I made sure the door was closed behind us before I demanded, “Why?”
“You have a habit of saying and doing things that make people want to murder you. Jaik will want you away from his father as much as possible.”
“So you pretended to need my help?”
“You are supposed to be a servant, even though you’re not a very good one. In theory, you would be helpful. Hand me the clove oil?”
“Get it yourself, since I’m such a terrible servant.”
He didn’t seem remotely surprised by my rejection and reached past me for the clove oil. The movement brought us close together and I stared fixedly over his shoulder, determined not to notice how good he smelled or the warmth coming from his hard-muscled body.
But I was bored just watching him in silence. In the end, I gave in and helped him get the ingredients down. By now, I’d memorized the spell, and the two of us worked together.
“Thank you,” he said under his breath, so casually and quickly that I thought I’d day-dreamt the words.
“I can be useful,” I said.
“Occasionally. I appreciate your help with Alina.”
I stared at him, my lips falling apart. Branok smiled at me pleasantly and touched my chin, tilting it up so my teeth gently clicked back together.
I was finally charming the prickly bastard. Now if only I could get Lucien free and the Olds out of here, I’d feel like the month was a win.
“I’ll carry it,” Branok said, picking up the bottle. “No one will trust it from your hand.”
He moved toward the door without looking back, and I followed him. “You’re welcome.”
He held the door open for me, and I ducked under his arm. The two of us walked together down the hall and entered the living room, where most of the group was now sitting uncomfortably. Pend Deragon stood in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance; even though he was still, something about him gave me the impression of a dragon ready to strike, even at rest.
“Very good, son.” Joachim held out his hand for the potion. “Did you activate it yet?”
This question reminded me that I could never show that I could activate the potions myself. I had to pretend that I needed one of the men. It endlessly rankled me to have to pretend to be less than I really was.
“Not yet,” Branok said.
Joachim nodded, and within his hands the potion began to bubble. He passed it to Alina, holding the bottle carefully by its stem so that she could take the bottle; he was careful that their fingers did not touch.
“Thank you, Father,” she said dryly.
She exhaled across the neck of the bottle as if she were trying to cool it off. Then she sighed and tilted it to her lips once again. Nothing happened. The bottle fizzled; there was no response from the magic.
“How did this happen?” Joachim asked.
“Lynx found a strange old spell that Lucien used. Some strange, pointless musician’s spell. He never meant to hurt me,” Alina said, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
“Well, he certainly managed to hurt you, didn’t he?” Joachim asked.
“The spell just let him feel if I were sad,” Alina said. “He didn’t mean anything by it. He couldn’t have known everything that would happen because of it.”
“Whatever his spell, he never should have enchanted a royal daughter without her permission,” Joachim said.
A royal daughter. I was really sick of this man. Too bad I knew how easily he could bite my head off.
“But this means that I wasn’t mad the whole time. You thought that I was mad.”
“I still think you’re mad. You fell in love with a musician.”
“The important thing,” I burst out. “Alina is no longer under an enchantment. She’s in control of her own mind.”
“However clever or not that might be,” Branok muttered. “But Honor is right. There’s no reason to imprison her any longer.”
“She’s never been imprisoned,” Joachim lied, even though everyone in the room knew the truth. But everyone would play along with his lies, because the consequences for not pretending he was right could be worse.
“Of course not,” Alina said. “I know you’re only trying to do what’s best for me, Father. But I have felt trapped at times.”
Pend tilted his head to one side, the look on his face intent, as if he were listening to someone who was speaking in another room. “This has all been very interesting, but the Lord of the Scourge was sighted nearby. So Alina will have to suffer her luxurious surroundings for another few hours. You boys have failed to find him for us so it’s time we Olds stepped in.”
He flashed a cold smile around the room, and my stomach curled in on itself.
Jaik caught my hand and tugged me out of the room.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, as he closed the doors behind us, sealing us in privacy in the ornate second drawing room. I needed to get near Joachim, and get the key before he left. The Olds would be distracted; it was the perfect chance to rescue Lucien.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight again, Honor,” Jaik told me once we were settled into a room in Alina’s tower.
“I’m happy to stay together most of the time.” But I’ve also got to save Lucien Finn. “But you and I both have work to do. You need to have a little faith in me to take care of myself.”
“I have faith in you. It’s the rest of the world I don’t trust.” His words were sweet, but he sounded brusque, as if he were saying something that he hoped I’d believe.
“Oh really?” I asked tightly. “Even though I’m just a lowly squirrel shifter.”
“A lowly squirrel shifter that I love,” he disagreed.
I stared at him, my lips parting in shock. He’d really just said that.
He stared back at me, looking confused as he saw anger come over my expression, before he demanded, “What?”
“You are a pompous jerk, you know that?”
“Probably. Why are you mad about it? I carry the weight of the kingdom on my shoulders, and I’m trying to protect you—”
“The only reason I need to be protected is because your father is an evil lunatic,” I said.
He crossed his arms over his powerful chest. “Perhaps. And I told you that you’d be safer if we stayed apart, but you haven’t been very willing to stay, have you?”
“You’re the one who felt the need to come to my rescue!” I knew it was ridiculous as I said it. The man drove me crazy, and now crazy was coming out of my mouth too.
“You were very much in need of rescue, Honor! As you are now.”
I didn’t want to leave Lucien Finn buried in the rubble alone; it wasn’t as if Alina could leave her tower and go to him. “I can stay with Alina when you leave. You still have work to do.”
“Not going to happen.”
“You might be the future king but I’m still my own person, Jaik.”