Dangerous Honor (Dragon Royals #2)
May Dawson
A Note From May
Chapter
One
Jaik
“Get ready to fly,” I told the others.
Arren nodded. His dark hair was dusted gray, and ash clung to his shirt as it flexed over his muscles. The twins flanked him, covered with just as much debris. They’d made a big entrance when Talisyn flashed the vision of Honor into their minds; they’d crashed through the roof, all wings and fire and fury. The cross where Henrick and Alis had strung Honor up lay on its side now, demolished in the fighting.
The sight of Honor lying limp in Talisyn’s arms made my lungs flatten against the back of my ribcage. The second after fear, fury burned through me.
“She’s going to be fine.” Talisyn sounded as if he needed it to be true, as if he was promising himself as much as me. Then he warned, “But she wanted us to protect Alis. She says Alis knows something about who she truly is.”
I turned to look at Alis, and she took a step back from me, stumbled, almost fell. Her eyes were wide with fear, and I saw my own snarling, rage-filled face reflected in her eyes.
“If she matters to Honor, then she lives for now.” My voice came out a growl, and Alis shrank back even further. “We’ll take them all north. Find Hanna.”
Lynx nodded, then darted toward the door, which was blocked by a fallen ceiling beam. Branok moved to help him lift it, and Arren turned his gaze on me.
“What about your brother?” Arren demanded bluntly.
“He’ll need to stay here and heal. It’s not as if he can fly.”
Arren gave me a long look. My friends were often irritated by the rift between Caldren and me; they didn’t voice it, but I could read them easily enough after all our years together. They didn’t know Caldren’s dark side as well as I did.
Besides, what was I going to do, let my asshole big brother ride me like a pony through the skies?
“I’m going to make sure he’s not dead before we leave, if you have this situation in hand,” Arren said.
Branok and Lynx heaved the beam out of the way. While they were wrestling it to the ground, the door flew open, almost knocking Lynx down.
Hanna stood there, her chest heaving, her eyes blazing. “Where’s my sister?”
She sounded fierce, and she clutched a knife in either hand.
I tried to hide my grin. Such a cute kid. She was definitely Honor’s kin.
Branok and Lynx exchanged a look.
“It’s all right,” Lynx promised. “Honor’s hurt, but she’ll be fine.”
Branok’s mouth tightened. Lynx’s optimism seemed to pain him, but he added, “We’ll make sure she has the best healers.”
Hanna stormed into the room. Her face was a wreck, as if she didn’t know whether to burst into tears or gut Alis. I stepped subtly between Hanna and Alis. If Honor wanted Alis alive, then I’d make sure she got her wish.
Caldren hovered behind her in the shadows of the half-destroyed hallway. Irritation flared in my chest at the sight of his stupid face; the next moment, Hanna made a sound that could’ve been a sob, and I didn’t know what the hell to do.
“We need to go north,” Branok told Hanna, his voice brusque. “We need to take your sister someplace safe. Will you come with us?”
As if she had a choice. Honor would want her sister safe with us, and I’d find a way to give Honor anything she wanted.
As long as what Honor wanted included staying close to me and safe, at least.
“Of course,” Hanna said, her voice just as brusque as Branok’s, speaking to him as if he were an idiot. Her pose mirrored his: arms crossed, chin lifted, taking up space. Except her frame was narrow and willowy and he stood a foot taller than she did. “Do you think you could keep me away from Honor when she needs me?”
“Fine.” Branok frowned down at her and her unexpected challenge.
“Especially when she needs me because of me,” Hanna said, her voice breaking slightly. Her stoic mask wobbled, her lower lip twitching.
Branok’s face changed. He glanced toward me, looking uncomfortable, and I shrugged. Branok was an expert at manipulating people, but when he had to engage with anyone’s feelings honestly, it made him miserable.
There was a shift in the air, a sense of electricity that tingled across my skin, even before I heard the faint flutter of wings overhead.
“Take Honor and Hanna and fly, now.” I wanted to be the one holding Honor, but if my father stopped anyone, it would be me. I gripped Alis roughly with my arm circling her throat and she cringed away, but that didn’t stop me.
Arren shifted without hesitation, and Talisyn climbed onto his back, settling behind his wings, gripping Honor’s form in his arms. She started to surface from her unconsciousness just then, letting out a long, desperate moan of pain that made my guts seize.
Alis gasped in panic, her fingers scrambling at my arm. I’d accidentally begun to choke her. I loosened my grip enough to keep from killing her.
Lynx transformed into an enormous red-winged dragon, accidentally knocking over the last intact table in the room. He crushed a teacup underfoot and didn’t notice. He seemed to fill the room as Branok helped Hanna to settle onto his back. Then, looking miserable but not complaining, he climbed behind her. We had no time to conjure up a saddle and reins for the girl.
“Go,” I barked, because they seemed inclined to hesitate. I’d bring Alis along in my claws; she didn’t need quite as comfortable a journey.
They soared without hesitation through the broken remnants of the roof into the sunshine.
“Father’s not going to be pleased with you,” Caldren noted from behind me.
I was still ragged from seeing Honor hurt, from the fight. My voice came out cold as ice, though, betraying not a hint of my roiling emotions. “Caldren. You might not have been any use during the fight itself, but you’re always ready to come in strong with your… wit.”
Caldren limped forward.
Something inside me darkened at the sight of my brother’s bruised face. Before he staggered to my door, someone had hurt him badly. “Henrick did that to you?”
“His guards. Why, are you worried about me?”
“Merely jealous. If someone’s going to beat you, I hate for it to be anyone but me.”
Caldren smiled thinly, the movement breaking open the scab across his lip. “And here you pretend you don’t care.”
I scoffed. “You failed Honor.”
Genuine hurt flashed across his face. It was there and gone in a second. “How nice for you. She’s badly wounded and I’ve got a chest full of broken ribs, but you can revel in the belief you’re the only worthy son.”
He’d always told me I was selfish, but he was the selfish one. Even so, his words still pricked at me. Caldren had a knack for that. “I wish you’d stop proving me right.”
“If either you or I were worthy of Honor, we’d stand together to protect her instead of arguing.”