Page 42 of A Taste For Lies (The Apex Kingdom #1)

Chapter 42

ALORA

“ M other.” The word is croaked out from between my parched lips.

“Praise Faunera, you’re awake.” Mei’s sweet voice brings me hurtling back to the present. Eyes squeezed shut, I cast around within my consciousness. It takes only a heartbeat to find the answer: My lynx is still gone.

A crushing wave of disappointment rolls through me. When Carter told me about that entry in the guardian logs, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to find my creature, to be Apex. Half of me remained in denial, convinced the entry couldn’t have been written about me. But now I’ve tasted what it feels like to finally be whole in my memory—I’m despondent to wake and find myself splintered once more.

I reluctantly open my sleep-crusted eyes to find Mei perched on a stool at my bedside. “Water,” I whisper. She jumps up and returns with a small glass, which she guides to my lips. I drain it immediately, and when she pulls back, I gesture for more.

“Slowly,” she cautions. “You’ve been unconscious for two days.”

Two days! I lift the coverlet and examine my leg. It looks good as new; there’s not even a bandage on it. I feel freshly bathed, and my nightgown is barely rumpled. Someone has been taking care of me while I’ve been out of commission, likely Mei.

Disjointed memories of before I passed out stream through my mind. Taran accused Lord Winters of using something called bloodbane. That must be why the pain was so torturous, why it kept getting worse.

I glance up to discover that Mei has disappeared somewhere, presumably to alert the castle I’m finally awake. I take the opportunity to make use of the bathing chamber, shuffling on unsteady legs. I’m washing up when I hear the door bang open, and then—

“Where is she?” I’m surprised to hear Maeve’s voice.

“I’m here.” I step out of the bathing room and hold the wall for a moment, fighting dizziness.

“What are you doing?” I close my eyes against Maeve’s shriek, and she immediately lowers her voice to a whisper-shout. “Get back into bed! They said you were on death’s door. We didn’t know if you were going to make it.”

I am feeling pretty weak, despite the lack of pain, and so I allow the two of them to bustle me back into bed. Maeve sweeps into the stool at my side in a rustle of lavender taffeta.

“What happened?” I direct my question to the Elite lady, knowing she’ll give me a direct answer.

Instead, she swings her attention to the spy in our midst. “Mei, will you go down to the kitchens and fetch some food for Loriella? I’m sure she’s starving.”

I start to protest, but my stomach makes itself known, and Mei is gone before I can get the words out.

“You asked what happened, but you likely know more than me.” Maeve arches her eyebrows. “I came back from the hunt to find you barely alive, Taran in an absolute state. As soon as I’m sure you’re well, I’ll go tell him you’re awake. He’s been beside himself.”

“I need to speak with him, too,” I murmur. About a lot of things, but most of all, how I can connect to my lynx again. My stomach twists. He has to help me. Surely, he will ?

“He’d be here if he could, but…”

Right. He can’t show that much interest in an Elite lady who’s supposed to be off-limits.

My heart quickens with the worry that this setback may have further shredded my already tenuous cover. “How did he explain what happened to the court?”

“He said he was out riding his strider and scented the boar. Then he found you injured and rushed you back to the palace for care.” She purses her lips. “Their Majesties were quite put out that he killed the boar from atop a strider. Said he, ‘Ruined the spirit of the competition.’” She shakes her head. “Of all the inane things to focus on.”

Rule Number Three: The best lies are mostly true.

If they’re focusing on whether Taran cheated during their hunt, they’re not focusing on what he was doing before he found me. “And what of Lord Winters? That’s who Taran took me to. He said something about bloodbane and then injected my leg with a serum.”

Her emerald eyes darken. “Tare maintains they got the antidote into you in time and that’s how you survived the poison. But both Winters are keeping a rather low profile after their attempted subterfuge went awry.”

I huff. “Their attempted murder, you mean. Nothing will happen to them?”

She sighs. “They claim to have had nothing to do with it. In fact, His Majesty suggested that you owe the lord your gratitude for having saved your life.”

“What?!” I yelp.

“You should have seen Taran’s reaction to that,” she confides, her smile full of satisfaction.

I twist my fingers in my thin nightgown. “He shouldn’t have reacted at all.”

“I know,” she sniffs. “He’s hopeless. A complete waste of my tutelage. But everyone knows how upset he was over Jia. I’ve been fueling the gossip mill around that and the scandal of another poisoning. With any luck, the court will believe his reaction is in relation to that instead of—”

“Indeed,” I murmur. Instead of whatever this is between us that called him to my side in the hour I needed him most.

“Mei will be back shortly with the food, and I have to tell you about the amulet. Taran is certain now that it’s being held in the old throne room. He’s been surveilling and said there’s a rotation of Apex guards posted outside at all times, usually Rhegar, Lord Winters’ Apex. He’s an auditory, master of whispers, and quite powerful.”

“Great,” I mumble weakly.

She reaches out and gives my hand a squeeze. “I know you’ve just been through something horrible, on top of the cruel shock you received days earlier. But we are running out of time, and we need your guidance now more than ever. Taran’s only ideas these days seem to be to kill everyone.”

“For Jinai’s sake.”

She shrugs one delicate shoulder. “You can’t really blame him. I was also ready to kill Carter when I heard he’d left you alone to be gravely injured.”

“I told him to!” I protest.

“And I’m thankful you did. I can’t imagine the repercussions if the lord had caught Tare.” She meets my eyes with her own green gaze when she says, “Thank you.”

My mouth pops open.

“I know I was not the most…accommodating…when you first came here. I didn’t agree with taking the risk of bringing in an outsider. It seemed more likely to result in us all being caught. Yes, we’ve been able to keep our true motives a secret all these years, but that’s resulted in our becoming more and more cautious. Perhaps too cautious, in hindsight.” She squeezes my hand again, then releases it. Lifting her chin, she adds, “We are closer than we have ever been, and I can’t help but think that is due to you. Perhaps introducing a little risk was what this mission needed after all. ”

I can’t find the words, so I just nod. All my life, I’ve only had Eleni and Xinlei. Now it seems I can count a few more friends in my life, and one of them is a royal Elite lady. Will wonders never cease?

A soft thud of the door announces that Mei is back. She enters my bedroom holding an overloaded tray that makes my mouth water.

“I’ll go let—everyone know you’re awake,” Maeve announces, rising from the chair. “Don’t eat too much or it’ll all come right back up.”

And with that dire pronouncement, she sweeps out of the room. I stick out my tongue at her back, and Mei chuckles softly. “She’s right, you know.”

“I know.” I sigh. “If you ever tell her I said this, I’ll deny it with my last breath, but she usually is.”

I manage to keep myself to sips of the soup and bites of the warm, soft bread, though I stare longingly at the fruit tart. My stomach is full almost immediately, though. Two days without eating or drinking will do that. But I know I need to keep up my strength so my body can continue to heal.

Mei is silent throughout the meal, perched on her little stool. But once I’ve accepted this is the best my stomach can do and I’m resting back against my pillow, she finally speaks. “Miss Katsaros doesn’t know what happened. That you were injured, I mean.”

My brow puckers. “She doesn’t?”

She shakes her head. “No. I didn’t want to leave until you awoke.” A beat of silence, then, “The key master doesn’t know, either. And he won’t, My—Loriella. I’ll keep your secrets.”

Tears prick my eyes. I don’t know what I’ve done to earn this female’s loyalty beyond treating her with the bare minimum of human kindness deserved by any living being.

I reach for her small hand. “Mei, you do whatever you need to do to get back to your family. If that means telling the key master of my injury, then you do it.”

Her gaze darts to my unmarked leg, covered by the soft blankets. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, My—Loriella.”

I stiffen, releasing her hand. Of course. The antidote may have saved my life, but this level of healing in such a short time would only be possible with an Apex. Mei washed my body, tended to me in my recovery. Surely she saw the advanced pace of healing with her own eyes. My breath catches in my throat. My lynx…? But no, my creature still slumbers, our connection severed by trauma. My stomach hollows out at the loss.

But in that moment, reaching for my lynx and power and finding them gone, I finally recognize something else.

The persistent ache I’ve carried with me for the past ten years has…disappeared. I inhale a full breath for what feels like the first time in my life.

“Mei—” I start, but the slam of my chamber door flying open cuts me off. Our gazes swing to the bedroom door where the towering frame of the Veridian prince appears. His clothes are rumpled, his facial hair overgrown and dark circles shadow his eyes as though he hasn’t slept.

My jaw drops. “Your Highness,” I choke out. “Wha—what are you doing here?”

“You’re awake,” he breathes.

“Um, yes. Yes, I am.” Conscious of my thin nightgown, I pull the blankets up to cover my chest.

He hardly seems to notice, his gaze roaming over me, searching out any injury. I brush a finger across my throat and find only smooth skin—even the cut Harlan gave me has disappeared. It hasn’t scabbed over; it’s gone as though it never occurred.

Taran sucks in a full inhale, nostrils flaring. Did he just scent me?

Mei’s gaze bounces back and forth between us. Taran finally rips his gaze from me, settling on my pretend guardian. “Mei, is it?” he asks in his gravelly voice.

The poor thing blushes pink to the roots of her dark hair. “Yes, Your Highness,” she confirms.

“Thank you for caring for Lady Thorne,” he tells her, his tone sincere .

Her dark eyes dart to mine. “It’s my duty, Your Highness. As well as my pleasure.”

“I would like to grant you a boon, if I may. In recognition of your steadfast support.”

Her petal-pink lips part. “That’s not necessary—”

“A gold purse wouldn’t go amiss,” I cut in. She’ll need funds for her trip north and to care for her family while in hiding. The corner of Taran’s mouth twitches.

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly—” she starts.

“Done,” he interrupts. “I’ll have it brought to your room tomorrow. Please accept it with my gratitude. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate a private word with the lady.”

She casts a quick glance in my direction—am I alright with that? My heart swells at this tiny Apex willing to oppose the Veridian Guild and the prince of the realm on my behalf. I give her a subtle nod and, after a quick bow, she departs. Leaving me alone in my bedroom with a prince who’s looking at me like he can’t stop.