Rhona the Fearless really did love her kin. She did. Really. Honestly!

But sometimes they were a lot of work. Especially when a few of them weren’t getting along.

First Keita, with her inability to simply tell those working with her exactly what was going on so everyone was clear and involved. True, she’d probably been trained that way by those who’d brought her into the Protectors of the Throne because secrecy was what kept them alive. But if Rhona was to be honest—and when wasn’t she?—Keita enjoyed tormenting others just for the hell of it. Like her brother Gwenvael, nothing entertained her more than confusing and ridiculing everyone around her.

Then there was wonderful Branwen, whose biggest issue was her lack of focus. In battle, there was no question that Branwen was the cousin Rhona wanted at her side. Like her mother, Brannie was a true warrior. But when she wasn’t in battle . . .

Gods! It was like talking to a human who’d been hit on the head one too many times.

“Why doesn’t someone explain to me what’s going on. And why you are here, Branwen, and not with your troops?”

Brannie’s eyes narrowed dangerously and she opened her mouth, but Aidan suddenly stepped between them.

“No, no,” he said to Branwen. “We don’t have time for you to start yelling again. And, to be truthful, I just can’t listen to that anymore.”

“But she—”

“Caswyn killed your horse,” he suddenly announced to Branwen, causing his dragon friend to turn to him in horror.

“You treacherous bastard!” Caswyn cried.

Rhona leaned to the side to look at her cousin. “Awwwww. Not Puddles.”

“He was injured in battle and I was going to put him down with honor!” Brannie yelled, still upset. “And that dozy bastard ate him!”

“He was dying anyway!”

“I still don’t care!” Brannie snarled at Caswyn before she turned to Keita and barked, “And what are you laughing about?”

Standing a few feet away and giggling, Keita replied, “The Mì-runach killed your horse. That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all century.”

Branwen gazed at her cousin for long seconds before announcing, “You have wide hips like your mother.”

With a roar, eyes wild with rage, Keita shifted to a roaring She-dragon, uncaring that everyone else had to dash out of her way or be crushed in their human forms.

Rhona grabbed Aidan’s arm and pulled him farther off. She used her free hand to motion to the triplets. They could handle Keita and Brannie and keep them from killing each other.

“All right, Aidan the Divine . . . tell me what the battle-fuck is going on.”

* * *

Uther moved the horses off to the side and stood beside them with Caswyn. They ate dried meat from their travel packs and watched as Keita and Brannie rolled across the land. Knocking down trees. Crushing boulders. Sending wildlife running for safety.

And running after them? The triplets, now in their dragon forms, desperately trying to stop them.