"Is it me or does Izzy always sound like she's up to something no good when it involves your cousin?" Aidan said.

"No," eibhear admitted. "It's not just you."

Vateria tore across the Desert Lands, ignoring the growing heat from the suns above her head. She wanted to put as much distance between her and this cursed territory as she could manage.

Gods! Could no one be trusted these days? Damn zealots and their damn gods!

But this setback wouldn't stop Vateria. She would get her birthright back if she had to destroy the damn world to do it! Nothing would stop her. Not Southlanders. Not zealots. Not gods. No one.

Vateria heard the flap of wings behind her and she sped up, trying to get away. She'd slipped away from that dragon who'd freed her from that . . . that thing back in the sewers but he'd been a big bastard. No way he'd be faster than she in open skies like this.

Yet no matter how much faster Vateria went, she couldn't seem to outpace the dragon following her. She didn't stop, though. She kept moving, kept dodging. Even when the dragon was over her.

Vateria was about to dive again, hoping to get the dragon to smash face first into the hard ground, but before she did, something light landed on her back.

"Hello, Vateria. Remember me?"

Vateria looked back. That human female from earlier? The one whose sister she had coveted?

"What do you want, human?"

"Didn't think we were done."

"Thought you were to rescue me. I've been rescued. Now go."

And to help her along, Vateria spun three hundred and sixty degrees. But the human clamped her thighs down around Vateria's neck and easily held on. Dammit!

"Is this about your sister?" Vateria wanted to know when she realized the human wasn't going to give up easily.

"No. This is about your cousin."

"My . . ."

Of course. Agrippina. That bitch.

"Well, you can tell my cousin to go fu-"

"Why don't you pass that sentiment on to her when you see her again? Here," the human offered, "I'll help you with that."

And that's when a blade rammed between the scales on her back, severing the muscle that controlled her wings. Like that, her wings stopped in mid-flap and suddenly Vateria was heading fast toward the ground with no way to stop.

She fought for control, tried to keep herself up. It helped, but barely. She landed hard on the ground, her belly skidding across the harsh sand, scraping away some of the protection of her scales.

When Vateria's body finally stopped, the human on her back easily slid off and walked around until she was face to face with her.

Panting, Vateria asked. "You're going to finish me off now?'

"No, no. I have no intention of finishing you off. That's not why I'm here. Just like I wasn't the one who finished off your father. But I did stop him from running. Like I just stopped you. Now . . . when Agrippina's ready it'll be much easier for her to track you down and finish what you began in your dungeons with her."

"Your cousin," some low-born black dragon appeared, sighing dramatically and shaking her head. "Your own bloody cousin. Sick bitch," she hissed before she spat at Vateria's claws. "Let's go, Iz. I can't stand to look at the twat a second more."

"Good luck to you, Vateria," the human said. "May Agrippina have mercy on your worthless soul. I certainly wouldn't."

The human mounted the low-born dragon and the pair flew off, heading back toward Sefu.

At that point, Vateria dropped her head to the ground and tried to cry. But, to be quite honest, she just didn't have that kind of weakness in her.

So, instead, she plotted and made plans while she waited for the bleeding in her back to stop. And that plotting . . . gods, that plotting felt so very good.

Izzy found her Desert Land family back at their house, a healer helping with any wounds that had been sustained during the battle in the sewers. When Izzy and Branwen walked into the yard at the back of the house, Zachariah immediately came to her side.

"There you are. You all right?"

"I'm fine. Just had to take care of something."

"Well, that uncle of yours seemed awfully worried when you didn't come right back."

Brannie snorted and Izzy elbowed her cousin in the side.

"Um, Zachariah, about eibhear and me-"

"There you are." eibhear strode across the yard until he was in front of Izzy, and her grandfather was forced to move quickly out of the dragon's way. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Why did everyone keep asking her that?

"I thought you were coming right back."

"I told you I had something to do."

"With Vateria? Because if you killed her-"

"I didn't, but I don't report to you, Squad Leader."

"Could you say that with any more disdain?"

"Actually I could."

"I see our spoiled-brat side has not changed in the last two decades."

"And I see that our know-it-all, thinks-the-world-should-bow-at-his-feet side is still a bit of a bastard!"

"Fine! I won't bother worrying about your tight ass again!"

"Good! Because my tight ass doesn't need your tight ass doing anything!" Izzy stopped, thought a moment. "Now we're just flinging compliments at each other."

"It's not my fault we're amazing."

They laughed and eibhear stepped a little closer, his hands reaching up and gently sliding across her jaw, his gaze locking with hers. "I'm just glad you're all right, Izzy," he admitted. "You had me worried."

"I'm fine. Now just kiss me."

eibhear leaned in, big fingers framing Izzy's face, and he whispered, "When we get back, Iseabail, we have much to discuss."

"Gods, more conversation?"

"You can't avoid it forever."

"No. But I can try." Then she leaned up and kissed him instead. But as soon as she did, eibhear's hands tightened on her jaw, his tongue slid boldly into her mouth; teasing, playing. Izzy wrapped her arms around his waist, gripped the back of his shirt tight. Gods, she was tempted to rip it off right here and now!

Izzy had no idea how long they stood there, kissing like that, lost in each other, but Zachariah roaring, "What the hell kind of uncle are you?" snapped them right out of it.

They stepped away from each other, both of them looking around at the group of people, kin, who were staring at them. That's when Izzy knew she and eibhear were in deep. Too deep. One did not start passionately kissing someone in front of their entire family unless they were just rude, and Izzy considered herself a very polite person. But eibhear had her all confused and desperate and, to be blunt, damn horny.

The bastard.

Zarah, standing near several of her daughters, shook her head at the embarrassed couple and chastised with a smile, "Someone's a very dirty uncle."

"And a very naughty niece," Maskini added.

eibhear's head snapped around, and he glowered at Izzy, his jaw tense, his hands in fists, and Izzy immediately jumped back before black smoke poured out of his nose. She hated when that happened.

When the dragon kept glaring at her, Izzy demanded, "What are you looking at me for? I didn't tell them to say that!"

Chapter 43.

Rhi hummed to herself and sketched a beautiful tree several hundred yards away. She was in a very good mood. Her sister and uncle, both quite safe, were heading home. Should be back any time now. What Izzy would have to say, though, Rhi still didn't know. And if her mother knew, she wasn't telling her yet.

That was okay, though. She could wait. Because right now, all that mattered was that her sister and uncle were safe. And, she was guessing, very much in love.

Rhi stopped humming so she could smile.

"Lady Rhianwen?"

Rhi looked up, her grin growing wider. "Hello, Frederik! And please, call me Rhi. Everyone else does."

"When I do your father glares at me."

"Don't take it personally. My father glares at everyone except me and Izzy. Even my mother. Although she thinks it's cute." She studied the Northland male. "That's a rather large stack of books you have."

"Oh, yes. Auntie Dagmar has given me reading assignments."

"How much time do you have to read all that?"

"Quite a while. Until dinner."

Rhi blinked. "Oh. All right." She gestured to a corner of the fur covering she sat on. "Would you like to join me? I'm just drawing, and I promise not to bother you while you read."

"Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt you."

"No, no. Not at all. We're kind of family now, so we should be acting like it. Please. Sit."

With a nod, he placed his books down on the grass and sat on the far corner of the fur covering. He didn't have to sit so far away, but she didn't blame him either. Her father had been saying things in front of poor Frederik to make it clear that his daughter was off limits.

Rhi went back to her sketch, enjoying how it was working out while appreciating the quiet company of the male with her. They worked like that for nearly thirty minutes when a shadow fell over her. Using her hand to shield her eyes from the two suns high in the sky, she looked up and immediately smiled at Albrecht. Their time in the village the other day had gone really well; Uncle Brastias was not nearly as brutal as her father when Lord Pombray's son moved too close to Rhi.

"Hello, Lord Albrecht. How are you?"

The boy didn't answer, and she instantly saw the distress on his face.

"Albrecht?"

"I'm . . . I'm so sorry."

Strong hands grabbed Rhi and yanked her to her feet. Lord Pombray's guards had moved up behind her and she'd not seen a thing.

"What is this?"

"Don't blame the boy." Lord Pombray walked around his guards and looked down at Rhi. "It's truly not his fault."

"What are you doing?"

"You'll be coming with us."

"You don't really think my kin will let you get away with this, do you?"

"If they want to get you back alive . . ."

"Father-" Albrecht began.

"Shut up!" He smiled at Rhi. "Now, your father, uncles, and all those other dragons are away from here today, so there won't be any flying lizards to help you. So let's not make this difficult. All right?"

"Please don't do this," Rhi begged.

"We won't hurt you, girl. I promise."

"It's not herself she's worried about, I'm afraid."

Pombray glared down at Frederik.

"What do you know of it, barbarian boy?"

"I knew what you were planning. Your men are chatty when they're drunk in the pubs. And I like wandering around pubs . . . because of drunks who are too chatty." Frederik stood. "My Aunt Dagmar already knows of this. Even now Rhi's dragon kin are heading this way."