Page 14 of A Taste For Lies (The Apex Kingdom #1)
Chapter 14
TARAN
T he bell on the jewelry shop door chimes as I walk in. I’ve been in here only once before, with Maeve, and I don’t recognize the young woman behind the counter. A practiced smile paints her freckled face. “Help you find anything?”
“Uh.” I clear my throat, unsure what I’m doing here.
Her smile widens, revealing a gap between her two front teeth. “Something for a special someone, perhaps?” She sweeps her hand towards a glass case. “We have an array of beautiful necklaces.”
Necklaces. That’s why I’m here. The thief can’t stop fiddling with that little lynx charm. Maybe it went unnoticed in Shanterra, where the Elite are less familiar with the guild, but my father will spot it in an instant. And he’s not one to ignore something that scratches at his curiosity.
It’s unprofessional for her to wear it—just like leaving the calling card. But I can tell by the way she’s constantly touching it that she’s attached to the charm. It means something to her.
Maybe it was a gift? My stomach sours as the shopkeeper’s words replay in my head. A gift from a special someone ?
The rage of my stoneclaw threatens, but I lock it up tight. I can’t afford a scene right now .
“I need a gold chain. A long one. Thin. Something that can be tucked beneath clothes.” If she won’t stop wearing it, at least she can do a better job of hiding it.
“Of course!” The shopkeeper bolts to the case, pulling out a few options for my perusal. I surreptitiously scent the metal. They all smell of real gold—not that I should have expected any less from an establishment Maeve frequents.
“This one.” I point at the most delicate option, nearly translucent.
“Lovely choice, sir. And what about a charm to go with it?”
Before I can decline, she’s already laid out a small velvet-lined box beside my chosen chain. My eye catches on a diamond-gilded lily. The mark of the Shanterran royal court. It makes me think of the count’s ballroom and the first time I scented her.
Seeing where my attention has gone, the shopkeeper quickly slides the charm onto the chain, holding it up to her own neck so I can appreciate it. I know I’m being handled, but I can’t find it within myself to mind.
“Very good. I’ll take them both.”
She flashes a triumphant gap-toothed smile before busily popping the necklace into a velvet drawstring bag. I pass over the coin, grateful I kept enough back after handing over most of my gold to the Lynx and her tailor.
I thank the shopkeeper, who more than earned her commission, and make my way back towards Tipsy’s Tavern to wait for the thief.
The night is just getting started, and it’s already raucous, a cacophony of laughter, shouting and clinking glasses spilling into the street. My nose wrinkles at the smell of stale drink. Hunching to hide my size, I slip into the tavern, weaving unnoticed to a darkened corner table. In this part of town, void of the Elite and their constant shadows, it’s only humans in here .
I slide into the seat, tugging my hood low to cover my face. Only then does it strike me: I didn’t get anything at the store for Eleni.
You didn’t buy the thief a gift either , I remind myself brusquely. It was for the job. So she doesn’t get caught before we even get started.
Maybe the chain , a voice that sounds suspiciously like my creature whispers back. But what about the lily?
I need a drink. I flag down a harassed-looking waitress and order a dark ale. She swipes my coin with barely a glance, returning moments later with a brimming tankard. I take a pull and grimace. The aftertaste is so bitter it’s nearly undrinkable. I down another swallow anyway.
My eyes lift to an old grandfather clock by the door. Now I’m forced to wait. I don’t know what I’ll do if they don’t show up on time. The little thief was right, of course, the last thing I can do is stride into The Painted Mask like I own the place and connect myself to the Lynx.
But letting her out of my creature’s sight was nearly impossible. I had to force myself to stand there in that alley, feet rooted to the dirty ground, while Eleni dragged her away, her bewitching scent finally fading into the overpowering smells of the city.
The minutes tick by. I order a second shitty ale. The hour mark passes. Still no sign of the Lynx and her tailor. It’s fifteen past. I’ve just made up my mind to storm into that overdressed monstrosity of an inn and tear the place apart until I’ve found her when the tavern door creaks open.
She steps inside. Alone.
Her big amber eyes scan the room, alighting on me in the corner. She looks drained, her lips settled into a thin line, her usual spark dulled. As she walks towards me, I flag the waitress again and order a dry cider plus another ale. I feel no effects from the first two—not surprising. Whether it’s a byproduct of my size or my species, my tolerance is impossibly high.
The Lynx slides onto the stool across from me, a distant expression on her face, her eyes listless. A cider drops to the table in front of her, and she frowns at it.
“It tastes like shit,” I admit. “ But it’s strong.”
Tentatively, she takes a sip. Her face puckers. But then another. Slowly, life breathes back into her expression.
“Did you get the waiver?” I want to ask where Eleni is, but something warns me not to start there.
“They want more gold.” She takes another pull of her cider, purses her lips. “But if we can deliver that…then yes.”
“Anything you need.”
Her beautiful eyes narrow. “But not the pearls, right? So not exactly anything I need.”
“No, not them,” I agree, confused about where she’s going with this. “What about the Apex?”
“They’ll give me that, too. Someone will arrive tomorrow at the palace for Lady Thorne.”
I shift in my seat. “They know you’re working in the palace.”
“Yes. There was no way around it.” She swirls the remains of her drink. “But trust me, they have no idea what I’m really here for.”
Consciously, I control my reaction. “Lady Loriella Thorne.” I try for a smile, but the name feels wrong in my mouth. “It has a ring to it.”
But instead of returning my practiced smile, her lips curve downwards. She stares at the nearly empty cider glass in front of her. I motion to the waitress to bring another.
“Lady Lynx,” I murmur quietly, counting on the mounting din of the tavern to cover the name. I don’t want the taste of the false one to linger. “What’s wrong?”
Her gaze snaps to mine, her expression murderous. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? I just had to trade my best friend, my sister , for your fucking heist, that’s what’s wrong.”
I suck in a sharp breath. This close, her intoxicating scent tickles my tongue.
“I lied to the guild for you. If they find out, I lose my membership—and now, maybe my friend, too.” She buries her face in her hands for only a matter of seconds before her amber eyes are back burning into mine. “And I’ll tell you something else, Your Highness —we better pull this job off on Samhain because as soon as the night’s over, I’m getting Eleni back, and we’re getting the hells out of here, win or lose. You get one shot.” She downs the rest of her drink in an aggressive swallow. “And before I help you , I want what I came here for.”
My throat is dry. I take another pull of bad ale. “Which is?”
Her mouth tightens, suspicion mingling with frustration. Even now, when I’ve already promised to give her whatever she wants, she’s unwilling to tell me. The waitress drops off her cider, and she drinks half of it without stopping.
She finally comes up for breath, slamming the glass down, her gaze meeting mine. “I want the Apex guardian records. Going back for at least the last two decades.”
Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t that. Lord Winters guards those ledgers nearly as closely as the amulet. “Those records—”
“I don’t care. Whatever you’re about to say, whatever excuse you’re about to give, I don’t care. Do you hear me? You promised me anything I wanted. That’s what I want. Before Samhain.”
I study her defiant expression, the way her fingers tighten around the cider glass. Being forced to leave Eleni at the guild has her rattled. She’s hiding it behind her fire.
“Anything you want, as I promised.” However the hells I’m going to manage that.
She nods, mollified—for now—and takes a smaller sip of the disgusting cider.
After a moment, I dare to say quietly, “Eleni will be safe there. No one would ever touch her under their protection.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” She sighs, a depressed sound that tugs at my splintered soul. “That’s the only reason I’m sitting here with you in this shitty tavern and not knocking that place down to its floorboards.”
“We’ll get her back, Lady Lynx. ”
“ I’ll get her back, Prince. You’ll get me those records, I’ll steal your amulet, and then we never have to see each other again.”
I fight to keep the strain off my face. Clink my glass with hers. “To getting what we need. And never seeing each other again.”
Outwardly, I finish the terrible ale with relish, my face impassive.
Internally, my stoneclaw rages.