Except Belle.
She’d once lost a spelling bee so he’d be safe. As much as it had pissed him off, he’d never forgotten that. The do-Gooding little oddball was the only one who’d ever done anything nice for him. Even if he knew that she’d never love him, at least he could pretend she cared.
Until last year, anyway.
“The claustrophobia mostly faded when I got older, but then you framed me for embezzlement and sent me to a tiny little cell. Then, it started coming back.” He muttered, angry at her for seeing him like this and for stealing what little warmth he’d ever known when she’d set him up.
Belle pulled her palm away from his.
Fuck.
“I’m sorry.” He automatically reached for her, wanting her fingers intertwined with his, again. She’d never held his hand before. He didn’t want to lose the connection. “I’m over that. I am. It wasn’t your fault that the WUB Club was such a pit. Please don’t…”
She cut him off. “You really think I framed you.” She seemed astonished by that revelation, even though he’d been saying it for almost a year. “Don’t you?”
“You did frame me.” She’d been part of the stupid independent audit of the kingdom’s finances and she’d used her position to make him look like a thief. A child could’ve seen it. He forgave her, though. He would forgive Belle anything. Nothing she could do would ever make him turn on her.
“Avenant,” she met his eyes, “you know me. You know I would never cheat like that.”
“What I know is that I didn’t steal any money, but somehow there was slush fund leading straight back to me. Then, you used the computer trail it left as evidence to depose me and takeover the kingdom.” In his calmer moments, he almost admired the audaciousness of the plan. “Look, it doesn’t even matter, anymore. You thought I’d sent men to attack you, so you had a right to…”
“I didn’t frame you.” She interrupted firmly. “You just got through telling the minotaur that I don’t lie, so pay attention. If you were set up, it wasn’t by me. I swear.”
Avenant hesitated, studying her earnest face in the dim light. “You didn’t frame me?” His voice was less steady than he would’ve liked, as a terrible hope filled him.
“No, you moron. I don’t do things like that. I play rough, but I follow the rules of our game. You know that.”
He did know that. Avenant’s mind raced, the truth dawning on him.
Belle hadn’t betrayed him.
She couldn’t have. The woman was incurably Good. She wouldn’t do anything that was morally wrong, no matter how far she was pushed. It was why Avenant would beat her in the end. Because he would do whatever it took to have victory and Belle was trapped by ethics. Relief flooded Avenant’s system as he realized he’d been an idiot. Belle was innocent.
The Beast howled with satisfaction.
“I believe you.” Avenant got out.
She hadn’t betrayed him. Of course she hadn’t. The girl was too soft to do anything so underhanded. The oppressive claustrophobia faded away and all Avenant could feel was an overwhelming sense of happiness. Belle hadn’t left him in that prison to die. Everything she’d said to the judge before they dragged him off to jail had been the truth.
He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed it to be the truth until this moment.
“Why wouldn’t you believe me?” Belle looked annoyed that it was even a question. “When have I ever lied to you? How could you accuse me of…?” She stopped short, suddenly realizing the deeper ramifications of the argument. “Hang on. You didn’t take that money? Really? All this time you’ve been saying someone framed you, someone actually framed you?”
“Yes.”
“Holy shit.” She blurted out. “But, there was so much evidence against you.”
“That’s the whole problem with being framed: There’s evidence that frames you.”
Chocolate brown eyes blinked up at him. “Oh God…” She was horrified. “Avenant. I am so sorry. I didn’t know. I swear. I overthrew you because I thought…”
He cut her off. “I don’t care that you overthrew me.” That was just part of the game. “It was the rest of it that pissed me off. It felt like betrayal. Like it must have felt to you when you thought I’d sent those men to attack you.”
Belle swallowed. “Neither of us betrayed the other.”
“I know.”
“But someone wanted us to think we did.” She swept her hair back. “It has to be someone who hates you. I’m not important enough for anybody to target.”
Avenant frowned, unsure which of them she’d just slighted.
“Whoever sent those men to my house knew it would start a chain reaction and that I’d come after you.” Belle continued. “That I’d find the evidence they planted and use it to depose you.” She shook her head. “But, why would someone go through all that trouble to set you up?” She paused. “Besides the fact that you’re a terrible ruler and a Bad person, I mean.”
Avenant disregarded that last part. “Did you ever find the embezzled money?”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Some of it.”
“Whatever’s missing is part of the reason, then.”
Not all of it, though. Someone had wanted him to suffer. Whoever was behind this had used Belle to come after Avenant, knowing that would hurt him the most. Knowing it would gut him to lose her. Knowing he wouldn’t harm her, even if it meant he allowed her stupid rebels to chain him. Someone saw that she was his biggest weakness and they’d exploited that.
This was a personal attack. They didn’t want him dead. They wanted him disgraced and locked away. They wanted to keep him from Belle. They wanted to steal away everything that mattered to him.
The Beast thudded against the thinning wall, wanting vengeance.
Avenant’s jaw clenched.
“I still can’t believe you thought I’d framed you.” Belle muttered. “It’s kind of insulting.”
“You thought I’d ripped off my own kingdom. That’s more insulting. Face it, we’ve both made mistakes.”
She still looked miffed. “Maybe, but you’ve made more. I wouldn’t have suspected you, if you didn’t do such Bad things.”
“But, I do them well. If I’d embezzled the money, it wouldn’t have been such a sloppy crime.”
Rolling her eyes, Belle started walking away. “My God, that is the worse excuse… Shit!” Her complaint ended in a yelp as she tripped over something in the dark. Belle toppled forward right on top of a dead body.
Her scream of panic probably told everyone in the maze exactly where they were.
Fuck.
“Belle.” Avenant grabbed her, his flashlight briefly illuminating the corpse.
It looked like it had once been a Cheshire cat. They were supposed to be the prophets of the Four Kingdom, but this one must have misread her Tarot cards. Her tall, thin body was splayed at a grisly angle, her pink fur matted with gore. A blood-covered knife was in her hand. Had she been trying to defend herself and slashed her attacker? If so, why weren’t there any blood trails leading away from the scene?
Avenant checked her frozen face and recognized that it was Cleo. The woman was an assassin, using her psychic abilities to plan intricate murders-for-hire. She was accustomed to being on her guard. Whoever had gotten the drop on her must have created one hell of an ambush to catch her unaware. But how had she been ambushed on this thin path? And couldn’t Cheshire cats do that vanishing thing? Why didn’t she zap out of there after the first strike?
“Goddamn it.” Avenant tugged Belle away from the body and shone the beam down the corridor, looking for the killer. He didn’t see anyone. Cleo’s blood was still fresh, though, so the perpetrator had to be close.
“Who’s doing this?” Belle whispered.
“I doubt it’s your friend Knoss the Minotaur, given the lack of cremation. So, the smart money’s on Bluebeard.” What was one more body to that psychotic bastard? “Or possibly Dower.”
“The w
olf?”
“He was in prison with me. I don’t think the rehabilitation took.” That was a massive understatement. Wolves could savage a victim in seconds and Dower was more violent than most. That would certainly explain the grisly crime scene. Avenant’s jaw ticked. “Stay here.” He stepped over Cleo’s corpse and started down the path at a faster pace. Whoever was behind this had to die. If Avenant could find the guy and stop him, Belle would be safer.
“Wait!” Belle followed him, cringing as she edged around the pool of blood. “We should stay together.”
“We’re tied together.” He reminded her, gesturing to the clip on his belt. “Don’t worry. I’m not going far. I just have to go kill someone real quick and I don’t think you want to watch.”
“I don’t want you to kill someone, that’s what I don’t want.” She retorted. “Let’s go back the other way.”
“And wait for this son-of-a-bitch to pick us off next? No, I’m going to stop him, now.” Avenant played offense. It was the only way to win. “Who knows how many other contestants he’s killed, Belle. These are just the two we’ve come across, but there might be dozens more. He could be taking out everyone.”
“But, it’s not smart to incite…” She trailed off. “Avenant?”
“What?”
“Where are you?”
He turned back, shining the flashlight towards her so she’d see… Except she wasn’t there. He stared at the empty path, his heart hammering in his chest. “Belle?” He swept the beam around and didn’t spot her familiar form. She was gone. She was just gone. The claustrophobia was nothing compared to the panic that washed over him. “Belle!”
The Beast howled in fury and alarm.
Avenant’s control slipped and, for a second, he processed the world through the monster’s heightened senses. Belle was still alive. He could feel her. Dizzy with relief, Avenant and the Beast quickly focused their combined energies on reaching her.
“Belle.” His voice was a dark roar.
“Avenant!” Her call was faint, but at least it was there. “The labyrinth shifted. I think that was the rustling noise we were hearing in the brush. The walls change position on their own.”
Fuck!
“Don’t move!” He shouted. “I’m coming to you.” He seized hold of the line connecting them and followed it.
The cord seemed to lead straight through an impenetrable mass of black roses and jagged thorns. It disappeared into the thicket, taunting him with the promise of Belle connected to the opposite end. No way could someone Avenant’s size get through that wall. Maybe that was the point. Did this maze really think it could keep him from her?
He looked around, suddenly seeing the labyrinth as a sentient being. “Nice try, jackass, but it’s not going to work. She and I are inevitable.”
Avenant slammed a hand straight into the sharp barbs, his powers surging out. The roses hardened like they’d been dipped in liquid nitrogen, their pedals becoming brittle and snapping away. The vines grew so cold that the air around them chilled into a cloudy vapor. The thorns cracked like glass, dropping to the ground.
Whoever had designed this trap hadn’t been expecting someone with his abilities. You didn’t sent flowers up against a man who could manufacture winter with a twist of his fingers. Avenant shoved through the frozen vegetation, shattering it around him as he headed for Belle. His bleeding hand stayed locked around the string that connected them, using it to guide his way.
“Belle?” He shouted trying to gauge the distance. He’d been walking for ages and everything looked the same.
“I’m here. I can see you coming by the frost.” Her voice was closer now. “The labyrinth isn’t going to like you hurting its plants, you know.”
“It can take me to court. Everybody else does.” Avenant crunched passed the last frozen roses and finally spotted Belle. “There you are.” He murmured in satisfaction. She looked safe and irritated and all was right in his world.
Mostly.
They’d found one edge of the maze. Belle was sitting on a rock in a small clearing. Behind her, there was a stone wall that seemed to mark the end of the labyrinth. It was lighter here, thanks to small skylights build high on the granite barrier, but the added illumination didn’t reveal much worth seeing.
Avenant spared a quick look around, scanning for a way out of the clearing. The other three sides of the space were covered in the twisting plants. The ceiling and skylights were far out of reach. It was a dead end; a small open space in a vast jungle. Behind him the flora was already regenerating, covering the route he’d traveled to find her. There was no way back to the path and no way to go forward.
This couldn’t be good.
“Next time I tell you not to go kill someone, will you listen to me please?” Belle groused. “Now, we’re never going to find out way out of here. I think we’re stuck.”
Avenant had to agree.
Right now, he had something more important on his mind, though. Dismissing the fact they were trapped, he stalked towards her. Losing Belle for that brief moment had brought back all the anxiety of the past eight months. Unable to see her… Unsure if she was safe… Fifty thousand crazed fantasies about what he would do when he got her back…
He had to make sure Belle never left him again. That they were tied together forever. He needed Belle’s surrender and there was only one way to get it. It was so close to breaking the rules that even Avenant knew it was wrong, but he was going to do it anyway. He’d laid his heart bare on prom night and she hadn’t cared. He’d promised her everything he had and it wasn’t enough. Emotions and honestly didn’t work, so he’d try a different tact.
“I’ll take my kiss now.” Avenant yanked her to her feet, his mouth finding hers.
For once, he and the Beast were of one mind: The only way to win was to cheat.
Chapter Ten
I hate him.
Testimony of Mr. Peter Piper- The People of the Northlands v. Prince Avenant
Twelve Years Before
Her prom date was a troll.
Not in the biological sense. He’d been born an elf. But, Peter Piper was totally a troll.
Belle had never noticed that before. He’d just seemed like a normal guy who was a little doofy and who used too much styling gel. She’d never forgotten that he’d been the only one who’d wished her happy birthday when she was fourteen, so she went out of her way to be nice to him.
Now she was seeing beneath the oily façade and straight into his inner troll-ness, though. Something about the position of Peter’s nose and chin made her eyes cross when she looked at his face for too long. His overly blond hair smelled funny. His tux was an obnoxious shade of pickled pepper purple.
And, worst of all, he was making out with Jill Hill in Belle’s seat.
Jill sat on his lap, her face suction-cupped to his. They were lost in their own little world of taffeta and groping, not even caring that they were in her chair. Or that she existed, at all.
The gym was festooned with white crêpe paper streamers and blue balloons. Belle had helped string the decorations all afternoon and now they were a festive backdrop for her public embarrassment. No one in the school could possibly miss the fact that Belle’s date had dumped her in the middle of prom.
It was all Avenant’s fault.
Belle liked Peter, but she’d never liked the guy. Not in a romantic way. He was friendly enough and a hell of an asset to the Mathlete Squad, but mostly she’d just needed a date. He was the only one who asked, so she’d said yes. She was president of the dance committee and she wasn’t going to show up alone. That would’ve just made Avenant’s year. Peter had been a godsend. He’d approached her in the cafeteria and politely asked her out with everyone watching.
With Avenant watching.
Lounging at the cool kids’ table, with his fan club of cheerleaders, Avenant looked like the pasha of Northlands High. He spent every lunch hour gazing down on the lesser beings as they genuflected passed. Belle kne
w that because she spent every lunch hour glaring at him from the not-so-cool table, willing him to choke on his food.
When Peter had asked her to prom, she’d seen Avenant’s arctic blue eyes narrow from twenty feet away. He hadn’t expected anyone to approach her. Belle didn’t get many dates, mostly because everyone was terrified of making Avenant’s enemies list. You were either with Avenant or against him. Belle was “against,” but most of the school preferred to stay on the handsome, popular, royal side of their war. She could see from Avenant’s annoyingly perfect face that he was pissed when Peter decide to cross into hostile territory and join Team Belle.
So --obviously-- she’d agreed to the date.
Six hours in a push-up bra seemed like a small price to pay for an opportunity to irritate her nemesis. And Peter was tolerable enough. Usually.
She should’ve anticipated that Avenant would find a way to fight back, though. She knew he was behind this. Jill had never shown the least bit of interest in Peter before and now the girl was one love song away from unfastening his cummerbund with her teeth. Since Jill was part of Avenant’s clique of evil, it didn’t take a genius to piece together who was really behind this.
Damn if Belle was going to hang around and let him relish his victory. The looks of pity she was getting from the other students were bad enough. If she saw Avenant’s smug smirk, she’d beat him to death with a mirror ball. Which, granted, he totally deserved, but which would probably not look so great on her permanent record.
She grabbed her coat and left Peter to his fun. As far as Belle was concerned, prom was done. Except, she was stuck there for a least another hour.
She couldn’t go home yet.
Her parents would know something had gone terribly wrong and they’d been so happy when she’d told them she had a date. Her mother had helped her buy a poufy dress and her father had taken her picture. They were social people and their bookish daughter was a constant disappointment. Seeing her headed off to a dance had thrilled them. No way was Avenant going to spoil that.
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