Page 76 of Vows of Sacrifice

Kynnen’s features fell.

“But . . . But it’s a girl,” he stammered.

I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw him blush. Paivrin shrugged his shoulders in a casual gesture. He was very annoyed, that was obvious.

“She’s in her animal form,” he objected, before coming to meet me.

“But!” his youngest brother tried again, looking desperate.

He then gave Dovah an unhappy look, but Dovah ignored him superbly. In her animal form? I repeated to myself mentally.

“Lady Ashana,” our host greeted me warmly, taking my hands into his.

“Lord Paivrin,” I replied with a friendly smile.

Nevertheless, my attention remained drawn to the white she-wolf and poor Kynnen.

“I could take care of it,” I added.

Paivrin frowned, then turned his head for a moment towards his youngest brother, still wrestling with a very enthusiastic Morgana who was delighted to have him back.

“Are you talking about giving Morgana a bath?”

My smile deepened.

“I’m used to animals. They generally like me.”

I wasn’t sure how to interpret his reaction. He seemed mixed, even a little doubtful.

“That is to say . . . She’s not very friendly, especially with strangers. And women in particular.”

Oh. Perhaps I’ve gone too far? I fidgeted in my mare’s saddle.

“I just wanted to help, sorry.”

A wide, gentle smile crossed Paivrin’s face.

“Don’t apologize, Lady Ashana. It’s kind of you, but Kynnen will manage to convince her to wash. He’s always had an easy time getting her to obey him. Every year during the larvae period, she has to clean her coat with a soap of my own composition, because I don’t want these deadly parasites infesting her fur. Her downy coat attracts them like bees to honey,” he completed with a sigh. “A calamity.”

The truth is, I was dying to be friends with Morgana. I thought she was so magnificent!

“Besides, it’s your honeymoon,” my husband’s brother clarified as we passed Kynnen.

Dovah grabbed the reins of his brother’s horse before addressing him without looking at him:

“Join us when you’re done.”

The cadet responded with a wave of his hand and a groan of a condemned man.

“Dovah will show you where you will sleep in the days to come, but for now, come and have some refreshments at my place. Those accompanying you can stay in my house. There are enough rooms for your attendants and the few guards. The page in charge of the horses has all he needs in the stable. It’s comfortable and heated.”

Massim expressed his contentment with a delighted cry. He loved horses and staying with them was the greatest gift anyone could have given him.

* * *

Paivrin served us sparkling pink mangorot juice. This kind of berry grew exclusively in Gulan, and it was fermented in barrels with a little sugar and yeast. I gladly accepted, even though I wasn’t very used to alcohol. The taste was pleasant and mild, not at all as harsh as I had feared. When Paivrin went to pour me a refill, Dovah’s hand covered my glass.

“I’d like my wife to be fully conscious tonight,” he whispered. “Not drunk.”

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