Honorbound

by Chelsea M. Campbell

  He’s shivering. Maybe from the cold, or maybe from fear—I can’t tell which. Or maybe it’s both, because even with our combined body heat, I’m still freezing. And usually he’s so warm. I’ve never seen him cold before. But I’ve never seen him jump into a freezing pond before, either. Something that could have killed him. That would have killed any human.

  It’s warmer with him here, but not enough, and I still can’t stop from shaking.

  Amelrik’s hold on me tightens. There’s the sound of flesh ripping and tearing, and then a wave of heat emanates from him.

  Claws press into my flesh where he’s holding me. I can feel scales against my cheek and against my legs. He’s no longer shivering. Warmth engulfs me, so that I don’t want to close my eyes anymore.

  Slowly, my muscles thaw. The shaking stops. He pulls back to look at me, but I slide an arm around him, not wanting him to move. Not yet.

  His body goes tense, but he stays where he is, and I realize my hand is touching scales. A wing. Well, the base of one, anyway. I swallow and move my hand down a little, searching for somewhere safe to touch, or at least safer. I settle on the soft scales along his side.

  His breath catches, but he doesn’t stop me. He stays put, letting his warmth soak into me a little longer. Then he pulls away again, propping himself up on one arm, his yellow eyes searching mine. “Are you okay?”

  I nod. “Yeah, I’m…” I’m lying on the floor of a strange cottage with my naked dragon boyfriend beside me. My eyes flick down to his chest. My hand is resting on the scales just above his hip, and a moment ago I was touching part of his wing. This is by far the closest we’ve ever been when he was in dragon form, and the first time he’s ever not had any clothes on. There’s just enough space between us now that if I looked down a little farther…

  My pulse speeds up. Looking would be a betrayal, because I know he doesn’t want me to. But at the same time, purposely not looking feels like its own kind of betrayal. Like I’m admitting I would look at him like he’s a monster, which I wouldn’t, and like I’m okay with him never trusting me like that, which I’m not.

  My eyes dart back up to his face, hoping it doesn’t come off as me avoiding looking at the rest of him, like I’m chickening out or something, even though I think he’d also be upset if I didn’t look away, and… I don’t know what to do.

  He looks really uncomfortable, and I can feel the tension in him. Our eyes meet. There’s fear in his, and maybe in mine, too, though not for the reason he probably thinks.

  Then he clears his throat and looks away, and there’s the sound of flesh rearranging itself as he changes back into human form.

  20

  PRINCESS MYSTERIES ISN’T FUN ANYMORE

  Me and Amelrik are huddled together under a blanket we found stashed away in a closet in the bedroom. The bed itself has been stripped bare, and there’s almost no furniture in here, so that I wonder if this cottage has been empty longer than just this winter.

  Amelrik has his arm around me, and I’m leaning into his shoulder. We’re sitting on the floor of the bedroom, our backs to the wall. Our clothes are still too wet to put back on, and there isn’t anything in here to build a fire with even if we wanted to risk it. I’m pretty sure Amelrik doesn’t need the blanket at this point, but I still do, not to mention his warmth.

  “Then what?” he asks.

  “Then I opened the chest and it was empty. But there were all these scratches inside it. And dried blood.”

  “Scratches? Like…?”

  “I’m getting to that. I could see the pond from the window. Last time I was there, it was frozen over. I knew that it was.”

  “I can’t believe you went into his room, and more than once.” His arm tightens around me. “You could have been killed. You almost were.”

  “It wasn’t going into his room that was the problem. Though,” I add, when he looks like he has something to say to that, “I’m not planning on doing it again. Or of ever stepping foot in that house. So you can save your I-told-you-so for another time.”

  “I wasn’t going to say that.”

  “No?” I sit up, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “No. I was going to say I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you.” He pulls me close to him again and kisses the side of my head. “And that I should have killed him when I had the chance.”

  I shiver at the thought. “You didn’t have the chance. Not really. Everyone would have seen—”

  “So, you saw the hole in the pond?”

  “I went to go check it out. I thought it would just take a minute.”

  “I heard you scream. I thought enough time had gone by—more than enough—and I was already headed for the side entrance to come find you. The wind was so loud, and it happened so quick, I thought maybe I imagined it. But I had to know for sure. When I got around to the back, I saw someone going into the house, using a different door.”

  My hands clench. “Who?”

  “It was a man. I’m sure of that much. But… he had on a heavy hooded coat that blocked him from view. And he was only there for a second, anyway. He seemed like he was in a hurry. I thought he was going for help. And I was more concerned with finding you either way, because at that point I knew something was wrong. And when I saw you in the water, I…” His voice goes tight. “I thought you were dead, Virginia.”

  I slide an arm across his chest, burying my face in his neck. “I’m okay.” But the words come out a whisper, and I think if I’d been in there just a few seconds more, maybe I wouldn’t be.

  “That water was cold.”

  I sit up again to give him a look, but I can’t help grinning at that. “You’re telling me.” And he wasn’t in danger of freezing to death from it, or at least not nearly so much. After all, he could still swim in it. “There was a claw in the water. Did you see it?”

  “Uh, I was kind of focused on the fact that you were dying, so, no. What claw?”

  “A dragon’s claw. Purple, just like that scale we found at the crime scene. It was severed at the wrist. Maybe… maybe taxidermied.”

  He goes silent. Then he says, “That’s why there were scratches in the chest.”

  “And why Henrietta thought she saw a purple-scaled claw. At shoulder height.” Because Warwick must have been holding it while he stabbed her with his sword. He was probably going to use it on her afterward, to make it look like a dragon killed her.

  Amelrik scrubs his hands across his face. “He must have gotten spooked when she started telling everyone that. That a human did it, that there was still a dragon claw involved somehow.”

  “I don’t think anyone believed her about that part.”

  “But Warwick did, because he knew it was true. And if anyone had found that claw and put it together with Henrietta’s story…”

  “Kind of like we’re doing now?”

  He nods. “It explains why he killed her.”

  “But… Okay, even if he did—”

  “He did.”

  “Why start killing people in the first place?”

  “Someone like him doesn’t need a reason. Why keep my mother collared for so long? It’s all just some sick game to him.”

  I don’t know. I mean, not that that isn’t sick or that Warwick isn’t some kind of monster, but I’m not ready to pin it all on him just being insane. But since I have no idea what his real motive would be, I decide to let it go.

  “He tried to kill you.” Amelrik says it as a statement, an edge to his voice.

  I swallow. “Playing Princess Mysteries isn’t fun anymore.” Though, to be fair, something like this usually does happen to Princess Genevieve.

  “No one will ever believe us that Warwick St. George is the one who’s been killing people. And the only evidence we know of is at the bottom of a frozen pond, which I don’t really want to go get. Plus, even if we had it, it wouldn’t prove anything.”

  “If it was him all along, maybe there aren’t any other dragons. And whe
n none of them transform in another day or two, they’ll take down the barrier.” People have already been complaining, now that they believe the killer might be human.

  “And he can’t fake a dragon attack without that claw, so theoretically…”

  “No more murders. As long as my magic holds and Cedric and Leif don’t transform, then no one’s in danger.”

  “Except for us.”

  “Not if we stay away from him. He doesn’t know about you, and he thinks I’m dead. We can just lay low. Wait it out.”

  Amelrik’s shoulders stiffen. “And then he gets away with it. With everything.”

  “For now. Afterward—”

  “Afterward what? No one will believe us then, either. And he’ll be long gone.”

  “So will we, and then we’ll be safe. We just need to survive, to get through this.” It shouldn’t be too hard. As long as Amelrik doesn’t transform in public and I don’t go snooping around any more ponds.

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “With us both staying alive? Yes.”

  “You know what I mean, Virginia. With letting a psychotic killer go free. And you know he’ll do it again. The things he did to my mother… That was twenty years ago. And he obviously hasn’t stopped hurting people. If we don’t do something—”

  “Like what? Publicly accuse him in front of everyone without any proof and end up in the cellar?”

  He sighs. “No, of course not.”

  “Then what?”

  “I don’t know. But giving up doesn’t feel right.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” I agree. “But neither does getting ourselves killed.”

  “What?” Cedric says, almost dropping his fork.

  We’re back at his house, eating dinner, since he and Leif went to the market this afternoon, meaning now there’s actually food here. The four of us are sitting at the table, which still has some junk piled on part of it, so that we’re all crammed around one side.

  “The man who tortured my mother,” Amelrik repeats. “He tried to kill Virginia.” His hands grip the edge of his chair when he says that, his knuckles going white.

  Cedric exchanges a glance with Leif, who looks concerned, but not like he gets the full significance of all that. “The leader of the paladins is the same guy who…” Cedric swallows, then stares down at his food like he just lost his appetite. He scratches at his arm, where the dragon ring is. His sleeve’s rolled up, giving him better access to it, but that also means I can see how red and blotchy his skin is, and the dark tendrils that spread out from beneath it.

  I try not to look at it, both because it doesn’t seem polite and because it’s gross, and it seems especially gross while I’m chewing my food. And yet that’s the time when I can’t seem to look away the most.

  Leif’s arm looks worse. His face is pale, his eyes kind of glassy, and he keeps glancing over his shoulder, like he thinks there’s something there. I tell myself it’s nothing—it hasn’t quite even been twenty-four hours, so there’s no way he’s going crazy already, right? Except, I don’t know how long it takes, and the effects of the dragon ring are obviously hitting him kind of hard.

  “It gets worse,” Amelrik says. “He’s also the one who’s been murdering people.”

  Now Cedric really does drop his fork. It clatters against the table, and little bits of the roast chicken we’re eating go scattering everywhere. “He’s been killing humans?”

  “We don’t have proof, but there was a claw. Virginia saw it in the water.”

  “Yeah,” I tell them. “Right before he almost killed me. I mean, we don’t know that that was him, either. Not for sure, but—”

  “But if I ever see him again…” Amelrik clenches his fists, his meaning not lost on any of us.

  “It was a dragon’s claw. From Elder clan,” I add, as if that matters. “We think he was murdering people and then using the claw to, um, to tear up the bodies. To make it look like—”

  “Like a dragon attack,” Cedric finishes. “So all this, the paladins coming here, putting up the barrier… It’s not even for anything?”

  I shake my head. “The other paladins don’t know. At least, I know my sister doesn’t.”

  Amelrik snorts. “You think she doesn’t.”

  “She doesn’t. She’d freak out if she did.” And she certainly wouldn’t be looking up to Warwick and talking about what a legend he is. “And if the other paladins already knew, he wouldn’t have needed to get rid of the claw.”

  “True,” he admits.

  “It doesn’t make sense,” Leif says. “The paladins didn’t even come to East Westford until after the attacks started.”

  “But,” Amelrik adds, “I bet Warwick St. George was the first to arrive.”

  Cedric nods. “He was with the first party. They said they were nearby when they got word. That’s how they managed to get here so fast, especially in the snow.”

  “Right,” I say. “And he just happened to be traveling with a giant chest with a severed dragon claw in it.”

  Cedric sits up straighter. “People need to know about this. We can take the claw—”

  “I didn’t get it,” Amelrik tells him. “It didn’t seem worth it.”

  “Not worth it?! But—”

  “It doesn’t prove anything.” He tilts his head. “Think about it. It would just be us claiming it was his. We’re strangers from out of town. Who are they going to believe?”

  “He’s not from here, either. And he’s been murdering people, cousin. I wasn’t close to any of them, but I’d met Patricia a few times, and Henrietta was a regular at the inn. We knew her. And Jeanie. She…” He clears his throat. “And that doesn’t even begin to cover what he did to you.”

  Leif glances at Amelrik, curiosity on his face.

  “It’s not like I can tell anyone that,” Amelrik says. “Or that they would care.”

  “I know, but we can’t just let him get away with all this, either. And maybe you guys are from out of town, but me and Leif aren’t. If we went to the authorities—”

  “No.” Amelrik shakes his head. “The last thing we need is people asking questions about us. Any of us,” he says, gesturing around the table. “The paladins already suspected you, and we’re in enough danger as it is. Warwick just tried to kill Virginia. If he thought we were a threat—”

  “We are a threat.” Cedric leans toward him. “Because if I ever see him again, I’m going to rip him apart.”

  “Even though Amelrik already called dibs?” I ask.

  They both turn to look at me like I’m insane and like that isn’t even a little bit funny.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” Amelrik tells him. “The town’s already fed up with this barrier. It’s only a matter of time before the paladins call it and take it down.”

  “Time.” Cedric scratches at his arm. Blood oozes from the red, blotchy patches. “Don’t tell me we have time. It’s barely been a day, and I want to chew my own arm off.”

  Leif suddenly draws in a breath and looks behind him again, like he thought there really was something there.

  I’m pretty sure the others notice, but nobody says anything about it.

  “It’ll only be a day or two,” Amelrik tells Cedric, but he doesn’t look at him when he does.

  Cedric fidgets, his legs restless under the table. “Maybe that doesn’t sound that long to you, but you’re not the one with this thing poisoning you. It feels like my skin is crawling all over. Like there’s something moving beneath it that needs to get out.”

  I try not to look even more grossed out by that description. I push down the guilty feeling in my stomach, telling myself I did this for Cedric and Leif’s own good, even if it’s torturing them.

  “I’ve never been this tired.” Cedric puts his hands to his face. “Or felt this sick. And my thoughts won’t stop racing. I can’t stop thinking about the barrier and when it’s going to go down and when I’m going to get this horrible thing off my arm!”

&
nbsp; “I keep seeing things,” Leif says, his voice quiet. “Just out of the corner of my eye. But when I look, there’s nothing there.”

  Amelrik swallows. “They’ll take down the barrier.”

  “When?” Cedric demands.

  “Soon. Maybe tomorrow. The people aren’t going to stand for this much longer, and Warwick St. George can’t kill anyone and blame it on a dragon anymore, so it should only be another day or two.”

  “Only a day or two of agony. That sounds like forever right now.”

  “You won’t go crazy,” Amelrik says.

  “You don’t know that. You can’t understand what this is like!” He gestures to the dragon ring.

  “The paladins already suspected you! They came to your house! If you go around accusing Warwick St. George of murder, without proof, guess who their next target’s going to be.”

  “Yeah, well, just take this dragon ring off me. Then I’d like to see them try.”

  21

  THERE ISN’T MORE THAN THAT

  “Was it like that for you?” I ask Amelrik later, after Cedric and Leif have gone to bed. “When you had that dragon ring on?” I keep my voice low. Their door is closed, but we’re sitting on the couch, which isn’t that far from the bedroom. Not like this is a secret, but I don’t want to keep them up, either.

  He shakes his head. “No. It hurt, and it made me feel awful, but… It was nothing like that.”

  We could have gone back to the inn tonight. We were planning to, since sharing Cedric’s couch isn’t the most comfortable sleeping arrangement in the world, even if it is pretty cozy. But then it was getting late, and the wind kicked up again, and after almost freezing to death today, I decided I wasn’t up for going back outside.

  “Do you really think…” I trail off, not even wanting to say it out loud, but I’m pretty sure he knows what I mean.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know how long it takes to go crazy.” He glances over his shoulder at the bedroom door, then back at me. I can barely hear him when he whispers, “My mother sees things sometimes. When Leif said that, I thought—”