“I guess I don’t,” she admitted while slowly dragging her fingers through his lovely silver hair. “Never thought about it much.”
“You should smile.”
“Why?”
“It makes you look happy. I enjoy seeing you happy.”
Braith could say in all honestly that no one had ever said that to her. Her father could not have cared less if she were happy and had told her as much. Which, coming soon after her mother’s death, had most likely been when she’d stopped smiling.
“What are you missing, Braith?”
She really had no idea where this conversation was going. “Missing? I’m not missing anything.”
“You are. I can tell. We need to find out what that is so you can have it and be happy.” He grinned at her. “I enjoy seeing you happy.”
“You do? Then kiss me,” she ordered, leaning down, her mouth hovering over his, “and I can promise you without a doubt that I’ll be as happy as you want me to be.”
Chapter 13
Braith awoke in Addolgar’s arms. They were facing each other, her forehead pressed against his, her hands resting against his shoulders.
She felt unbelievably comfortable, in a way she normally didn’t feel comfortable unless she was alone in her cave. So much so, she didn’t want to get up. She didn’t want to face the day and the challenge of hunting down her father. But as soon as the suns peeked through the wooden slats of the window shutters, Addolgar’s eyes opened.
A true soldier.
Addolgar saw her eyes on him and he instantly smiled in a smooth, easy way that told her it was genuine. He was glad to see her. Glad to have her here. The realization warmed her more than she could have thought.
“Good morn to you,” he murmured, his low voice rolling seductively down her spine.
“Good morn.”
“We have to get up.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Me either,” she agreed. “But we have to, don’t we?”
“Think of it this way . . . we finish this quickly, and then we can go to my cave and spend as much time rolling around my floor as we like.”
“Your cave?”
“Or we can go to yours. Although mine is surprisingly nice. My brother Rhys decorated it.”
“Rhys? Rhys the Hammer decorated your cave?”
“He has a skill. The family tries not to judge.”
“So,” she couldn’t help but ask, “after this is all over, you and I—”
“Will be rolling around my or your cave floor. Was I not clear?”
Braith laughed. “No, no. You were quite clear.”
“You still look happy.”
“I am.” She hugged him. “I’m very happy.”
His arms tightened around her and he whispered into her neck, “Then let’s go track down that bastard father of yours and get this done with.”
They traveled for nearly three days, pushing their way toward the border. They took only short breaks for food and quick naps. Thankfully, the wind was on their side, helping them move fast.
Addolgar would admit—if he’d been asked—that his reasons for all this were quite selfish. Unlike his brother Bercelak, Addolgar didn’t give his all to the Queen. He gave his all to the battle. So finding a snotty-nosed traitor and returning him for whatever punishment the Queen had planned really didn’t interest him much. He was a warrior, not a pet dog to run errands.
But for Addolgar, this wasn’t about the Queen or her throne or anything but Braith. And he couldn’t help but feel that once her father was captured and handed over, things might change for her. Because right now, it seemed as if something was missing. He couldn’t explain why he felt this way. Couldn’t explain why he knew that whatever was missing had nothing to do with her father but what her father was keeping from her. Her true freedom, perhaps? Addolgar didn’t know, but he’d always trusted his instincts. Those instincts kept him alive in battle and relatively unharmed when home with his father. So he wouldn’t doubt them now. Instead, he’d follow them and get this job done, so he could focus on Braith and what she needed.
Addolgar simply couldn’t help himself. He wanted her to be happy. Whether she spent another second with him when this was all done or went off on her merry way without him, he wanted to know that wherever she was, she was happy. And right now, as much as he was sure she enjoyed her time with him, she was far from truly happy.
The suns had set and they’d just passed the border that separated the Southlands from the Outer Plains. He turned and dived, landing outside a mountain that Brigida had told him about. Braith landed beside him and they walked until he found the entrance. A pass that cut right through the heart of the mountain.
Addolgar stopped Braith before she could go farther. “Take this,” he said, handing her his sword.
She turned the weapon over in her claws. “Don’t you need this?”
“I have me ax and hammer. Don’t need much more than that in a fight.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know this weapon, Addolgar.”
“That’s all right.” He took the weapon back from her and proceeded to wrap the leather belt around her waist. The scabbard hung at her side and she smiled up at him. “Feels good, doesn’t it?” he asked.
“It does. Doesn’t make me a soldier, though.”
“We’ll see,” he murmured, nodding. “Ready then?”
“Ready.”
Together, they flew through the mountain passage and the farther they went, the more Braith realized that Brigida was right. Her father had come this way. Recently. Braith could scent him.
When they neared the end of that passage, and the night sky was easy to see in the distance, Braith landed, with Addolgar right behind her. He placed one raised silver claw to his snout and Braith nodded.
Moving silently, they headed down the last of the passage until they reached a natural ledge jutting from the mountain. They both eased to their bellies, drew their wings in tight, and crawled to the end of the ledge. They peeked over the side and that’s when Braith saw her father, along with both of her brothers. Lady Katarina stood next to Emyr and looked upset, busy wringing her claws while Braith’s father talked to a dragon she did not recognize. A purple dragon. A Lightning.
Braith turned her head to see if Addolgar had realized what this situation had just become when a flash of steel from the corner of her eye caught her attention. But before she could scream a word of warning, the tip of the spear rammed into the ankle of Addolgar’s back claw. Blood gushed from the wound and Braith expected to hear a scream of pain from the dragon, but all Addolgar did was grit his fangs and turn murderous, glowering eyes on his attacker.
There were two Lightnings standing behind them with grins on their faces. But those grins faded when they saw Addolgar’s expression, and then watched the silver dragon stand to his full height, the spear still jutting from his back leg.
Addolgar grabbed the one who’d attacked him by the snout and easily shoved him to his knees and held him there. The other Lightning raised his own spear to fight Addolgar, but Braith caught the weapon. The Lightning tried to rip the spear from her grip, but she held on. She wouldn’t let them hurt Addolgar any more than they already had. The Lightning pulled again and, annoyed, Braith tore the weapon from his grasp. She pointed the spear at his face.
“You’re no warrior,” the Lightning snarled at her.
“I know,” Braith replied before she rammed the spear through the Lightning’s eye. Unlike Addolgar, he did scream.
Addolgar, taking her cue, gripped the other Lightning’s jaws and yanked them apart and kept yanking until the bottom part tore away from the Lightning’s face. He dropped the gurgling but dying dragon to the ground, and Braith turned to where she’d last seen her father. He still stood there even as her brothers and the other Lightning dragged Lady Katarina away.