And a familiar voice was shouting loud enough to wake the dead nearby.
Brand was violently wrenchedfrom the bliss of half a night spent tangled around Lunara.
Literally.
The first strike—the one that woke him—was a booted foot to his arse. The second was an immediate punch to the shoulder that sent him flopping onto his back, blinking.
Fucking Solyrian. He was truly exhausted if someone had been able to sneak up on him—especially this arsehole.
Somehow, Lunara slept through theattack. Brand intended to keep it that way.
He extracted himself carefully before rolling again and grasping the fist that was flying for his face.
“I cannot believe you bastards left me behind!” Thad was spitting mad, a vein pulsing in his forehead as his wolf flashed over his features.
“Keep your bloody voice down,” Brand hissed, shoving his cousin away and sitting up.
He’d only just coaxed her back to sleep. Damned if the whelp was going to ruin it.
“Keep my voice down?” Thad laughed, the sound bitter. “Where the fuck is Mag?”
Any other time, Brand might have warned Thaddeus that the male in question was directly behind him, face still creased from his own rest, but he wasn’t feeling generous this morning.
Magnus wrapped a hand around Thad’s nape and hauled him back. His fangs flashed as he growled, “Why are you here, pup? How?”
Thad wrenched himself away. “In case no one has noticed, I’m not a wee fucking bairn anymore. Not apup.You can both fuck off.”
Lunara mumbled in her sleep and Brand shot up, shoving a hand over Thad’s mouth before he could keep ranting. “I’ll hear your grievances, but kindly quiet down while you do so.”
Thad glared at him over the tops of his fingers, one eye twitching before he slumped and nodded. Satisfied, Brand propelled him deeper into the trees, Magnus at their heels.
Mag’s sigh was heavy when they finally stopped. “First off, does your father know you’re here?”
“Have you lost your mind?” Thad scoffed. “Of course he doesn’t. I had to wait a whole day to sneak past him, else I’d have been here sooner.”
“Sisters fucking save me.” Mag pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m not the one who’s lost my mind, lad. Caius is going to be beside himself.”
They stared at one another, the forest coming alive with a warm dawn—in direct opposition to the cold shiver that made its way down Brand’s back.
Thad might be pissed about it, but there was a reason they coddled him. After Meliora’s illness and death, if anything happened to him?—
“What in the realms are you doing out here in the woods anyway?”
Thad’s question was like a knife to the gut. Brand could actually hear Mag’s teeth grinding.
“The villagers?—”
“Don’t,” Mag whispered, cutting Brand off. “I can’t…”
“What?” Thad looked between the two of them. “Tell me.”
Magnus shook his head. “We have to get you home and clean up your fucking mess.”
“Oh, no. I’ll not be going back with my tail between my legs.” Thad went red, his pent up fury flushing to the surface. “Something’s wrong. You need me, Da doesn’t. I’m staying with you.”
Mag’s hand darted out in a blur and seized Thad’s collar. “Keep pushing it, and I’ll be wringing your fool neck long before Caius does.”
“Go on then! Fucking try it!”
