“That look on your face that says you’re feeling a bit . . . clingy. We needed to get this out of our systems and we did. That’s it.”

“Is it?”

“Aye. It is.”

Brannie took a step and nearly crumpled to her knees but Aidan caught her, got her back up, worked even harder not to laugh.

“Not a word,” she cautioned.

“Wouldn’t think of it.”

Tossing her head back, she took a few tentative steps, found her balance, and headed toward the water.

“Need to cool down?” he teased.

Throwing her arm back, she raised two fingers at him.

“Awwww,” he said, laughing, “now that was just rude!”

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

“Why are you smiling?” Caswyn asked Brannie while they were packing up their horses.

“No reason,” she replied, dropping her head down. She needed to get hold of herself.

“Don’t lie to me. What are you plotting?”

Now Brannie looked at the big dragon in human form. “What?”

“You heard me.” His eyes narrowed. “What are you planning?”

Whispering, she replied, “Just your death.”

Now Caswyn’s eyes grew wide in panic but there was Aidan, pulling his friend away and back toward his own horse.

“We’re losing daylight,” Aidan announced. “Let’s move.”

He briefly stopped on the other side of Brannie’s horse to glare at her.

“What?” she asked.

“Stop it.”

“I didn’t do anything. He’s being paranoid.”

“Is he?” Aidan asked, sounding wonderfully judgmental.

Good-byes were said to her kin, the triplets hugging Brannie hard before mounting their horses and heading off. Rhona stopped long enough to give her one of her speeches about duty and honor, but when she realized that Brannie had stopped listening halfway through, she went back to her old tactics of hitting her once in the back of the head and ordering, “Don’t be stupid!” Then she, the other dragons, and all those wonderful weapons and armor were gone.

They turned the opposite way and began their journey toward the Port Cities. It had been ages since Brannie had been to the port towns, where a growing number of lands and people brought their wares to sell and trade. It was completely logical that Ren would head there to go home.

Which was why Brannie was still hoping that Ren was alive and well. Maybe even heading this way with his mother’s army at his side.

For once, Brannie did feel bad for Keita. She’d forgotten how close Keita and Ren had always been. Not as lovers. She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t think they’d ever been lovers. But as best friends? Maybe even siblings? That they were. That they would always be.

And losing someone you considered a brother or sister had to be hard. Thinking of Izzy being cut down in battle made Brannie sick and they’d been like sisters since they’d met all those years ago.