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“You need to let it rest awhile, or it’ll be all sloppy.”
“Oh. Right. Forgot. We’ll have the salad while that happens.”
“I made the salad. I want the credit for it.” So saying, Keegan carried the salad bowl to the table. “So sit, and another toast comes first. To friends, to men who have all my respect and my affection with it. May joy surround you and contentment latch your door, and may the gods send their blessings now and evermore.”
“I’m going to water up again. It means a lot, the meal, the toast.” Marco lifted his glass. “But especially the friends.Sláinte.”
She didn’t doubt the salad—not really cooking—but held her breath when Marco sampled the bread. His eyes narrowed on her.
“Girl, where’ve you been hiding?”
“It worked.” Finally, she risked a bite herself. “It worked! It has to risethreetimes. Why isn’t once enough?”
“Chemistry. This is the sweetest thing, doing all this for me and Brian.”
“It’s not every day my best friend and my cousin pledge.”
She rose for the big test and brought the lasagna to the table to serve.
“Is your family well then, Brian?” Keegan asked. “And happy for you?”
“All well, and couldn’t be happier. They fell in love with Marco just as I did.”
“Mutual, and man, the stories his mom told me.”
“Oh now, don’t start there.”
“Gotta.”
They dug into the lasagna with laughter as well as forks.
“It’s really good, Breen. Really good.”
She nodded at Marco, pleased as she ate. “It doesn’t quite reach your level. But it’s good. I didn’t burn it, and don’t have to pull out the frozen pizza.”
“Marco, I think, has his own magick in the kitchen.” Keegan scooped up more. “Still, if I hadn’t sampled his, I’d say this is the best I’ve had.”
“That’s a ringing compliment, and I’ll take it.”
“Food’s love.” Brian lifted his glass to her again. “And I taste yours in every bite.”
“Now I’m going to water up.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
She trained and she studied and she practiced through the February winds and rain. True to his word, Keegan changed up her routine. And true to himself, he remained unrelenting.
She fought wraiths in the woods with mud sucking at her boots. She shot arrows from dragon-back, clashed swords on horseback, and ran what seemed miles with quiver, bow, and sword.
Then he took her to the base of a rocky hill north of the valley. Pointed up.
“Scale it.”
“You want me to climb a damn mountain? I don’t know how to rock climb. I don’t have a harness.”
“There’s enemy above. They have prisoners, small children,” he added, and made her roll her eyes. “Would you stand here and leave the littles to their fate? They’ll be sacrificed unless you find your way to the top and defeat the enemy.”
“Oh, bullshit. Why wouldn’t I call my dragon, fly up there, and rain hell down on them?”
