Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals #1)(36)

“Not here,” Jaik snapped.

“All right, then. Where do you want to talk? I have a lot of questions. I never thought I would see what I saw today.”

Talisyn looked considering. “We could take him into the hideout. If we want to have a real discussion.”

“A hideout? There’s a hideout?” I asked.

“It is not a hideout.” Jaik said harshly. “You’re making it sound like little kids with a treehouse.”

“Well, there’s usually not that much fucking happening in a treehouse.” Talisyn glanced at me and added, “I’m kidding, actually. We don’t let anyone in there who is not part of the order of dragons. And not part of a very select group of the order of dragons. We are not inviting the Elders in there.”

The way Talisyn said elders had a slight emphasis as if that wasn’t how they normally described them when it was just the five of them. Maybe they said olds all the time. I felt like such an outsider around them, but after seeing them fight today, hearing their banter and the way they worked together, I desperately wanted to be a part of their little group.

It was a strange feeling. I’d never wanted so badly to be a part of anything. It wasn’t really my style. I was never a joiner.

But if these guys had a clubhouse, I wanted a look at it.

“Hey, where has your little best friend been today?” Arren asked Jaik.

Jaik snorted. “Maybe my stalker has found new shifters to obsess over.”

“I doubt it,” Talisyn said pretending to adjust his lapels. “Because I’m pretty sure I’d be her number one obsession.”

Oh my god. They were talking about me. Honor. I had to sit there and pretend like I didn’t have any opinion about Honor while they talked about me. This was madness.

“You guys have a stalker?”

Branok snorted. “They wish.”

Well, that was an interesting piece of information. “What’s she like?”

Who wouldn’t ask that question if they were face to face with the dragon royals and there was an opening to discuss how they saw you?

“Deeply unwise,” Arren said.

He barely spoke, but apparently, he would break his vows of silence to insult me.

“I didn’t know you could talk,” I said delightedly.

“Really?” Jaik asked me. “Wasn’t having your nose broken once enough already? You want to piss Arren off?

“Look,” I said, “I’ve obviously made you all deeply unhappy before day one at the academy. But I am a dragon, and we are stuck together. Maybe we could try to start over. Maybe I deserve a second chance.”

Lynx rose from the table, as if the idea grated his last nerve.

“No, stay.” Jaik ordered. “Lucien will go.”

I propped my elbows on the table and put my chin in my hands before realizing that was a distinctly feminine gesture. I straightened, then sprawled back in my seat, spreading my legs and trying to take up room like a man.

Talisyn was watching me with a skeptical look on his face. I was not doing a very good job of beginning to win these men over to my side.

“Lucien will not go,” I said.

“Lucien will do what the fuck he’s told.” Jaik leaned over the table, meeting my gaze.

I was very familiar with that angry smoldering gaze. But it did things to me that Lucien probably wouldn’t have felt. Even when Jaik looked pissed, there was something that was hot about his gaze and the power that rolled off his body.

“You will do what you’re told,” he told me. “And if you want to begin to have the chance to get back into our good graces—”

“Never going to happen,” Branok interrupted.

“Then you are going to need to obey.” Jaik cast a glance at Branok, including him in his icy orders.

“I need to obey you. Why? Right now? We’re all going to be a part of the order of dragons. You’re not the High King yet.”

“That’s not why I’m the one who’s in charge,” Jaik answered.

“Then why?” I pressed.

Talisyn buried his face in his hands as if he couldn’t bear to watch. Then he said,

“Jaik, I’ll get him straightened out.”

“You’re going to take responsibility for this one?” Jaik looked disbelieving. “Weren’t you whining about that earlier today when Damyn told you to watch him?”

“I can’t say I’m excited about the idea,” he answered. “But the kid wasn’t entirely useless today. He did try when we were dealing with the Scourge.”

“He tried?” Jaik scoffed. “He’s borderline useless right now. Make sure he can fly.”

“I will.” Talisyn rose from the table and walked toward the two-story wooden doors that led out of the dining hall, his broad shoulders cutting through the crowd of students who melted away in front of him. He obviously expected me to follow, and as the others glared at me, I jumped up too.

The two of us headed out into the hallway. My stomach growled, but apparently Jaik decided how much time any of us got to spend eating.

What a bizarrely controlling bastard. I was talking out loud again. Hopefully I hadn’t mentioned the part where I found Jaik ridiculously hot.

“He is pretty domineering,” Talisyn agreed. “But he does try his best. And he does have his reasons.”