Page 56 of The Lord of the Labyrinth

Eudora continued. “His absence will give us a chance to let Caden see his sister, and the ball shall be a cover for us to reunite these two. It shall also have the benefit of distracting the rest of the court.” She bit her lip. “You will help me, won’t you?” she asked Rath as she placed a hand upon his arm and smiled at him.

The First Lance’s eyes focused on her mouth. “You know full well I’ll do anything that you wish.” When she moved away to take the child’s hand, Rath captured her other wrist, gently bringing her back to him. “And you will gift me a kiss, Eudora. Atrueone. No more sisterly pecks upon the cheek.”

Eudora’s body heated, but she couldn’t look away from Rath. They had danced around each other for centuries, never daring to address their mutual attraction directly. Eudora feared to do so, because she would be irrevocably changed if she admitted how much she loved Rath, and Fae were afraid of change, even while being fascinated by change in others. But change meant that you were not the same as you once were, and Fae by their very natures feared that fate greatly for themselves.

Rath’s fingers rubbed Eudora’s skin gently, forging a sweet fire beneath it. The impending war and the sense of urgency it brought with it only heightened her reaction. But there was also something else stirring inside her, something that felt very human, and she believed that her proximity to Kate was to blame. The young woman’s emotions were so strong they reached Eudora even here. Humans felt everything intensely, and she’d always been drawn to humans and their wild range of emotions.

“A kiss, then,” she agreed, suddenly breathless.

But a kiss between Fae could also be a promise, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to make a promise to Rath. But her pull toward him had been undeniable her entire long, enchanted life, and the threat of an impending war pushed her to agree because it was quite possible that neither of them would get the chance again.

“Then tell me what you wish me to do,” Rath whispered. “And I shall see it done.”

“Prepare the palace for a ball. The brownies will know what to do. I also need you to watch the child while I find Roan’s wayward mortal.”

Eudora closed her eyes, delving deep as her wild form came forth.

* * *

Kate wasn’tsure how long she’d been in the dungeons, but her body was stiff from sitting on the floor. She forced herself to get up and wipe her tears. Despite the desperate nature of her situation, crying had released some knot of tension deep inside her that she hadn’t known was there. She could breathe easier now and focus on what mattered.

Caden needs me. I can’t give up.

She tried to approach the problem logically.

Caden wasn’t in the dungeons, but she had to believe Roan wouldn’t hurt him. She had a month to solve the labyrinth, so he would not have returned Caden to the human world. That would be outside the scope of the deal they’d struck. Keeping him in this world would keep the pressure on her, and having him in this castle would keep him safe.

Ergo, he was still in the palace somewhere.

And if Roan had moved him,someonein the palace would have noticed.

Babbitt had said that the kobolds and the trolls liked her. Perhaps they could help her. It was a small chance, but one she had to take.

She was halfway back up the stairs when a fluffy white cat appeared in front of her. The cat’s blue eyes were large and luminous, and its long hair looked as soft as angora. The cat twitched its plumelike tail as it watched her.

A white cat...Something about that stirred her memory, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

The cat turned away with a meow, keeping its gaze on Kate over its shoulder, its tail twitching.

In a place where everything was magical, why not the cats as well? Kate nibbled her bottom lip and took a chance. “Do you know how to find someone in the palace?”

The cat nodded.

“Great. So you’re some kind of magic cat, huh?”

The cat hopped up the steps ahead of her and meowed in the affirmative.

“I’m looking for a boy, a human one, eleven years old. He has blond hair...”

The cat was already moving. Kate followed it out of the stairwell and back into the palace corridor. The cat glanced around, then started to trot away.

“Wait!” Kate whispered, running after the cat. “Will you help me?”

“Mreow—mreow.” The cat paused long enough to make sure Kate was following. They hurried down a series of halls together, pausing only a few times to hide in alcoves as other Fae passed by them. Kate pressed herself flat against the wall each time, praying that no one would see her. She wasn’t exactly sure what kind of trouble she’d be in if she was spotted and would prefer not to find out. The brownies didn’t seem to be dangerous, but the others like Roan... She had a feeling it wouldn’t be good to be caught by them.

When the most recent batch of guards had moved on, the cat darted forward, and Kate chased after her. The feline ducked through an open doorway and leapt onto a lavish bed. Kate glanced around the room to get her bearings. It was a bedchamber, much like Roan’s, but decidedly more feminine. The bed was made of the same type of white wood, but more slender in build. The coverlet and sheets were awash with gold and purple hues.

“I don’t think we should be here.” Kate moved to pick up the cat, but in a flash of blinding light, the cat vanished and the most beautiful brunette woman she’d ever seen sat on the edge of the bed. Her features were unmistakably familiar, especially her blue eyes, which were so like Roan’s.

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