that she would follow him and, after a moment’s pause, she did.
“You have my ring,” she said and Hadrian lifted his hand to admire it. “You should return that to me, too.”
“I’ll trade it,” he suggested.
“For what?”
“The story of it.”
“The story?” She looked confused. “It’s a ring. It’s mine. End of story.”
“Come on. That’s not a story. Who did it belong to? How did you get it? Why do you keep it?” He wagged a finger at her. “If you want to learn about telling stories, you should listen to Alasdair. That dragon can spin a yarn, and illustrate it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know. A little advice: if my cousin ever offers to tell you a story, seize the opportunity. Now, tell me about the ring.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I’ve always had it. It’s always been on that chain around my neck, as long as I can remember.”
“But you don’t know anything about it?”
She shook her head.
“And you don’t wonder?”
She frowned, her gaze locking on the ring. “I haven’t. It just was. Now that you mention it, that does seem strange.”
She was uncertain again, as if the rules were changing or the ground was shifting beneath her feet and she wasn’t sure where to step next.
Hadrian would work with that.
“And it always shines like this?”
She shook her head, apparently mystified. “That’s new.”
“I have an idea,” he said. “Why don’t we ask your brothers what they think of my proposed deal to satisfy the firestorm? I mean, they have a stake in the result, too, and they might want your family line to continue.”
“You can’t talk to them. They’re swans because they’re cursed.”
“I remember. Can’t you talk to them in your swan form, or at least understand them?”
She blinked. “I don’t know.”
“You’ve never even tried!” he guessed. “Can’t you find them?”
“I can go to anybody anywhere anytime,” she said with confidence.
“But you never have.” Hadrian shook his head. “In a thousand years, you never reached out to them.” He could see her confusion. Had it been part of Maeve’s curse that his mate should be oblivious to everyone but the Dark Queen? If so, he seemed to be breaking that edict. “I thought anybody alive would have more curiosity than that. Twelve kills in a thousand years must have left you with a lot of spare time.”
“I had other things to do.”
“But they’re your brothers! Your only kin. Your family.”
She frowned and looked across the studio, clearly shaken. “I’m helping them,” she said, her tone tentative.
“That’s good. When you fulfill the deal, the curse will theoretically be broken, right?”
Her eyes flashed. “It’s not theoretical.”
“And they’ll be mortal men again, right?”
“Right.” She was wary, as if he was unpredictable. But she was still listening. Hadrian would take it.
“And you’ll be Fae.”
“And immortal. Exactly.” She nodded. “Assuming a certain dragon shifter ever stops talking.”
Hadrian chuckled. Talking was keeping him alive. “Maybe your brothers deserve to hear that there’s another option. Maybe they’re less inclined to believe the Dark Queen than you are.”
“The deal is the deal.” She shook her head and took a step closer. “They’ll stay cursed if I don’t fulfill it. I can’t believe they’d quibble over the details.”
“But what if the firestorm is right about us being destined mates and belonging together? For the Pyr, a mate often has skills that complement his strengths and affinities, so they’re stronger as a team than individually. What if our combined strengths could set your brothers free without you killing me?”
“You’re just stalling for time,” his mate said impatiently. “You’re just trying to compromise my will to get the job done...”
He hadn’t even thought it could be compromised, so having her admit as much was great. “Did you ask your brothers the first time?”
“No.” She was startled. “Why would I?”
“You just decided for them?”
“I had the opportunity to free them. What was there to talk about?”
“They might have had other ideas. They might like being swans.” He raised his hands, trying to think of something that would be better as a bird. “I’d miss flying if someone took it away from me. I’d want to be asked if it was worth surrendering that.”
She nodded reluctant agreement. “But still, they’re cursed. They must want to be free.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “But don’t you miss them?”
“I told you: I didn’t even know I had brothers until the Dark Queen showed them to me.”
He lifted the ring. “Then this doesn’t belong to one of them?”