Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals #1)(122)

“Where is she?” I demanded.

“Henrick’s house.”

I started to shake my head, and he groaned, “There’s a hidden room… I can find it again.”

Arren was already gripping Caldren’s wrist, drawing him onto his shoulder. Cal let out a moan of pain, but no one cared much about that.

“I can walk,” Cal protested.





Talisyn



“I tried to help her,” Cal told us, “but the guards were not exactly welcoming. I’m lucky to be alive…”

“It will be different now,” Jaik said confidently and he didn’t seem to notice the look of pure hatred that flashed over Caldren’s face.

I worried that our old friend, the one that we had all looked up to when we were growing up, was a danger now. He might be one far greater than Jaik realized; Jaik’s arrogance and Caldren’s insecurity had pushed them onto a knife’s edge together, and I wasn’t sure either of them would escape without a fatal cut.

Jaik seemed to think if he showed his brother any kindness, it meant that he wasn’t actually more deserving, that Jaik wasn’t meant to be the dragon royal and therefore the king.

I’d die for Jaik in a heartbeat, but he could be an idiot.

I wasn’t sure that the dragon shifters were ever the ones who were best suited to rule. But even around my friends, I often kept my mouth shut about my thoughts.

The priests considered it heresy to speak about another way, and the dragon elders themselves happened to take the same view. They weren’t eager to face revolution from those that they’d decreed lesser.

But still, I could understand why Caldren so often looked at Jaik as if he wanted to smack him. It just made me sad for the two of them. Those were the thoughts that flooded through my head as we made our way to the coral castle.

Caldren had finally fought off Arren, and he was moving quickly, but he was limping, obviously badly wounded.

Jaik’s gaze flickered toward him, and despite how tough Jaik always talked, he seemed worried. “You’ve got to find someplace to wait. You’re going to slow us down if we need to fight.”

But Caldren’s face creased stubbornly. As if he thought his brother was judging him, he hobbled faster.

“Go back and get healed,” Jaik ordered roughly. “You’re little use to us right now.”

“I’m fine,” he snarled. “I’m worried about what they’re doing to her.”

As the coral mansion came into view, Jaik said, “Talisyn, with me.” He glanced at Arren and the twins. “Stay out of sight, in reserve, in case we need you.”

Caldren took a step forward, and Arren’s hand settled on his shoulder like a weight that might just crush him to the ground. But Arren’s face wasn’t harsh when he shook his head. “You’re with us.”

Jaik was so fixed on the house—and Honor—that he didn’t even notice Arren didn’t despise Caldren, as Jaik probably would’ve preferred. Jaik was already moving ahead. I followed him, glancing back to see our friends melting into the shadows.

Ahead of us, the walls of the castle, the gate, and the trees beyond came into view. There were two guards posted at the gates to Honor’s childhood home.

“This whole thing gives me a creepy feeling. After this, we’re definitely hauling her off to the northern retreat,” I muttered.

Jaik’s lips tightened. I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed with me or with Honor. Possibly with both of us. He was very good at multitasking his irritation with people.

But for once, neither of us were interested in arguing.

The guards at the gate came to attention, a shocked look crossing their faces when they realized they faced Prince Jaik. That look was quickly replaced with dread. They seemed terrified at the sight of Jaik, and Jaik didn’t try to hide the fact that he liked that reaction.

“Open the gate.”

The guards glanced at each other. One of them said, “We aren’t supposed to open the gates until morning without permission, your majesty.”

“You have my permission.” Jaik’s voice had dropped low, dangerous. Any softer and it would’ve been a purr—and no less frightening for that.

“I can’t—” one of the guards began.

Jaik moved so fast he was a blur. The guard was already drawing his sword—I wasn’t sure what he thought he was going to do with that against the heir, but it didn’t matter anyway. Jaik seized his arm, yanked his knee up, and slammed it into the man’s forearm so hard that he dropped the sword.

Jaik was already twisting, using the man’s motion to drop him to the ground. He stepped into the other guard who was still wide-eyed and caught his arm, slamming him in the back of the head with his elbow. The man dropped to his knees, then tumbled face-first onto the ground.

Jaik turned his irritated gaze on me. “Are you going to make yourself useful?”

“You didn’t need me.” I crouched and searched the unconscious guard. “You needed to burn off some fury. He doesn’t have the key.”

Jaik snorted and stepped on the guard’s back as he headed toward the gate. “Some shred of decent security, at least. I don’t like the idea of men like this being responsible for protecting Honor.”