Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals #1)(42)

He glanced up as I slid into the seat beside him, eyeing my book, then snorted. “Gods. A romance novel.”

“Why do you say it like that?” I demanded, tapping my knuckles on the book. It was, sadly, just an adventure story with a bit of romance—but not quite enough to be satisfying. “Romance novels are terrific. And there is a distinct dearth of them in this library.”

I wasn’t supposed to know that. I wasn’t supposed to have entered the door, let alone been stealing books from the library all this time. It wasn’t as if they’d give a housemaid a library card… but they had given me a dress with a very voluminous skirt. And if someone was going to make me wear a skirt, I was going to make the best of it. Book smuggling.

“I’ve never read one,” he said.

“Then why do you have such strong opinions?”

“Oh, come on. They’re trash.”

“Well, I don’t have one at the moment. But if I did, I’d suggest you read it before you pass judgment. At least you could have an educated level of patronizing and condescending.”

“Maybe I’ll buy one,” he said. “See what they’re all about.”

“You should do that.”

“And then will you let me condescend to you?”

“I have a feeling that you can’t help being condescending,” I said, “so I’m not sure I’d bother to ask you not to.”

He tilted his head as he studied me. I always had the strangest sense when I was face to face with the dragon royals that they viewed me like some kind of fascinating specimen, the rare girl who wasn’t tripping over myself to talk to them. I found them amusing, but I didn’t care what Lynx thought about me, or my books.

He and I passed the rest of the evening in surprisingly companionable silence, turning pages and reading together. I couldn’t help stealing glances over at him. He was always a beautiful man, but there was something endearing about his concentration as he was reading. The stern lines of his profile and the softness of his pink lips, the way those golden eyes tracked back and forth across the page so rapidly.

“Good night,” I said finally, closing the book.

“Good night, Honor.” He barely glanced away from his page, but when he was distracted, he forgot to be rude to me.

I had just reached the door when he looked up, then half-rose from the table, surprise written across his face. “Oh, you’re going.”

“We were just talking—” I began, then cut myself off. I became equally distracted when I was reading. “Good night, Lynx.”

“Good night,” he said with a frown.

I walked out of the library with a strangely pounding heart.

Lynx seemed like a very different person when he wasn’t beating Lucien bloody.

I definitely needed to understand why he hated my other incarnation so much.

I didn’t want to waste more time changing clothes. I ran up the stairs and paused at the heavy wooden door to the dragons’ wing. It was carved with an enormous terrifying horned dragon’s face, and I ran my fingers across the smooth, polished wood as I listened for a moment.

I didn’t hear anyone in the hall. I slipped inside, facing the long, shadowed stone corridor with lamps blazing from the ceiling, and ran down the hall to my room

When I closed the door behind me, I exhaled in relief. I’d made it without any of the dragon royals seeing me, even Arren who seemed to be lurking around and glaring.

A figure emerged from the shadows, looming toward me.





Honor



I pulled my knife out and dashed across the room, slamming the figure into the wall just as I realized it was Caldren.

“I knew I liked you.” He smiled down at me, looking not remotely disturbed to have a blade pressed against his throat.

I dropped the knife down to my side and stepped back. “You should really knock.”

“I can’t exactly knock,” he said. “I’m not supposed to see you outside of everyday classes.”

“How did you get in here? Do you have a key?”

“I don’t need a key.” He flashed me a cocky smile, and I flashed him skeptical eyebrows right back. His cockiness wilted slightly as he admitted, “But yes, yes, I do have a key.”

“What do you want?” I sank onto my bed, exhausted by men, and kicked off my slippers. I pointed my toes at him. “Please tell me it’s to rub my feet.”

He ignored me and my invitation. Probably for the best, since he was a handsome man and my feet smelled like damp socks and old cheese after a day of training, but I would’ve sacrificed my dignity for a good foot rub.

“You’re going to need a lot more training to survive than the standard academy course. The dragon royals have been training to fight the Scourge all their lives.”

“Yes, I’ve heard. So many times. But I already feel as if I’ve been washed with lye and wrung out to dry. And I had extra flying lessons with Talisyn last night.”

“You and Talisyn seem to be getting along.”

“I get along with everyone,” I lied cheerfully.

“Well, you and I can train in the morning before the academy starts.”

I was bone tired and deeply unimpressed by that notion, but I definitely did need…more… if I was going to not just survive, but kick the ass of some spoiled royals. “As Lucien or as Honor?”