Bring the Heat

“Prince Éibhear,” Gaius greeted.

“Iron scum.”

One of the Mì-runach, the one they called Aidan the Divine, quickly pulled his overly large friend back. “Isn’t this nice?” Aidan asked. “We’ve come just in time for a feast in honor of your mother’s ally.”

“I don’t give a battle-fuck who he is.”

Aidan gave Éibhear a shove and said to Izzy, “Why don’t you take your mate upstairs, General, and get him cleaned up for the evening.”

The blue-haired dragon snarled at his friend. “But I’m not done here.”

Izzy grabbed her mate by the collar of his chain-mail shirt. “Oh, yes, you are.” She pulled him away with that strength she was known for, and Aidan gave Gaius a smile he could only call “perfectly royal” in its attempt to soothe the situation. But before he could add words to that smile, one of the other Mì-runach next to him complained, “I’m hungry.”

Aidan glared at his friend. “Then get food.”

The Mì-runach thought on that for a rather long moment before nodding. “Yeah. All right.”

“That was Caswyn,” Aidan said. “And this is Uther.” He pointed to the last Mì-runach standing next to him. “Who’s going to walk away now.”

“I am?”

“Yes.”

Uther shrugged. “Yeah, all right.”

Once his friends were gone, Aidan let out a breath and greeted Gaius with, “My lord.”

“Aidan.”

The Mì-runach turned toward the stairs just as a seething Brannie stormed past him, gesturing with two fingers at her equally seething brother Celyn.

“Hello, Brannie,” Aidan happily greeted.

“Shut up!”

Aidan watched her stomp away before Gaius heard him sarcastically mutter to himself, “I’m just so glad to be back.”

Kachka glanced at her sister, then turned back to the female holding up the exceedingly bright pink gown.

“Get away from me,” she told the female.

“If you would just—”

“Get awayyyyy from me, She-demon!”

Keita the Viper stamped her bare foot. “Why won’t you at least try it on? This color would look divine on you!”

Kachka nearly had her blade pulled from her scabbard, but Elina caught her hand and held it in place.

With her free hand, Elina reached over and took a bright red patch from Keita’s hand. “Here. I will wear this. Happy? Yes?”

“At least one of you has some style!” the royal snarled before storming out of the room.

“What does that even mean?” Kachka demanded.

“I do not know. I stopped asking.” Elina removed her simple—but completely useful!—black eye patch and replaced it with the ridiculous-looking red one.

“You are actually going to wear that?” Kachka asked, unable to hide her disgust.

“Do you want her to go on and on about that dress, sister? Because she will. Trust me. She will.”

Slamming her sword back into the scabbard, Kachka walked out of the room and down the stairs, her sister right behind her.

Most of the tables were already filled and the food was being passed around. Big platters of ribs and sliced roast boar and roasted potatoes. All of it smelled good.

So Kachka reached over and took a rib from a plate, before heading to a free chair beside Gaius. Deciding she wasn’t done annoying him, she sat down, tossing the now-clean rib bone behind her.

“Barbarian!” she heard roared at her, and Kachka looked over her shoulder to see the Dragon Queen.

“What?” Kachka asked when the queen continued to glare at her.

“You hit me with that rib bone.”

“Then you should move quicker.”

Gaius snorted. “You lot are killing me.”

“That’s my seat,” the queen announced. Then she . . . waited? Kachka didn’t know.

Pointing at an empty seat at another table, Kachka said, “Go over there.”

“That is not my seat, peasant. You’re in my seat.”

“I am sure your large royal ass can fit just as fine in that chair as it can fit in this one.”

The queen took in a deep breath and Kachka went for her sword, but the queen’s mate quickly slapped his hand over Rhiannon’s mouth, dragging her away while Gaius quickly caught Kachka’s hand and held it in place to prevent her from pulling her sword. How many times would that happen in one evening?

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Gaius gently chided.

“Bitchy royals do not scare me.”

“Oh, she should. Not only can she tear you to ribbons with her claws, she can also turn you into ash where you sit, using only her whip-like flame, or turn your blood to molten lava with her magicks. So, if I were you, I’d be glad that Bercelak didn’t want her sitting anywhere near me.”

Kachka released her sword and took several handfuls of ribs from a plate offered by one of the servants.

“Why does Bercelak not want you sitting next to big-assed queen?” she asked.

“I’m not really clear why any of them act like that. It’s not like I’ve tried to fuck any of their Southland females.”

“Are you sure?” Kachka asked.

Gaius glanced over at Annwyl, who sat on the other side of him. She had her legs raised, her knees pressed against the table, her heels pressed against the seat, and a book balanced on her kneecaps. While she read the book and turned pages with one hand, she held a half-eaten turkey leg in the other. She had part of it in her mouth, noisily sucking the marrow from it.

When Gaius looked back at Kachka, he replied, “Oh . . . I’m so very sure.”

Once the dinner was done, tables were pulled back and musicians began to play. Izzy and Gwenvael the Slag were the first out on the floor, something no one seemed surprised at.

The Riders went into a small huddle over in a corner before Zoya Kolesova marched out. When she returned about a half hour later, she held several bottles covered in dirt.

“Whatever you do,” Talan suddenly whispered to Gaius, “don’t drink that. You’ll regret it forever.”

Zoya dropped the bottles on an empty table, then grabbed two. She walked over to Briec, for some unknown reason, and yanked away the cup of wine he’d been drinking, tossing it to the floor.

The dragon gawked at her—shocked she’d dare touch anything of his and clearly ready to blast her through the wall with his flame—before she shoved a bottle into his hand.

“Here, beautiful one,” Zoya told him. “Drink this. Beauty such as yours only deserves best.”

Then Zoya squeezed his ass and Briec’s eyes grew wide in panic.

“Come!” Zoya ordered the room. “Everyone drink! Especially all these pretty boys!”

“Yeahhhh,” Talan said on a harsh breath. “I’m out of here.”

Gaius watched Prince Talan quickly cut through to the back and disappear out the door. When Gaius turned around again, Kachka stood in front of him, a bottle in her hand.

“Are you brave enough, royal?” she asked, holding up the bottle.

“Brave enough? Or stupid enough?”

“Sometimes,” she said, pulling the cork out, “there is truly no difference.”