Kailigh stared at her youngest daughter, face hard. Her fingers itched to slap someone, and if Cinvarra didn’t start talking, it would be her.

Her youngest child sat demurely, hands folded in her lap, eyes downcast. Kai wouldn’t be falling for that, no she wouldn’t.

“Let’s go over your well-crafted tale again,” Kailigh said. “You came upon a small group of vagabonds in the woods.”

Cinvarra looked up. “Oh, yes. Playing with matches.”

“Playing with matches.”

Maddugh, standing behind her, snarled. Kai reached back and grabbed his wrist. The dragon was furious—flying reptiles, who breathed fire weren’t best equipped to put flames out. They’d had to use a considerable amount of magic to contain the blaze once it finally ate through whatever containment had kept it from spreading.

Nearby Amnan rubbed his fingers, sniffing again. They’d retrieved samples of the soil where Kai recognized the remnants of an odd chemical/magical mix. A mix strongly scented of her missing eldest daughter. Who Cinvarra insisted wasn’t missing, but was simply out hunting.

For an entire day. Despite a forest fire which should have acted as a beacon to bring the girl back home to see what was going on, hunt or no.

“Put her in the dungeon,” Amnan suggested, eyes lidded.

Normally Kai would object to that kind of statement—but this latest mischief was serious. Serephone and Cin were up to something, something that could have killed people. It was more serious than a simple young adult prank. Cin wasn’t yet eighteen, but Sere was drinking age and should know better.

“You wouldn’t!” Cinvarra snapped, her vacuous expression evaporating as she glared at Amnan.

He smiled at her, showing slightly sharpened teeth.

“That’s a promising idea,” Maddugh said. “Children who play games deserve spankings.”

“Mother!”

“Don’t you mother me, girl. You tell me what you and Sere are up to right now, or I drag you to the dungeon myself.”

A rap on the office door and Persia entered, face tight. “I can’t find her, Ma. She’s gone.” She strode to Cinvarra, grabbed her by the front of her blouse. “Where did my twin go, you twaddlewat?”

“You have five seconds to let me go before I—”

“Before you what?”

“Four, three, two—”

Kai pinched the bridge of her nose, wanting to growl herself. “Persia, let her go. If there’s to be any snatching, I’ll do it myself.”

“If I don’t get her first,” Maddugh muttered.

Persia released Cin and spun on her heels, striding to the corner of the room to cool off.

“Cinvarra.”

The girl took her seat, smoothing her skirts. “Serephone went to Seattle.”

Amnan leaped towards the door.

“Wait!” Maddugh roared. “Don’t go off all half-cocked, boy.”

Amnan spun, snarling. “She already has a day’s head start! I don’t have time for any more discussion.” He glared at Cinvarra, expression venomous enough that the younger girl recoiled.

Maddugh’s face was just as steely. “She is my step-daughter. I have contacts in the Seattle Dome. I’ll make inquires. We’ll do this quietly to ensure we don’t reveal her identity to possible enemies. You will stay put and let me handle this. That is an order, Amnan.”

The princeling stared his father down before nodding curtly and leaving the room.

Kailigh sighed. “He’ll need to be watched, as well.”

“He will obey,” Maddugh replied, grim. “Or he will suffer the consequences.” Glancing at Cinvarra, “You are confined to your room until further notice.”

The girl sniffed. “I’m a little too old—”

“Would you prefer the dungeon?”

Cinvarra’s mouth shut and she rose, smoothing her hands down her dress before stalking out of the room.

“Don’t slam that door!” Kailigh yelled. There was a brief pause, then the door shut—quietly. As soon as her daughter was gone, Kai indulge herself in a bit of harmless cursing. Though it was beneath the dignity of a woman her age.

“I’m going to strangle that runt when I get my hands on her. I can’t believe she did something so stupid! I was expecting her to pull a stunt, but not like this.”

Maddugh sighed and approached, wrapping his arms around Kai’s waist. “Stupid goats. No patience—no subtlety. I see I’ll need to pay a bit more attention to their education—my son and your daughters.”

She stiffened. “My girls—”

“You’ve done well, Kai.” His finger touched her lips. “But you are no dragon—you females need to learn true canniness. If they are going to dabble in games of misdirection and revenge, they need to be trained properly. And my son needs to be reminded never to act out of temper.”

Kailigh sniffed. “How long are you wanting to keep Cin in her room?”

His expression darkened. “Until the trees grow back.”

“It’s her birthday soon.”

“Oh. Damn. Well.”

* * *

Her husband caught her that evening attempting to sneak out of the castle. She’d made it as far as the main road when the dragon swooped down out of the sky, wings buffeting a deliberately heavy blast of air to knock her off her feet. She swore, stumbling, and glared at him as he shifted to human and strode towards her, grabbing her upper arms.

“Really, Kailigh? Did you think I wasn’t anticipating you as well?”

She scowled. “My daughter is off to a Dome getting into who knows what trouble, and you want me to wait around for you to talk to some folks.”

Fangs snapped at her. “You’re my wife, so I can turn you over my knee and give you the bare assed spanking you deserve.”

“Don’t know—might enjoy that, dear. So, it wouldn’t be much of a punishment.”

Because he was naked she immediately felt, pressing against her middle, the effect of her words. But lust didn’t diminish the anger in his eyes. “I know you’re barely old enough to drink, but I expected better from you, Mistress.”

Kai snorted at the barely old enough to drink comment. They’d established that she and her daughters weren’t quite human, and that combined with her mating Maddugh had slowed and reversed what little signs of aging she’d had. Though she was in her forties, considered approaching middle aged by human standards, if she was a fae or a shifter like Maddugh thought, then she was barely out of her adolescent years.

Which was interesting, considering Maddugh had gone ahead and married her. So, he must not think she was really all that young—unless he just didn’t care.

“How long do you expect me to wait, Lord Maddugh?”

“Do you trust me, Kai?”

She opened her mouth, closed it. Damnit. “That’s a sneaky question.”

He held her gaze, voice even. “Answer it.”

“Yes, I trust you. But…I’m not used to waiting on someone else. To having help.”

His head lowered, lips brushing hers. “Get used to it.”

And then he lifted her in his arms and she squealed—an undignified sound—wrapping her legs around his waist. He strode into the cover of the forest, and by the time he was done with her, she didn’t have a drop of energy left to argue.

* * *

Amnan gave his father two days before entering Maddugh’s office again.

“I need a warrant.”

Maddugh looked up from the pile of paperwork, brow raised. “You can’t arrest Hrutha for over-wenching, Amnan. We’ve already—”

“No. For Serephone.”

Maddugh’s expression cooled. “I told you I would handle it.”

The dismissive tone set his fangs on edge. His entire body ticked, scales roiling under the surface of his skin, waiting to burst free and fling him into flight. He needed the warrant, because he planned on leaving that evening and a document from a dragon Lord stating that the female was under his authority would go a long way towards mitigating any fireworks he knew would be set off during the struggle to bring her home. But he could tell from the set of Maddugh’s shoulders that his father wasn’t going to change his mind.

“How much longer?” Amnan asked, voice mild.

“Not much. I’ve nearly garnered the permission I need to hunt in another territory without causing a clan feud.” Irritation shone through for a moment. “You young ones don’t remember what it was like on our home world. The constant battles over hunting lands and caves.” Maddugh grimaced. “In some ways, I thank the humans for that at least—this is their world, and we’re forced to abide by their rules. Mostly. And there is more space.”

Demonstrably, since the nearest dragon enclave was several hour’s flight and enclosed in a mortal made Dome.

“Very well,” he said, and left his father’s presence. Kailigh was standing on the opposite side of the hall, watching the door gravely.

“I wanted to wait until you were done speaking with him,” she said. “You’re going after Serephone?”

He studied her. His stepmother was not a foolish woman, and her eyes were a little too knowing.

“Do you disapprove?” he asked.

“No.” She paused. “Sere isn’t an easy one, but once she gives her loyalty, you’ll have no better woman at your side.”

He bowed. “Our household is blessed by the addition of you and your daughters, Lady. I give my word I’ll make certain she comes to no harm.”

Kailigh smiled. “I thank you for the sentiment, but I won’t hold you to it. Just do your best. I’ll follow as soon as I can talk some sense into his Lordship.”

Amnan smiled as he walked down the hall. Her irritation with his father would distract Maddugh for long enough for Amnan to get a good flight’s start.

He waited. The hours grated, like claws ripping across his scales. Hours he should have spent hunting down Serephone. Hours during which she could be in serious danger, even dead. She was headstrong, too certain of her own power, and foolish—but she didn’t deserve death.

When the time was right, and everyone was in their beds and his father was otherwise occupied with the delights of marriage, Amnan slipped into the office and wrote the document he needed, forging his father’s signature and affixing the seal. A human had once told him of times when mortals communicated through flat rectangular objects filled with electricity that transmitted sound and images.

It sounded like dark, fae magic.

The drive of his desire to retrieve her astonished him, and he grimly accepted that the feelings might herald something deeper. An instinct, if unleashed, he knew he would struggle to control. He’d watched his father’s near-helpless dive into a mating with Kailigh. He wanted that for himself—but at a reasonable pace.