Lynx glared at him over her goblet and then took a risk born of desperation. "He's not the only one whose behavior troubles me. How can I trust you when you're so obviously a committed part of the Avanov machine? You wear your ridiculous ruby and your general's uniform with pride. What does your stone do for you, Axel? Make you into some kind of superhuman? Or is that reserved for priestesses and ordinary guardsmen? And if that's not weird enough, that zombie, Count Felix, is your father."
Axel's jaw dropped, then his head darted from side to side, eyes scanning the crowds. No one seemed close enough to stop him from replying, "Princess Lynx of Norin, queen of indiscretion. Must you always open your mouth just to change feet?"
He leaned in closer to whisper, "I'm not in control of my parentage, but that doesn't mean I'm not smart enough to take full advantage of the benefits it offers. And you're right, I am part of the ‘Avanov machine,' as you call it. My father and his brother are the most powerful men in the world. When my father dies-which he will, despite your claim that he's already a ‘zombie'-I will inherit his money, his chunk of the planet, and more power than even he can imagine. Does that worry me? No. Not one bit."
Axel grimaced at a couple who joined them against the wall. "Come. I want to dance."
He grabbed Lynx's goblet, dumped it on the floor, and pulled her into the swirling dancers. Lynx leaned into him as he held her hand and clasped her hip, drinking in his smell, reminiscent of the plains of home, fresh air, and running water. She couldn't even remember what Lukan smelled like.
Axel's breath fluttered against her ear. "There are some things you don't speak about in Chenaya, Princess. Gemstones are one of them. Not unless you want the emperor to set the date for your execution. You got that?"
Heart racing, she leaned back and asked as nonchalantly as possible, "Why?"
Axel's shoulders sagged, and a look of exasperation settled on his face. He pulled her close his chest and whispered, "Why's it so important?"
"Somehow, the she-witch used her gemstone to zap me with lightning."
"Electricity," Axel corrected.
Lynx's eyes widened with excitement, which she quickly quelled. It wouldn't help to let Axel know what she was up to. She rolled the unfamiliar word on her tongue. "E-lec-triss-i-ty."
"You got it. Although we usually say it with a bit more speed."
She pinched the firm skin on his hipbone, hard, making him wince. He grabbed her hand, holding it in his. While she didn't resist, she didn't let the delightful sensation shooting through her core deflect her from her mission.
"So, Axel, electricity . . . what is it? Where does it come from, and how does it work?"
And how can I use it to protect my family from you and your guardsmen? And overthrow your empire while we're at it?
She cleared her throat. "There's so much information-knowledge-you Avanovs are hiding from the rest of us."
Axel snorted a laugh. But she noticed that he danced her into a crowd cheering a fire-eater. With shrieks of delight at the man's antics drowning out their conversation, Axel said, "You don't know the half of it, my Lynxie."
Eyes steeled, she glared at him, ignoring the wobble in her belly at the possessive my before her nickname. "So start talking."
"Nice try."
Maybe by playing hard-to-get, she could taunt him into telling her. "Then we have nothing more to say to each other." Lynx stopped dancing and drew her hands away from his.
He delighted her by grabbing her fingers. She pretended to stiffen but didn't resist as he pulled her against him.
A triumphant smile quirked when he leaned in to whisper, "Electricity predates the Burning. And ballrooms are not the place for that kind of discussion."
Predated the Burning? Impossible. Nothing survived the Burning. She and Axel definitely needed to talk. She took his hip again and allowed him to lead her around the dance floor. "Then, where?"
"Somewhere very private, for all I want to tell you. The best place would probably be your room."
Lynx sucked in a startled breath, and her knees buckled, making her stumble over Axel's feet. "My room?" she squeaked. "Are you sure that's safe? For me?"
He grinned at her while fighting for balance. "You'll have to trust me on that."
Hmm . . . maybe Axel was playing with her as much she was leading him on. Disturbing thought. "Which brings us back to my problem with you." She steadied herself by gripping his shoulder. "I don't trust you."
He shrugged. "The information you're asking for comes at a price. Your trust. Is it worth it, Lynxie?"
Was it worth it? Should she risk having Axel Avanov in her bedchamber in exchange for vital information?
It would at least satisfy one of the oaths she was bound by. But what of the other? Was it even possible to fulfill two totally conflicting oaths?
Maybe if her father knew what gave the guardsmen their strength, he could counter it-if she failed in her promise to marry Lukan and Mott sent his troops to Norin.
Then a second problem hit her. Would Axel be happy talking to her in the sitting room? If not, the armchairs next to her enormous bed? Or, girlfriend notwithstanding, would he want to-
She pushed the thought aside. This wasn't a tryst. Despite Axel's flirting, his girlfriend need have no fear that Lynx would poach her man. Meeting privately with him was nothing more than a desperate attempt to find information needed for her to survive in the Avanov palace and protect her family. "My room. What time?"
"Three o'clock." He glanced at her wrist, sans watch, and clicked his tongue, as if he hadn't approved of the she-witch destroying it. "The bells will ring three times."
Lynx kept her face expressionless. "Don't be late."
"My father's spies are everywhere. So, as much as I hate to do it, I'm going to abandon you now in case he thinks we're plotting some nefarious activity." Sardonic smile in place, Axel's hands dropped to his sides, and he skipped away from her. A flippant bow followed.
"You need to brush up on some of the dance steps, Princess. I'm sure my foot will be bruised in the morning." He sauntered away, leaving her alone on the dance floor.
Chapter 26
The palace bells had not yet finished chiming when a knock sounded on Lynx's bedroom door. Axel was prompt, which was more than she could say for his cousin. She welcomed him to her room with a cautious smile, but he didn't acknowledge her.
Without waiting for her to close the door, he pulled an unlit candle on a solid brass holder from under his cloak and strode to the sconce on the wall, the only lighting in the room. Deftly, he lit his candle and dumped it on the closest table. Then he killed the flames in the sconce with his fingers, swirled out of his cloak, and draped it over the wall mounting. If that wasn't strange enough, he pulled her across the room, farthest from the sconce he seemed to dislike so much.
"My," she said, "you do like to make an entrance."
"Don't ever linger in front of a candle sconce if you can help it. And never hold a private conversation in the vicinity of one."
Lynx laughed. "Have you seen someone about this phobia? Surely there's some remedy a healer can give you?"
"Cute. That was your first lesson in electricity. Dramatic, but I needed to make a point." He cocked his thumb at the sconce. "Even though I neutralized this one before I came here."
"‘Neutralized'? Isn't that a euphemism for killed?"
"That works."
"Okay. You have my attention." Lynx tossed the cushions from the armchairs onto the floor and grabbed the candlestick from the table. She put it down, too, where it cast a circle of golden light. She sat, crossed her legs, and patted the cushion next to her. "Care to explain?"
Axel stood over her, smiling. "As you know, I love your legs. But is the floor really necessary? You are in civilization now."
She flung a cushion at him, scoring a direct hit on the side of his face. "Sit. Speak."
"How can I possibly disobey, Princess?" He laughed, plonked down next to her, stretched his long legs out, and rested his head on his hand. "Happy now?"
The candlelight softened the planes of his face, making him look less like an Avanov and more like the friend-or lover? -she longed for. Despite her determination not to flirt with him, her face betrayed her by grinning at him. "I'll be happy when you start talking, General."