Page 69 of Made

She laughed. “We’ll see. I don’t make rules just to break them, but I don’t mind breaking them for a better deal. Might you be offering a better deal?”

“According to my understanding, anything is better than Wednesday Whine.”

“Thereisthat.”

“I also have good news.”

“What?” she asked breathlessly.

“Wait until we have some privacy,” he said in a hushed tone that he hoped only Ilmr could hear.

When the queen’s staff had been given instructions to deliver lunch and leave, she closed the doors behind them, then laughed when Vidar gathered her up as easily as a bouquet. Ilmr was perfectly proportioned, but her lineage was warrior clan. Far from petite. And new to the delights of being effortlessly scooped up by a lover.

After the briefest nibble of his earlobe, she said, “So, tell me. What’s the news?”

“Our plan is in place. Just in time for a big party celebrating the birth of Maeve’s granddaughter.”

“You mean the dragon egg?”

He smiled. “Out of the egg. Into the world. It’s not very big, but even a baby dragon can create a havoc to remember.”

“Wait right here.” She slid off the bed, hurried to her dressing table, and grabbed a scroll tied with purple ribbon. “Look what I got!” She kneeled on the bed, untied the scroll, and snapped it open. “An invitation!”

Vidar chuckled as he pulled her down next to him. “Congratulations. You’ve been invited to the hostess’s own takedown.”

Keir was worried about Kagan’s state of mind. It went beyond the normal lack of levity. Kagan wasn’t acting like a hero preparing to battle for his lover. He was acting like a depressed human.

“What’s wrong?” Keir asked, sensing something off with Kagan.

“That.”

Sometimes conversations with Kagan were not straightforward. After centuries of being Kagan’s triplet, Keir was aware that communicating with his brother might involve patience. “What?”

“What if I’m not right for this? What if I’m wrong? Esme is depending on me. What if she has to stay where she does no’ want to be forever because I’m not…”

“Not what?” As soon as the words were spoken, Keir knew he needn’t have asked. The reason for Kagan’s insecurity was an ever-present ache in his brother’s heart.

“NOT ENOUGH! NOT REAL!” Kagan shouted, no longer able to contain the rolling boil of his emotions under the surface. He motioned between the two of them. “You can try to fool yourself, but we are no’ real. We were MADE!”

Keir stared at Kagan, struggling for helpful words, therightwords. “Did you know Evie liked to study stories about magic kind? Before she became one of us?”

“No.”

Kagan’s scowl wasn’t just familiar. After all this time, his brothers thought of it as permanent. Keir had noted that the only time his brother didn’t look angry or pained was when he was with Esmerelda. Seeing that had shifted his feelings about Esme. If she could make his perpetually miserable brother less miserable, she was a miracle who deserved his respect, if not affection.

“One night, when she was over for dinner, she talked about her former passion for studying legends. She said every civilization has a creation story. And guess what they all have in common? In every single one, people werecreated.” Keir waited to see if Kagan was following, but couldn’t tell from the signs he was reading. “If you think it’s unlikely all this was an accident, then you accept that everyone and everything was created. What’s another word for created?”

Kagan blinked. “Made.”

“Exactly. That doesn’t mean less. In some cases, like ours, it can mean more. Think about it, we’re powerful enough to make fae behave themselves. Occasionally, I’ve wondered if Maeve really gave that the amount of thought it deserved. We’re notless, Kagan. We’remore. I think Maeve realized too late that we could be trouble if we weren’t… honorable.”

Kagan’s smile was so brief that Keir almost missed it. “Honorable?”

“Rita likes the word. She uses it a lot. It’s a concept that has merit. Bloody hel, brother. For all we know, Maeve might even be afraid of us. She might’ve deliberately set out to put you off balance so she could control you.”

The frown was back. “Control me?”

Keir was beaming on the inside because he knew Kagan wouldn’t like the idea of being controlled. He’d gotten through.

---