Page 13 of Monsters In Her Head

Desmond grimaced. “Why can’t he use something that we don’t all use?”

“I believe he is.” Ira arched his brow with a knowing look. “Gods forbid one of us touch the princess or he’ll bite our heads off.”

Huffing a laugh, Desmond smacked his brother on the shoulder. “I have never seen that stop you before. If I remember correctly, you specifically went out of your way to seduce Wellern when you knew that Ryu was thinking of adding her to his rotation.”

“He’s already got a big head. It’s good for him to struggle for what he wants every once in a while.” Ira paused and smiled in memory. “Besides, Wellern wouldn’t have been happy with Ryu’s way of rutting. She’s liked it when I wrapped my hands around her —”

“Okay, okay. Stop.” Desmond waved his hands in front of him. “I don’t need details. I don’t want to know what Wellern likes. And I suggest you keep those words to yourself before we get to Ryu or he’ll really bite your head off.”

Ira’s good eye crinkled at the edges. “And I suppose I shouldn’t mention how you were flirting with the princess in the corridors just now.”

Desmond paused, his mouth dropping open slightly. “That wasn’t flirting. That was keeping the market from taking advantage of her.”

“And I see she appreciated your efforts so much,” Ira mused pausing before their private dining area.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Desmond grimaced. “It’s harder than I thought to communicate with her just through her mind. Some things don’t come through right and then there’s the whole, everyone else can’t hear what you’re saying to each other, thing. It would be so much easier just to talk to her.”

Ira grabbed a goblet off the table and filled it with the dark liquid from the jug beside it. “Perhaps you should learn her language instead. Make things easier for her.”

Desmond filled a plate randomly. Ira wasn’t even sure he was paying attention to what he was putting on it. He almost reminded Desmond that he didn’t like onions when he put them on his plate but then thought better of it. It’d be far more entertaining to see if he actually ate it to save face or not.

“How am I supposed to learn her language? I can’t come out and ask her to teach it to me.” Desmond made a face and flopped down onto the stone seat by the fire pit.

Ira watched him with growing amusement as Desmond picked up a long stalk of onion and brought it to his mouth, his mind so engrossed with his thoughts he didn’t notice the vegetable until he’d bit into it.

“Ugh. Fuck. Gross. Why did I get onions?”

Throwing his head back and laughing, Ira took up his seat across from him, his own plate balancing on his knee. “Finally noticed, did you?”

Desmond shot Ira a glare before throwing the stalk of onion at him. “You’re such a bastard.”

Ira shrugged a shoulder.

“So, are you going to help me or just watch me poison myself?”

“Ate another onion, brother?”

Ira and Desmond’s heads turned to where Ryu walked in the room, a broad grin on his face. Ira had to admit his brother might be more possessive and growly about his new toy but he seemed far happier now that he was getting dick wet regularly.

“Fuck you too.” Desmond growled, slouching on his plate and staring hard at its contents.

“We were just discussing how to learn the princess’s hand language,” Ira provided, watching his older brother’s movements closely for a reaction.

Ryu paused by the serving table and frowned. “I do not know the language she and her maid use. How would we learn it?”

“I caught her teaching her guard, Tatoween, before. Perhaps we should ask him?” Ira asked, flicking a bit of onion that’d landed on him off his leg.

Desmond shook his head, dragging his fingers up his left horn. “Why learn second hand and not go straight to the source?”

Ryu and Ira exchanged a look before breaking out into a growling laugh.

Smacking Desmond on the back of the head as he passed by, Ryu sat in the remaining spot around the fire. “You have met the princess, yes? Do you really think she will give up her secret language to us?”

“To make her and our lives easier? If we could learn the language, then we could teach it to the other drakes and then I know I would feel much better with her wandering the corridors alone.” Desmond explained not realizing his words were causing their brother’s jaw to clench and his chest to burn with rage.

“She did what?” Ryu snarled, his plate completely forgotten as he focused on Desmond. “When was she out by herself? Why wasn’t her guard with her? I’m going to —”

Ira stopped his brother with a hand on his arm. “Take a moment. You cannot confront her in a rage or she will just continue to defy you. Control yourself.”

---