Page 21 of A Taste For Lies (The Apex Kingdom #1)

Chapter 21

ALORA

I tilt my head to the side, trying to listen for whatever the prince is scenting around the upcoming corner. I may not be an Apex, but even a human can train their senses to fire more acutely. Xinlei taught me that. My eyes slip shut to concentrate. At first, I hear nothing, but then—muffled moans, heavy breathing. My eyes fly open.

Taran’s expression is torn. He clearly knows who is having a secret rendezvous in the tunnel ahead and is debating whether to disturb them.

“Can we go another way?” I whisper, though I’m not sure whoever’s over there would hear us over their…activities.

His brows knit. “We risk running into other Apex patrolling. And they’re blocking the exit we need.”

“We could wait?” I suggest. He scowls, and sure, I want to wait in this corridor while whoever is up ahead finishes their tryst as little as he does, but I’m not sure what our alternative is.

He winces. “They won’t be quick.” A quiet laugh bubbles out of me before I can stop it.

He glances at me sidelong.

“Sorry,” I murmur, pressing my hand to my mouth, still trying to tamp down the giggles attempting to escape .

The corner of his mouth twitches. “Alright,” he mutters, “let’s brave it out. Make sure your hood is covering you.” He pulls up his own hood and wraps the hand not clutching the lantern around mine.

My breath catches as the prince tugs me up and around the corner.

What greets us is…about what I expected.

A tall male guardian has a dark-haired Apex pinned to the stone wall, her bare umber legs wrapped around his waist. Her skirt bunched around her hips, his shirt untucked. The male’s head turns for only a moment as we approach, tawny eyes flashing, before he goes back to thrusting with renewed vigor.

“Carter,” Leylah gasps, no doubt sensing our approach. Her head tilts as if to glance our way, but Carter’s mouth dips to cover hers, effectively blocking her view of us with his body. We slide past, Taran pulling me along, avoiding the tangled pair. Leylah’s smothered moans and Carter’s low grunts chase us to the end of the corridor. Taran drops my hand and unlocks the hidden door. He ushers me through, and we rush out into the dark woods.

My heart rate immediately slows and my breaths come easier in the night air. After a pause to ensure we’re alone, Taran quickly lights the lantern. Barely slowing, he leads the way through a darkened wood. In the lantern’s flickering light, impossibly tall, skinny trees with tufted green tops disappear into the dark night sky. A crisp scent of—

I whip my head to the giant male next to me, padding near-silently through the forest despite his size.

“What?” he asks in a low voice.

“Nothing.”

But I drag in greedy breaths of the Veridian pine trees that line the path.

Eventually, Taran slows to a stop and lifts his hood. I copy him, certain he would be able to scent if anyone was nearby. He’s deliberately not looking at me, his attention on the enormous trees with reddish bark that form a sort of semicircle. In the center, one of the trees is hollowed out to create a natural cave .

Now we’ve reached our destination, I can’t hold it in any longer. I clap both hands over my mouth, but it’s not enough to completely silence the laughter that shakes my body.

A snort from Taran, and then he’s joining me in smothered laughter, disturbing the silence of the Sacred Grove.

I wipe a tear from my eye. “Didn’t you tell him we’d be doing this tonight? He couldn’t have chosen a different corridor?”

A boyish grin paints Taran’s shadowed face. “Possibly she was guarding the exit, and he thought to, uh, distract her.”

I press my lips together to keep another round of laughter at bay. “Are they together?”

He shakes his head. “Apex guardians must prioritize their Elite charges first. True relationships between guardians are…strongly discouraged.”

All my amusement evaporates. “Will they get in trouble then? If they’re caught?” I’m surprised to find that I’m worried about the Apex guardians I hardly know.

“Uh, no. No one minds if they do that .” Taran pulls on the back of his neck. “The life of a guardian is a difficult one, with very little choice. Even the Elite recognize that after training and fighting, some…outlet is required. Besides, all Apex take the contraceptive tonic from the day they emerge.”

The blood drains from my face. I sway on my feet, the ache in my chest reverberating.

“Lynx?” The prince reaches as if to steady me, then thinks better of it, folding his hand into a fist at his side. “Are you alright?”

“They…all take the contraceptive tonic?”

Silver eyes study me beneath a furrowed brow. “It is required. Because emergence is not hereditary, nothing is allowed to interfere with an Apex’s duty.”

That doesn’t mean my parents weren’t guardians, I decide, my jumping pulse finally slowing. Just because Apex are meant to take the contraceptive tonic and eschew permanent relationships doesn’t mean some wouldn’t rebel against the rules. It does mean that they would have had to keep my birth a secret. Or perhaps only my father was Apex and their relationship was forbidden. Or both my parents were, and I was smuggled out of Veridia after being deemed human. I sneak a glance at the Apex prince, proof positive emergence doesn’t run in families.

I need to get those records.

I run my hands along the bark of the hollow tree, worn smooth as if many hands have touched it just this way, hoping for good fortune. “It’s so quiet.” My own voice is hushed, not wanting to disturb the peaceful serenity of this place, shielded even from the moon goddess by the trees’ canopy. “So, how do we do this exactly?”

Still holding the lantern, the prince pulls a small book from his cloak, thinner and less ancient-looking than The Gods of Valenrae . “I’m not sure entirely,” he admits. “But it may feel a little strange at first. There’s another part I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet.”

“What is it?”

The prince shifts uncomfortably, noticeable in its difference to his typically solid stance. “To push my power out to you, I’m going to need to connect closely to my own creature and its powers.”

“So?” Does the prince have a problem with his stoneclaw?

“So, I’m probably going to feel more driven by my creature’s…instincts.”

My stomach plummets, an icy wash of anxiety rolling over me as my hands tremble. “You mean you might go feral?”

“No! No, nothing like that. I would never ask you to attempt this if I thought that was even a remote possibility. Just—” He huffs. “I might…act differently. More instinctually. And if it works, you’ll feel similarly.”

“Is there more about the linking in that book?” I incline my head towards the slim volume he’s gripping tighter in his large hand.

“Ah. This is my, uh, journal.” I’ve never seen the prince bashful before, his cheeks darkening in the dim light. He clears his throat. “It contains my notes compiled from various books. References from The Gods of Valenrae and other texts that discuss the linking. I’ve tried to put them all together into a list of steps for us to try. ”

I’m trying very hard not to care about the contradictions of this male. I’m here to do a job, get some answers, and get Eleni back—preferably with a mountain of gold for our troubles and our guild memberships intact.

But in spite of all that, my blasted curiosity wins out again. “How long have you been working on this?”

“Eight years, give or take.”

“ Eight years ?” I thought he was going to say eight months, maybe.

“I’ve been researching the general subject since the day my mother was killed.” Taran’s silver eyes hold mine, shining faintly in the filtered moonlight. “That’s when we learned of the amulet, what it can do. Neither the king nor Lord Winters is aware that we know. I’ve been able to keep the secret by playing along as his dutiful son and commander. After my mother—” He chokes off. Takes a deep breath and tries again. “The new queen enables my father’s worst impulses. His bigotry. His belief that the Elite have a right—even a duty—to control the Apex population and bend them to his will. Lord Winters has always been a power-hungry prick, whispering into the king’s ear, but my mother…she was a steadying force.” A small, wistful smile graces the prince’s full mouth. “She was too kind for this world.”

“I see. So, um, what’s the first step?” My voice is too loud, too blunt for the moment, but I manage to rein in my wince.

Thankfully, Taran also seems eager to change the subject. “Step one. We need to go inside the Eternal Redwood.”

“That makes sense.” I keep my tone neutral, but my heartbeat quickens.

The tree is enormous, it’s true, but so is the prince. As soon as we enter the hollowed-out trunk, my pulse begins to race. It’s like being in a closet together, shielded from the outside, so deathly quiet we can hear each other’s breaths like they’re our own.

“Now what?” My voice is hushed.

Taran sets the lantern on the ground between us, then reaches out with one crooked finger and brushes my jaw. My breath hitches as he gently tilts my head up to meet his gaze, gray storm clouds swirling through the silver. “Try to maintain eye contact. Unless—” His finger drops from my chin, and I take a too-shallow breath, the sound embarrassingly sharp in the confined space. He checks his little book of notes. “Unless you need to close your eyes to concentrate.”

“Closed,” I blurt out. “I can focus better if my eyes are closed.”

“Alright. Let’s both close our eyes for a moment then. First, you’re going to clear your mind while I connect to my creature. Try to focus on my breath, on the natural world around you. Just observe.”

Dutifully, I close my eyes and try to do what he asked.

The problem is, this already feels too intimate, and we’ve barely even started. I’m hyper-aware of the small space and the unfairly gorgeous male in front of me. Add in the fact he has a magically heightened sense of smell, and…

There’s no way I’m going to be able to do this.

Eyes screwed shut, I drag a full breath in and let it out slowly. Like I did in the corridor, I let my other senses dominate, concentrating on the sound of each of our breaths. His, steady and controlled. Mine, getting there. The slight rustling of the leaves as the wind skips through the trees. The mingling scents of pine and Taran, so closely entwined I can’t tell them apart. I start to imagine I can even hear our hearts thumping at the same steady pace.

Taran’s voice is tight when he asks, “Are you ready?”

“I’m ready.”

“Can you open your eyes and keep a hold of this state of mind?”

“I’m not sure, but I can try.” I crack open my eyes to find Taran’s glowing silver ones trained on mine, the unmistakable glint of a stoneclaw peering out from behind them.

The hole in my chest flares like someone has lit a match to it. A pained grunt forces its way out of my throat, and I immediately drop out of that peaceful, meditative state.

I can tell the moment Taran does the same, the strain leaving his eyes. “Are you alright?”

“Sorry.” I rub my chest where the pain hasn’t yet dissipated, my breaths still shallow. I don’t know why I’m apologizing. Maybe because he’s too close, too big, and the dark of the hollow is too still, amplifying everything. Even his rough, godsdamn alluring voice.

“Hey, that was great. You did well.” He cocks his head, an uncertain twist to his lips.

I surreptitiously wipe my hands on my pants, trying to will my breathing under control. My chest throbs. “Maybe you should tell me the next steps ahead of time first. So, I know what to expect.”

He hums in agreement. “That’s a good idea. I should have thought of that.”

“And…not in here. Let’s go back outside.” I step out of the hollowed tree, and he grabs the lantern and follows me, bemused.

As soon as we’re outside the tree, I attempt to inhale a deep breath, but it’s the same strong pine scent he exudes, so it doesn’t even help. At least out here, it’s slightly less intimate. Very slightly.

“Are you alright?” Taran sets down the lantern and steps closer.

I shake out my shoulders and jump up and down a couple times. The ache is a persistent problem, shortening my every breath. “Fine, I’m fine. Did you connect with your, ah, creature?”

I stop myself from saying “stoneclaw” just in time.

“I did,” he confirms.

The dam of curiosity bursts, and the questions come pouring out. At least it distracts me from the drumbeat of pain. “Can everyone do this? How often have you done it? Do you have to be in the grove for it to work?”

He chuckles and holds his hands up as if to stem the flood.

“Yes, I think any Apex could do this if they were given the knowledge.” His tone is thoughtful. “I can connect with my creature and amplify my power anywhere now, though that wasn’t the case at first. It took me two years of research to discover this was possible.”

“Can Carter do it?”

“He can. But we can’t share our powers,” Taran answers.

I nearly forget about the throbbing hole in my rib cage. Nearly. “You’ve tried linking with Carter? ”

“Of course,” he answers, puzzled. “Carter and I have been together since he emerged. I thought if I could connect with anyone, it would be him.”

“Are you…” I wave my hand suggestively.

“Are we what?” Taran sounds as if he’s trying not to laugh. He’s going to make me say it.

“You know what I mean. Are you involved?”

A slow, distracting grin pulls at the prince’s full mouth. “Should I be flattered you keep asking after my relationship status, My Lady?”

I snort—a decidedly un-ladylike sound. “You should not, Prince. This is purely academic.”

“And Victoria?”

I frown at her name. “That was self-preservation.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, Lady Lynx.” He parrots my own words from days ago back to me. “I think it should be obvious after tonight’s demonstration that Carter prefers females.”

My cheeks heat. I rarely blush, and the fact I’ve done it twice now in the prince’s presence is infuriating. “Just because he likes Leylah doesn’t mean he can’t also enjoy the company of men. And you said Apex are always needing an…outlet.” I swallow hard as I realize for the first time that Taran may have been including himself in that statement.

“That’s true,” he admits, amusement still tinting his voice. “Though if he’s open to male companionship, I have yet to see the evidence of it. And as you’ve just noted, Carter is not exactly subtle with his partners.”

My cheeks burn hotter.

The prince takes pity on me and deftly brings the conversation back to the original point. “I’ve tried linking with Maeve and Astrid, too. Didn’t work, either.”

That makes my lips curve despite the dull ache still pinging in my chest.

“What?” he asks.

My smile widens. “You thought you’d be able to link with Astrid?”

“She’s powerful. And female. ”

“And also an uncrackable safe,” I point out. “I bet you couldn’t get her favorite food out of her, much less power-share with her creature. And what does her being female have anything to do with it?”

He shrugs. “Faunera was female, as was her human consort.” He studies my face. “If we can’t get this to work, you should try linking with Astrid.”

I can’t stop the snort that bursts out at that. A bird in a nearby tree takes flight as the noise breaks through the quiet.

“What’s her power?” I ask like I’m actually considering it.

“Night vision.”

“Oh. Wow.” That actually could really come in handy.

“Let’s try it with you and me first, though, shall we, Lady Lynx?”

I nod, chastened. But damn, night vision. Astrid must be positively lethal.

“So, you wanted to know the next step. I’ll be pushing my power out towards you. My creature and I are already linked. In theory, you’re just…joining in.”

“In theory?”

He pushes out a breath and the warmth of it fans my face. “Well, like I said, this is as far as I’ve gotten. Carter, Astrid and I have been able to connect to our own creatures but not push our power out to one another.”

I’m silent for a moment, thinking. “What does it feel like to you? When you connect with your creature.”

“First, my Apex sense of smell is intensified. That’s how I find the connection in the first place.”

I nod. “That makes sense. By dimming one sense, closing your eyes, for example, the others would get stronger.”

“Yes.” He clears his throat. “It’s…like I said, it’s quite intense.” His brow furrows, and he starts flipping through his little book again. It looks like a doll’s book in his large hands.

Just another intriguing contradiction that keeps reeling me in against my will .

“Here it is—‘our eyes are the windows to our inner creatures’—a quote from the personal journals I found from one of the earliest known Apex. That’s why I thought it would be better to maintain eye contact.”

“Let’s try again,” I urge.

But no amount of staring into each other’s eyes from inside a sacred tree helps us form that divine connection. By the third attempt, when Taran instructs me to open my eyes, the resulting pain in my chest is so great I can’t speak.

“Lady Lynx?” Deep lines bracket Taran’s frown. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” I gasp out.

His eyes narrow. “Don’t lie to me.”

My heart feels as though it’s being squeezed. The ache reverberates through my whole chest as though it’s cleaving apart, my lungs collapsing beneath it. Stars appear in the corners of my vision.

Just before I fall, I imagine a ghostly gray stoneclaw leaping towards me.