His sudden discomfort confused her. “Talk about what?”
“The unicorn part. It’s not something I normally do. I only did what I did today to protect Dash. I like being a unicorn probably as much as you like being human.”
That seemed odd to her. She didn’t like being human because she was a dragon. If he was a unicorn, why would that bother him? “Why?”
Ryper didn’t answer her question. “You’re obviously fine. I’m heading to bed and will see you in the morning when we leave.” He vanished so fast that he practically teleported.
Keegan moved forward. “That was strange, right?”
“Very.”
“Yay! I’m getting the hang of being around people. They’re not quite as bad as we thought, are they?”
Tanis smiled. She’d forgotten all about Keegan’s bad habit of ending most of her sentences in a question. When they’d been young, it’d made her insane.
“No. They’re not nearly as bad as we thought. At least not the ones here.” Most of them were very pleasant and thoughtful.
Like Ryper and especially Dash.
Dash lookedup as a shadow fell over him while he was reviewing the map on the table. On instinct, he drew his dagger and would have sliced open the intruder’s throat had he not realized it was Ryper in the shadows.
“How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?”
“Enough that I should remember, and yet I still forget.” Ryper rubbed at the hairline cut Dash had accidentally given him. “Thanks for the shave.”
Sighing, he sheathed his dagger. “Glad it wasn’t closer.”
“Me, too. Would have seriously ruined my night to be decapitated.”
“How unlike you. Thought you wanted to die.”
Ryper didn’t respond as he moved so that he could see the map over Dash’s shoulder. “Have you told Tanis about us?”
“How do you mean?”
Ryper glanced around the room. “We are alone, right?”
He nodded. “Even Dove went to bed.”
Still, Ryper lowered his voice an octave and when he spoke, Dash understood why. “She commented on how much I favor you.”
“At least you got the syntax correct this time.”
Ryper growled at him. “Five fucking minutes. Seriously? You’re only five minutes older.”
“But I count every one of them.”
He tossed one of the map markers at Dash who caught it and laughed. “Why do you always bring that up? Five minutes like it means anything?”
Dash shrugged. “What are brothers for if not to irritate the shite out of their siblings?”
Ryper rolled his eyes. Then he returned to his usual somber composure. “I do wish I’d told Renata. I kept thinking I’d have time. Now...”
“She loved you like family, anyway. You know that.”
“Not the same as knowing wewerefamily.”
No, it wasn’t and Dash wouldn’t argue the point. Maybe they should have told her. But as Ryper had said, it’d never seemed the right time.
