“And they have hands!” When Aidan frowned at the statement, she added, “You know.” Then she moved her hand to just above her crotch and moved it around a bit.

When he understood, he laughed.

“Excellent point, Captain. They have hands.”

“And Elena better not do that to my brother.”

“The brother who you say is a big baby?”

“He is a big baby. That’s why I’m saying it. He couldn’t handle something like that. She’d break his heart. Even worse, my mother would snap her neck. As you know, she absolutely adores her baby boy.”

Aidan suddenly rolled onto his side, his mouth pressed against her chain mail–covered shoulder.

“Comfortable?” she asked.

“I’ll be more comfortable when this war is over and I can enjoy my bed in my cave.”

“You have a bed in your cave?”

“Don’t you?”

“I don’t have a cave.”

“You don’t have a cave?”

“Never had time to get one. I went from my father’s castle right into army training. And after that, I was always with my unit or with Izzy at Garbhán Isle or her house. I always had a place to stay.”

“Where do you keep all your things?”

“What things?”

“Your hoard.”

“Who needs a hoard? I have kin.”

“Must be nice,” he murmured, moving in closer.

“You have kin, too.”

“Horrible, horrible kin.”

Smiling, she could feel herself beginning to slowly doze off. “They are horrible. But you have them. And you like your youngest sister well enough.”

“I do.”

Brannie was seconds from falling asleep when she felt it. A kiss against her temple.

She immediately snapped awake.

Raising herself on her elbow so she could look down on Aidan, she snapped, “What was that?”

His gold eyes fluttered open and he yawned. “What was what?”

“That kiss you just gave me.”

“I guess it was . . . a kiss. But based on the way you’re staring at me, perhaps it was more a form of pure evil.”

Brannie sat up again. “Look, we’re friends, right?”

Aidan rolled to his back and propped himself up on both his elbows. “Are we?”

“Of course we are.”

“You hate me.”

“No, I do not hate you. I hate Caswyn. He killed Puddles.” She brushed her hair off her face. “Besides, if I hated you, the last thing I would have done was fuck you.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

She glanced back at him. “We’re friends.”

“Friends that fuck.”

“Yes!” she replied, gleeful he understood. “Friends that fuck. Exactly.” She patted his knee. “And we should keep it like that.”

“As opposed to . . . what? Exactly.”

“As opposed to loving kisses as we snuggle.”

* * *

Aidan studied Brannie carefully. It wasn’t like he’d branded her with his Claiming mark. He hadn’t even realized he’d kissed her. He was half-asleep at the time.

But she was obviously serious. And greatly concerned. He just didn’t know why.