by Gwynn White
It was a woman.
How she had gotten there, he had no idea. Hand shaking, he brushed blond hair away from her face. Lynx. Sighing with relief, flashlight gripped in his mouth, he used one hand to stroke her face while his other probed for her pulse. She was pale with a slow heartbeat but seemed otherwise unharmed.
“Lynx,” he called gently. “Wake up.”
When she didn’t stir, he put the flashlight on the floor and lifted her head, resting it on his arm. Mouth gaping, her head lolled to one side, so he lay her back down and placed both hands on her heart, ready to start resuscitation.
“Axel? Is that you?” Her voice sounded tremulous, but relief flooded through him.
“Who else?” He picked up the flashlight, bathing himself in ghostly white light so she could see him. “Must you be so dramatic, Princess? Everyone else just gets lost in here. They don’t fall over their feet and faint.”
Lynx struggled, so he helped her up, supporting her against his arm. After a day of worry, it was so good to be holding her again. She looked up at him, and he thrilled to spot color returning to her face.
“Is that what you think happened?” Lynx’s voice sounded stronger, so he allowed his clenched muscles to relax for the first time since his father had woken him that morning.
To avoid hinting at his own troubles, Axel kept his voice light. “Tao said you vanished. There one minute. Gone the next.” Axel rested his forehead against hers. “You had us worried, Lynxie. Care to tell me what happened?”
“So Tao didn’t lock me in the room?”
“What room?” Confused, Axel shined the light around the dark walls. He wondered if she meant the chamber on the other side of the shortcut. But then, how would she have gotten here? “This is a maze, not a series of apartments.”
“The one with the mirrors.”
There were no mirrors in that room. Axel frowned, concerned again that she had concussed herself when she had collapsed. He gently rubbed her head, looking for bumps, but found nothing obvious. Even better, she leaned into his kneading fingers.
“There are no mirrors in here, Lynx. The whole idea of this place is that it’s dark, with narrow passages designed to confuse.”
“Oh. Are there informas with Dreaded in here? I think they’re called holograms.” She searched his face with her crystal-blue eyes.
“No, the labyrinth is horrible enough without them. Even my father accepts that.” He rocked her from side to side, like a child needing comfort.
She didn’t object.
“Or that’s how it used to be.” Axel couldn’t stop the bitterness bleeding into his voice. “But given how things have changed over the last twenty-four hours, I could be wrong.” When she didn’t reply, he said again, “Tell me what happened. Please.”
“Axel Avanov saying please? Never thought I’d live to see that happen. But it’s been a very strange day.” Lynx shifted, moving out of his embrace.
He hated letting her go, but he didn’t want to cause her further stress.
She sat back, studying him in the dim light, as if seeing him for the first time. “You’re wearing your uniform. What happened to the casuals?”
“Duty called.”
“Oh. So, who is Chenaya invading? Norin?”
He gave her a rueful smile. “Lynxie, I hate to break this to you, but Norin fell a few centuries ago. We’ve already had this discussion.” When she scowled at him, he added, “It’s Lapis’s turn. They’ve sided with Treven against us, so I’m leading an invasion force there as soon as the wedding celebrations are over.”
Lynx looked mournful. “Lapis? That’s sad. I used to love visiting the markets there.”
He had no problem with the Lapis campaign. “That’s what happens when you get in the way of Chenayan objectives.”
“Avanov objectives,” Lynx corrected.
He had more important concerns right now than arguing politics with Lynx. He shrugged and changed the subject. “I’m leaving Stefan here to watch over you while I’m gone. Please put your annoying hatred of all things Chenayan aside and befriend him and Malika. They’ll help you keep out of trouble.”
Lynx’s face became a blank mask. “Mott saw us kissing. He must have had other cameras in my room.”
“I know. My father woke me early this morning and told me he had put them there last night. I’m sorry.” He brushed her face with his hand. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted you to have breakfast with me, to tell you. But stubborn as you are, you refused me. I hate it when you do that.”
“Refuse you?” Lynx smiled. “Get used to it.” Then her face clouded. “How am I supposed to live with all these cameras? How do I even dress, knowing I’m being watched?”
Even in the low light, he saw her face pale and her body shiver. He took her hand in his, holding it possessively. “It’s very simple. Tell Lukan you refuse to marry him, and I will protect you from both him and Mott.”
“Like last night?”
He should have seen that coming. He smiled self-deprecatingly. “Definitely better than last night.” Jokingly, he added, “There are no cameras in my apartment.”
She pulled her hand away, so he changed tack.
“Come on, Lynx, you and I are one of a kind. We belong together. As I’ve already said, you’re totally—”
“Wasted on Lukan. You’ve told me all this, Axel.” Lynx paused, her brow creasing with a contemplative frown. “How well do you get on with Tao?”
Surprised, Axel replied, “Very. He’s another person who’ll make you a good friend.”
“Could you imagine yourself sinking a hand axe into his head?”
The air oomphed out of Axel’s lungs, but he willed strength into his muscles to stop from crumpling before her. “How do you know about that? What happened in the labyrinth?”
“Then it’s true. You want to kill Tao. Why?”
“I don’t want to kill Tao!” He grabbed her face with both hands, forcing her to look at him. “The whole idea is ludicrous. It would be like killing my sister, and I’d rather take a thousand quarrels than let anything happen to her.”
It was Lynx who now crumpled, leaning against him. “You admit you discussed the idea?”
“Yes.” He looked at her expectantly. “How do you know about it?”
“I—I saw a . . . a”— Lynx winced, looking embarrassed—“a vision when I vanished. It was all very unclear, but I got the impression you axed Tao.”
Axel hissed, shocked his father had shown such a hologram to Lynx. Worse, he didn’t like his part in it. “Thanks for your faith in my integrity. It must have been a hologram, so don’t let it upset you.”
Lynx looked anything but convinced. “Tell me why you want to kill Tao.”
Axel shined the flashlight up and down the passageway, ensuring they were alone, then leaned in close, whispering, “That idiot Lukan attacked Mott this morning, so now Mott commanded me to kill my cousin right after the last wedding celebration.”
Lynx’s eyes grew to the size of the two full moons currently hanging over Cian.
“That’s not all. Mott’s now so paranoid, he thinks Tao plans to kill him, too, even though that’s crazy.” Axel decided not to add that his own life was also in jeopardy if he didn’t murder his cousins. That knowledge would put undue pressure on her, and he wanted her to choose him because she wanted him, not because she felt compelled by threats.
Lynx rubbed her temples. “And you’re the obvious choice as the killer.”
He hated the disgust in her voice. The only consolation was that it was laced with a generous dollop of confusion.
“I came to your room. Mott found out. It made me a prime target for doing his dirty work.” It burned Axel to admit it, but maybe his father had been right, and his arrogance had finally caught up with him. Except that Mott had made him the most tempting offer of his life. Axel cautiously dropped the news. “Our mad emperor says I can have you if I do it.” As Axel expected, Lynx looked sick, so he shar
ed his problem, “As much as I want you, Lynxie, I could never harm Tao for you. Lukan? No problem. But Tao—”
Lynx looked confused rather than repulsed, so he asked, “What are you thinking?”
She shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t know. The vision seemed enough to confuse, but not to clarify, and now you tell me all this. What am I supposed to believe?”
That she still didn’t trust him stung.
“How about trusting me?” Axel asked.
Lynx looked as if she’d sucked on a lemon. That hurt even more.
“I told you, you saw a hologram, and you can never believe them. They’re all rubbish, created in my father’s lair to frighten and control people who have no idea something as basic as electricity even exists.”
“I know what I experienced, Axel, and it wasn’t . . . only a hologram. I definitely saw Tao with an axe in his head.”
Anger and determination hardened Axel’s face. “Well, I didn’t put it there.”
She must have believed him, because she lay against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and brushed her forehead with his lips. She leaned into his kiss, making him want to forget Mott’s sordid business and to kiss her like there was no tomorrow.
But that was impractical, given the constraints. It was a matter of time before one of the many people searching the labyrinth for her would stumble across them.
Axel straightened and eased away from her so he could look at her face. “I have a plan that will solve all this without unnecessary bloodshed. Unfortunately, it involves negotiating with Lukan. Never a pleasant experience, but it can’t be helped.”
“‘Unnecessary bloodshed’?” Lynx’s breath hitched. “What does that mean?”
“A death is unavoidable, Lynx, but I’ll be damned if it’s someone I care about. Between Lukan and Mott, right now Lukan is the lesser evil. I intend to make him a deal—his father’s death in exchange for you.”
Lynx jerked away as if he’d hit her. “I have no love for Emperor Mott and see no reason to mourn at his death, but Axel, you’re assuming I want you. How can you be so presumptuous when I told you last night I’d never be your lover?”
Axel laughed. “You’re talking to Axel Avanov. ‘Presumptuous’ is how I get things done. And I’ve changed my mind. I no longer want you as my lover.” The tensing of her body told him he’d scored a direct hit with that rejection. It emboldened him to say, “I’m looking for a much longer term commitment from you.”
Some prizes were worth even more than crowns. Women like Lynx of Norin didn’t blaze into his life every day. Once in a lifetime, if he was lucky. He’d be an idiot not to offer to bind himself to her with the strongest ties in the world. Then he’d spend the rest of time making sure he deserved her.
A rush of emotions, none of which he understood, flashed across Lynx’s face, and her hand went for her missing feathers. At that moment, he could have killed the she-witch for cutting off her braid.
Lynx dropped her hand into her lap. “Are you saying you want me to marry you?”
Heart pounding with a mix of hope, uncertainty, and a dollop of fear that she would reject him, Axel took her hand and kissed her calluses. When she didn’t protest or pull away, he ventured, “Would that be so bad?”
“You ask me that after you’ve admitted you intend to murder your uncle?”
“He intends to murder Tao and Lukan.” Axel leaned in close for emphasis. “He’s also threatened to kill your parents. Isn’t that enough reason to preempt him?”
Lynx nodded, encouraging him to add, “And why has Lukan avoided you since you got here, when the whole court knows how much he’s been lusting for you?”
Lynx shifted out of their pool of light. Axel responded by repositioning the flashlight.
Lynx let out a resigned sigh. “All right, Axel, I suspect it’s because he’s worried about the Dmitri Curse. If I’ve been having weird visions that make me disappear into thin air, then there’s a good chance he has, too.”
Axel cocked his head to the side, listening. Someone was calling Lynx’s name. He exhaled a frustrated breath.
“My search party?”
“Yes. Decision time.”
Lynx drew in close, whispering, “First, I need straight answers. Is Mott planning to harm the two of us?”
“I don’t have a straight answer about you,” Axel whispered back. “But work it out, Lynx. If Lukan is worried about the Dmitri Curse, what are the chances of him pitching up for your wedding? Hell, the man can’t even show up for breakfast. How long do you think Mott will let you live after that failure?”
“I thought I was your reward for killing his sons. He wouldn’t break your new toy, would he?” Lynx’s voice was flippant, but he could see fear in her eyes.
Axel chewed his lip. He had run out of options and now had to tell her the whole story. “My name is also on Mott’s kill list. If I don’t murder Tao and Lukan, I die. I guess you’re as expendable as the rest of us. Probably more so, given that you can’t even claim to be family.”
A flash of light told Axel the other searchers had entered their passage.
Lynx must have seen it, too, because she lunged over him and grabbed his hand axe. “Don’t leave me defenseless, Axel.”
He put his hand over hers, stopping her from taking it. “Agree to be mine, and I’ll give you a whole arsenal to protect yourself with.”
Lynx hesitated, and her eyes flickered closed. Her face writhed with indecision. Whatever her internal struggle, she finally looked at him and said, “Can you promise me you’ll sort out Mott?”
“I give you my word. I won’t let anything happen to you or your family.”
She licked her lips, her eyes tortured. He was beginning to give up hope when she said, “Give me your axe.”
Axel’s heart soared, and his breath came easy again. Never had he imagined proposing to a woman—and being accepted—over the handle of an axe. It explained why he was willing to risk everything.
A voice called. “Is someone there?”
“Oh no, the she-witch,” Lynx hissed, looking around.
“What’s she still doing around?” Axel asked, speaking to himself more than Lynx.
“Huh?”
“She’s supposed to be deported to the prison camps.” Axel sighed at yet another unexpected development.
“No doubt she plans to zap me again for daring to vanish.”
“Not while I’m still breathing.” Axel snatched a kiss from Lynx’s open mouth while unbuckling his axe. “Here. Hide it. Don’t let the witch find it.” He stood, stepping away from Lynx. “Princess Lynx is here, Mother.”
“Dragon’s curses!” Holding an oil lantern, Mother Saskia broke into an ungainly jog. “Is she all right, my lord? What an uproar we’ve all been in.”
Axel didn’t bother answering because, in the dancing shadows, he noticed another figure running up the passageway toward them. He called out, “Tao, Lynx is freezing. Chuck me your surcoat.”
Ignoring the command, Tao elbowed passed Mother Saskia, stopping at Lynx’s side.
Lynx stood, showing no obvious sign of the axe.
But he wasn’t taking chances on the she-witch finding it, so he tugged the shoulders of Tao’s surcoat. “She needs this.”
Lynx played along with him by pretending to shiver, but he noticed she rubbed herself with only one arm. The other curved behind her back, hiding the axe.
Tao ripped off his coat. Annoyingly, he decided to be a gentleman and wrapped it around Lynx. “I’m so sorry, Lynx. Honestly, I don’t know what happened back then.”
Tao’s hand brushed Lynx’s back, and his eyes widened with recognition, followed by surprise. Lynx stiffened, and Axel held his breath, wondering if Tao would betray them.
But he needn’t have worried. Not about Tao.
His cousin shot him a reassuring look, turned to Saskia, and said, “Princess Lynx needs strong arms to get her back to her apartment. Advise the oth
er searchers she has been found. Warlord Avanov and I will help her to her room.”
“Tao, you can manage Lynx on your own,” a quiet voice said from the shadows.
Axel’s stomach knotted as Lukan stepped into their circle of light. Although addressing his cousin, Lukan looked directly at him. “The great Warlord Avanov and I have a few things to discuss. About Lynx, as it so happens.”
Mother Saskia’s head swiveled between him and Lukan. The priestess clearly didn’t want to be caught in the cross fire of anger roiling off the crown prince, because she bobbed a curtsy. “Of course, Your Highness, I will alert the others.” In a flurry of white, she sped away down the passage.
Axel stepped forward to meet Lukan. Feigning calm, he said, “Your timing is impeccable. I was coming to look for you.”
Axel’s eyes widened with surprise when Lukan ignored him and spoke again to Tao.
“Get her out of here.” Lukan looked at Lynx with disdain. “We’ll talk later.”
Axel expected Lynx to say something, but clearly, protecting her axe was her only priority. He agreed.
“Hold me tight this time, Lynx,” Tao said, opening the door to the labyrinth shortcut where Lynx had vanished so many hours ago. She gripped Tao’s arm as if her life depended on it, and together, they stepped through the doorway.
Axel turned to face Lukan—and the most important negotiation of his life.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Lynx stopped outside the door to her bedchamber and gripped Tao’s arm. “I can’t take my axe in there,” she whispered. “The room is filled with cameras.”
“Who is your lady-in-waiting?” Tao asked, just as quietly.
“Lady Tatiana. She wafts around, making unhelpful comments.” The sour-faced woman had appeared at her door a couple of times, ostensibly to help Lynx dress. Lynx had not invited her into her room.
“Tatiana’s bark is definitely worse than her bite. She would help if she knew it was for Axel.”
Lynx bit her lip, surprised to learn that about her brittle lady-in-waiting. “But she’s not here. I can’t risk someone coming and seeing me with it.”