Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals #1)(78)

“The thief doesn’t feel forgiving,” Lynx noted, glancing over his shoulder at Talisyn and me. “And here he asks for so much forgiveness himself.”

Jaik turned his shoulders to enter the narrow passage where they’d sealed me. He glanced back at me with an expression I couldn’t read as I hesitated, then glanced toward Talisyn.

“Go,” Arren growled at the golden twins, who followed Jaik.

Then it was just Talisyn and me, and Talisyn said, “Lead on, Lucien. We’re all walking out of here together today.”

I didn’t know why Talisyn was always left to mind Lucien, or why he even seemed to have sympathy while the others despised me. But I had to show them the body; they seemed as if they really didn’t know there were monsters loose beneath the academy, and it was one more danger that might destroy our city.

I mopped the sleeve of my tunic across my damp forehead, then dove into the narrow passage, ignoring the too-quick beating of my heart.

Ahead of me, the other men were moving steadily ahead, a glow of fire in their palms. They were far enough distant that the lights grew dimmer, but the ripple of water around their legs echoed through the tunnel.

I hurried to catch up to them, afraid to be left behind. I didn’t want to give away how I felt, but the water lapping around my trousers with every quick movement seemed loud, traitorous.

“So where is this monster you slayed—” Branok abruptly broke off. “Ah, shit.”

Talisyn reached my shoulder, and the six of us stared at the half-submerged monster. Its lower half was bloated in the water, making it even larger, but it was already far bigger than even Arren.

Lynx crouched, mindless of the dank water, and studied it.

None of them seemed inclined to apologize for sealing me down here with a monster. Its sightless eyes stared sightlessly above the gouged cheeks. Lynx reached out and touched the horn.

“I believe Lucien is right,” Lynx said steadily. “I believe we have a hybrid on our hands.”

“I’m supposed to believe you didn’t know, that you weren’t trying to murder me?” I demanded.

“If we were trying to kill you, you’d already be dead.” Branok’s tone was dismissive. “Not even Damyn would be able to stop us.”

I snorted. I was pretty sure Damyn could handle the pretty spymaster twins, if it came down to it. Damyn had the powerful muscle of an older man who had spent two decades fighting while the golden twins were still stealing cookies. “Oh yes, you sound like the good guys here. I can totally see your side of things.”

Jaik interrupted the glaring contest between Branok and me. “Every single one of us have been through that particular fun hazing ritual. You’re supposed to solve the puzzle, find the keys, find the tunnel upward that you can climb to the door out to the city.”

“I guess I was too busy trying not to get eaten.” A wave of fury rushed over me. I hadn’t won their stupid game.

“It looks as if Lucien found another way out,” Talisyn said mildly, regarding the water at our feet.

“Why the hell do you guys do this to each other?” I gestured around the tunnel wildly, unable to prevent anger from bleeding into my voice. “I get why you’d do it to me. Aren’t you supposed to be friends?”

They exchanged a look.

“We might be closer now than we used to be,” Talisyn admitted.

“Enough.” Jaik’s voice was quiet, but there was that underlying whip snap of authority that cut through our argument. He did not look remotely apologetic about the fact I’d come face to face with the monster. “We need to figure out where this hybrid came from.”

“Maybe it entered the tunnels like the Scourge does. Or maybe someone was trying to kill Lucien,” Lynx suggested.

“I wonder who that could be?” I turned to the golden twins. “Maybe you two went off book.”

“I understand why you would think that of us.” Branok cast a glance at Jaik, as if Jaik’s opinion was the only one he really cared about, and I could die mad as far as he was concerned. “But this wasn’t us. I wouldn’t know where to find one of these things. And if I did, I would put it out of its misery.”

“So is anyone going to apologize to me for the fact that I was almost eaten last night?” I demanded.

No one seemed particularly interested. Lynx gripped one of the horns, studying the monster, and Arren bent over, looking over his shoulder. Talisyn was moving through the water away from us, intent on something else. Jaik’s marked face looked haunted for a moment in the shadows, then he was back to his usual arrogance.

Arren straightened, looking down his nose at me. “Why didn’t you simply shift? A dragon could certainly kill a hybrid.”

“Because I couldn’t shift! Not until later.”

“Did you panic?” Branok asked.

Fury lapped at me, but Talisyn turned toward us. The other men broke off to let him speak.

“You unraveled this shirt to mark your path?” Talisyn asked, holding up the remnants of my tunic. “And after that, you could shift again?”

I ran through the timeline of the night before, then nodded. “Yes.” How did he know?

He turned the hem of my shirt inside out. Jaik raised the flame in his hand closer as they all crowded around, Branok resting his forearm on Lynx’s shoulder to lean in. They were all so comfortable with each other.