They were silent for most of the walk until Briec muttered something to his brothers. They both nodded and kept moving, but Briec stopped. She stopped, too. She had to; he stood right in front of her.
He watched his brothers for a few more moments until they vanished in the dark of the forest.
“What are we doing?”
That’s when he turned and grabbed her arms, forcing her up against a tree.
“Tell me what you did!”
Her eyes narrowed. If he’d asked her nicely she might have answered him. Not now, though. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Don’t lie to me,” he growled low. His hands tightened on her arms and he pulled her up until she stood on her tiptoes.
And this…this was why she hated herself. She wanted him. More than she’d ever wanted him before. He yelled at her and all she could think about was having him take her, right there. Up against that tree.
Exactly what was wrong with her?
“Answer me, woman. Answer me right now!”
“Or what?” she snapped. “What exactly will you do to your prize?” she sneered the last bit and she knew she’d crossed the invisible line they’d been dancing around for days.
The black smoke curling from his nostrils really should have scared her more than it did…but it didn’t. It only managed to make the wetness between her legs triple in quantity.
And he knew it, too. Knew she wanted him. His nostrils—the ones with the black smoke still coming out of them—flared just the tiniest bit. And she knew he knew.
She only managed an “eep”, then he was kissing her. His tongue forcing its way past her lips and claiming her mouth.
She should cut his throat. She should yank her blade from her boot and cut his throat from ear to ear.
Snarling, she snatched her arms out of his grip, but only so she could wrap them around his neck and bury her hands in his hair. His big hands now gripped her ass, pulling her tight against him and they both groaned at the contact. She could feel his erection through her dress. She’d already seen the size of it, and knew exactly what it looked like. Her imagination soared with the damage that beauty could do to her body.
Their tongues tangled and she was seconds from reaching for his shaft in the hopes of releasing it out of his leggings and inside her. But before she could grab hold, he pried her hands off his neck. Then he dropped her. She stumbled back, thankful for the tree. It kept her butt from landing on the hard ground.
He walked away from her, his back to her, his hands resting on his hips. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled around them. Briec took huge gulps of air as if he’d run for leagues. For a moment, she thought he’d leave her in this forest—panting from the passion of that kiss. Leave her and all her damn secrets behind.
She wouldn’t blame him, it was the smart thing to do.
“Let us be off, brother,” Gwenvael called from the clearing.
“Aye,” he called back.
He still hadn’t turned to face her, but he spoke to her nonetheless. “When we get back, we’ll finish this discussion.”
“Is that what dragons call that…a discussion?”
Violet eyes glared at her over those big shoulders. “Don’t push me, woman. Not now.”
But she did want to push him. She wanted to push him until he took her, until he f**ked her raw and left her unable to even beg for more.
She shook her head as she followed behind him. Nay. That’s not normal, Talaith.
Chapter Nine
Briec followed her deep into his brother’s cave. The storms had started again before they’d barely taken to the air. It had been a hard, frightening ride as lightning lashed at them and rain poured onto them from the heavens as if the gods were pushing them back to the safety of Gwenvael’s cave. Yet he’d barely noticed. Not with Talaith’s thighs gripping his neck and her hands tangled tight in his hair. As usual, she squealed all the way back to the cave, but he could barely hear her over the raging winds.
Once they’d made it safely inside, she’d slid off his back without assistance and stormed off. As if she had a reason to be angry. He wasn’t the one hiding anything. Truly, he’d been honest to the point of blunt.
“What’s going on with you two?” Gwenvael questioned, sitting back on his haunches.
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying, Briec.”
He wasn’t lying. As far as he was concerned, until he was balls-deep inside that woman, nothing was going on. But he was ready to change that. Right now.
“I’m not lying. Leave it be.”
“Oi.” Éibhear stood beside the cave entrance, staring out at the pouring rain. “Anyone else a little concerned about this weather?”
Gwenvael and Briec rolled their eyes together, but Gwenvael said, “Uh-oh. Baby brother is concerned with the angry weather. It must mean something dire.”
Éibhear snarled, his silver eyes glaring at their gold brother. “You can both rot in hell.”
Leaving his siblings to their argument, which would probably last a good while, Briec went in search of Talaith. They had much to discuss.
He went to the alcove she’d been using as her bedroom. Each night since they’d been here, she’d gone to bed alone. And each night he’d slept outside her room, feeling this overwhelming need to keep her safe. It had been absolute hell, too. The woman moaned in her sleep. At first, he thought her in pain, so he’d rushed to her side, only to see her hands beneath the covers. He quickly realized she pleasured herself in her sleep.
Not getting into bed and taking up where her hand left off had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Somehow, though, he kept the promise he made himself to have this woman. But he’d have her awake and begging.
Her room now stood empty, so he continued on farther into the cave, following her scent. As her scent became stronger, his dragon body tightened in anticipation, realizing where she’d disappeared to.
He finally stood outside the cavern filled with hot springs. She’d been using this place every night to bathe. Apparently that was her current plan. He silently watched her as she untied the bodice of her dress, sighing as the tight material loosened around her flesh. She’d just started to peel the dress off her shoulders when she abruptly stopped, her entire back snapping straight.
Holding the dress up in front of her, she slowly turned and glared at him. “Can I not get five minutes to myself?” she spit out between clenched teeth.
“Not when you’re hiding something from me.”
Briec walked into the cavern and, using an old trick his mother once taught him, sealed off the cavern entrance. It was a parlor trick. It only looked as if stone blocked the way, but it was effective and powerful. His brothers would never be able to find them unless they went to Morfyd for help. Last he heard, she and his eldest brother’s bitch mate were on some battlefield somewhere.
Talaith let out a trembling breath when she realized he’d cut off her only means of escape. Taking a step back, her hands still holding up her dress, she demanded, “Why did you do that?”
“I wanted some time with you alone. So we can talk.”
“About what?”
He shifted to human and took a slow step toward her while she took a slow step back. “About Madron soldiers searching for you. About a dead soldier in an alley.”
“Why they want me is none of your business.”
“It is when they tried to kill me as well.”
“Then you should have left me there.”
“Aye. I should have. They would have been dead sooner, I think.” He dragged his gaze up her body until he reached her eyes. “And the soldier in the alley?”
“He grabbed me. I was defending myself.”
Another step forward. “You could have called for help.”
Another step back. “He covered my mouth.”
“So, you…the merchant’s daughter, living the last sixteen years in a tiny little peasant village outside Madron as a dutiful wife, easily took down a well-trained soldier bent on taking you?”
“Who said it was easy?”
“You walked from that alley without a hair out of place or sweat on your brow, little witch.” Another step forward. “You hadn’t even dirtied your gown.”
“Wait!” She stumbled back, her entire body trembling. Placing one hand on a large boulder, she took a deep breath. “Just wait.”
“I can smell so many emotions swirling around you, little witch. Rage. Hate. Resentment. Even panic. But you know what I don’t get from you, sweet Talaith?” He smiled as her dark brown eyes stared at him. “The scent of fear.”
That’s when she bolted.
* * *
Where she thought she might be going, she had no idea. He’d blocked off the exit with a spell she knew to be as old as time itself and then proceeded to stalk her around the cavern demanding answers. Answers she could never give.
She’d tried once to tell someone what was going on. An old healing woman in the village she thought might be able to give her some help. Talaith barely mentioned Arzhela’s name when pain so intense she felt she’d die on the spot racked her young body. For ten days and nights, Arzhela kept her like that. Kept her alive but in blinding pain.
Talaith learned her lesson the first time. She never spoke of Arzhela again, and that was the day she knew she’d always be alone. She’d always fight this battle on her own. That no one would ever be able to help her.
Not even handsome dragons who seemed to enjoy snatching human females from their homes.
Not surprisingly, Briec caught her easily, pulling her body up against his. Her back to his chest. Honestly, why couldn’t these dragons shift into clothes? As it was, she was weak from the long day and frightening night.
As soon as the soldier grabbed her, Talaith’s training kicked in with a vengeance. It hadn’t occurred to her someone might be merely trying to distract the dragon brothers so they could get hold of her. But by the time the soldier pulled her into that alley, she’d already retrieved her dagger from the holster tied to her boot.
“Scream and it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” he warned her. But she had no intention of screaming, silence and stealth her weapons as much as her dagger. He lowered her to the ground and his hands loosened around her body. That’s when Talaith quickly pulled one of the small pins she kept nestled in the leather wrapped around the hilt of her blade. She spun on her heel, slapped her free hand over his mouth, and stabbed him with the long thin pin. She hit six key points in his throat in less than four seconds.
Her trainers would be proud.
Grabbing his throat, the soldier—who turned out to be older and with only one eye—stared at her in shock, unable to say a word. The poison she’d chosen from her collection ensured quick action. She lightly pushed him on the shoulder once. He fell back like one hard piece of stone, crashing to the ground as the poison worked its way through his system. By the time she slipped the pin back into the secret spot on her dagger and the dagger back into its sheath, he was dead.
Now, her dagger lay off in a corner with her boots. Dammit. Poor planning, Talaith.