Briec stopped walking and again sniffed the air. Gritting his fangs, he turned to Gwenvael and together they said, “Éibhear.”
Talaith glanced up as the silver and gold dragons stomped into the chamber. As soon as the silver saw her, his eyes narrowed, and she had the overwhelming desire to protect Éibhear.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Éibhear, who’d shifted back into human and graciously put on a pair of black breeches out of respect to Talaith, fairly ignored his brother as he tilted her head back a bit more to get at her wounded neck.
“What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Don’t backtalk me. I asked you a question.”
“And I don’t see the need to answer it. As it is, I’m so angry at you right now, I don’t even want to see your face.”
“What are you talking about?”
Unable to stop herself, Talaith sucked her breath in between her teeth and cringed. Éibhear’s face softened as he looked at her.
“I’m sorry. This will only take a minute or so more.” By the gods…that voice! She nearly envied the woman who would wake up every morning to that voice greeting her. Of course, the silver dragon’s was nothing to sneer at. Only his made her think of dirty, dirty things.
“That’s all right. I’m fine.”
By sheer force of will, Talaith stood her ground while Éibhear gently smoothed on more cream. He said his sister, a fellow witch, had created it and that it would manage the pain of the rope burn on her neck. The blue dragon had been horrified when he realized his brother had not taken care of her wound. Of course, Talaith knew she would have never let the silver dragon get that close to her.
Plus it had completely “slipped” her mind that he’d asked her to remind him to care for her neck. The big bastard should have remembered without her reminding him.
All right, Talaith. Now you sound like a wife.
Éibhear motioned for her to lift up her hair as he moved around to get where the noose had dug into the skin behind the backs of her ears.
“Did you never think to treat this, big brother?”
By the startled look on the silver’s face, followed by the glare in Talaith’s direction, he remembered quite well their earlier conversation.
“She’d promised to remind me.”
“Remind you?” Éibhear stood behind her, but she heard the annoyance and outrage in his voice.
The gold leaned back on his haunches and shook his head. “How could you? You bastard.”
“Shut. Up.”
The gold glanced at her and winked. Cheeky idiot.
“Fine,” Éibhear went on. “I understand how that could slip your mind. But while I’m doing this”—he gently moved some of her stray hairs out of his way—“why don’t you introduce us, big brother?”
“Oh. Of course.” The silver cleared his throat, opened his giant maw to speak…but nothing came out.
Éibhear kept putting on the ointment, but the gold clearly expected his brother to introduce them properly. When he said nothing, the gold balked.
“Are you telling me you don’t know her name?” the gold demanded.
“Well, I, uh—”
Stepping away from her, Éibhear closed up the jar of ointment as she released her hair. Her eyes began to water from the pain and she wondered about the logic of allowing Éibhear to put that dragon-created junk on her human flesh. The dragon witch probably made it for something with scales.
Éibhear dropped the jar in a small bag he had with him. “He’s had her since yesterday.”
The gold’s eyes practically exploded from his head, then he burst out laughing.
Talaith said nothing as Éibhear pushed her hair off her face to examine a small scrape on her forehead. But she knew the silver didn’t appreciate the familiar move one damn bit. Good.
“It was an oversight,” her kidnapper gave by way of explanation.
Éibhear’s silver eyes locked on his brother. “I know her name. And I’ve known her about ten minutes.”
“I’m Gwenvael the Handsome,” the gold stopped laughing long enough to say. “At your service, m’lady.” He made a low, sweeping bow and the silver brought his tail down on the back of the gold’s head. “Ow! What was that for?”
“Accident,” the silver snapped. He turned back to Éibhear. “This is none of your concern, baby brother. I saved her, therefore she—”
“If you say,” she spit out between tightly clenched teeth, surprising them all, “I belong to you, one more time. I swear by all that’s holy I will scream these walls down.”
The three dragons silently stared at her. When she didn’t back down or look away, the gold fell into another fit of laughter that caused the silver to roll his eyes practically to the back of his head.
“Hungry, m’lady?” Éibhear asked as he stood beside her. It suddenly occurred to her the pain no longer plagued her.
She almost sighed in relief, but instead said, “Starved.”
He held his arm out. Like the rest of him, his arm was big and muscular. In fact, his human form was bigger than even the silver’s. “Then let’s get you fed.”
She took his arm gratefully, and they headed toward the exit. As she passed the silver, she stopped and looked up at him.
“And the name is Talaith, in case you were wondering.”
With that, the pair walked off, but she could still hear the gold’s hysterical laughter tormenting his brother.
After Briec slammed Gwenvael’s head into the floor a few thousand times, he shifted into human, yanked on a pair of breeches and boots and went in search of his human.
Talaith.
A very pretty name. It fit her. And he probably should have asked her what her name was…he just didn’t think of it. She’d never believe it, but the woman distracted him. To be honest, he was surprised he could remember his own name when in her presence.
Besides, it’s not like she took a breath long enough during her constant chatter to allow him to ask her much of anything. Especially important questions like who the hell she really was. He had no doubt she was truly a Nolwenn witch, but she was much more than that. So very much more.
It didn’t take long to track down the pair. Like all his kin, Gwenvael had set up several of the cave alcoves for the possibility of humans stopping by. He had several furnished with beds, chests for their clothes, bookcases. Whatever they may need. This particular chamber had a dining table and cooking pit. A lamb slowly roasted over the open flame while Talaith and Éibhear ate fruit, bread, and cheese. When he walked in she was laughing, turned in her chair to face his brother. She looked…comfortable.
He stopped before reaching them and tried to understand this awkward new feeling. No. He wasn’t liking this one bit either. He felt it now every time he looked at her. The feeling that he’d give anything merely to hold her close.
Briec shook his head. Exactly what had this woman done to him? Damn Nolwenn witches. Apparently even the untrained ones cast spells.
His brother and Talaith looked up at his approach. And as soon as she saw him, her smile faded and her laughter died. She sat straight in her chair, turning to face the table.
He frowned at Éibhear in concern, but his brother merely raised an eyebrow