“Like taking the throne?” Braith asked.
“Well—” Aledwen began, but Crystin held up her claw, her gaze on Braith.
“Gods, child,” Crystin said with a sigh. “What has that ridiculous asshole done now?”
Addolgar opened his eyes and smiled into the face staring down at him. “Braith . . . you’ve aged beautifully.”
Old Braith grinned. “Thank you. But I’m Braith’s aunt. Remember? Owena?”
“Oh. Right. You fucked me dad.”
“Aw, dear.” Owena patted his shoulder. “Everyone’s fucked your dad.”
“I know. He’s quite proud of that. Am I going to die, Lady Owena?”
“Just Owena. And no. You’ve got your father’s constitution and your mother’s will to live. Because how that She-dragon survived her time as bitch Addiena’s companion, we have yet to figure out.”
“Now, now. That’s treasonous talk.”
“I like to live on the edge.” She winked at him while wiping blood from her hands with a big cloth. That’s when Addolgar realized he was in his human form.
“Hey. I’m naked!”
Owena laughed. “You are. And I realize that my sister was right. How like your father you are, sweet Addolgar.” She leaned in and whispered, “I see why our little Braith likes you.”
“Does she?”
“Can’t you tell?”
“I’m male. I have no idea what you females are thinking.”
Owena laughed again and said, “I’ll get her. She can show you herself.”
Owena turned to go, but Addolgar caught her arm, gently held it. “She didn’t think she was welcome here.”
“She was wrong. We never turn a Penarddun female away. Ever. But her father had other plans.”
“Does she understand that?”
“She’s learning. It’ll take time. He . . . he made sure she felt completely alone.”
“She’s not alone,” he said simply. “She has me.”
Owena smiled, and gods, he saw Braith in that smile. “We’ll make sure she learns that too.”
“Well, don’t be too pushy. You don’t want to put her off me. But feel free to put in a good word.”
Laughing again, Owena patted his shoulder and walked out of the chamber. But Addolgar didn’t know what was so funny. He really wanted her to put in a good word for him.
Braith looked up as Owena walked into the chamber. They’d all eventually shifted to human so they could help with Addolgar since Owena said it would be quicker for Addolgar to heal that way.
“Should I assume from that smile he’s going to be all right?” Braith asked, needing to hear something good.
“He’ll be fine,” Owena said on a laugh. “That boy is . . . entertaining to say the least.” She dropped into a chair catty-corner from Braith, wiped her brow, and let out a long breath. “I hate artery work. Do the wrong thing and you could have the one you’re trying to save bleeding out all over you.”
“I’m so glad that didn’t happen.”
“Me, too. I’ve heard it’s quite a mess when it does.” Owena looked around. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Went to town to get food and wine.”
“Ahhh. To celebrate your return to the Penarddun fold.”
“Have I returned?”
“Are you asking me because you’re subtly telling me you’re not? Or because you’re seriously not sure?”
“Well, I’m not subtle.”
Owena chuckled. “Nor was your mum.”
“Why was she with him?” Braith asked.
“With your father?” Owena thought a moment. “Because she wanted you.”
“She could have had me with anyone.”
“Not every She-dragon finds a mate because not every She-dragon wants one. Your mother never wanted one. She liked fighting and she liked us. That was it. But she wanted you. She had you named when she was still a hatchling. But she needed a male to make that happen. The problem was finding a male willing to have an offspring outside of mating. When she couldn’t, she turned to someone who wanted anything but his mate’s love. Then she had a son . . . so she tried again. She had another son, so she tried again. Then she had you and she had what she wanted.”
“And my father had what he wanted.”
“Sons and a title.” Owena rolled her eyes. “I always hated your father. Scum on a dying pond has more integrity than your father.”
“Doesn’t that lack of integrity taint me? Being his daughter?”
“You’re not his daughter,” Owena snapped, one finger pointing at her. “You’re your mum’s daughter. You’re a Penarddun. Just like your mother and your mother’s mother and her mother’s mother. Going back a millennium. Your father was nothing more than a means to a very important end.
“But,” Owena went on, leaning back in the chair, “it seems his time is over.”
“He’s betrayed the Queen.”
“No. He betrayed Addiena. That’s a fool’s game.” Owena studied her. “And she sent you to catch him?”
“It was either him or me.” She glanced over at the chamber where Addolgar recovered. “If it wasn’t for Addolgar and the Cadwaladr Clan, the Queen’s Guard would be tossing my head off Devenallt Mountain as we speak.” Braith ran her hands through her hair. “Is it true?” she asked. “Did my father really threaten to—”
“You know it’s true, Braith.”
“Do I?”
Owena leaned in. “You know. Penardduns don’t lie. We hit. And we hit because we know we’re stronger than most males. In fact, we’re so strong it’s hard for us to find males willing to put up with us. But you know, as a female, that if we could have, if we thought for a minute that your father wouldn’t carry through with his vile threat—we would have come for you. We would have been there to lay your mum to rest. To perform all the rituals she was due. We never would have let you face that alone. Not the daughter of our dear sister. And definitely not a female of our line.”
Braith finally had to ask, “What about the males of our line?”
Owena shrugged, flipped her hand casually. “We care for them. Love them. I have two of my own.” Her flitting hand swept the air. “They’re around somewhere. And I love them.” Her lips pursed a bit, and Braith felt her heart tighten when she recognized the gesture as one her mother had often made. “They are a bit stupid, though.”
The pain around Braith’s heart lessened when she had to laugh. “Aunt Owena.”
“They can’t help it, you know. It happens in the egg,” she reasoned. “As soon as they grow that genitalia, intelligence goes right out the window and we’re left with this thing that just wants to stick it in any hole.”
“Aunt Owena!”
“Oh, tell me I’m wrong!”
“Well,” Braith admitted, “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Of course you can’t. But that’s all right. We’re Penardduns, which means we accept males as they are. Handsome but stupid and useless without us.”
“That is very giving of you,” Braith teased.
But Owena said, in all seriousness, “I know.”
Addolgar opened his eyes again and announced, “You’re young again, Braith of the Darkness!”
Braith frowned. “What?”
“You’re young again. I saw you much older and you were still astoundingly beautiful. But now you’re young again . . . and you’ve multiplied.”
“Multi . . .”
Braith looked over her shoulder and snarled at the additional versions of herself. “Don’t you lot have something else to do?”
“Come on,” one of the copies said to the others. “She’s got her claws into this one.”
“You need to learn to share, Braith of the Darkness,” said another.