Theo picks me up from my seat, plonks his ass down, and pulls me onto his knee. It gives me extra height which I appreciate. I reach for a piece of bread left over from our earlier meal. Sexy time makes me hungry.
“I still can’t get over the image of her smacking him on the nose and telling him he was a bad boy,” Nash mutters. There’s a warning of heat banked in his eyes. Right, threefold. I arch a brow at him and grin. I’m ready, Nash Stirling.
“So now what?” I ask. “You can’t drop me in your damsel disposal village. Gwyneth will kill me and all of you.”
“Gwyneth knows you are safe,” Malachi says. “We explained the situation.”
“And she was fine with it?”
Malachi grimaces. “Not exactly. I don’t envy Charming. That woman is scary, and she’s on the warpath for the prince that moved you both to the damsel quarters.”
I grin. That’s my Gwyneth, terrifying the mighty Stirling brothers that the whole of The Hallows fears. “He expected the dragon to eat me, therefore removing me as Gwyneth’s floof protector.”
“I wish you’d stop calling it that,” Theo mumbles in my ear as he presses me tighter against him. We are dressed now, me in a nightgown, him in breeches that do nothing to hide his body. It’s not like he gets cold. Being a dragon has its advantages; he is like a furnace. A snugly, warm, comfy, sexy furnace.
“Didn’t your father have something to do with it?” I ask.
Malachi tilts his head to the side. “You think he’s working with Charming?”
I shrug. “All I know is he looked pretty happy when he spotted me tied to the post.”
“We hadn’t considered that,” Hart answers. “But we will find out.”
“Where were you when Theo was plucking me off the ground and scaring the ever loving Idols out of my floof?”
“We don’t attend each other’s rescue attempts so that we can cover up what Theo is and safely remove the damsels to So Far Away,” Nash tells me.
That makes sense. “Is Gwyneth moving with me?” I ask. My heart flip-flops at the thought that the brothers are about to dump me along with the other discarded damsels, and this is the last I will see of them.
“No,” Hart grumps. “We have made it known you are a maiden and would be dropped by the dragon or eaten. We launched this mission to come and rescue you. This is not your fairy tale, Daphne. You don’t belong here.”
My heart squeezes at his dismissal of my future with them. I shuffle my ass against Theo and lean forward on the table. Theo emits a low growl. “I might not be a damsel,” I say, pointing my finger at Hart. “But I am worth saving. I may not appear distressed or swoon in your presence, but that doesn't mean I am less of a woman.”
“No, Daphne, you are all woman,” Nash adds. “And come the next diurnal, we can get you back to The Hallows.”
I jerk my head back and press my lips together. How did they get in here? Because as far as I can tell, the cave is inserted into a sheer and icy cliff face. Unless… “Wait, are you all dragons?”
“Theo is the only dragon,” Hart snaps. “Not that you understand the implications.”
“You need to slay him to fulfill your destiny, except your bond and love is stronger than anything fate offers.”
Hart blinks and narrows his gaze over my shoulder. “You told her?”
Theo shrugs. “I’m planning on keeping her, so I don’t see the problem.”
A warmth fills my soul, making me sigh. It’s not just me who feels this incredible pull. That’s reassuring, because panting after the Stirling brothers like a needy puppy isn’t a good look. I would trip over and land on my face at their feet.
“Agreed. We keep her,” Malachi declares.
“I concur,” Nash adds.
The three of them sharpen their gazes at Hart. He throws his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “You are crazy. That Burgher has brought more chaos and disaster to our lives in a few diurnals than what we’ve experienced collectively.”
“She’s brought passion, kindness, and warmth to our lives,” Theo snaps back.
“And a little chaos,” Malachi mutters. “But shit was getting dull.”
Nash’s gaze levels at me as he drums his fingers on the table. “I feel like we are missing something essential when it comes to you.”
