Web of Lies: Trueborn Heirs Series Book 2

by Nyna Queen

  “Why don’t you search me?”

  “As you wish, my love.”

  Lady Saunier dropped all propriety and threw herself upon her lover. They vanished from Alex’s sight as they fell onto the bed in a giggling tangle of limbs, making the wooden beams above Alex’s head creak.

  Oh no! Please, no!

  Alex desperately glanced at the window, while items of clothing rained to the floor around the bed and the two lovebirds on the pillows cooed slushy nonsense at each other.

  The mattress started squeak-squeak-squeaking in rhythm with their wild romping.

  Sweet Jester!

  Alex closed her eyes and pressed her hands to her ears, but unfortunately, she couldn’t completely block out what followed.

  DARKEN finished his coffee and glanced at the palace garden doors. It had been his fifth cup and the overload of caffeine was starting to give him tachycardia, as well as the beginning of a migraine.

  His fingers drummed upon the tabletop.

  Where was Alex?

  The spider had left for the Sauniers’ suite over three hours ago. Unfortunately, Elizabeth Saunier had left as well, only a short while after Alex’s disappearance. Edalyne had tried to stall her and force a conversation upon her, but the woman had been quite determined to get away and there had been no chance for his sister-in-law to detain her without being obvious about it.

  Suspicious of her oh-so urgent exit, Darken had followed Lady Saunier up to the fifth floor and become witness to an interesting dirty little secret. The fact that Elizabeth was cheating on her husband wasn’t actually so surprising—after all, it was all but common knowledge that Henry often hosted girls of ill repute and that Elizabeth and Henry’s affection ended as soon as they were behind closed doors—but her choice had been most intriguing. Darken would have expected her to go for a younger model, some buff and easily led boy toy, but Lord Olbec? Oh, Henry wouldn’t like this at all.

  Darken had had no choice but to stand back as Lady Saunier und Lord Olbec entered the Sauniers’ suite, seeing no way to stop them with the eye of the security system watching. Pretending to study the pictures in the hall, Darken had waited, readying himself to act first and explain later, should it be necessary. But his concern seemed to have been misplaced. No one came running out of the suite, screaming at the top of their lungs, calling for palace security. Darken therefore surmised that Alex must have left the suite before Elizabeth and her lover had snuck in.

  But that had been ages ago. Elizabeth had long since returned to the terrace with a satisfied smile on her face, playing dutiful wife and doting over a slightly dazed Henry, who appeared to have a mild sunstroke. Darken snorted. Whyever they kept up the charade in public was beyond him. But it seemed to work for them.

  Yet Alex was still missing and Darken hadn’t heard or seen anything of her since she had left. Nor had the others. Not a word. At first, he had been able to calm himself by thinking that she would appear at any minute, but the more time passed, the more unlikely it seemed. Worry gripped his neck with a cold fist.

  Darken caught sight of Stephane coming out of the palace. His brother slightly shook his head, indicating that he didn’t have any news on the spider. Damn! The cold hand of worry squeezed tighter.

  He should have insisted that Alex tell them exactly what she was planning, then at least he would have had a clue where to look for her.

  Grinding his teeth, Darken put down his empty cup and went inside to check their rooms again. It was probably pointless but he needed to stay occupied or he would lose his mind. If she wasn’t up there, he would ask Edalyne to locate her with her clairvoyance, even though there was a risk that the palace security would be able to trace the use of her magic. They had to find the spider.

  Just where was she?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  THE gold-veined glass doors to the palace gardens stood wide open, stretching out like the delicate wings of a giant butterfly, about to take flight over the green lawns below.

  Alex rushed out onto the terrace and gulped in the sweet, clear afternoon air, eager to get the thick stench of sexual hormones out of her nose.

  Mother’s mercy and Jester’s grace!

  She wouldn’t be able to think about sex for a good while without having those images come back to haunt her. Not that she’d peeped—Jester forbid!—but even with her hands clamped tightly over her ears, her senses had picked up enough of the sounds to fuel even the blandest of imaginations. Seriously, if she hadn’t known better she would have sworn that all that grunting and moaning could only have come from a pair of mating gorillas! Ugh!

  Alex shuddered. She crossed the terrace without looking at anybody. Her feet carried her down the wide stone steps to the gardens. An orchestra had been set up on the terrace and the mellow sounds of violins, cellos, and a piano floated on the gentle summer breeze.

  The whole time Elizabeth and her lover had been pouncing on each other like two love-starved primates, Alex had laid under the bed, stiff as a log, praying not to be discovered. A quarter of an hour had never felt so long. Lord Olbec didn’t exactly strike her as a racehorse but he’d sure plowed quite some ground with “Lizzy.” Alex had been afraid that they would put in some cuddle time afterward, or even take a nap, but Elizabeth Saunier had turned out to be an astoundingly practical woman. They had barely finished before she’d smacked a kiss on Olbec’s chest, slipped out of bed, and walked over to the staff communicator on the wall, requesting someone come up and clean the room in ten. Then she’d made her way to the bathroom, pausing at the door and giving her sweetheart a pointed look. “And this time, make sure nobody sees you when you leave the room, darling.” With that, she’d locked the bathroom door. A moment later the sound of rushing water indicated she was in the shower. Practical indeed.

  Lord Olbec had grumbled a little under his breath, but had heaved himself out of bed, gathered his stuff and cleared off in a mad rush.

  Alex had seized her chance and made a quick and quiet exit through the window and then began her drudgingly slow crawl back along the palace wall.

  To her misfortune, by the time she’d reached the window of the public bathroom, a teenage girl had locked herself in one of the stalls, tearing up over her most recent squeeze making eyes at aaall the other girls in the palace and why couldn’t he just love her the way she was and why did her ass look as big as a cow’s in her new gown? A couple of her friends had been desperately trying to coax her out, assuring her that the guy only had eyes for her and that her behind looked absolutely lovely in that dress. Hanging from the two-inch-wide windowsill by her fingertips with her muscles rapidly tiring, Alex had almost considered jumping in and telling the little sissy to finally grow a pair, but once more, reason triumphed over hotheadedness. After all, who was she to give someone else advice on their love life?

  A few more rounds of heart-wrenching sobs and coaxing later, little Miss Lovesick had finally shuffled out of her stall, her friends had gussied her up and told her how beautiful she looked and then they finally, finally had the grace to leave the ladies’ room.

  Moaning, Alex had squeezed herself through the window. And then she had locked herself in one of the stalls for another ten minutes, sitting on the floor, shaking from exhaustion, while her muscles screamed and spasmed.

  Alex hurried across the bright green lawn, the soft grass stroking her bare ankles. The music followed her, along with snippets of conversation and laughter. More of a crowd was gathering in the gardens now: couples strolling along the raked pathways, groups of ladies with sun umbrellas, elderly people sitting on the benches, servants walking pampered dogs …

  The scene blurred before Alex’s eyes. Her heart hammered in her temples, becoming louder and louder, almost like a giant bell booming in her head. The well-known edge of panic squeezed her chest tightly.

  She needed to get away from people, from their voices, their scents … Away! Just for a moment.

  Ahead of her, the maze towered like a huge g
reen giant, offering well-needed privacy. An entrance in the hedge beckoned her in. Alex hesitated only for a second before diving inside.

  Cool shadows engulfed her, pitching her into a soft, blue-tinted twilight, the massive walls drowning out the noises from the terrace and garden. With one hand on the hedge, Alex rushed along the winding path.

  After a couple of random twists and turns, she reached a small dead end. Catching her breath, she dropped against the wall and slid to the ground. The scents of fertile earth and bitter green filled her nostrils, driving away the lingering stench of sexual lust.

  She closed her eyes and counted her breaths. After a moment, her heartbeat slowed. The edge of panic vanished.

  Yesterday, she’d heard someone say that the maze covered more than an entire square mile, with walls that were over seven feet high and over two feet wide. Apparently, they even hosted games inside the maze and sometimes people would get lost and had to be retrieved by the palace guard.

  Not that Alex was concerned about getting lost. As a shaper, she had an innate sense of direction, a genetic compass so to speak, and she instinctively knew the way to the exit, even without the help of the sun, or any other tricks.

  A hysterical giggle made her open one eye.

  A young couple, locked in a tight embrace, had stumbled into her little refuge. Seeing her, they blushed and chortled, then vanished from sight.

  Alex grimaced. Did the whole world have spring fever today? She just hoped they wouldn’t get any ideas, or at least, that they wouldn’t be acting them out too close to her. She couldn’t stomach another round.

  She closed her eyes again and propped her head back against the hedge.

  The small yew leaves tickled her neck, reminding Alex of the feeling of Darken’s breath on her skin when they had danced. She winced. She’d rather think about Elizabeth and her lover boy.

  Well, at least now they knew that whoever was behind the attack on Max and Josy, it wasn’t the Sauniers. So Alex's little torture trip hadn’t been completely in vain.

  Elizabeth had no reason to lie to her sweetheart behind closed doors and she’d sounded sincerely disgusted as she’d spoken about the attack on the kids. Oh, she wouldn't shed a tear over Stephane in case of his passing, no doubt about that, but she wasn’t behind the poisoning attempt, either. That much had become clear. Too bad. It would have all fitted together so neatly. Perhaps a little too neatly. Alex should have known. Fate never did her any favors.

  She also didn’t believe that Henry had been acting as the wirepuller behind his wife’s back. From what she’d seen, it was a surprise that his ass found the toilet seat in the morning. No, Henry was too busy getting inebriated on every possible occasion to care for much else. He probably wouldn’t even compete for governor if it wasn’t for Elizabeth’s ambitions.

  Which left Devilier and Roukewood.

  Personally, Alex liked Devilier as their culprit. True, Roukewood had that whole dark and evil thing going on. He was exactly the type for it: former army officer, self-assured, ruthless, known not to shrink from using brutal and unconventional means.

  Devilier, on the other hand, was clean as a whistle. And that was what made Alex suspicious. Nobody was that clean. Still waters were known to run deep and she wouldn’t be surprised if they found some nasty currents underneath his oh-so-smooth surface.

  Anyway. Alex got to her feet and dusted herself off. She’d better tell Darken and Stephane what she had found out.

  Muted voices penetrated the thicket of leaves. Two people were talking softly at the other side of the hedge.

  Not in the mood to witness any more amorous escapades, Alex turned to leave, but froze when something caught her attention. Her eyes narrowed.

  One of them had just said Stephane’s name.

  MOVING on silent spider paws, Alex skulked back to the hedge and pressed herself against it, listening with her shaper senses.

  “He knows,” a harried voice muttered. “Stephane knows.”

  Alex recognized that voice. It was the voice of Lord Robert Ferhus, the acting governor of the South who would retire this year. Alex held her breath. What was his business with Stephane?

  “Don’t be a fool, Robert,” another irritated male voice answered gruffly.

  Alex’s brow furrowed. She knew that voice, too, she was almost certain of it, but she couldn’t put a face to it. She tried to peek through the hedge, but the foliage was too dense. Damn!

  “If he knew, do you really think we would be here right now?”

  Who was that? It wasn’t Roukewood or Devilier, that was for sure. Alex let the countless names, faces, and vibrational patterns she’d absorbed the day before run through her memory, but none of them rang a bell.

  The voices began to fade as the two men moved on. Alex hastily followed, quietly slinking along the wall on her side of the hedge.

  “I tell you,” Ferhus insisted nervously, “he knows something.”

  “And I tell you he doesn’t know jack,” the other snapped. “I know Stephane. It’s all pretense. He wouldn’t be making such a fuss if he had any credible evidence. No, he’s just making a lot of noise to draw us out.”

  Smart, whoever that mysterious man was.

  There was a short silence.

  “However, when Darken Forfeit is involved in the investigation it’s only a matter of time before they come across something they are not supposed to see. Maria isn’t safe anymore.”

  Maria? Alex blinked. Who the hell was Maria?

  Annoyance filled the other man’s voice. “We’ll keep him under control. Both of them.”

  “It doesn’t look like it.”

  “I said it’s being handled,” the anonymous man hissed. “This isn’t the time for rash actions, Robert. You’re in this as well. Don’t forget that. We’re all in this together.”

  “I know,” the governor said softly. “I know.” He cleared his throat. “But this is getting out of hand. People have died, for Jester’s sake. This has to stop!”

  “And how many more, do you think, will die if all this comes to light?” The other man asked softly. Argh! Who are you? “Pull yourself together, Robert. We will …”

  Completely focused on listening, Alex ran face-first into a hedge. Swallowing a curse, she took a step back and looked around. Another dead end. Just great!

  The two voices of Ferhus and the unidentified man were dying away as they continued to walk away from her.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  For a second, Alex was about to jump the wall but thought better of it. The height posed no problem for her but she would be visible, not only from the balconies but from the terrace as well. It might only be for a moment yet that could be enough. Just one person would have to look up at the wrong moment and she would have a lot of very awkward questions to answer. She wasn’t flying solo. She couldn’t risk it.

  Instead, she concentrated on the vibrations of the men’s steps. East. They were headed for the exit.

  So she’d do this the old-fashioned way. Gathering her skirt, Alex jogged back down the shaded paths between the hedges, letting her senses guide her way. Her brain was buzzing from the conversation she’d just overheard. So many questions. Who was this Maria-person and what did she have to do with anything? And that other man … Gah! She knew him! If only she could remember who it was.

  Alex took a left and saw the exit opening out toward the lawn. The two men probably hadn’t gone far into the maze and were likely already outside. Alex slithered to a stop at the mouth of the hedge, her eyes darting across the garden and terrace.

  Where where where? There! A man in a shiny green coat who looked distinctly like the elderly governor had just vanished inside the palace.

  Alex quickly crossed the lawn and hurried up the stairs, hoping people would simply assume that she was bursting for a pee.

  She scurried through the open doors into the great hall and almost fell over Josy.

  “Alexandre!” Relief washed over the girl’
s face. “We’ve all been looking for you! We were beginning to worry.”

  Alex grabbed Josy’s shoulders and wildly scanned the room over her head, trying to locate the governor and his nameless companion, but the great hall was full of people and more were streaming in from the gardens.

  She dragged Josy to the side, away from the doors. “What’s going on here?”

  Josy frowned. Worry flooded her face again. “They are about to announce the seating plan for the banquet. Why are you—?”

  “Where is your father?”

  “Uhm, over there.” Josy pointed to one of the staircases at the far side of the room, at the bottom of which Stephane’s golden ponytail bounced above the crowd as he talked to one of his parliamentary friends.

  Alex let go of Josy and threw herself into the fray.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  GOVERNOR Robert Ferhus hurried down the corridor toward his suite, repeatedly glancing over his shoulder.

  Why? Why did this have to happen now?

  He had been governor for more than fifteen years. There were only a few months left until his retirement and now, in his old age, things suddenly had to get complicated. Why? Why now, of all times?

  He rubbed his face, feeling crushed by a mountain of weariness.

  All he’d wanted was to put some money aside for his granddaughters. A fund that would ensure that his little girls would be well off when he passed away. True, as a retired governor he would receive a sizable pension but any money to his name would go to his daughter after his death, and his son-in-law had already gambled away most of the family fortune with his insane investments. When Ferhus had learned about it and cut off his money supply, it had already been too late. Just thinking about the piles of debt repayments on his desk was giving him a headache. Most of his earnings nowadays went straight into that black hole and there still was no land in sight.

  He wished that he had never given his blessing for that marriage. He wished he’d kept a closer eye on things. He wished for many things and growing older only added to those regrets.