Page 57 of A Kiss of Flame

Levian’s heart gave a hard thump, and her nerves began to outweigh her exhaustion and pain. "Was he terribly angry?" she asked.

Ismay paused, her gaze thoughtful. "He was worried more than anything," she finally replied. "Though he’s been in a bit ofa mood with everything going on. Not that it’s anything you need to worry over."

Levian nibbled on her bottom lip. "Does the Queen know I’m here?" Barith’s sister held a breath as she thought about how to answer. She was a terrible bluff. "She doesn’t."

"My sisters thought it best to keep it quiet for now," Ismay admitted sheepishly.

The mage huffed. "Do you have anything stronger?" she asked. "I want to try and get out of bed."

Ismay shook her head. "Ye need to rest. At least a week, maybe more."

Levian was already throwing the blankets off her. "I can’t," she told Ismay, shifting her legs over the edge. The effort drained her, and her legs felt like lead, but she was determined.

"Mum won’t know you’re here," Ismay assured her, a note of urgency in her voice. "Only the five of us know, and we’ve all sworn not to tell."

Levian snorted, her toes grazing the woolen rug separating her feet from the cold stone floor. "Judith will probably tell her I’m here the second she gets the chance. She hates me."

Ismay grunted. Apparently, all the McCroys shared their love of grunts and grumbles.

"I haven’t yet," Judith said from the doorway.

Levian glanced up to find Barith’s youngest sister glaring at her. "It doesn’t mean you won’t," she snapped in return.

She knew Judith hated her because the dragon had made it abundantly clear. Judith had flatly declared that Levian represented Barith’s indulgent tendencies—that one day, he would have enough of her and come home to his horde where he belonged. Judith's disdain was palpable, and Levian wasn’t about to pretend otherwise.

Judith sneered at her. "I agreed to him bringing you here so Ismay could tend to you," she added. "But I agree that the sooner you’re gone, the better."

"Jude," Ismay scolded her sister. "Don’t be an arse."

"Jude’s being an arse?" another woman chimed in from behind Jude. A tall dragon with a shaved head and muscles that seemed to ripple with every movement popped her head into the doorway. She looked remarkably like Barith, just in female form.

Ismay sighed behind her. "That’s Catrìona," she told Levian.

Catrìona waved over Jude’s head and smiled. "Nice to see you not bleeding all over everything," she said to Levian. "And sorry for Jude. She was born with a pinecone up her?—"

Judith elbowed her sister in the ribs. Cat snarled in pain. "See what I mean? She’s like that with all of us." Jude grunted, rolled her eyes, and disappeared back into the house.

Cat lingered, rubbing her sore ribs. "She won’t tell," she whispered loudly with a wink. "Barith would have her hide if she did."

Ismay grumbled in protest as she helped Levian stand. "Where is he?" Levian asked.

"In a meeting with Mum," Cat told her. "He’ll be back soon, though."

Levian felt unsteady, both physically and emotionally. She wanted to see Barith, yet she was terrified. There was so much she wanted to say, so much she feared saying, and so much she probably shouldn’t. Her head throbbed in tandem with her heart, and she let out a deep, steadying breath.

"Ye really should rest," Ismay tried again.

Levian shook her head. "It’ll help me to move. I’ve never done well with bed rest." Not that she’d had to do much of it. It was rare that she was the one laid up in bed and not doing the tending. The change of roles unsettled her, but it also made her appreciate all the times Barith had thrown himself into the frayon her behalf, risking injury or worse. Her heart gave another irritating thump.

A glass of whiskey suddenly appeared before her. "Ismay did all the hard work," Cat said with a wink. "But this won’t hurt you either." Levian took the glass and shot back the contents. Cat chuckled. "I’m likin’ ye more and more."

It took her far too long to make her way into the living room, but Levian managed. The cottage was quaint and cute, with a single bedroom, a bathroom, and a large open living room and kitchen. Everything felt overly broad, and it took Levian a moment to recognize it was because they were all dragons and had to account for their wings.

It was an odd thing, seeing three dragons in one place, all with their wings out openly. She’d never been around more than two dragons at a given time, and one of them had always been Barith. As she sat in the kitchen with Barith’s sisters, Levian recognized that they were nothing like she’d expected. Cat and Ismay chatted and barbed at each other like proper siblings while Jude sat in the living room, adding surly corrections when she felt the need. Levian had never had a sister, but watching them all felt comforting. Cat and Ismay tried to include her as if they’d always known her, which was bizarre. Lovely, but—bizarre. She’d expected all of Barith’s sisters to hate her like Jude. Knowing they would only ever see her as the woman with whom their brother galavanted around the world, getting into trouble while avoiding his responsibilities at home.

"You must have some grand embarrassing stories of Barith, aye?" Cat chimed as she nibbled on a bit of cake.

Levian laughed lightly. "A few," she admitted, sipping her tea.