why was she the villain in this scenario? Why was she the one everyone was clucking their tongues at when all she wanted to do was protect her only daughter?

For the last three days she’d heard nothing but pleas on Izzy’s behalf, as if Talaith had ordered her execution. It was unfair, and she was tired of it. She was especially tired of her mate. As much as she loved him, there were some days she knew she’d have no trouble kicking the living crap out of him.

Why could no one remember? Izzy was her only child and would remain her only child. The Nolwenn witches of Alsandair were only allowed one child by the gods. It was the price her ancestors had agreed to for their longevity and power.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” she snapped at Briec, storming past him and out of their room.

“You can’t keep walking away from this conversation,” he said from behind her. “You will have to face this. And I’m thinking you’ll have to face this soon.”

“There is nothing to face. She can stay here, protect these borders. It was only seven months ago that we were under attack.”

“That was a completely different situation and you know it. And staying here is not what Izzy wants.”

Talaith cut through the Great Hall, pushing past some sad-faced, grey-cloaked traveler standing around looking confused and lost. Most times she’d question a stranger’s presence, but she was too annoyed to really notice and went straight outside, Briec still on her heels.

“She’s a child,” she reminded her mate for, perhaps, the ten-millionth time.

“She’s a warrior. Or she will be.”

“She’s a child.” Her child, dammit, but everyone kept forgetting that. “I don’t care how good she is with a sword or a spear or anything else she’s trained with. A real battle is very different from taking on someone wearing protective padding.”

“I know that. But she’ll never learn how to survive in a real battle without being in one. And where the hell are you going?”

“For three days your family has been down by the lake, and no one has properly greeted them. I told Fearghus I’d handle it since none of you could be—” Briec caught her arm and spun her around so fast she didn’t even finish her sentence.

“He did what?”

Before Talaith could tell her mate to get his damn hands off of her, Gwenvael walked up to them. “Ho, brother!”

“Shut up,” Briec snarled, immediately turning his attention back to her.

“And I’m so glad to be back, too!” Gwenvael went on cheerfully. “And it means so much everyone cares that I suffered such pain and nearly died while trying to protect our secrets.”

“We have no secrets, you idiot.”

Talaith yanked her arm away from Briec’s grip and went on her toes to kiss Gwenvael’s misleadingly sweet face. “Hello, handsome.”

“My sweet, sweet Talaith. Did you miss me?”

“Every day and night, my love.”

Gwenvael had grown on her as no other oversexed male ever had before. There was a lot of heart hidden behind so much idiocy.

“Morfyd’s waiting for you,” Briec snapped. “Now piss off.”