Forbidden Honor (Dragon Royals #1)(5)

I exploded through the door, only to find my stepmother Alis kneeling at the trunk at the foot of my bed. Her long blond hair was teased up into a bouffant on top of her head; I would’ve recognized her pinched posture anywhere.

She rose and turned, casting her gaze over me dismissively. “You’ve been stealing from me, Honor.”

“No.” My fingers trembled around the hilt of the knife. I couldn’t help it. She filled me with rage so intense it made me weak.

Sometimes I wondered if she’d killed my father, once she had her talons wrapped around his money.

“You’re working, and yet you refuse to contribute to the household expenses.”

“You’re rich.”

“That’s no excuse for entitlement.” She smoothed her skirt with one hand. Despite the disdain with which she looked at me, her eyes kept being drawn back to the knife. “You must pay room and board. What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t force you to take responsibility? You’re an adult.”

“What kind of mother would you be?” My voice came out in a whisper. “The same kind you’ve always been. No kind.”

She rubbed her hand across her face as if I tired her, although the movement was performative. She was too careful of her makeup to actually rub her skin.

“Goodnight, Honor.”

She moved away from the trunk where I stored my secret things: my other knives and swords, the jewelry my father had left me. It was where I’d stashed my money in a hollowed book for Hanna’s tuition.

The hollowed book lay open, empty.

“What did you do?” I demanded.

She just glanced over her shoulder at me as she swept out the room. “I had every right.”

“No, you didn’t.”

Hanna stepped between the two of us. Alis’s silky emerald skirts flickered around the doorway, trailing her, then she was gone.

“She’s not worth murdering,” Hanna whispered. “You don’t want to get on the wrong side of the law.”

Although Hanna sounded as flippant as I usually did—she mimicked me, no matter how much she would’ve been annoyed by the idea—her bright eyes had gone wild. I’d seen that fear in them too often since our father died.

If something happened to me, she’d be alone in the world. Only Alis’s thin veneer of civility kept her from casting me into the street. She’d come close already, and I’d made nice with her to stay close to Hanna.

I searched the room, checking that all my treasures were still here. My books lined the shelves, my favorites with gilt-edges and soft leather covers. Little magical trinkets and weapons were everywhere.

My jewelry collection was still untouched; I might not get to wear them anymore, but my father had brought me pendants and earrings, jeweled combs and tiaras. I loved pretty, shiny things. Someday, when Hanna was taken care of, I’d buy them for myself again.

The loss of the money I’d saved felt like an ache torn open in my chest.

But I could find a way to get them back.

“You know me,” I said lightly. “I would never do anything ill-advised.”





Honor



The next morning, I knocked on the door to the Posselbaum Academy for Young Ladies. It swung open almost immediately, and a girl in a long blue dress with a lacy pinafore over it greeted me with a bright smile. Her dark hair was immaculately smoothed back from her pink-cheeked face. She had that perfect Posselbaum girl look, the one that was supposed to make us so very marriageable.

She probably also had six knives on her body somewhere, which was the other part of being the perfect Posselbaum girl.

“How may I help you?” she asked cheerfully.

“I’d like to see Headmistress.” No one but a Posselbaum girl would call her simply Headmistress; I might not have had the chance to graduate, but I’d claim that as my right.

“Please come into the sitting room, and I’ll see if she’s available.” She led me through the door—where I’d once stood guard just as she was now—and into a pink and ruffled room that looked just the same as when I attended.

A fire burned in the fireplace, and the white curtains were open to the sunlight streaming in and the city street. I took a seat in one of the stiff, high-backed armchairs and crossed my legs primly at the knee, even though I was wearing my plain brown peasants’ dress and an embarrassing lack of blades. The wardrobe Alis provided was intended to make me feel like nothing, and I lifted my chin higher. It didn’t matter what I wore or what anyone took from me. I knew who I was.

Someone would be watching me, but even though I let my gaze slowly wander the room, searching the art for eye holes and the curtains for the faintest whisper of breath, I didn’t see who.

Quite a bit later, Headmistress Gloria swept in, looking glamorous and unsurprised. Someone must have identified me already. “Good morning, Honor. It’s a pleasure to see you as always.”

I rose from the chair and rested my hand on her shoulder as we pressed our cheeks together in a phantom kiss. “Always a pleasure to see you as well, Headmistress.”

“I hope that we’ll see more of you with Hanna enrolled here.” She had an inquiring note to her tone as if she knew I was here because I was in trouble. But then, I was always in trouble; she didn’t have to be a seer to know that. She indicated my chair with a sweep of her hand, and I took my seat again.