“That you know of. It’s not like you see her every day.” A moment of regret passed, her shoulders slumping a little, but then those brown eyes locked on Ragnar. “What do you want with my aunt, warlord?”

“That’s a question for your mother. She’s the one who sent me here.” For a painful moment, Ragnar felt as if he’d hit the princess, she appeared so stricken. He would have said nothing if he’d known his words would cause such a reaction.

“My mother? My mother sent you here? To kill my aunt?”

“I’m not an assassin, lady. I was merely to pick up your aunt and return her and your brother to Queen Rhiannon. What your mother does from there, I have no idea.”

“And you agreed?”

“It was either me or your father’s kin. I assumed she’d be safer with me.”

The Eastlander glanced at her. “He does have a point, Keita.” Keita headed down to her aunt’s home, shifting to her human form while walking, and pushed open the door to the house. She searched for some sign of either her aunt or where she might have gone. She did a quick sweep of the room and then went through the back door to the garden.

“I told you she’s not here, luv.”

“Then where is she, Ren?”

“I don’t know, but she’s been gone for a bit.”

“How do you know?”

“There’s a fine layer of dust over everything—and her overall presence has begun to fade from this place.” Keeping her back to Ren and pressing her hand to her stomach, Keita asked, “Is she dead?”

“I don’t know. But if she is, she didn’t die here.” Ren’s instincts were never wrong, and he never lied to Keita. If someone had killed her aunt, he’d know and tell her.

“Was she taken?”

“I don’t sense that. It’s clean here. Like she just left.” Keita faced him. “And went where?”

“I don’t know, but nothing says anything is wrong either.”

“Except my mother knowing Esyld’s here.”

“Your mother knows lots of things. I doubt she acts on a fifth of them.”

“But this is Esyld the Traitor.”

“Whom the queen sent a Lightning to retrieve.”

“Perhaps she was hoping Esyld wouldn’t survive the trip.”

“Then she would have sent your father’s kin, whose loyalty is unquestionable—but whose honor is a little shaky.”

“You think I’m worrying over nothing, don’t you?”

“You rarely worry, my friend. So when you do worry, it’s never over nothing. But I’m not sure what we can do at this point.”

“Track her down?”

“So your mother will definitely know where she is?”

He was right. As always.

“What do you suggest I do?”

“Go home.” When she sneered, he added, “You’ll never find out what your mother is up to if you don’t.”

“And you think she’ll tell me?”

“Doubtful. But your brothers will, if they know. Their mates. Your friends in court. Don’t act like you don’t know how to get information, my dear Lady Keita.”

Now smiling, Keita went up on her toes and draped her arms around Ren’s neck. “Why, my dear friend, are you suggesting I spy on my mother’s court?”

“I’m aghast you’d even suggest such a thing.” They laughed together until Ren gestured to the door. “Let’s be off.

The sooner we get back to Devenallt Mountain, the sooner we can be rid of your brother’s barbarian guard unit.”

The thought of that had Keita practically sprinting for the door.

As she stepped into Esyld’s house, she stopped in the doorway and studied the barbarian. He stood in the middle of her aunt’s house, naked—except for that travel bag he kept with him at all times—looking incredibly delicious in his extremely large and muscular human form and awfully innocent. Too innocent.

“What are you doing?” she asked him.

“Nothing.”

Slowly the Lightning’s gaze locked on hers, and for what felt like a lifetime, they stared at each other. He was lying—she knew he was lying—but she had no proof.

“Ready to go?” Ren asked.

“Yes,” she finally replied. “I’m ready.”

Ren walked out, the barbarian behind him, and, letting out a breath, Keita followed. But she stopped halfway through the house, her eyes quickly scanning the room. She felt that something was missing, but whether it was missing when they all first walked in or only after the Lightning had been alone in Esyld’s house, Keita didn’t know.

Unable to pinpoint anything she could accuse the warlord of—and terribly annoyed by that—she walked out and shifted back to her natural form. In silence, they returned to the others, only to find the two remaining barbarians punching at the rock wall where Ren had disappeared.

Ren turned away, his shoulders shaking, while Ragnar watched his kin, trying to figure out what they were doing. Keita raised her brows at her brother but Éibhear could only manage a helpless shrug.

And gods, she had at least several more days of this. Only the dread of seeing her mother outweighed being trapped with such distinct stupidity.

Chapter Six

They camped near the coast late that night. They stopped at a location that not only had the sea at their back but a river cutting through the land and a small lake nearby.