Axel made his way from Lark’s room after having spent the last couple of hours hanging out with the guy. Lark was impatient to get out of bed but Max insisted he still needed some more time to rest. His buddy was by no means as bad as he had been after the first time Max had channelled her powers through him, tapping into the Order bond and his unique abilities as a potentate. But given Lark had also received a nasty swipe from a chade, he was still feeling the lingering effects of the toxin in his system. Nikolai had also received a couple of good scratches but Max had been able to heal those before the ranger had fallen too ill. Although, Max had still insisted Nik stay with them so he could be nursed through his convalescence. The women of the house had cooed and petted the good-looking biker-pirate, and Nikolai had lapped it all up, merely grinning when the men growled at him.
The debacle at the chade encampment had scared them all, but at least they had their first real look at Emmanuel. When Axel had seen Emmanuel through Darius and Lark’s eyes, he had been terrified for his friends. Emmanuel had been nothing like any of them had been expecting – at first anyway. Axel could hardly believe the man with the cultured voice and spiffy clothes had then disintegrated into a creature from whence nightmares came. If it weren’t an insult to their little mascot, Axel would have called the filthy chade a zombie. That is exactly what he had looked like; the walking dead.
“For all intents and purposes, that’s what he is. His heart no longer beats, and although his brain still functions, it is nothing but a rotting mass of tissue inside his decaying skull.”
The cheery words came from the corner of the room and Axel squinted into the dim light, finally spotting Max huddled in the dark corner of the library. The fact that all of the lights were off and she was rubbing her forehead constantly with her fingers, alerted him to the headache she must have. A quick peek through the Order bond and he winced as he felt the pounding echo in his own cranium before Max muted the link. Instead of chastising her for squirrelling her pain away from them, he walked over to her and took her hand.
“Come on, lay down,” Axel directed, as he guided Max to the lounge, pushing her down flat.
“This is no time for sex, Axel.”
Max’s voice sounded serious and reprimanding, and he practically fell back on his arse in order to get away from her. “Max …” he began, only to blow out a breath when he saw the humour glinting in her eyes. Little witch, he thought, but was overwhelmingly relieved to see she could joke. Things couldn’t be that bad if Max was joking with him. “Funny.” He said, lifting her head off the cushion and sitting down, placing her head on his own knees instead. He began to rub her temples in small concentric circles, hoping to ease the ache. He knew his hands were always warm – his temperature always running a little hotter than normal people. It was an artefact of his association with his element; fire.
Max sighed and closed her eyes, accepting his help. Her mouth kicked up a fraction at the corners, “You should have seen your face.”
He snorted, “Well, I don’t want to see my face after Ryker pummels it into dust because he heard the words: you, me, and sex – in the same sentence.”
Max’s eyes popped open, “You’re not really afraid of him.”
Axel thought about that for a moment. No, he wasn’t really afraid of his Captain. But he did respect the hell out of the man and there was a time not too long ago when he was certainly cautious around him. One wrong word and the guy would go nuclear. Not that Axel had any right to talk – he had been exactly the same for a period of time too. In fact, Axel had thought he’d met a kindred spirit when he had stumbled upon Ryker four years ago. The only difference? Ryker had snarled and growled at everyone, threatening them with bodily harm if they got too close. As for himself, he used his wicked tongue to antagonise people, disguising his biting words and true pain as jokes and laughter. It had worked, for the most part. Most people couldn’t stand him long enough to get to know him. But his sharp tongue hadn’t bothered the scarred-up paladin, and Axel had unwittingly found himself a home.
“Of course I’m not afraid of him,” Axel responded to Max. “But my respect for our dear potentate’s temper is very healthy,” he added with a wink.
Max smiled again, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Clearly, she was still bothered by something despite her attempts for some comic relief. “What is it, Max? Is it the gang? Because they’re all okay, almost back to normal. So are Dave and all the chadens.”
Ryker had immediately contacted Knox and his sons, along with Caspian and his paladins, and asked them to fortify the hotel. They had been doing round the clock perimeter checks in the four days since Emmanuel had instigated the chade prison break. Although Emmanuel’s threat that he would be paying all the redeemed chades a visit had caused an initial influx of fear at the hotel, it had also had a surprisingly different consequence. The chadens were pissed off and were now closer than ever. They had all rallied around each other as well as their new leaders – Knox and Dex – and Axel knew they would fight to the death to stay whole and clean. None of them wanted to go back to what they were.
He realised Max hadn’t answered him and tweaked her on her nose, “Honey?”
Max’s worried eyes softened with affection for a moment, and she tweaked his nose back, “No. It’s not the chadens. I mean, of course I’m worried about them. Those men have already lost their lives once, they don’t deserve to have it taken from them again. But that’s not it.”
“Emmanuel?” Axel guessed.
Max laughed but she sounded far from happy, “He’s worrisome, that’s for sure. He’s certainly not what I expected. He’s very charismatic, don’t you think? No wonder he’s able to woo lost chades to his side. But he’s like a peacock spider. He lures his prey with his pretty face and soothing words and when he has them just where he wants them; he strikes. And their souls are lost forever. I won’t ever be able to heal those wardens Emmanuel has turned.”
Axel hated hearing the sadness in his liege’s voice, “You can’t save everyone,” he told her gently. Max went so still and quiet, he was beginning to get worried. But then Max burst into laughter, curling her body up and holding her stomach in her hilarity. “Ah, care to share the joke?”
Max shook her head, wiping away her tears and placing her head back on Axel’s lap. “I’m sorry. It’s just – what you said? That I can’t save everybody? That’s the problem.”
“What do you mean?” Axel asked, confused.
Max didn’t speak for a moment, but studied him intently. “Do you really want to know?” she asked.
He nodded immediately, “Of course.”
Max sighed, closing her eyes again, and Axel couldn’t help thinking she was trying to block him out. “We’re not going to win,” she whispered.
His gut clenched, “I’m sorry, what?”
“This war,” Max explained further. “We’re not going to win.”
His fingers stopped their ministrations on Max’s temples at her abrupt words. Of all the things he was expecting to hear, that wasn’t even in the stratosphere. Max could sometimes be a bit obtuse and even cynical, but she was never negative or pessimistic. And those soft words, spoken with an unnerving undercurrent of certainty were definitely pessimistic. “Max, what are you talking about?”
She opened her eyes once again but made no move to get up from his lap, nor did he attempt to move her. The look of sorrow and fear in her oceanic depths sent a shiver of unease down his spine, even as his heart rate kicked up with dread. “I’ve seen it, Axel. I’ve felt it. In every possible future, we lose.”
“Every possible future?” He asked convulsively. What the hell did that mean?
Her eyes blanked white for a mere fraction of a second before swirling with colours, “Futures are tricky things, Axel. Every action we take, every decision we make, creates a new possible future; they’re infinite. But even in their limitless design, some futures cannot be avoided.”
Axel could tell she was serious – so very serious. And if he was being honest with himself, her words terrified him right down to his bones. But Max was his liege and his duty was to ensure to her health, safety, and happiness at all times. Right now, he had a very unhappy liege. “So, you’re telling me in all those possible futures your magic brain has seen, there isn’t a single one where we win?”
Max promptly opened her mouth, only to hesitate at the last second. He felt a flare of hope spark to life inside his chest. “Max?” he prompted.
“Yes.” She sighed, somehow seemingly impossibly sadder. “There is one chance.”
“One chance? One whole chance? Well, I’ve only ever needed half a chance to win the day, so that’s double what we need.” He responded confidently, maybe even halfway believing it himself.
Max finally smiled, revealing that single beguiling dimple as she reached up to pat his cheek, “You’re such a cocky bastard, Axel.”
Axel forced his grin to turn wicked, “It’s well earned, I promise you.”
Max chuckled and patted his cheek, “I love you.”
Axel felt his smile widen in genuine warmth this time. “I love you too,” he told the little trouble-maker. And it was true. He loved his new liege and indeed his entire crazy mish-mash of a family here like he had never loved anyone before – well, almost, he acknowledged silently and was quick to erase such thoughts from his mind, lest his intuitive little friend overhear something he wasn’t willing to share. He imagined he saw her smile dim a little around the edges as she pushed herself up;
“Thank you, Axel. I feel heaps better.”
Axel knew her headache was much diminished and although they had just enjoyed a moment of levity, he knew Max’s heart was still burdened with the things she was forced to see and hear and feel. “We should have a party!”
Max paused where she was sitting, “A party?”
Axel cringed when he thought of what Ryker’s response to his spontaneous idea of a party would be. But there was a sparkle of interest in Max’s lovely eyes that Axel didn’t want to extinguish. “Yeah, a party. I think everyone could use some time away from all the stress. And it would be a good opportunity to get all our allies together. It’s time the wardens and paladins met the chadens. They should see what they’re going to be fighting for. Besides, I bet some of them even have some lost family and they can be reunited like Knox and his sons.”
Max was already nodding her head, sending her thick deep red hair flying in all directions, “Yes! I think that’s a great idea. You tell Ryker.”
Axel paused, “Um, don’t you think it would be better coming from you?”
Max rolled her eyes at him, “Coward.”
“Smart,” he retorted. “You have certain wiles I don’t possess.” Max made him laugh by looking down at her breasts and bouncing them in her hands. “Those are definitely a part of them.”
“Fine. I’ll tell Ryker, you tell the others. Two days from now?” Max asked.
Axel nodded, “I’m sure we can make that work.”
“Yay!” Max bounced up before leaning down and giving him a smacking kiss on the lips. “Thank you, Axel. For everything.”
Axel knew she was not just referring to the party but also to the secret she had told him about their futures. He stood, giving her a formal bow, “You’re welcome.” It was his duty and his pleasure to ease his liege’s burdens.
“We’ll keep this conversation between the two of us, won’t we?” Max asked, nibbling on her lip.
“Sure.” He made sure to keep his response and his shrug negligent. That hadn’t really been a question anyway, but rather it was a command of silence from his liege. Axel knew the difference.
“Okay then.” She said, turning and heading for the door.
He watched her walk away and wondered if he was going to be able to sleep anytime soon. Infinite possibilities and Max had seen one pathetic chance for them to make it out alive? They were well and truly screwed. Perhaps he should consider getting his ducks in a row – as they say. Not that he had many ducks, but if he were being truthful with himself, he knew there was one particular duck he wouldn’t mind getting some closure with.
“Axel …”
He jumped. Max hadn’t left as he had thought but was standing in the doorway, looking solemn once again. What now? “Yes?”
“She didn’t betray you.”
Axel stilled, ice forming in the pit of his stomach. “What?”
“Celeste.” Max said, speaking the one name he had strived for fifteen years to erase from his memory bank and his vocabulary. “She didn’t betray you. You were deceived.”
Bombshell dropped, Max finally turned and walked away.