the front of her robe and yanked her close, forcing her to rise on her toes. She gasped and then his mouth was on hers. Startled, she automatically slammed her fists on his shoulders and, if he were actually human, she might have crushed him where he stood. But with a Battle Dragon it was like hitting a mountain. His head tipped to the side and she felt his tongue slip between her lips and into her mouth. She drew her tongue back but his only followed until it had the poor thing cornered. Then it stroked and stroked and Shalin’s human body heated, everything beginning to ache, demanding the dragon finish what he’d just started.
But as she reached for him, Ailean abruptly pulled away. He stared down at her, his eyes wide in shock.
“I never thought…” Ailean shook his head, looking confused. Finally, he said, “I promise, Shalin, I will be back for you.”
Not sure she understood, she asked, “Back for me?”
“It might be a bit, though.” He took several steps back, holding up the chains and manacles that had been clamped to his wrists, only now he held them in his hands. “And, uh…sorry. Think of it as retribution for that bloody ax.”
Ailean dropped the chains and gave her a wicked smile and wink seconds before he took off running.
Watching him bolt down the street, that big grin on his handsome face and the town guards right behind him, Shalin could do nothing more than laugh. Even as the school masters took her back inside the school to calm her “hysteria” after her brutal “assault,” she continued to laugh and laugh as she never had before.
2
“Wake up, brother.”
Ailean felt the bed lift when his brother’s big foot kicked it. His big, cold, lonely bed.
It had been nearly a full moon since he’d had a female in his bed. The father of the woman whose name he could no longer remember still searched for him, so Ailean had taken up residence in his home. A castle buried in a valley between the Taaffe Mountains of Kerezik. He knew he could find a female—many females—to share his bed, but he didn’t want that. He wanted to go back and get Shalin. He knew from that kiss alone the name “Innocent” had been wrongly given. Until things calmed down a bit, however, he’d have to wait to go back to Kyffin. But not much longer. He didn’t think he could wait much longer.
“Go away, Arranz,” he grumbled, turning his face away to bury it deeper into his pillow.
“You did this,” his brother replied in that calm way he had that barely hid a veneer of ruthlessness Ailean appreciated during a time of war. “You need to fix it.”
“I did what?”
“Shalin the Innocent.”
Realizing his brother wouldn’t leave, Ailean rolled to his back but still did not leave his bed. “What about her?”
“You’ve caused her much trouble, brother. And you have little time left to go and protect her.”
“What are you talking about?” No one believed she’d helped him, did they? He would have taken her with him that day if he thought for a second she’d be in any danger. “Are you telling me the city guards are planning to punish her for what happened?”
His brother, a silver dragon nearly three decades his senior, dropped into a chair across from him. “City guards? This has nothing to do with them. It’s your princess I speak of.”
Cringing at the mere mention of her, Ailean snapped, “That viper is not my anything.”
“Someone told her you two have been together. You were seen kissing the little gold outside that human school she attends. The princess seems to think you love Shalin.”
“Love her?” With a laugh, Ailean shook his head. “I don’t know where that fool Adienna got that idea but—”
“She’s sold her, brother.”
Ailean’s grin slowly faded. “I’m…I’m sorry. What?”
Violet eyes stared at him. “She’s sold her. To old Tinig.”
Sitting up, Ailean growled, “The Lightning dragons? She’s sold her to the Lightning dragons?” Their greatest enemies and some of the most dangerous warriors.
“Tinig has nineteen sons.” Like the humans of that desolate place, those in the Northlands bred few females. Instead they stole them from wherever they could find them. “Adienna sent word she had a female to sell. He was reluctant when he heard she was no great beauty, but when he found out Shalin could read and write, he doubled his offer, and they settled on a price.”
“And you’re telling me Shalin is all right with this?” If so, then he needed to speak with her. He wouldn’t allow her to leave her people over this ridiculous situation.
But Arranz shook his head. “Shalin does not know, brother. But I have a lover in the court. She told me all this. She’s always liked Shalin and thinks this is unfair.”
“Of course this is unfair!”
“Then you best get up. The Lightnings are coming for her. I’ve heard they near Kyffin as we speak.”
Ailean tossed off his bedcovers, rage singing through his veins. “How could Adienna do this? Shalin is her friend.”
“That beast has no friends. I warned you, brother. I warned you not to involve yourself with her.”
“I know. I know. Don’t you think I know?” he said, yet again, as he temporarily dragged on leather leggings so he wouldn’t walk through his castle naked. The humans always seemed so flustered by that. “It was barely one night. And trust me, it was not up to my usual standards, because I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”
“You bruised that mighty ego of hers. If you’d crawled back to her on your knees, this wouldn’t be a problem. But you ignored her like you do all the rest.”
“I don’t ignore the rest. I ignore her because she makes my skin crawl.”
Together the brothers strode from Ailean’s bedchamber and down the hall. As they made it to the top of the stairs, the second oldest of the brothers rushed up. “There you are. Have you heard?”
“Aye.”
Bideven shook his head. “What did you do to that poor dragoness?”
“Nothing.”
Bideven had always been the meddlesome worrier of the three, which was why they sometimes called him “Biddy”—which he hated.
“I don’t understand all this,” Ailean continued. “It was a kiss.”
“A kiss in front of everybody in Kyffin, including one of Adienna’s spies. Seems she’s had Shalin watched for years. She’s been sure you two were lovers, but she’d had no proof—until you kissed her.”
“And, brother,” Bideven added, “you seem to forget that rumors have swirled around you and Shalin since the morning after you lay with the princess.”
“Rumors? What rumors?”
Arranz shook his head. “How do you remain so oblivious to all that is around you?”
“Skill.”
“The rumor,” Bedevin continued, “that you left the princess’s bed to track down Shalin.”
“I didn’t track her down. I stumbled upon her when I was making my escape.”
“And that she threw an ax at your head to protect her innocence.”
“That’s not what happened. Although I must admit, the rumors are much more interesting.”
As was their custom since they were young, Ailean grabbed hold of one brother, Bideven, in this instance, while the other deftly turned and opened one of the windows carved