Page 53 of A Taste For Lies (The Apex Kingdom #1)

Chapter 53

ALORA

M y heart beats faster as the lord approaches my cell, the amulet held out before him like a talisman. He’s taller and stronger than me, and my hands are shackled to the floor. All he has to do is touch me with that thing and my humanity will be lost forever.

But I have three things in my favor.

First, he cuffed my hands behind me. Normally, this would be a disadvantage—arms wrenched back painfully, escape nearly impossible. But a tougher position means the guild trained me harder. I learned how to wriggle out of anything.

Second, I’m wearing Eleni’s dress.

The pockets are filled with various parts of my lockpick kit, including the thin iron rod Xinlei designed specifically for handcuffs in a slim, unnoticeable back pocket. The tool was in my hand almost immediately, and I’ve been fiddling away at the cuffs this entire time, all the while carrying on the conversation.

Third, he may be bigger than me, but I’m a fucking Apex. And he’s about to learn what that means.

Inhale and exhale.

Inhale and exhale .

I concentrate on the beat of my heart. Then Mei’s. Then the lord’s as he approaches my cell.

In my mind’s eye, a glowing amber thread occasionally pulses. At the other end of it, I feel that piece of my soul, the part of myself I denied so long ago.

An invisible cage keeps it trapped. Maintaining control.

It’s time to let her run free.

In what feels like an hour—but in reality is only a few heartbeats—I tear through the once solid walls of her cage like paper.

And curled deep into the recesses of my mind, so close we breathe as one, I feel her. My lynx.

Tears spring to my eyes. It feels…sacred. Taran’s description of the creature connection pales against reality. The bond between my soul and my lynx is divine, limitless. Something that will never—could never—be broken. How did I ever think it could be?

Everything feels absolutely and completely right in a way nothing else in my life has been since the day my mother tried to turn me over to the Elite. And I know now, no matter what comes next, this connection is unbreakable.

A rush of warmth blooms through me, like sunlight on my face. It feels like—love.

So when the lord starts chanting in old Valenrae over the amulet, I don’t panic. Not even when it glows ember-hot in his gloved hand. Confident I’m shackled and chained to the dungeon floor, he opens the door to my cell, never pausing in his spell.

It happens in seconds. Like the Guild’s Ten Rules of the Spy Craft and Thievery , it takes only ten.

One. I slide the unlocked cuffs from my wrists. They hit the floor with a resounding clang. Lord Winters’ blue eyes widen, but he doesn’t stop his chanting.

Two. I pull the shining hairpin, sharp as a stiletto. Heavy chestnut locks tumble to my shoulders. Winters stops speaking, triumph alight in his eyes. He’s finished the spell. The front of the amulet glows red, like a branding iron .

Three. We lunge at the same time—he with the amulet outstretched in his right hand, my own right hand with the stiletto hairpin aimed at his left eye.

Four. Our arms collide, locking us into a battle of strength and will. I’m Apex, but he’s a grown man with at least fifty pounds on me, and I’ve only just connected to my Apex strength. The red-hot amulet inches closer to the bare skin on my chest, exposed by the low neckline of my gown.

Five. I make a decision that will possibly cost me everything.

Six. I abruptly release the arm I’ve been staving off. As expected, he falls forward, slamming the blazing amulet against my chest, sizzling my skin with searing pain and infusing the air with the distinct smell of roasting flesh. I seize his moment of surprise, burying my stiletto hairpin in one icy-blue eyeball.

Seven. He screams. I scream. My knee slams into his balls.

Eight. He collapses to the dungeon floor. The stiletto winking gold from his ruined eye. The amulet still clutched in his hand, its mark seared permanently on my chest.

Nine. I dive after him. Yank the stiletto free. Swipe it viciously across his throat, hot blood splashing across my marred chest. His choked gurgles drown in the crimson pooling beneath him.

Ten. I gasp, each inhale pulling at the fresh brand. But my free hand lunges for the table, snatching a tiny amber carving…

And then I drop it.

My calling card.

Onto Lord Winters’ fresh corpse.

My gaze locks on the tiny lynx, frozen. I barely register Mei’s mad chirps from the adjacent cell.

I should get her free. I should, I should.

My gaze drops to the raised mark of Faunera’s love for her human consort. The panic I pushed down earlier now rises in earnest.

Can I feel my lynx more than before? How long do I have before my creature takes over? I can’t be sure .

Loud noises erupt in the corridor, startling me out of my daze.

Right. I need to get us both out of here.

I pry the now-cooled amulet from the lord’s death grip. Just as I move towards Mei’s cell, the dungeon door bursts open with a loud bang. Hairpin raised, I bare my teeth. If I’m going feral, these assholes will experience the full force of my lynx’s fury.

But there, at the door, his clawed hand dripping blood, one horn missing its edge, his glowing silver eyes wild, it’s—

“Taran?”

I stagger, and in three giant strides, he’s across the room, catching me before my trembling legs give out.

“My Lynx,” he murmurs. But his sharp intake of breath pulls me back as his gaze narrows to the brand on my chest.

“They know,” I blurt out. I don’t know how long I’ll have the words to say this, and I need to get it out while I still do. “Lord Winters and Victoria.” My tongue feels heavy in my mouth. “Not just about you, about Maeve too.”

I press the amulet into his hands. He takes it automatically, sliding it into his pocket—the same pocket where he keeps my lynx figurine. Or did. Gods, I hope he still does.

“I know. Don’t worry, they’re all coming with us.” Taran’s eyes are frantic, but the thumb that sweeps my cheek is slow and gentle. Such a dichotomy, this beast who is also a prince. “I’m so fucking sorry, Alora. You were willing to share your true past with me and I still kept my own from you. I’ll never lie to you again. Just stay with me, please. I need you.”

The corner of my lips lift. “Need…me?”

“Every bit of you. Your clever mind, your sharp tongue.” His eyes shine with what might be tears. “Your beautiful, hard-to-win laugh. I want it all, Alora. And I will be damned if I let anyone take you from me. Even your creature. Even a goddess.”

I’m running out of time. “I found my lynx, Taran. She’s—she’s here.”

His throat bobs. “I knew you would.”

“This key doesn’t work!” Carter’s frustrated voice seems to reach me through a haze, muffled like he’s very far away. He must be at Mei’s cell door .

No, no, this isn’t right. It’s Mei who needs to get out, not me. This is all my fault. She just wanted to be with her family again.

“If you can’t get us both out, take her,” I croak. “Take her to her family. We owe her that.”

A tear slips down his cheek. I want to brush it away but I can’t seem to move my arm. “I’m coming with you. We are going to Thalassar together. Did you hear me? You belong with me , Alora. You need to find your way back to me. I’ll be right here, waiting for you.”

Words, always quick on my tongue, no matter the language, are now too hard to form. I can barely manage the final plea in my native Veridian, choked out weakly from where my lips graze the curve of his ear, “Promise me you’ll save her.”

And this time, Taran keeps his promise.

The next word out of his mouth is the unvarnished truth. Not a whisper of a lie.

“No.”