He let out a breath and plunged forward. "To apologize."

"For killing the ogre leader? One of my troops? Or for not taking 'no' for an answer?"

"Uh . . . I didn't know I had to apologize for any of that."

"You didn't . . ." She shook her head and stood. "Forget it. Just forget it."

eibhear caught her hand. "Don't go."

"Why should I stay?" She snatched her hand away. "I don't even know what the mighty hells you're apologizing for, and to be honest, I'm not sure I'm in the mood to find out."

eibhear stood. "I'm sorry, Izzy. I'm sorry for everything."

"Even that time you yelled at me in front of my mother about that dagger I borrowed from you?"

"Borrowed? You stole that damn . . ." eibhear stopped. He would not let her goad him into one of these ridiculous arguments they'd been having since they'd met. "Izzy-"

"Or that time you told my father that Gwenvael was taking me flying behind his back."

"Your mother made it clear she didn't want you flying."

"Or that other time you-"

"All right!" eibhear blew out a breath. "Gods, woman! I'm trying to apologize."

"Yes. For everything. Perhaps," she suggested, "if you narrowed the scope of your all-important apology."

"Fine. I'm sorry about what happened between you, me, and Celyn."

"Which was what exactly?"

"Now you're just tormenting me."

"You mean like you did after you found out I'd been sleeping with Celyn so you beat him bloody just before calling me a whore in front of your kin?"

"Yes," eibhear reluctantly admitted. "Like that."

"Do you know because of what you did there are still at least three of your aunts who call me the whore who got between cousins?"

eibhear stared down at her. "You expect me to believe you allow any of my aunts to keep calling you a whore?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps after a few knife fights at family dinners, they no longer say the words . . . but they're thinking it. And then you," she snarled. "After ten years you simply have to apologize? You have to dredge up the past?"

"As a matter of fact, Iseabail, I did apologize earlier."

"Oh, really? Was I there at the time of this apology? Because I don't remember it."

"I apologized in a letter. But my comrades, Aidan and the others, they burned it."

"A letter? You apologized to me in a letter?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"And when was this letter not sent?"

"Five years or so ago."

"I see."

"Look, Izzy, I know you don't believe me. But I am sorry about what happened. I really am."

She studied him for a long moment and he waited for what had decidedly become an acid tongue over the years. But then Izzy smiled, patted his shoulder, and said, "And I accept your apology, eibhear. And thank you for it. It was very kind."

And with that . . . she walked off.

eibhear watched her for a moment. "Wait."

She stopped, faced him. "Aye?"

"That's it then? You forgive me?"

"Of course I do. Why would I cling to the past?"

"I'm not saying you should. It's just . . ."

"Just what?" She walked back to his side. "It's over, eibhear. You've apologized. That's all that matters. Besides, I wouldn't hold that against you as I would never expect you to hold such things against me. We were young . . . foolish. It's the past; let's leave it there." Concern showed on her brow. "But you should know that Brannie tells me Celyn may be coming to Garbhn Isle in the next few days. I hope you two will make up as well if you haven't already. He's your cousin and family is all, eibhear. Never forget that." She turned and headed back to the others. "I'm so glad we're all done with that." She spun on her heel, facing him as she walked backward. "Although I wish I could have read your letter. I'm sure it was beautiful."

Then Iseabail was gone and eibhear was left with nothing but what even he'd call his own paranoid thoughts and a mass of wet fur and muscle that was flying at his head and knocking him out completely.

"What did you do?" Izzy asked her dog while she worked so very hard not to laugh. And gods, did she want to laugh.

But in answer, all Macsen did was roll to his back, paws up in the air, overly long tongue hanging out of his mouth. That was not a pretty sight, but she loved it just the same.

Izzy returned to eibhear's side, crouching next to him. She leaned over and looked into his face. "eibhear?" She tapped his shoulder. "eibhear?" She cringed and glanced back at his dog. "He won't be happy with you, Lord Sneak-Attack."

She brushed the hair off eibhear's face and studied his forehead. He had a bit of a knot there, from when he'd hit the ground, but she doubted there was any real damage done. According to her mother, the males in eibhear's bloodline had notoriously hard heads.

Resting her arm on her knee, Izzy pointed out, "At least you're still devastatingly handsome, you letter-sending bastard." She shook her head and looked at Macsen, who was now right next to her. "A letter? What am I? His granny?"

Macsen leaned over eibhear's head, drool pouring on the dragon's face.

Many of Izzy's troops had asked her why she'd kept the dog around. He smelled, he drooled, he ate things he really shouldn't; plus he snarled and snapped for no obvious reason, and had bitten off a hand or two because those particular hands had gotten too close to his food bowl or a rotting carcass he'd dragged back to camp. But Izzy always rewarded loyalty and Macsen was loyal. Blindingly so.

eibhear coughed and grimaced, his hands wiping at his now wet face. He lifted his head, silver eyes narrowing on Macsen, then her. "I hate that dog."

Izzy, trying to comb her fingers through Macsen's always-matted hair, laughed. "The feeling is mutual, I think. But don't worry, he'll get used to you now that we are friends again, you and I."

The dragon sat up, growling low at her words, but Macsen backed up a bit and growled in return, fangs bared.

When she saw eibhear's brow lower, she quickly warned, "One flame touches this dog and you will be sorry."

"Then get control of it."

She laughed and stood. "Yeah. Right."

Still laughing, Izzy returned to the others.

eibhear watched Izzy walk off-laughing.

What in the holy hells was going on with her? He didn't believe for a second she'd meant any of that forgiveness she'd so gallantly laid at his feet. Not the Izzy he remembered. Was she merely trying to placate him? Why? She wasn't known for placating anyone except maybe his . . .

His brothers.

Disgusted at the thought, eibhear got to his feet and used the bottom of his fur cape to wipe the dog drool from his poor, defenseless face.

Izzy always placated his brothers, especially Briec and Fearghus. And then, of course, there was his father, Bercelak. Izzy was the reigning queen when it came to placating his father. But eibhear wasn't his father, nor his brothers. He didn't want to hear what Izzy thought he wanted to hear. He wanted the truth. He wanted . . . well, it didn't matter. He just knew he didn't want this . . . this centaur shit of platitudes.

Family is all? Really?

Deciding they weren't nearly done with this whole thing, eibhear started to head back to the others. But before he could take the first step, he noticed Izzy's dog charging right at him-again-teeth bared, eyes wild.

Gods, really?

"Everything all right?" Brannie asked, her voice low so only Izzy could hear.

"Of course. All's forgiven." Then she grinned. "Family is all, you know."

Brannie briefly closed her eyes before stating, "Oh, that's brilliant."

They giggled until eibhear's comrade Aidan walked up to them. "Everything all right?"

The females nodded. "Aye."

His light eyes narrowed a bit, but Izzy, sensing that Aidan was much smarter than the other two M-runach accompanying eibhear, glanced around and called out for her dog.

"Macsen? Macsen!"

"He's coming." eibhear walked out of the woods.

"What do you mean he's coming?"

"Give him a second." He stepped back and she watched as Macsen happily dragged a large bear into the clearing.

"Oh, not again," Brannie sighed.

Aidan blinked. "Again? How often does he attack bears?"

"He likes bear," Izzy admitted.

"It came up behind me," eibhear explained, "and this one went for him like a bone."

Brannie pointed at the bear. "Macsen took that down by himself?"

A valid question. Macsen enjoyed challenging bears, but it was usually Izzy or her troops who ended up taking down the bear so that the dog could eat his full.

eibhear walked closer, leaned in, and whispered, "Not really. I could see the bear was not happy and about to tear the dog apart so I just sort of"-he shrugged-"punched him while the dog wasn't looking. Bear's out cold. We should probably go before he wakes up."

"Why are you whispering?" Brannie whispered.

"Just look at him." He glanced back at Macsen. "He's so proud of himself. I couldn't take that from him."

Brannie rolled her eyes and walked around her cousin, slinging her pack over her shoulder.

"What?" he asked when Izzy continued to stare at him.

"Nothing." She started laughing and couldn't stop, walking after her friend. "Nothing at all."

Chapter 9.

They traveled late into the evening, finally stopping in a valley another few hours away from Garbhn Isle.

As a group, they silently ate dried beef and bread, pulled out their bedrolls, and went to sleep.

The next morning, when eibhear woke up, he was alone. Since he found no signs of blood or body parts, he assumed everyone was alive somewhere.

eibhear ate more of the dried beef and bread, already thinking about the food he'd get once he returned to Garbhn Isle. It was something he'd missed greatly while living mostly in the north. Although the Ice Landers did use some interesting seasonings and well-cooked, rich food was the one indulgence they allowed themselves in their harsh world. Still, it's not like he could enjoy that Ice Lander home cooking very often when he and his squad spent much of their time buried under ice and dirt, waiting for the right time to strike at some unsuspecting tribe leader.

Aye. It would be good to have a bit of a holiday. It would be good to see his kin . . . well, it would be good to see his mother and the mates of his brothers. That would be good.

Once he finished eating, eibhear discovered he was no longer alone, but his company was only that damn dog. Where exactly was everyone else?

The dog circled around, finally sidling up to him, his eyes on the remainder of eibhear's beef.

"I should let you starve," he told the beast. "Just for the snoring that you tormented us with last night, I should let you starve."

But he ended up giving it a few pieces of beef instead. Simply because he didn't want to hear Izzy complain if the dog died before they made it back to Garbhn Isle. He really didn't want to hear her complain.

"Where is everyone anyway?" he asked the dog once he was done eating.

It jumped back like a rearing horse, spun around, and ran a few feet away, came back, stared at eibhear.

Deciding it wouldn't hurt to follow, that's what eibhear did. The dog led him up a steep incline until he found his fellow M-runach standing at the very top beside a large tree and looking over the other side to the land below.