“That’s disgusting,” Keira said. “You really should stop listening to my brother. And he swims like a fish, by the way. The Cat House has an Olympic-sized pool and he swims a couple of miles every time he stays over. Frogs. That man has never eaten a frog in his entire life.”

Aunt B laughed.

We started down the winding road. The gravel path smelled of rock dust. Dense blackberry bushes formed a solid wall of green on the sides. I suddenly realized I was starving. I pulled a handful of berries off the bush and stuffed them in my mouth. Mmmm. Sweet.

“Berries are always best off the branch,” Aunt B said. She wore a bright yellow dress with a white paisley design on it, sunglasses, and a straw hat. Keira wore a sundress with a light brown bodice and a wide skirt made of strips of light turquoise, white, and brown fabric. It came up to her knees and made her look five years younger. The two of them appeared to be on vacation, while I, with my sexy bruised face, big boots, jeans, and a sword, looked like I had a camp of bandits to destroy.

“What’s the connection between you and our handsome host?” Aunt B asked.

Blackberries taste much worse when they try to come back up your throat. “Uhhhh . . .”

“Uhhh is not an answer,” Keira informed me.

Andrea must not have told her about Hugh, and I had no desire to explain who my dad was. “We never met but we were trained by the same person. Now he works for a very powerful man who will kill me if he finds me.”

“Why?” Keira asked.

“It’s a family thing.”

“That explains the attraction,” Aunt B said.

“Attraction?”

“You’re that thing he can’t have. It’s called forbidden fruit.”

“I’m not his fruit!”

“He thinks you are. The word you’re looking for is ‘smitten,’ my dear.” Aunt B smiled. “I’m sure the way Megobari looked at you made Curran positively giddy.”

Hearing his name was like being burned. “Will you stop meddling in my love life?” I growled.

“I’m not meddling. I’m offering commentary.”

Ugh. “I just want to go home.”