All Chapters of The Birthright Series: Chapter 221 - Chapter 230

IGNATIUS HADN'T FACTORED THIS INTO his evening plans. Inwardly he chewed on his liver as the cave nearly throbbed with noise. It would very likely scare the ardwyr off.Or anything else with half a brain, he thought. No matter, I'll create a diversion. As long as it seems believable and I broach it in the right manner, I know she'll rise to the bait.With that in mind it felt easier to smile at Cat while she watched the battle performances. He moved an arm behind her and bent to her ear, explaining the various parts of the dance. After the Nyjens' display, the goblins performed and it was one of the few times Ignatius had been privileged to watch the different troops perform together. Many of those watching exchanged impressed glances, and he saw the men of the Griffon Guard explaining it to the other girls. The Northerner sat near Rashid, listening to the Lieutenant and watching his gestures. Having known Rashid for decades, Ignatius felt uneasy at his obsession with Leseach. It cou

ALEK APPEARED IN MY DREAMS and I couldn't help the tears that trickled down when I reached out. He felt gloriously real under my hands. 'Al!''Hush, kitten, I'm here. Let's not wake your companion.'It hurt, that reminder that I dreamed but I didn't care. I needed this, I needed him. I nodded and beamed when he leaned forward to kiss me. It felt wonderful but in the same moment, wrong. He didn't smell or taste quite the same, his voice sounded a little different and I felt an instant of panic when part of my mind recognized that my memories had begun to fade. It made me cling tighter, hands smoothing over his chest feeling the light tangle of hair and I lifted my lips to his again, sighing when he wrapped his arms around me solidly. I could feel my bare skin on his even though I knew in the back of my mind that I wore my woollen undergarments. I forced those annoying reminders away, wanting to pretend his existence right at the moment. The caresses felt real, the kisses too, trailing

RIDING OUT IN FRONT WITHOUT Rumal only added to Kassie's anxiety. At least now, with so much practice on the ships, riding Oomoth felt easier; leaning with the centaur when he climbed up and down, picking his way over the rough path. She would have liked to have chatted with the girls, but Loi communed with the earth, lost in her own world, and Sian and Cat weren't in chatting moods. It left her stuck in her own mind, dwelling on everything. Trying to shake it off, Kassie studied the colours of the rock, the blues and whites lending a fairy tale feel to the tunnels. If only it made it warmer, she thought with a shiver. The cold leached into her bones and usually she had Rumal and Kerak near to keep her warm. It made it easier to deal with every day underground if she at least kept warm.'Miss you guys,' she thought to Kerak.'Miss you too, Kass. We'll see you soon, we're almost out.'We are? Kassie sat straighter then leaned, trying to see ahead.'All right back there, Kass?' Oomot

SABYN BUCKLED THE SCABBARD AROUND his waist while watching her. The ease and obvious pleasure with which she handled the weapons aroused him and he grinned, winking at her when she felt his gaze and looked over. After checking his sword slid easily from its sheath, he reached for the short axes he favoured. Perfectly weighted for throwing and light to carry, the four axes fitted into a harness similar to what Loi wore. After so many years of use the leather had worn to his shape, fitting like a second skin over the mail. Loi turned her attention to Tomiar, going over the griffon's armour and tightening the straps of the plates.Sabyn fastened shields to his forearms. Each shield followed the curve of his arm and slanted at the elbow for ease of movement while curving out and up to protect the outer curve of his hands. The shields extended just past his skin, enough to protect and block but not inhibit any movement and the straps over the underside of his arm offered another spot to fi

THE RELIEF AT LEAVING IGNATIUS behind, and the sane answer provided by Kassie, felt fantastic. I rolled my eyes when Kassie shot me a conniving look and elbowed me in the ribs. 'You just love a guy in uniform.''Shut-up,' I hissed, flushing while she took obvious delight in my discomfort. 'You said it wasn't my fault.''Doesn't stop it being funny.''So, Cat. How you doing?' Sian gave me her best cheesy smile and Kassie doubled in laughter, hands pressed to her mouth to keep quiet.Moving around us, checking the perimeter and getting our position, the men kept casting confused, curious looks our way. Sian threw an arm around my waist. 'Least you know how to lighten the mood.'I tipped my head back, lips trembling with the effort to stop a smile and gave a long-suffering sigh.Kassie went still and made a sharp motion with her arms and everyone froze, eyes glued to her. I felt pressure on the shield, like something pushed against it. She looked at me with shocked eyes and I re