Archibald a royal?”
“Hardly,” she repeated.
“Then who is he?”
“Our uncle. My father’s brother.”
“They seem very angry at each other.”
“They are. They both wanted the same thing, but only one could get it.”
“Your mother?” he asked softly.
“No,” Keeley answered. “The family axe.”
“The . . . the family axe?”
“Uncle Archie got the axe. Then my father got my mother. And they’ve never let each other forget it.”
The drawbridge landed and the family rode across it, heading into the courtyard.
Caid and Laila held back a bit, making sure there was no one behind them. When they felt it was safe enough, they followed.
As they walked across, Caid said to his sister, “You know, the longer we know this family—”
“Yes. It’s true. Our kin is not nearly as insane as our father insists we are.”
* * *
Before her mother could dismount from her horse, Uncle Archie was there—his fierce helm tossed aside—wrapping his hands around her waist and lifting her down.
“My sweet, sweet Emma,” he growled, pulling her into his arms.
Keeley jumped off the gray mare and ran—literally ran—to her father’s side and grabbed his arm. Gemma grabbed the other, and it was only the raw strength of a blacksmith and a knight that kept him from beating their uncle to death.
Once Uncle Archie got their mum onto the ground, he moved his hand to her waist and led her toward the castle door.
“Come, my sweet Emma,” Archie urged. “I have a lovely axe to show you.”
That set their father into a tailspin of even more rage, but Keeley fought hard to keep him under control.
“Please, Da,” she begged. “We need him.”
“No, we don’t. I’ll kill him and this place will be ours as long as we like!”
“Daddy, that’s a horrible thing to say.” Gemma placed her hands on his chest and pushed their father back a few feet. “You need to find a way to get along with Uncle Archie.”
“I’d rather set us both on fire!”
“That’s enough, Da!” Keeley stood beside Gemma. “You two are brothers. You shouldn’t be doing all this ridiculous bickering over nothing.”
“She’s absolutely right, Daddy.”
Her father stared at her, stared at her sister, and then said, “Are you two fucking kidding me?”
* * *
Caid walked into the castle. It was the kind of place humans liked to live in. Made of stone with high ceilings but no matter how high they were, it didn’t change the fact that they were still trapped inside. Trapped like rats in a hole in the wall.
That was not for centaurs. They had tents. Some had yurts. They all had roofs, but they had roofs they could walk away from anytime they wanted. Anytime they needed. He couldn’t imagine living in one place without ever moving. Without ever venturing out far and wide.
But for what they needed right now . . . this place would do.
“Here it is,” Archibald was saying, pointing out an old, battered tree axe that was pinned to the stone wall above the big fireplace. “The family axe.”
Laila came from behind the big stairs that led to the upper floors. “There’s no one here,” she whispered.
Caid looked down at his sister.
“No one. I think he lives in this place alone.”
“That actually could work for us.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Keeley walked inside, stood next to him. “Is he showing her that stupid axe?”
“Seems so.”
Gemma walked into the castle with their father. She had her arm looped through his, but his face was red and his hands curled into big fists. He seemed ready to snap and Caid would bet gold his brother knew that.
The War Monk had on her white robes again, making her look like the pious little nun that she wasn’t.
“Uncle?” she called out.
“Niece.” He looked Gemma over. “You’ve gotten chunky.”
The War Monk’s eyes narrowed on her uncle but she controlled her annoyance and forced a smile. “I’m sure, after all these years, you and my dear father can put aside your differences. Move on to a new relationship appropriate to such wonderful men.”
Archibald smirked. “Need my help, do you?” Now his brutal blue gaze examined his brother. “I knew you could never take care of your family.”
And that was it. Angus Farmerson pulled away from his daughter, leaped onto the big wooden table in the middle of the room, and launched himself at his brother.
Laila sighed. “I guess we should stop them.”
“Do we really have to get in the middle of this?”
Caid was in no mood to get between two human males fighting over a gods-damn axe.
But his