Jaik was always so loyal and steadfast, and Caldren seemed to take everything so lightly. It was hard to imagine the two of them mistreating each other.
“All six of them were close knit, but Caldren led and he wasn’t always kind to Jaik. Jaik had nothing to do with casting him out of the dragon royals, out of the family lineage, out of the line of succession, out of his inheritance. But Jaik won’t admit that he’ll be the king only because his family destroyed his brother.”
“So you don’t think Caldren deserved it for the crime of being a wolf shifter and not a dragon? Everyone seems to think dragons are the only worthy, important shifters.”
Damyn looked somewhat surprised by the bitterness in my voice. After all, he knew that I was a dragon. But I couldn’t stand the thought of my friends like Calla being treated badly because they were undragons. And who knew what Hanna would be one day? Most likely a bear or swan. Was it right for her entire life to be shaped by her soul creature? “The whole system seems to be broken.”
“I don’t disagree, Honor,” Damyn said.” So what are you going to do about it?”
I wanted to have a brilliant answer for him, but it wasn’t going to be that easy. “For now? I’m going to survive. But I’m not going to let the system seduce me just because it says I’m special.”
Damyn smiled. “Good girl. I have the funny feeling that you will change the world one day.”
“Isn’t that what everyone is afraid of? How do I get more information about the prophecy? Jaik’s made it very clear that his father would like to see me dead, but he doesn’t know the truth about why.” I cocked my head, the same way he did, studying him.
“I believe all the books about the prophecy were destroyed long ago, Honor. At least those on our shores. The Elders have the prophecy memorized, and no one else. Kill them, and you’ll lose the ability to ever learn it.”
“I don’t know how to kill them.” I folded my arms. “Yet. Those men need to know who I am, then we can tackle anything together.”
He gave me a kind look. “You’re giving them more benefit of the doubt than I would if you assume these men are going to be able to understand everything. Jaik and Caldren have been locked in this battle, unable to see each other’s perspectives or empathize with each other’s pain, for all these years. Neither of them can tolerate any sense of betrayal.”
His words struck me deeply.
“But who can tolerate any sense of betrayal? Anyway, I haven’t been betraying them. I’ve wanted to tell Jaik ever since I realized he wasn’t a raging asshole but that’s not an option for me.”
“I think anyone who wants to have a relationship has to learn to tolerate the sense of betrayal, at least just a little bit of betrayal, from time to time. Humans always fail us.”
“But I thought that was why we were dragons, not humans.”
Damyn said, “The human part always shines through a little more strongly. Now, are you ready for the less-than-triumphant return of Lucien Finn?”
I steeled myself for the return of Lucien Finn. “Let’s fly.”
Except that, of course, that was only metaphorical for me at the moment.
I’d lost my wings.
And I longed for them back.
Chapter
Twelve
Honor
Damyn swooped low over the castle, waking up the royals, then landed in the woods, his feet crunching softly into the snow as he dropped.
As Damyn and I strolled out of the forest, the royals swaggered out of the castle, their postures relaxed, though I’d bet they were armed heavily. Jaik’s expression relaxed when he saw it was just Damyn, not the Olds. Then his gaze hardened again as he saw me, in a way that made me gulp.
I caught Talisyn staring at me with an expression that I couldn’t read, one that was not quite friendly.
I’d come to depend on Talisyn as having my back whether I was Honor Hannaby or Lucien Finn. It made me feel like I was standing on sand shifting beneath my feet to have him glare at me.
But I’d have to figure that out later. Arren said in a disappointed voice, “Oh, he’s alive.”
Jaik strode toward me, his body tense with that barely bridled, icy rage I’d become familiar with. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I’ve been in Henrick’s dungeon, thank you very much. Thanks for coming to check on me. Such a great, loyal friend.” The best defense is always a good offense.
Jaik looked stunned. “Is that really the tack you want to take?”
Well now that he said it like that, I had my doubts.
“I don’t care that you ended up in Henrick’s dungeon. I cared that you were supposed to protect Honor, and she ended up being tortured almost to death.” Jaik’s tone was pure ice.
“I did everything I could to protect her. They drugged us both.”
“There’s no excuse for that kind of failure. She was counting on you.”
His fury made me realize that as much as he might be angry at Lucien Finn right now, he was angry at himself too.
“It’s all right,” I said sympathetically. “I’m sure Honor doesn’t feel that you failed her. It wasn’t a situation anyone could control.”
I’d been trying to make him feel better.
It clearly didn’t work, because he rewarded my efforts by punching me in the face.
“Hey, hey!” Damyn shouted. Jaik had driven his body on top of mine as soon as he’d landed the punch. The two of us hit the grass so hard that it stunned me. Damyn was already dragging Jaik off of me before he could punch me again. “You’re really going to regret that one day,” Damyn warned Jaik.
Even through the red blur of my vision, I understood Damyn’s meaning. One day Jaik would discover who I really was, and then he would regret ever having hurt me.
Jaik would never hurt me. Honor was completely safe with these men.
But Lucien had to watch his own back.
“Enough,” Damyn told Jaik. “Now you’re taking out your anger on him too? He’s a new dragon royal. He doesn’t have the experience you do.”
“That’s not an excuse. I’d die to protect Honor.”
“Speaking of Honor,” Talisyn said casually. “I should probably go wake our girl. I know she’ll want to see Lucien alive and well. The only thing that could make her happier is seeing Caldren.”
“Let her sleep. She’ll see Lucien and me soon enough. I assume you’re all heading back to the Academy soon?” Damyn said.
“Honor isn’t willing to stay here.” Jaik sounded slightly glum, even though I knew he wanted me around. What he wanted most of all, I supposed, was to make sure I was safe.
“Of course not. That comes as no surprise.” Damyn looked at Jaik sternly. “As unimpressed as I am by the way you’ve treated Lucien, the way you’ve treated Caldren is absolutely foolish.”
Given that Jaik had just punched me in the face, I didn’t expect him to take Damyn’s scolding very well. But to my surprise, Jaik merely folded his arms across his powerful chest and offered no rebuttal.