Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals #1)(112)

She gave me a long look. “Honor, I didn’t want you to take my place. I’m not a coward. I wouldn’t try to have you be the one who gets hurt instead of me.”

“I know that,” I promised her. “But you’re my little sister, and I want to protect you. I am far older and far more capable of dealing with this, I promise. You know I train with Caldren. He does far worse things to me, I promise you.”

My false mirth only seemed to make Hanna’s eyes well with tears. “It’ll be all right.” I said again, helplessly. “I promise.”

She looked as if she were on the verge of tears as Alis took her elbow and tugged her toward the door.

Henrick went with them as Alis guided Hanna into the hall. The guard in the hall moved out of view, too late. Henrick smiled warmly at Hanna and said, “When you hear your sister screaming, I hope you’ll remember never to steal from me again.”

The last glimpse I had of Hanna was of her tear-streaked face as she ran forward, too late.

Henrick closed the door, shutting her out.

Then he turned that eager smile on me.





Honor



Alis sent for the servants to bring in tea. She had some of my favorite vanilla cakes with strawberry compote on the tray, and I had to wonder if that was intended to mock me, since there was no way I could eat with my stomach curdled the way it was.

But then she didn’t know that Hanna had come to find me, or that I’d come running to Hanna’s rescue.

Unless she had known. Unless she’d watched through the lacy curtains as Hanna fled past the guards, who should have been able to catch even my clever sister.

The thought chilled me. Maybe my stepmother had guessed how I would react. Maybe she’d always known that I’d try to rescue my little sister. I didn’t much care for the sense I was being manipulated this whole time for Henrick’s pleasure.

One of the servants handed me my cup of tea. I smiled up at her. “Thank you.”

Alis gave me a second glance. My father had believed in being decent to servants, but they’d been window dressing to him. I loved the man dearly, thought he hung the moon, but he hadn’t been perfect. Being a servant myself had certainly given me a different perspective.

One thing I found surprising and charming about the dragon royals was the way they treated servants with kindness and respect. Given how they often didn’t treat their fellow nobles with kindness and respect, their politeness stunned me.

My tea was far too sweet, just the way that I liked it. The servants must have remembered how I still liked my drinks prepared, even though I rarely ate meals with my family—or what was left of it—anymore.

“Oh, Honor, what are we going to do with you?” Alis asked me. “Just like your sister, you make terrible decisions, but you have such a kind heart. Look at how you’ve come to your sister’s defense. I hardly would’ve expected anything else from you.” She paused as if she expected an answer.

“Thank you.” My tone was guarded. Normally, I would’ve been far more sarcastic.

“But you do make terrible decisions.”

“Yes, that’s been pointed out to me a time or two.” Both Lucien and Honor seemed to share an affinity for making terrible decisions.

Henrick and Alis seemed intent on making small talk, discussing the weather, as if I wasn’t waiting with bated breath.

Finally I asked, “What exactly is your plan, Henrick?”

“The anticipation is part of the effect, my dear girl.” He sipped his tea, then set the cup and saucer down on the table. “You didn’t ask what was involved before you volunteered for your sister’s punishment.”

“Because I would do anything for her,” I said, which was certainly true. “But I’m still very curious.”

“Drink your tea,” Alis chided me. “You’ll need your strength.”

I wished that strength came from tea.

Every other time I’d faced trouble recently, the dragon royals had been by my side, even if they hadn’t been entirely willing participants. Even when Branok and Lynx were beating the hell out of me, I knew that Jaik or Talisyn would step in if things went too far, if there seemed any chance that the physician wouldn’t be able to fix me after, and indeed, the twins had never even begun to cross that line.

I was never comfortable with the dragon royals, but I was safe.

Now was something entirely different. It wasn’t too hard for me to imagine Henrick going too far, and the guards carrying my body out, rolled up in the fancy rug.

I swallowed the last dregs of my tea and bitterness shot through my mouth, accompanied with a jolt to my nerves. I looked down at my cup as fear hollowed my stomach.

“Something the matter, my dear?” Alis asked.

It was the way she said it that cemented my suspicions. “What was in it?”

“Merely a simple tonic that will make you more compliant.” She smiled at me thinly. “For once in your life.”

My fingers were already going numb. I tried to set the traitorous teacup on the table, but I missed and it fell on to the thick rug, which kept it from breaking. I stared down at it, wishing it had broken. It seemed unfair that the fragile little teacup was still in one piece, but its contents were causing me to already start to fall apart.