Читать книгу Everlasting Bad Boys - Cynthia Eden - Страница 10

Shalin had so many things that annoyed her at the moment, she wasn’t sure what topped her list.

Perhaps the dress she had to wear? A brazen dark red that was much too big for her, since it belonged to one of Ailean’s cousins. Big enough that she constantly tripped over the hem and couldn’t seem to keep both sleeves on her shoulders at the same time. Every time she adjusted one side, the other slid off and every male eye in the house seemed to focus right on her.

Or perhaps the fact she wasn’t in a lovely cave. No, she was in a…a…

Shalin glanced around and barely contained her annoyed growl.

She was in a castle. A bloody castle. What dragon willingly lived in a castle? A nice enough castle, to be sure, but a castle. If she shifted and spread her wings here, she’d take out a good portion of the Great Hall.

Or perhaps that, because she was in this castle, she had to remain human—all the time. When they’d first arrived, Ailean had actually shown her to a bedroom…with a bed in it! A bed he expected her to sleep on!

Now, true enough, she’d been living among humans for quite some time, but that had been different. A necessity. The sacrifice she’d been willing to make to further her knowledge. But to live this way on purpose irritated her.

And although all those things annoyed Shalin to the point of distraction, she’d begun to realize that what annoyed her most of all, what had her teeth grinding, her hands tightly clenched in her lap so she wouldn’t unleash her claws, and kept her gaze focused on the floor to stop herself from showing the growing rage and annoyance in her eyes…

What annoyed her—was them.

Not just Ailean’s brothers. Or an uncle or two. But all of them. The entire Cadwaladr Clan from within a league. And, even worse, they never shut up. She’d never heard anything like it. Like a tree full of hungry crows, but with much more rough language and abrupt changes of topic. Now Shalin understood why Ailean cut her off so often…they all did it to each other constantly. If one wanted to be heard among this brood, one literally had to scream.

Since Shalin didn’t scream, she merely kept her hands in her lap, her head bowed, her eyes on the floor, and her mind as far away from this place as she could imagine. While they all shouted at each other, Shalin flew in the bright bronze skies of Alsaindair. She’d only gone once to the desert lands with her father, but she’d never forgotten. And the desert dragons themselves had fascinated her. The same colors as the dragons of Dark Plains but there was a shiny bronze overlay to their scales she absolutely adored. They’d looked like jewels to her, and she’d been fascinated by their history and language and lifestyles.

So focused on her own thoughts, it wasn’t until someone gently tapped her shoulder that she realized they’d all finally gone silent. Yet she sensed that was only because they were waiting on her to say something. What exactly, Shalin had no idea.

Clearing her throat, she looked up and found them all watching her. Good gods, what exactly had they asked her?

“I’m sorry, I—”

“Now, no need to apologize, lass,” one of Ailean’s aunts told her while patting her hand. “This isn’t your doing, now, is it?”

Before Shalin could respond, the entire room erupted into angry shouts about Adienna, and Shalin lost the thread of conversation yet again.

Frustrated, Shalin pulled her right dress sleeve onto her shoulder. Of course, that only meant the left fell off the other side, hanging low on her arm. Knowing he watched her, Shalin glanced over and, as she suspected, Ailean stared at her from behind several rows of his kin. He smirked and raised an eyebrow. If she could have reached him, she would have slapped his face.

She wished she’d aimed her tail lower. Perhaps cutting his vocal chords would have eased her growing resentment.

Enjoying that vision more than she should, Shalin let her gaze slide back to the floor and back to the images of her flying.

Flying anywhere but here.

“You’ll need to leave her be, Ailean.”

Surprised, Ailean glanced at his aunt. One of his mother’s bloodline. When his mother had died, his Aunt Briaga had done what she could for Ailean and his brothers, when not dealing with her own offspring or in battle.

“What are you talking about?”

“You and the innocent. Stay away from her.”

“Why?”

His aunt gave him that look she used to when he’d bang his head into walls to see how long before he could actually break through. “Look at her. Poor, shy little thing.”

“Shy? Her?” He watched Shalin for a moment and saw how his aunt could make that mistake. Sitting there with her back straight, the dress she wore slipping off all the best places, but still managing to look innocent and untouched, hands in her lap, eyes downcast. But Ailean was no longer fooled by Shalin the Innocent. “She’s not shy.”

“Och! Deniela, tell him.” One of his father’s many sisters, Deniela had two things to her name. Her lethal way with a battle ax and that she was the mother of the Cadwaladr Twins.

“Tell him what?” Deniela asked, chewing on what better be dried cow. Ailean forbid the eating of humans on his territory. He’d already had to clear up a few things for Shalin when she’d casually asked, “Is she dinner?” as one of his servants had walked by with two water buckets from the kitchens. The buckets hit the floor, and water went everywhere.

And then there had been the hysterical screaming…

That was when Shalin realized the humans in his territory knew exactly who and, more importantly, what he was. That had confused her, which he had to admit, he enjoyed doing. The look on her face was comical and adorable all at the same time.

Briaga leaned across Ailean and said to Deniela, “Tell him he can’t be bothering the little dragoness. Look at her up there.”

“Och. I know. Isn’t she a sad little thing.”

“What are you two looking at?” Because all he could see was the viper who ripped the hairs from his head. And the discovery of some bald spots did nothing but make him want to return the favor to the little royal.

Deniela pinched Ailean’s arm lightly and it took all his strength not to scream out in agony. “You stay away from her, Ailean the Blue. Look at her. Poor wee thing.”

“Oh, come on! She attacked me, you know?”

“Aye,” Briaga agreed. “Threw that ax at you to protect her innocence.”

“That is not what happened, and that’s not what I’m talking about. Just today she attacked me. Pulled hair from my head.”

“Why do you lie to me?” Deniela laughed. “We both know I’m smarter than you. That wee thing would never attack you, so stop making up stories. Don’t you feel bad for her?”

“No!”

“Ailean! I expected more from you.” She leaned in closer and whispered louder, “Look at her face. That deformity.”

“What?” Ailean looked at Shalin. “What are you talking about?”

“Those horrible things on her face.”

“Oh, no, no,” Briaga explained, incorrectly, “that’s just mud. She needs a bath.”

“It’s neither. It’s freckles.”

“Then I was right. Deformity.”

“And you know,” Briaga whispered, “she’s probably a virgin. And you, Ailean the Slag, are not the dragon for virgins.”

“What does that mean?” And was Shalin a virgin? Ailean shuddered a bit. He didn’t entertain virgins. Much too much responsibility for his liking.

“She must be. How else would she get such a name?”

“Especially living at court,” Deniela muttered, pulling more dried beef out of the little carry bag she kept tied to her sword belt. “All the fucking that goes on there.”

“So you just keep your claws and your cock to yourself, Ailean the Whore,” Briaga warned him, “or I’ll be pulling your father out of his cave to deal with you and he’ll be none too happy.”

He definitely wouldn’t be happy. For other dragons—a normally unsocial group—to call Ailean’s father Afton the Hermit said a lot. Still, it was better than his earlier name. Afton the Murderer. But there had been a reason for that. A very good reason.

“Fine. I’ll stay away from her.” At least while she was at his home, under his protection, since that could easily be misunderstood. And how hard could it be? Once this had all been straightened out and Shalin went back to her school and Kyffin, he could finish what had been started that night in the royal archives. “But you two hags leave me be.”

He covered his head with his arms as soon as he said the words, laughing while both his aunts slammed fists into his head. He didn’t appreciate the kidney shot from Deniela, though.

Sneaking away had been a lot easier than Shalin thought it would be. No sneaking really involved; she simply stood up and walked out. So engrossed in their own disturbing conversations, none of the others even noticed her leaving.

Thank the gods.

She really didn’t know how much more she could take. Her first thirty winters it had been only her, her father, and mother. Thirty winters of reading, quiet contemplation, and soft-spoken discussion on any topic from politics to religion. Her parents had taught her how to think, how to reason. They’d taught her how to survive without lifting a weapon. Good thing, since she was as hopeless with a weapon as Ailean was with a book. That thrown battle ax being nothing more than a lucky shot.

But the Cadwaladr Clan didn’t really have quiet contemplation or soft-spoken discussions. There was nothing soft or quiet about these dragons.

Now, all Shalin wanted was some time to herself. Blissful silence. But would she ever find it?

“Need some help, m’lady?”

Shalin looked at the sturdy woman before her. One of Ailean’s servants but, Shalin had quickly noticed, none of them looked downtrodden. She’d never seen servants who seemed happy and comfortable with their lot in life. Simply going about their day without misery.

“Yes…uh…”

“Madenn, m’lady.”

“Shalin. Just Shalin.”

“As you wish.”

“I know this may be a tall order, but is there anywhere that I can…some place I can…”

“Get some quiet?”

Shalin almost dropped from gratitude that the woman so immediately understood her. “Yes.”

“Just the place.” She held one finger up and quickly went into the kitchens—with a clan this large, Shalin wasn’t surprised Ailean needed more than one. When Madenn returned, she had a basket of warm scones, a chalice, and a wine-filled pitcher. “This way.”

Madenn silently led Shalin down a winding path of hallways. The castle was enormous and Shalin wondered how Ailean could afford it. The Cadwaladr Clan was not born of wealth or title and had no inherited riches the way most of the royals and nobles did. Anything they had, they stole from humans. But Shalin couldn’t imagine Ailean attacking some unsuspecting caravan.

“Here you are, luv,” Madenn said while she pushed a door open with her foot. She’d gotten comfortable quickly and Shalin didn’t mind. “Will this do you?”

Shalin sighed in absolute pleasure as she stepped into the well-lit and dust-covered library. “Aye. Very much.”

“Thought it might. Ailean’s kin—well, they’re not much for reading, are they?”

Grinning, Shalin said, “So they won’t be down here, is your point?”

“Luv, I don’t think they know the castle has one, much less where this room is. You should be fine here for quite a bit. Especially when they make battle plans. They can do that sort of thing for hours.”

Madenn placed the scones and drink on a long wooden table. “I don’t have any cooked meat for you yet, but I’m guessing the scones will hold you for a while.”

Slowly walking down one row of shelves, looking at each title, Shalin said, “You know what I am. What we all are.”

“Aye. I do. We all do.”

“But you’ve never told.”

“We never have, we never will. But it’s a long story and not one I’m much in the way of telling at the moment. Besides, it’s more Ailean’s story to tell than my own. I wasn’t there, ya see.”

Shalin grabbed a book she’d never read and pulled it off the shelf. “I understand.”

Madenn walked toward the door, but before she left, she added, “We protect Ailean and his kin as he’s protected us and ours. Our loyalty is deeper than any you’ll find and well-earned.”

Sensing some kind of warning, Shalin turned to look at Madenn, but she’d already walked out the door, silently closing it behind her.

The chant for food started when the suns set. It turned to cat-calls and loud screaming until the servants began bringing out the platters of hot food and placing them on the tables.

“Where’s Shalin?” Ailean asked Arranz, who only stared at him. Blankly.

“You lost her?”

“We didn’t lose her. She’s around somewhere. We’ll look after we eat.” Of course Arranz said that around a mouthful of food.

Afraid she might have gone off to handle all this on her own, Ailean searched the castle for her.

He went to her room first but found it empty. He went down to the small dining hall in the back of his home, thinking she might have gone there in search of food. But he found that empty as well, except for a few of the dogs playing on the floor.

Ailean walked into the kitchen, getting more desperate by the second.

“Something we can help you with, Ailean?” asked Madenn. An older human, she’d worked for him since she’d been a young girl, as had her mother and her mother’s mother. He liked Madenn very much. She made him laugh.

“The lady I brought home today? Have you seen her?”

“Last I saw her, she was in the library.”

Ailean tilted his head to the side and stared at Madenn. After a long moment’s pause, “I have a library?”

Madenn snorted. “Aye, m’Lord,” she replied, not bothering to hide her laughter. “With books and everything!”

“Truly?” He grinned now that he knew Shalin was safe and not sacrificing herself for the dragon nation. “I never knew.”

“As I’d guessed.”

“Fascinating.” He started to walk away, then gestured to the door. “Uh…can you point me…”

With a good-natured shake of her head, Madenn walked with Ailean out to the hall, giving him quick directions. “Once you’re in that part of the castle,” she finished, “go down the hall, all the way to the end, turn left, and the very last door on the right.”

“Thank you.”

“Welcome.”

Ailean followed Madenn’s directions and, as she suggested, he found Shalin in the library. Still wearing that dark red dress and barefoot, she sat on the floor, completely engrossed in a book. She probably had no idea how late the time had grown.

Even more fascinating, she had one of the new batch of black-furred puppies asleep in her lap. When Ailean had taken over this land, he’d begun to breed the animals to create bigger, more battle-ready dogs. They were wonderful pets and companions but could easily tear the limbs off a good-sized man. And had when the situation called for it.

“Shalin?”

“Mhhm?”

He couldn’t help but grin. “Shalin?” he called again.

She finally lifted her head. “Yes?”

“It’s time for evening meal.”

“Evening…” She turned her head toward the window. “Oh. It is dark.”

“Aye. It is. And I’m starving.” He held his hand out for her. “So let’s go feed, then.”

“No.” She waved him away. “I’ll be fine until later.”

“You will?”

“Aye.”

“If you’re sure…”

“Of course.” She ran a hand down the puppy’s back while staring at her book. “This little one will tide me over until I—oiy!” she barked when Ailean reached down and grabbed the puppy from her lap. “He’s mine!”

“Not if you’re planning to eat him.”

“What else would I do with him?”

“He’s a pet, Shalin. A companion animal. If you wish, you can keep him as such. But if you’re planning to eat him—no.”

“That’s unfair.”

“On my territory we don’t eat dogs.”

“You have the most ridiculous rules. You do know you’re not human, yes?”

“I’m well aware of that, Shalin.”

The puppy, now awake, yawned and tried to scramble out of Ailean’s arms and back to Shalin. When Ailean held him tight, he began to cry and paw at his hands.

“You’re hurting him,” Shalin accused, quickly getting to her feet.

“You were going to eat him.”

“Give him back to me,” she ordered as only a royal could.

Ailean moved away from her grasping hands. “Only if you give me your word you’ll not eat him.”

“Fine. I give you my word.”

“Good.” Ailean shoved the puppy back at her and Shalin snuggled him close. “He seems to like you. I’d hate for that affection to be betrayed.”

“It won’t be.” She giggled when the puppy licked her face and nipped her nose.

“Then he’s my gift to you.”

Shalin looked at him in surprise. “A gift? For me?”

“Of course.” He reached over and stroked the puppy’s head, smiling when the little bastard tried to bite his finger off. “While you’re here, I’ll show you how to care for him.”

“No one but my father and mother has ever given me a gift before.” She smiled, and Ailean wondered if he’d ever seen anything so beautiful. “Thank you.”

He cleared his throat and stepped back from her, wondering why he had this sudden, almost overwhelming desire to give her everything he owned and fuck her beyond reason. He’d never felt both tenderness and lust at the same time for anyone and he didn’t much like those feelings now.

“Let’s go in and eat. You can bring the puppy.”

With the puppy and the book she’d never released still in her hands, she peered up at him. “I don’t spend much time with others, Ailean. I mostly keep to myself.”

That surprised him a bit. “But all that time in Devenallt Mountain with Adienna…?”

“I just followed. No one ever expected me to do or say anything.” She gave a devious little smirk. “Very few at court find me very interesting. And I’ve found if I stay unbearably boring long enough, they wander away and stop talking to me altogether. I like when they don’t talk to me. Before I went to school in Kyffin, I could sometimes clear a chamber simply by entering it.”

Ailean laughed, tugging her forward until her bare feet touched his boot-covered ones. “Tragically for you, I haven’t been bored yet. So I know how fascinating you truly are.”

“And you’d know that how? You never let me finish a sentence.”

His own smile fell at the innocent barb. “Are you saying I talk too much?”

“Well—”

“Because I don’t. I don’t talk too much.”

“All—”

“I have things to say, sure. But it’s not like I can’t shut up if I have to. Because I can.”

“O—”

“And do! When I have to.”

Shalin stared up at him once again, her mouth closed.

“Well?” he demanded. “Answer me.”

“You’re right. You don’t talk too—”

“Exactly! Now come on. You can even bring your book if you like and read at the table. This lot will never even notice.”

It was like watching wild animals feed with much snarling, growling, and food stealing. But to make it uniquely theirs, there was also much laughing, taunting, and yelling. Shalin said nothing because she really didn’t have to. With Ailean on one side of her having either a running argument or an animated conversation with his brothers—she didn’t know which—and his infamous twin cousins on the other side, yelling at different family members across the room, Shalin didn’t have to say a word. Instead, she devoured her delicious food, hand-fed the puppy comfortably ensconced in her lap and, much to her delight, read her book. That she would have never done at court. Ever. She’d have been forced to keep up some boring patter to entertain whatever noble sat beside her or she would have had to listen to Adienna softly mock everyone in the room.

Truth be told, Shalin hadn’t had a meal this lovely since she’d lived with her father. He’d always brought work or books with him to their evening meal of a freshly butchered cow or two. They’d eat, read, and barely speak and were both quite comfortable doing so.

The hour had grown late and she’d devoured half a cow’s worth of ribs before she finally lifted her gaze from her book.

“What you reading, then?” one of the twins asked.

“It’s a book on the Northland pirates. The ones who come down along the coast and raid the small towns there.”

“I heard about them. Oh, I’m Kyna by the way. This is Kennis.”

Kennis greeted Shalin with a grunt, since she had a mouthful of food. Shalin had never met the twins before, but like every other dragon in Dark Plains, she’d heard of them, the pair having cut a bloody swath through the enemy during the last battle against the North dragons. They were feared as much by their own people as by their enemies.

“So go on,” Kyna insisted, “tell us about the pirates.”

Shalin glanced at the book and shrugged. “Well, there was this one story that was kind of interesting about how one of the raids went horribly wrong.” Shalin leaned in a bit and proceeded to tell the cousins what she’d read, adding in some additional details about the town and the Northland pirates that she’d read in other books. Since the twins never looked bored the way most others did when she spoke for longer than a minute or two, she kept talking.

“He knew, then,” she said.

“Knew what?” Kyna all but demanded.

“He knew he either had to cut her throat or watch his men die.”

It was the silence Shalin noticed first. Neither Ailean nor Ailean’s kin were ever quiet. Yet for a brief moment she thought that only she and the twins remained. But when she glanced around, she gave a little start of surprise. They were all watching her. If she hadn’t known she had Ailean’s protection, she’d have feared for her very life, the way they all watched her.

Then, finally, from the back of the room someone snarled, “Well…go on, then!”

“Aye,” one of his many—many—aunts demanded. “Finish the story.”

A chorus of “ayes” followed and Shalin briefly debated making a run for it.

“You best finish,” Ailean murmured near her ear. “They’ll tear this castle down around us until they get what they want. Besides,” and the smile he gave her nearly had her melting in her chair, “I’m dying to hear the end as well.”

Realizing she really did have their undivided attention and that she didn’t much mind, Shalin continued. “But for the captain neither of those options worked for him. But if he was going to save them all, he’d have to move fast…”

The dinner ended and his family went off on their own, heading out to check Ailean’s territory or simply enjoy the quiet night before the storms came. Storms were blowing in from the east, but it was the rainy winter season in Kerezik, so no one was particularly surprised or worried.

Ailean silently watched Shalin head up the stairs to her room, the puppy in her arms.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Ailean turned away from the tantalizing sight of Shalin walking away to that of his twin cousins, Kyna and Kennis.

“Don’t think about what?”

“Now that is an innocent face, isn’t it, Kyna?”

“That it is, Kennis. That it is. You’d never think he has nefarious plans for Shalin the Innocent.”

Ailean rolled his eyes and laughed. “I do not have any plans for anyone.”

“Not sure I believe that, cousin. Who can resist a female with the moniker ‘the Innocent’?”

“Your lack of faith in me, Kyna, hurts.” He held his hand to his chest. “Deep inside.”

His cousins, two of the greatest Battle Dragons he’d ever known, laughed and each punched one of his arms. He gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain.

“They have a point, though, brother.”

Forcing himself not to rub where the twins had hit him, he focused on Bideven, who stood over him. “What are you talking about?”

“You with a fresh, untried female under your roof. I’m concerned.”

Ailean pushed away from the table he’d been leaning against and stood tall. “Concerned?”

“Aye, brother. Concerned. Shalin the Innocent is not like your other—”

“Whores?” Kyna added helpfully.

“Aye. She’s not.”

Ailean felt his rarely used anger growing. “I never said she was.”

“But I saw how you looked at her.”

“I have eyes. I was looking. It doesn’t mean that I’ll—”

“Take advantage?”

“I don’t take advantage. I’ve never had to before.”

“She’s naive, Ailean. Sheltered. She’s never been away from her library and her books before.”

“And?”

Kyna stepped between the two brothers who were now toe to toe. “And she might misunderstand or expect more. More than you’re willing to give. No one wants her hurt. Least of all you, I’m guessing.” She rested her hand on his chest. “You have the biggest heart of us all, Ailean. But sometimes you make the mistake that everyone thinks like you. Or us. She’s not like us. She’s cultured and that, isn’t she, Kennis?”

“Aye. Cultured and soft.”

Kyna brushed her hand against Ailean’s jaw. “Breakable, Ailean. So be careful what you do.”

He took his cousin’s hand, kissed the back of her knuckles. “You’ve a good heart yourself, little cousin.”

She smiled, seconds before she slammed him hard across the face with her free hand. “Don’t try and sweet-talk me, you wily bastard.” But she grinned just the same.

“We’re off, then,” Kennis informed them all, heading toward the door. “We’ll go up north a bit, make sure there’s no other surprises from the Lightnings. We’ll be back later tonight.”

“And if you find more of them?” Ailean asked. “More of the Lightnings? What will you do then?”

Kyna grinned as she followed after her twin. “Then we’ll have more horns to add to the ones already on our den walls, won’t we?”

Ailean turned back to Bideven, but his brother did no more than sniff in disgust before storming off.

“What is wrong with him?” Ailean snapped, knowing Arranz stood behind him.

“Don’t know. He’s been strange all day. So are you going to fuck her?”

Ailean sighed and walked off.

“It was just a question.”