At her words, I felt my lips curve even as my eyes kept burning.

“They’re beautiful,” I whispered.

“They are indeed, Maddie,” Meeta agreed from up close, her hand coming out to hold mine.

Christophe let his arrow fly. It hit just outside the bulls-eye and I fought against cheering at the same time I fought against crying.

“They need a mother,” Meeta went on and my heart squeezed just as her hand squeezed mine. “A mother would put hats on them.”

She would. A mother would put hats on them. And tell them to eat their vegetables. And cheer when they made an almost bulls-eye. And help them make snow castles.

My throat started burning at the same time my scalp prickled in a weird warning and it was the latter that caught my attention.

I tore my eyes away from the children to do a scan of the area and I saw two men I’d never seen before in the forest by the furthest gazebo.

And they, too, were skulking, their eyes, I was sure even though I was far away, aimed at the kids.

Shit!

Apollo’s men wouldn’t skulk. They would have no need to skulk. It surprised me to know it, but with the presence of two skulking men, men obviously who weren’t supposed to be there, it was apparent Apollo’s men were falling down on the job at keeping Ulfr land safe.

But I couldn’t think of that.

All I could think was that two rough-looking men were skulking towards the kids. And (except the way Loretta, Meeta and I were doing it), I knew skulking led to no good.

Therefore, quickly, I let Meeta’s hand go and moved away from the tree I was hiding behind, looking this way and that, ordering in a quiet but urgent voice, “Go! Around the front. Head to the house. Find someone and tell them there’s a threat to the children in the back garden.”

“Maddie—” Loretta started as I found what I was looking for, dashed forward and pulled a stout, fallen branch out of the snow.

I whipped around to the girls. “Go!” I snapped, and didn’t wait to see if they did as I told them to do.

I moved.

Darting through the trees on the edge of the clearing, I kept my eyes to the men who were rounding the kids the other way. They weren’t rushing (one couldn’t rush while skulking) and I was, so I got close fast as they moved into the clearing, their eyes on the kids, their bodies bent low in a threatening way, their clothing warm but rough, heavy beards on their faces.

I moved in from behind.

The one coming up the rear heard my boots in the snow, turned and I saw his eyes widen in surprise because I was ready to strike. I had the branch back; I closed in on him quickly, and swung at him with everything I had.

Unfortunately, he had time to lift up a forearm so he caught the force of my blow there when I was aiming at his head.

Fortunately, I had another weapon at my disposal, my big mouth.

“Kids! Run!” I shouted just as the big guy with his scruffy beard caught the branch and wrested it from my hands. “Run!” I shrieked, launching myself at him, uncertain what I intended to do, just that I intended to do something.

I didn’t make it.

Not because he fended me off.

No, because an iron arm clamped around my waist from behind and I was hauled back into a strong body.

I knew that body and that hold.

“Maddie, what on earth are you doing?” Apollo said in my ear at the same time Élan screeched, “Uncle Quincy!” And after that I heard Christophe shout, “Uncle Balthazar!”

Then I watched the kids run through the snow and throw themselves at the two rough men. The one I hit picked up Élan and gave her a cuddle. The one in front allowed Christophe to give him a brief hug around his middle before Christophe stepped back and the man put his big hand on Christophe’s shoulder to give it a squeeze while he grinned down at him.

Oh shit.

It seemed I’d overreacted again.

I twisted my neck to look up at Apollo, saw his eyes on me and explained in a whisper, “They were skulking.”

His brows shot up (both of them this time) as his eyes lit with humor and he replied, “Skulking? Well, thank the gods you put a stop to that.”

Crap.

I set my teeth to worrying my lip.

Apollo’s arm gave me a fierce squeeze when he burst out laughing.

Crap!

Avoiding the children’s eyes, I looked back to the man I hit, and when Apollo’s laughter waned, I muttered, “Sorry I hit you with a branch. I thought you were a threat.”

“I gathered that,” he replied, his teeth very white against his russet beard and I saw this because he was smiling huge. “Or, at least, I hoped that wasn’t your form of welcome because I can’t say much for it.”

I heard Apollo’s continued soft laughter (though I didn’t laugh, even if the guy was being funny, not to mention nice about me hitting him with a branch) as he let me go but took my hand.

Placing it in the curve of his arm, he tucked it close to his side, bringing me with it, and moved us forward. “Quincy, Balthazar, meet Lady Madeleine.”

I got two chin lifts and two big smiles from the men.

“Maddie,” Apollo’s voice was lower when he went on, “meet my children, Christophe and Élan.”

“Hullo!” Élan chirped on an adorable, wide wave and my heart skipped a beat.

“Lady Madeleine,” Christophe said.

I looked to him to see he was very like his father and at that moment that included his green eyes dancing with amusement and he was fighting back a smile.

I’d totally made a fool of myself. Captain Kirk never made a fool of himself.

I swallowed nervously.

Apollo spoke and I looked up at him.

“Now that you’ve explained your brave but erroneous attack on one of Frey’s men…” Great. They were Frey’s men. “Maybe you can explain why you’re here. Dinner isn’t until later.”

“Loretta, Meeta and I were having a wander,” I shared slightly dishonestly (okay, mostly dishonestly).

“Indeed,” Apollo replied, his voice rumbling with humor, “I saw you three in the forest.” He leaned into me and finished on a whisper that hopefully only I could hear, “Skulking.”

God!

Someone kill me.

His beautiful full lips spread in a smile.

I decided to be pissed off as that was better than mortified so I narrowed my eyes at him.

He chuckled, pulled me closer and aimed his eyes at our onlookers.

“Christophe, Élan, it’s time to get back to your studies. You’ll be able to visit with Madeleine at dinner.”