Arlais followed her aunt out of the bedroom and down into the Main Hall. The servants had already put the food out and guests were starting to arrive.

Keita stopped at one of the tables and held up a teal-colored eye patch.

Letting out a very long, pained breath, Elina Shestakova looked away from the Riders she was speaking to and said, “Go away, demon female.”

“I told you!” Batu the tribal leader said, slamming his fist on the table. “I told all you females that Keita the Viper is demon. But no one listens.”

“Because you are penis-haver,” Zoya told him.

“Anyway,” Keita interrupted, her focus still on Elina, “don’t you want to look pretty for my cousin?”

Elina shook her head. “No.”

Keita swung the eye patch and said in a singsong voice, “It will look divine on you.”

“Why will you not go away?”

“Why do you Rider types always ask me that? All of you should feel blessed by my presence.”

Knowing this argument could go on for hours, Arlais snatched the eye patch from Keita, tore off the boring black one that Elina insisted on wearing every day, and quickly tied the new one into place.

“There,” Arlais said to the shocked group. “Now wear it, barbarian, and feel honored that my aunt even bothers to waste her time with you and your obvious lack of style!”

With that, Arlais grabbed Keita’s hand and dragged her toward the back hallway.

“I so adore you, my dearest niece,” Keita laughed.

“Well, she’s being so unreasonable! And I am done with unreasonable women!” she yelled as they passed her mother’s study, where Dagmar was still working before the feast.

Once they were outside, Keita took the lead and led Arlais down to one of the smaller lakes. As they approached, Arlais could see Ren of the Chosen talking to a man that she didn’t recognize.

Arlais stopped, pulling her aunt up short. “This is my mother’s plan, isn’t it?”

Keita turned, blinking in surprise. “What?”

“You brought me down here to talk to me about going to the Northlands with you and Ragnar and you’re hoping Ren’s charm will loosen me up. Well, just so you know, it won’t. And she just wants to get rid of me because I’m not a sycophant like her needy son!”

“Are you done?” Keita asked.

“Actually, I can go on for quite a while.”

“Don’t.” Keita pulled her along until they reached Ren and the man. But that’s when Arlais realized this wasn’t a man. It was an elf.

“Arlais, this is Gorlas. An old and very important friend of mine. Gorlas, this is my niece, the one I told you about.”

“Princess,” the elf greeted. “I’ve heard many interesting things about you.”

“Interesting?” Arlais asked her aunt. “You told him interesting things about me? Seriously?”

“You want interesting, my dear,” Gorlas explained. “Good things and bad things don’t really hold my attention. Because everyone is good or bad. But interesting . . .?”

Arlais crossed her arms over her chest and studied the two dragons and one elf who wanted to talk to her about how interesting she was.

“What is this about?”

“About your future,” Keita said.

“Does it require me to live in a cave?”

“No.”

“Do I need to read a lot of boring, boring books?”

“Just recipe books.”

“I don’t cook, Auntie. That’s what I have a staff for.”

Keita smirked. “Neither do I, Niece.”

Arlais stared at Keita and the others, confused. But then she remembered the rumors and whispers Arlais had always heard about her favorite aunt. About how Keita the Viper ruthlessly protected her mother’s throne with a poisonous skill that few, if any, among their kin had.

“Ohhhh. Recipe book.” Arlais grinned and winked at her aunt. “That does sound interesting.”

“Would you mind talking to me for a little while, Princess?” Gorlas asked.

“Not at all. But my mother . . .”

“I’ll take care of her,” Keita offered, and they all gazed at her silently, eyes wide.

“I meant,” Keita growled out between clenched teeth, “I’ll keep her busy.”

“Ohhhhhhh,” they all said together.

“Rude!” Keita sniped, heading back to the castle. “Just rude!”

* * *

Izzy and Rhi were nearly done putting flowers in Brannie’s hair as she sat in her chair and seethed.

“I’m not going,” she said again.

“You are going,” Izzy replied. “Or I will drag you there myself.”

“I don’t want to go.”

“You’re being unreasonable!”

“I am not!”

“He loves you,” Rhi said. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Everything! And shut up.”

Rhi gasped. “But I’m the nice one.”

“She’s right,” Talwyn said from her spot stretched out on the bed. “I’d be fine with you being unhappy.”

Talan sat on the floor, his back against the bed’s footboard and a book in his lap. “And I could go either way.”

“I hate all of you.”

“No, you don’t.” Izzy pulled Brannie out of the chair and looked her over. “Beautiful. Now go tell poor Aidan you love him, too.”

“I will not. He tricked me.”

“Aidan doesn’t trick anybody. He may have smooth-talked you into dragon sex but that would be about it.”

“I thought you were on my side!”

“Of course I’m on your side, idiot. And I want you to be happy. Aidan makes you happy.”

“I can be happy without him.”

“But why would you want to be?”

Surprised that the question came from Talan, they all looked at him.

“I mean, wouldn’t you want to be with someone who makes you happy?” he went on. “Why would anyone want to be with someone who doesn’t make them happy?” He blinked up at Brannie. “Do you want to be with someone who doesn’t—”

“Oh, shut up!” Brannie stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

“Gods,” Talwyn said with a shake of her head. “Is it me or does love sound miserable?”

“It’s you,” Izzy replied.

* * *

Brannie was halfway down the stairs when Aidan suddenly walked up, blocking her way.

She tried to step around him, but he stepped with her. She went the other way, and so did he.

“You going to talk to me now?” he asked.

“No.”

Brannie stepped again and so did Aidan.

“Are you going to move?” she asked.

“Are you going to talk to me?”

Brannie was seconds from exploding at Aidan when Celyn went by them. Her brother glanced at them as he passed, then he looked a little harder, his eyes narrowing on Aidan before he was all the way down the stairs and joining the others in the Main Hall, where the feast had already started.

That’s when Brannie smiled.

* * *

Aidan saw that smile and was about to make a run for it when Brannie took his hand.

“Come with me,” she purred, leading him to the hall.

Musicians began to play and Gwenvael and Keita were, as always, the first to start dancing, brother and sister swinging each other around the floor.

Brannie led Aidan into the middle of the room and faced him.

He knew Brannie loved to dance and maybe if they danced, she’d give him a chance. That was all he wanted. Just a chance.

Still smiling, she raised her hands to his face, cupping his jaw in her hands. Then she leaned in and kissed him. Right there in front of everybody.

When she pulled back, she didn’t smile . . . she leered.

“Good luck,” she said before walking across the hall and out the front doors.

Aidan looked after her, wondering what she was talking about. And, as he watched, Celyn suddenly stood in front of him . . . staring. Then Addolgar. Then Rhys the Hammer. Then Fearghus. Briec. Even Éibhear, his best friend.