quickly locked hostilely with Eirik’s. “If you want to know why she’s frowning, ask her.”
Then Artair turned to his fellow soldier, no diminishment in his anger whatsoever. “As for you, get this through your thick head. I am not going to mate your sister. Ever.”
Gart stumbled back a step. “But we were to be brothers.”
“I don’t want to be your brother.” The pain and fury in Artair’s voice was difficult to hear.
However, Gart’s hurt at the other warrior’s words was so great and so obvious, Eirik could not help pitying him as well. And finally, Eirik thought he understood what Artair and Ciara had been talking about in the hut.
The two men were sacred mates, but clearly Gart had blinded himself to this truth, and he could not understand why his best friend would refuse to be his brother.
Eirik had had enough of this ridiculousness and he’d only been witness to it for a short time. No doubt their laird and Artair himself were heartily sick of the Chrechte soldier’s willful refusal to see the truth.
Eirik gave Gart a good clout on the back of the head, knocking the Balmoral guard to his knees. “A Chrechte cannot mate his brother, you idiot.”
“Mate?” Gart shook his head, though Eirik doubted his blow had knocked the man’s brain loose.
’Twas more likely that single word he was trying to dislodge. Gart looked up at Artair, who was staring at him with an expression Eirik was determined to see on his little femwolf’s features in the very near future.
“You want to be my mate?” Gart asked.
“I don’t know.” Artair did not appear to be teasing; he seemed to have some serious doubts on the topic. “Stupidity is not an attractive feature in a mate, but you seem to have more than your fair share.”
Gart surged to his feet and grabbed Artair by his upper arms, shaking him. “Do not get on your high horse right now. Just answer my question.”
“Yes.” Though Artair wasn’t looking all that pleased by the prospect.
“But you’re my brother.”
This time when Artair flinched, Eirik did not enjoy seeing it quite so much. “I am not.”
“You are my best friend.”
“Yes.”
“And have been for the whole of our lives.”
Artair nodded. “What better person to take as a mate?”
“I dreamed of children.”
This time there was no flinch, just the scent of sadness. “I cannot give them to you.”
“I know.” Gart dropped his hands from the other soldier and stepped back, putting more than physical distance between them. “I do not know if I can give up that hope.”
“You really are an idiot.” Mairi, who had been standing wide-eyed and quiet during this exchange, gave Gart a look of disapproval. “You think love is so common a gift you can just throw it away when it is offered?”
“We are not speaking of love, but of mating,” Gart replied with a frown for the small woman.
Mairi looked up at Lais and then back to Gart. “Are they not the same?”
“Nay,” Lais answered when Gart did not. “There is no Chrechte law that states mates will love each other.”
Mairi’s soft features hardened. “I see.”
“Besides, a warrior does not live his life by the dictates of his heart,” Gart said dismissively.
Eirik could not disagree with him, but it looked like Artair was less than impressed with his friend’s sentiments. Mairi didn’t look well pleased, either.
Crossing her arms, she gave Lais a look Eirik could not decipher and moved away from him. The eagle looked confused and disgruntled, though he made no move to close the gap between him and the human woman.
“You are right,” Artair said, surprising Eirik. “A warrior cannot bow to the dictates of his heart.”
The relief on Gart’s face was reflected in his scent. “So, you will begin courting my sister?”
“Never.” There was enough venom in the word to kill and enough certainty to serve as the foundation of a fortress.
“But—”
“We will feed your companions and then the women can have the hut to sleep in,” Artair said to Eirik, cutting his fellow soldier off. “I have first watch on the beach tonight and Gart can sleep outside the hut.”
“Ciara will sleep with my dragon in the forest. Lais and Gart can share the hut and watch over Mairi.”
“Do not argue about this,” he warned the eagle shifter over the Éan royal mind link.
Lais dipped his chin in acknowledgment, but he did not look happy. Eirik did not care. The man was a warrior and he knew better than to gainsay his prince.
Mairi didn’t