Page 88 of Into Darkness (Night Prowler 6)
“I don’t know anything! And neither do you! So spouting platitudes isn’t going to help the situation!” Honor snapped. Could she be any stupider, admiring that jerkoff at a time like this? She wanted to smack herself. Instead she turned away from the sight of his perfect, stupid face, and said over her shoulder, “Why are you even here, anyway? Don’t you have a few skirts to chase, hound dog?”
“Beckett was here when you came in, and he’s always welcome in my home.” Morgan’s tone was gentle, but scolding. She rose and approached Honor, reaching out to touch her shoulder as she came to stand close. She lowered her voice, looking at Honor with pointed reproof. “You both are. As long as you’re playing nice.”
“I’m nice,” she grumbled, shrugging off Morgan’s hand. “He’s the assho—”
“So what do we do now?” Beckett, loudly, cut her off. It was Xander who answered.
“We have to get word to Magnus. Honor, can you tell Lumina what’s happening? You know, the way you two talk?”
“I haven’t been able to reach her,” admitted Honor reluctantly. “She’s offline, so to speak.”
Honor had been trying like hell to reach out telepathically to her sister ever since she’d awoken from the dream in which their mother told her of Thorne’s plans. The news had been horrible, distressing, but Honor sensed there was something her mother had been holding back. The way she’d looked at her was so strange, both proud and terribly guilty. Honor hadn’t been able to figure it out, and her mother hadn’t explained. Aside from the obvious imminent threat of her death, something else caused her to turn away when Honor asked what could be done to stop Thorne from moving forward with his plans.
It was almost as if . . . as if she knew the answer, but wouldn’t say what it was.
No, that can’t be it. If her mother knew of any way to save herself and everyone else in that prison, she undoubtedly would have told her. The only thing that could save them now was Magnus and Hope.
She still refused to call her sister Lumina. That was like calling a golden egg a turd.
“I’ll try again in a while, but I don’t expect much. When Hope’s being bullheaded, nothing can get through to her.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” muttered Beckett, turning to leave.
“Excuse me?” demanded Honor, halting midpace to stare at his broad, retreating back. He stopped, turned, stared her dead in the eye.
“I’m sorry, were you operating under the mistaken impression that you’re reasonable, Honor? Because news flash: You’re as reasonable as a cyclone.” He smiled, a grim, cheerless specimen that didn’t reach his eyes. “And just as pleasant.”
Her mouth dropped open. The nerve of him! “I’m not reasonable? You’re the one who’s being led around like a dog on a collar by your dick!”
“Will you knock it off with the dog metaphors?” he snapped. He paced forward, angry, a menacing look narrowing his eyes.
“That was a simile, genius. I know it must be hard to think with all the blood drained from your head—”
“Why can’t you ever be nice, like for one minute? Is that too much to ask?” He walked closer, his long stride quickly eating up the space between them.
“Nice? Ha! You mean like how you’re nice, spreading ‘cheer’ throughout the colony with your magical penis?” She made air quotes around the word cheer, and his face reddened.
Morgan stood from the couch, about to intervene, but Xander grasped her hand and pulled her gently to his side. He said something in her ear that made her smile.
“Pets, we’ll be in the Assembly room if you need us,” she said as Xander led her away.
Honor and Beckett barely noticed they’d left. His long stride had brought him face-to-face with her in seconds. She looked up at him, wishing for the first time in her life that she was over six feet tall so she could stand eye to eye with him. She felt at a disadvantage having to tilt her head back, and she hated that feeling.
He moved even closer, invading her personal space. He was big and imposing, radiating heat and a fury she’d never seen in him before. Blinking, she stepped back.
“You know something, Honor?” he said, his voice as hard as his eyes. “I’ve listened to this crap from you since we were little kids, and I’m sick of it. I’m done. Understand? I don’t care if you turn me into a fucking popsicle or a giant ice cube or make the earth open up and swallow me whole, I’m not taking it anymore. Find someone else to shit on, because I’m through being your personal toilet!”
His words, his tone, his face all told her a story that made her stomach drop to her toes. “You think I would hurt you?” she whispered in disbelief.
He moved closer. She stepped back again, desperate to escape him, to escape that look, but her back hit the rounded cave wall, and she couldn’t go any farther. He leaned close and stared down at her with the worst expression she’d ever seen him wear. There was anger, yes, but beneath it was pain, real pain. To think that she was the cause of it made her feel sick.
His voice as gravelly as if he’d been swallowing rocks, he said, “You’ve been hurting me for years, Honor. And liking it. It wouldn’t surprise me if you took it one step further and did something permanent.”
“I would never,” she said, her voice small. “Beckett, I would never hurt you like that.”
He was breathing hard. His lips were thinned. He didn’t believe her. She didn’t know what to do or say to make him understand, to make him realize that what she’d said was true; she’d never hurt him. She’d rather die than see anything bad happen to him. To anyone in the colony, but especially him.
“Why do you hate me so much?” he asked abruptly.
