How to Drive a Dragon Crazy
Page 24
“You know,” he barked at them, enjoying the way they all jumped a bit, “that’s my brother’s daughter you’re eyeing, you disgusting bastards.”
Uther frowned. “I thought she was your cousin.”
“Oh, oh.” Caswyn punched Uther in the shoulder, his gaze still locked over the ridge. “There she goes again.”
All three refocused on the lake and Éibhear felt his lip curl, fangs starting to ease out of his gums. How dare they! She was his brother’s . . .
Brannie flew up past the ridge they all stood on, black wings extended from her back, black scales shining in the early-morning suns, and his comrades watching every move she made.
“Look at that tail,” Uther sighed.
“I think it’s a little short,” Aidan complained.
“You’re all watching Brannie?” Éibhear asked. “Really?”
They didn’t bother answering him since they were still busy staring at her, but he didn’t really see what they seemed to see. She was just . . . Brannie.
His cousin flipped over and dived back toward the lake. Éibhear heard Izzy squeal and he looked over the edge to see her trying to swim back to shore.
Brannie landed in the lake hard, the water exploding out and sending Izzy racing to land. Éibhear was convinced she’d drown or worse, but by the time she rolled naked across the ground, the water retreating, she was laughing hysterically.
“You mad cow!” she yelled around her laughter.
Brannie was laughing, too, while floating on her back in the still-sloshing water.
Izzy managed to sit up. She seemed completely comfortable naked, and he understood why. She was perfect. Long body, powerful legs, strong shoulders, and scars across her back, torso, chest, and even her inside thighs. Yet she still moved with grace and strength, getting to her feet easily and stretching her entire body, her arms high over her head, muscles rippling.
“Should you be staring at your niece like that, Uncle Éibhear?” Aidan asked him while Uther and Caswyn continued to lustfully gawk at an unsuspecting Brannie.
“Piss off,” Éibhear growled, moving around the bastard he sometimes called friend.
“Gods, look at the breast scales on her,” Uther muttered about Brannie.
Still disgusted and pissed off in general, Éibhear rammed the big oaf’s head into the tree he stood next to before heading back to camp. “We’re moving out in ten minutes.”
Izzy was trying to reach the clothes that Brannie had annoyingly put on a high branch.
“You are such a bitch!” she yelled at her laughing cousin, who was back in her human form, dressed, and running back to camp.
Izzy jumped again, hoping to reach her damn leggings without being forced to climb the damn tree. The vision of her splayed naked across that branch did nothing but make her feel uneasy.
Her fingers nearly touched the leggings, but she just missed them, growling when her feet again landed on the ground.
She was eyeing the tree, trying to figure out the best way up, when an incredibly large arm reached around her and grabbed her clothes. Her first instinct was to cover herself with her arms, or at the very least cover her tits. As her mother had always warned her, she’d been a late bloomer. Now she usually kept her chest bound around her troops. But she didn’t want to give Éibhear the satisfaction of seeing her embarrassed. So she planted her hands on her hips and smiled up at him.
“I think,” he said, “that you need to remember you and Brannie aren’t alone on this trip.”
“Why do you think she put my clothes in the tree? She knows your dirty friends were watching.” Izzy took the clothes from him. “Thanks.”
“Perhaps you two have spent too much time together.”
“Aunt Ghleanna has said that more than once.” Izzy dropped her clothes and began to get dressed with Éibhear right there. He frowned but didn’t say anything. He also didn’t turn away. “She says I’m a bad influence on her daughter. Me. A bad influence on Branwen the Awful. I’m not sure how she comes to that conclusion.”
“Probably because you get my cousin drunk and she just wakes up in the middle of your insane centaur shit.”
“That could be part of Ghleanna’s argument.” She finished pulling her chain-mail shirt over her head and shook her wet hair out.
“You know,” Izzy said, stepping closer to Éibhear and placing her hand on his chest. “I’m so glad we made up and that we’ve put the past behind us.”
“Uh.” Éibhear looked down at her hand and then at her face. “Yeah. Me, too.”
“Now we can be the proper uncle and niece that the family has always wanted us to be.”
The dragon blinked, his body going stiff. “Uncle and niece?”
“Proper uncle and niece. That must be such a relief for you. Not to have some child running around trying to stroke your hair.” She laughed a little, patting his chest. “Thank you for being so patient with me back then. It must have been very hard.”
“Well, no, it was—”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s the past. Now we’re family. Kin. My wonderful Uncle Éibhear.” On a whim, she went up on her toes and kissed him on the chin since she couldn’t quite reach his cheek without more effort.
Then she walked away and headed back to camp. She was almost there when Brannie stepped out from behind a tree and yanked her over.
Uther frowned. “I thought she was your cousin.”
“Oh, oh.” Caswyn punched Uther in the shoulder, his gaze still locked over the ridge. “There she goes again.”
All three refocused on the lake and Éibhear felt his lip curl, fangs starting to ease out of his gums. How dare they! She was his brother’s . . .
Brannie flew up past the ridge they all stood on, black wings extended from her back, black scales shining in the early-morning suns, and his comrades watching every move she made.
“Look at that tail,” Uther sighed.
“I think it’s a little short,” Aidan complained.
“You’re all watching Brannie?” Éibhear asked. “Really?”
They didn’t bother answering him since they were still busy staring at her, but he didn’t really see what they seemed to see. She was just . . . Brannie.
His cousin flipped over and dived back toward the lake. Éibhear heard Izzy squeal and he looked over the edge to see her trying to swim back to shore.
Brannie landed in the lake hard, the water exploding out and sending Izzy racing to land. Éibhear was convinced she’d drown or worse, but by the time she rolled naked across the ground, the water retreating, she was laughing hysterically.
“You mad cow!” she yelled around her laughter.
Brannie was laughing, too, while floating on her back in the still-sloshing water.
Izzy managed to sit up. She seemed completely comfortable naked, and he understood why. She was perfect. Long body, powerful legs, strong shoulders, and scars across her back, torso, chest, and even her inside thighs. Yet she still moved with grace and strength, getting to her feet easily and stretching her entire body, her arms high over her head, muscles rippling.
“Should you be staring at your niece like that, Uncle Éibhear?” Aidan asked him while Uther and Caswyn continued to lustfully gawk at an unsuspecting Brannie.
“Piss off,” Éibhear growled, moving around the bastard he sometimes called friend.
“Gods, look at the breast scales on her,” Uther muttered about Brannie.
Still disgusted and pissed off in general, Éibhear rammed the big oaf’s head into the tree he stood next to before heading back to camp. “We’re moving out in ten minutes.”
Izzy was trying to reach the clothes that Brannie had annoyingly put on a high branch.
“You are such a bitch!” she yelled at her laughing cousin, who was back in her human form, dressed, and running back to camp.
Izzy jumped again, hoping to reach her damn leggings without being forced to climb the damn tree. The vision of her splayed naked across that branch did nothing but make her feel uneasy.
Her fingers nearly touched the leggings, but she just missed them, growling when her feet again landed on the ground.
She was eyeing the tree, trying to figure out the best way up, when an incredibly large arm reached around her and grabbed her clothes. Her first instinct was to cover herself with her arms, or at the very least cover her tits. As her mother had always warned her, she’d been a late bloomer. Now she usually kept her chest bound around her troops. But she didn’t want to give Éibhear the satisfaction of seeing her embarrassed. So she planted her hands on her hips and smiled up at him.
“I think,” he said, “that you need to remember you and Brannie aren’t alone on this trip.”
“Why do you think she put my clothes in the tree? She knows your dirty friends were watching.” Izzy took the clothes from him. “Thanks.”
“Perhaps you two have spent too much time together.”
“Aunt Ghleanna has said that more than once.” Izzy dropped her clothes and began to get dressed with Éibhear right there. He frowned but didn’t say anything. He also didn’t turn away. “She says I’m a bad influence on her daughter. Me. A bad influence on Branwen the Awful. I’m not sure how she comes to that conclusion.”
“Probably because you get my cousin drunk and she just wakes up in the middle of your insane centaur shit.”
“That could be part of Ghleanna’s argument.” She finished pulling her chain-mail shirt over her head and shook her wet hair out.
“You know,” Izzy said, stepping closer to Éibhear and placing her hand on his chest. “I’m so glad we made up and that we’ve put the past behind us.”
“Uh.” Éibhear looked down at her hand and then at her face. “Yeah. Me, too.”
“Now we can be the proper uncle and niece that the family has always wanted us to be.”
The dragon blinked, his body going stiff. “Uncle and niece?”
“Proper uncle and niece. That must be such a relief for you. Not to have some child running around trying to stroke your hair.” She laughed a little, patting his chest. “Thank you for being so patient with me back then. It must have been very hard.”
“Well, no, it was—”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s the past. Now we’re family. Kin. My wonderful Uncle Éibhear.” On a whim, she went up on her toes and kissed him on the chin since she couldn’t quite reach his cheek without more effort.
Then she walked away and headed back to camp. She was almost there when Brannie stepped out from behind a tree and yanked her over.
