Chapter 26

Hanna

”Kaelan would really disapprove of you manhandling me,” I tried to say into his palm. I wanted to knee him in the balls, but he had already pinned me carefully with a hand against my throat and the rest of his body held carefully away---out of balls-kneeing range.

Sometimes it felt like he knew me so well.

He scoffed as he lifted his hand away. ”Kaelan would not. Kaelan is also intimately familiar with all your bullshit.”

Interesting how he said Kaelan was also intimately familiar when Dare barely knew me . . . or at least, he”d barely talked to me. But it did always feel like Dare was watching me, seeing right through me.

I hated that.

”What do you want?” I demanded.

”Are you really going to pretend you don”t know?” he asked. ”Kaelan would like his bride back at his side.”

”Kaelan had the chance to have his bride back,” I pointed out. ”He threw himself out of a window to get away from me.”

”Did he now?” he murmured. ”Even I don”t find you that obnoxious.”

I flashed him a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Kaelan is under an enchantment and needs your help.”

”I’ve always thought he must be under some enchantment. If Kaelan could see you now . . .” Dare shook his head.

”What?” I asked.

”He”d want to spank your ass raw for putting yourself in danger with all these assholes.” He tilted his head to one side. ”Of course, you”re the danger to them, aren”t you? Kae always gets it confused.”

”It”s so nice having you around, since you never worry about me,” I shot back. ”Anyway. I need to tell you what”s happened, and I need your help.”

He let out a scoff of a laugh. ”I see. Anything else you want?”

I gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look. ”I”d love it if you tried not being a dick.”

But I didn”t hold out high hopes for that, so I attacked.

I moved so quickly to the side that his hand hit the stone wall, losing its grip on my throat. My hands were pinned behind my back, so I slammed my foot on the inside of his instep, whirling to take out his right knee.

There was only one problem with my plan.

He was Dare.

It would”ve worked on so many men, but he whirled with me, catching me around the waist. His hand skated up my bare skin, igniting unexpected---unwelcome---fire even as I twisted to launch another blow at him. I slammed my forehead into his jaw, and he rocked back, letting out a shocked curse.

Then he swept my legs. It was a quick, brutal movement, but after he executed it, he must have remembered Kaelan did rather love me---and had a tendency toward violence when I was injured---so he followed up the movement to catch me before I hit the cobblestones.

His strong arm swept around my waist, holding me up against his body, my breasts pressed against his chest. Our faces were intimately close together.

”Behave,” Dare chided. ”I”m taking you to Kaelan. Isn”t that what you want?”

”Not at all.”

”Too bad.” He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me onto his shoulder.

My knee caught his jaw. He let out a grunt and dropped me, his hands dragging over my skin to slow me down so I landed on my feet---more or less. Then he was following through, driving me to my knees. His hand tangled in my hair, controlling my head, yanking it up.

His glittering eyes met mine. ”You”re the worst, princess.”

I had the feeling that he liked me on my knees, though.

”If I were, I”d be what you deserve,” I told him. ”Instead, I”m so much better than you deserve.”

He scoffed a laugh and dragged me to my feet. In an instant, there were cuffs around my wrists.

The sensation reminded me too much of being cuffed in front of Kaelan, when he had trapped me in my own kingdom.

”The cuffs are too tight.”

”Is that so?” He didn”t sound like he was concerned.

There was noise further down the street. His head dipped close to my ear. ”Do you have the entire city out hunting you?”

”Don”t you feel honored that you”re the one who caught me?”

”I don”t feel the slightest bit honored that I”m the one who has to deal with you,” he responded.

But we had to get out of here before we were arrested. He let out a curse and then pulled me with him. I didn”t want to deal with anyone besides Dare---he was quite enough---so I went along, all placid and obedient, just like anyone would expect from a princess.

Twenty minutes later, we had eluded the guards and were making our way to the gates. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that all the gates had been locked.

”Is that for me?” I asked innocently, in a tone of wonder.

Dare scrubbed his hand across his face. ”We”ll hole up for the night.”

”Together? How fun!”

He gave me a look. I could”ve sworn the cuffs tightened, as if by magic.

”You know you love me,” I chided him.

A few minutes later, we were concealed in an abandoned attic.

”I”m hungry,” I told him, nudging him with my foot.

I was, but I mostly just wanted to antagonize him.

”No dinner for naughty princesses.”

”I”m trying to save Kaelan.”

”Mm, from this curse.” He leaned back, his back braced against the wall. His face was cast in shadow. ”Tell me your side of the story, Hanna.”

”I thought you”d never ask,” I said with relish, making myself as comfortable as I could.

It”s impossible to lean on anything properly with one”s hands fastened behind one”s back. I shared as much with Dare, who confirmed that he did indeed not care.

”Just talk.”

Quickly, I filled him in on the choice between Thorne and Kaelan, and on how Kaelan had hunted me down and then threatened my life---only to fling himself away from me.

”You”re telling me that Kaelan---who is a dragon, after all---hurtled to his near death instead of flying . . . to protect you?”

”I don”t know why you make that sound ridiculous when I”m sure Kaelan has made far worse sacrifices to protect you, peasant,” I told him pleasantly.

His answering scowl told me I”d struck true.

”Your concern for him is noted,” Dare said.

”I know Kaelan always comes out alright,” I said, as if I hadn”t been haunted by memories of his splayed-out body and Thorne dragging me away.

”I thought perhaps you had a mental link, so you knew he was alright. Interesting.” His eyes sparked as if he knew he”d managed a dig of his own, a chance to show me I wasn”t worthy of Kaelan.

But obviously, Kaelan had already chosen me. So perhaps he was just trying to convince himself.

”Mental link?”

”True mates can form mental bonds. But you”re a fire dragon and he”s an ice dragon.” His tone made it clear which was superior.

”Dare, can I tell you a secret about shifting?”

Despite himself, he looked interested. ”What?”

”Like everything else we use to make ourselves superior . . . it”s pretty much all bullshit.”

According to Honor”s theories, we all could shift into anything. If we believed in ourselves enough or something like that. Affirmation magic.

”Everything you say usually is.”

”I need your help,” I said. ”And that”s the honest truth. Kaelan needs your help. We both want the same thing, Dare. We both love him.”

Dare winced. ”No.”

”No?”

”You don”t love anyone as much as you love yourself, princess,” he told me. I was pretty sure he should”ve been talking to himself, but he was continuing on. ”And I”m loyal to Kaelan. I don”t love him.”

I laughed. ”At least when I”m lying, I know it.”

He clucked his tongue in annoyance. ”So you barge into our lives---”

”Kaelan dragged me into your life. I didn”t want to be your queen---” I was pleased by how he looked slightly green at the idea. ”But he insisted.”

”And you think you know all of us? Understand the dynamics between us?”

”It”s not that complicated,” I told him. ”You”re an orphan. I”m an orphan. I know how it works. You”d do anything for the family you”ve found.”

He leaned forward, his elbow braced on one knee. He was so tall and lean and graceful, and I liked looking at him folded up like that, even before he warned me, ”You and I don”t have anything in common.”

”If you were sure of that, you wouldn”t always be calling me princess to remind you that we come from very different places.”

”Oh? And why do you call me peasant?”

”Oh, that nickname has nothing to do with where you come from, Dare, and everything to do with how you act. You could be wearing gold-plated armor and you”d still be a peasant.”

He let out a disbelieving laugh. ”I”ll go out and get myself some food . . . but I”m going to gag you first.”

”Mm?” He was going out to get me food, we both knew it. I decided not to mention it.

”Try to be well behaved for once,” he said.

I smiled at him. Innocently.

For some reason, that look always seemed to worry him.

As he headed out, I contemplated my next steps. I would like to have Dare by my side---there was no denying he was a formidable ally---but he hadn”t agreed to deviate from his mission. And to be honest, I wouldn”t have believed him if he did. It would be just like him to tell me one thing, then throw a bag over my head and deliver me to Kaelan.

Who might kill me.

And then regret it forever.

As would I.

I couldn”t do that to either of us.

I quickly set to work slipping out of the magical handcuffs. Losing my ability to incant was certainly a loss, and I tried to escape the spell he had slapped on my lips along with his palm.

It took too long. I could feel the minutes dripping by as I worked on my escape the old-fashioned way. I felt with my fingertips for the material he had used, then dug through the bag he”d left behind with my nose like a cat. It was distressing. Finally, I dragged his enchanted knife, which should cut through any rope or fabric even if it did have a typical enchantment on it, from the bag with my teeth.

Two slow, long claps.

I twisted, the knife still in my mouth, to find Dare leaning against the doorway and clapping sardonically. I was pretty sure he”d never clapped any other way.

”Look at you,” he said. ”So fetching with a knife gripped between those pretty lips.”

His eyes flashed with something I couldn”t quite read, and I thought maybe he meant it

I let the knife fall, leaping to my feet at the same time and twisting to catch it in my hands. Then I was back to facing him, but he had already closed the distance between us.

He loomed over me, tall and broad-shouldered, looking down at me with a spark in his eyes as if he loved the challenge.

”Were you watching me the whole time, or did you really go out to get food?”

”I really did get food. But feel free to assume I”m always watching. And just like the last time I had you captured . . . I”m going to feed you.”

”Such an odd kink, Dare.”

”Turn around, Hanna, and try not to cause trouble for ten minutes.”

I didn”t move. He slid his hand behind me, over my back, his fingers brushing the curve of my ass. I felt the faint give of his chest as our breath mingled while he pulled the knife away from me.

He slid it into his own belt. ”Those handcuffs aren”t working for you, are they?”

”I don”t care for them much at all.”

”The last time I had you tied up, it didn”t hold you.” There was a gleam in his eyes that told me I wouldn”t like what was coming next. ”I tried to do you a favor, and you almost escaped.”

”You weren”t doing me any favor, or so you claimed,” I said innocently.

”Don”t look at me like you have me wrapped around your finger, like Thorne or Kaelan.”

”Kaelan is currently trying to murder me,” I reminded him.

”So you claim.” But he looked troubled.

Then he gripped my cuffs, spinning me around. He planted me into the wall, quickly but carefully so that there was no force when my cheek met the cool painted wall.

The next second, they were gone. Only one bond burned around my right wrist, and then that pain faded. I shook out my fingers, trying to ease the discomfort from how tightly I”d been bound.

And I looked down to realize my wrist was joined to Dare”s.

”No,” I said. ”Absolutely not.”

”It”s charming how you always seem to think you”re in control.”

”Only when I”m with you, Dare,” I said, because I knew it would rankle him.

He had, of course, handcuffed my fighting hand to his less-dominant hand. So it was easier for him to produce the food he had obtained, which smelled delicious. He held up a bundle with a smug look on his face, then laid it out to reveal a roast chicken, crusty bread, cheese, and a pot of fragrant vegetable soup.

”So what is the plan, man in control?” I mocked him.

”The plan is that you go to sleep, and when we wake up, we make our way out of the city and back to Kaelan.”

”Are you not hearing me?” I demanded.

”Where”s Thorne?” he asked.

”Thorne sacrificed himself so I could get the antidote for Kaelan!”

Dare looked troubled.

”Think about it, please,” I begged. For once, there was no guile, no artifice, no mockery. ”I need you, Dare.”

He looked at me as if he hated me for saying those words.

”Let”s get some rest. I can”t imagine what trouble we”ll find tomorrow.”