Armageddon Special Edition

Chapter 1-2

Technically, our boy is only three-years old, but since he’s also supernatural, he has the size and strength of a child of five. In terms of thinking power, his cranial capacity flip-flops between that of a silly preschooler and an adult criminal mastermind. What can I say? He’s beyond awesome.

“Do you know why nanny Rowena is upset?” asks Lincoln.

“No.” Maxon lets out a puff of breath while extending his lower lip forward, a move that makes his bangs shimmy. That’s his ‘thinking up a lie’ face.

I set my fist on my hip. “You can do better than that, baby.”

“And tell us the truth,” adds Lincoln.

“Well, nanny Rowena had a lot of rules.” Maxon grips the arrowhead-end of his own long black tail, twisting it in an odd rhythm. “It was hard.”

“What kind of rules?” asks Lincoln.

Rowena straightens her rounded shoulders. “I follow the same thrax traditions that any nanny would—”

Lincoln skewers her with a warning glare. “I asked my son.”

Rowena shuts her yap and how. Man, I love it when Lincoln gets bossy.

Maxon shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I couldn’t sleep, so I got out that book Grandmother gave me.”

No question which grandmother he’s referring to. Octavia, Lincoln’s Mom. She revels in Maxon’s precocious mind and gives him all sorts of stuff to read.

“What book did Grandmother give you this time?” I ask.

“The Art of War by Sun Tiss…Sun Tizz.”

“Sun Tzu,” finishes Lincoln.

“Yeah, that guy,” says Maxon. He points a tiny finger in Rowena’s direction. “And she wouldn’t let me read.”

Rowena lifts her chins. “Children his age should be asleep after 9 p.m. That’s standard practice.”

Mommy-rage winds up my spine. How dare she stop my kid from reading? “When we hired you, we told you Maxon wasn’t like other children. Because of his supernatural powers, he doesn’t need much sleep. If he wants to stay up and read, he can do so.”

“I respectfully disagree.”

My mouth falls open in a gesture of shock and rage. “What an interesting point of view. You’re fired.”

“But I came here to quit,” sputters Rowena.

“Well, now you don’t have to.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave right now.” Rowena turns on her heel and starts stomping away.

“Not so fast,” says Lincoln. His voice echoes menacingly down the hall.

Rowena pauses and slowly turns around. When I see her face again, her eyes are large with fear. Good.

“Y-y-yes, Your Highness?”

“You’re not going anywhere until we find out exactly what happened.” Lincoln snaps his fingers at a trio of guards, who immediately take up residence around Rowena. All the blood instantly drains from her face.

“Am I going to the dungeons?”

“Depends on what the High Prince has to say.” Lincoln kneels down and sets his hand on the back of Maxon’s neck. “It’s okay, son. You know Mommy and Daddy’s rules. If you can’t sleep and you want to read quietly, that’s fine with us.”

“She turned off the lights, too,” says Maxon, his mismatched eyes large as saucers. “I don’t like the dark.”

Lincoln rounds on Rowena. “You turned off the lights despite our specific instructions to the contrary. Is this true?”

“He looked so tired and it was past one in the morning. So yes, I did turn out the lights and ensured that they stayed off.” Rowena pulls at a few charred strands of her hair. “And this is the result.”

I crouch down beside Lincoln. “What happened with nanny Rowena’s hair?”

Maxon scrunches his little bare toes onto the marble floor. “She wouldn’t let me turn on the lights. So, I told her I didn’t need her. I can make my own light.”

Uh-oh. I think I know where this is going. “And then what did you do?”

“This.” Maxon blinks hard, and a tiny bolt of lightning strikes just above Rowena’s head. When the flash disappears, the thin stripe of hair that once sat atop her cranium is gone. Kaput. History. Finito. Now, only a handful of grey tufts cling to her skull in odd places.

Rowena grabs her head. “He did it again!”

“Pretty cool, huh?” Maxon bobs his eyebrows up and down, his little mismatched eyes twinkling with delight. That brow-move reminds me of someone I know. Oh yeah, that would be me.

Somehow, I manage to keep a straight face. If I crack even the slightest smile, I lose all maternal authority. And since Maxon broke out his eyebrow-bobbing routine, I know he really wants me to crack a smile.

Ah, my lovable little monster.

In truth, I can’t blame Maxon for fighting back. Rowena broke our clearly stated rules and was an overbearing battle-axe while doing it. Plus, damn, that new lightning-trick is definitely cool. Lately, Maxon’s been coming into his Scala Heir powers in a big way. When my powers began, I was a lot older—eighteen, to be exact—and the most I could do with lightning was cause random strikes. But zapping someone right above her skull? That kind of control is pretty impressive. And at three years old, no less.

You go, kid.

I’m about to say exactly that when I remember my parental duties. Maxon can’t go around frying people with lightning bolts just because they piss him off. So, much as I’d love to fist-bump him, or at least ask for pointers on how to do that trick myself, I keep my features carefully neutral as I address my son. “Do that again, and you’ll be in big trouble, Mister.”

Maxon goes back to playing with his tail. “Yes, Mother.”

I shift my gaze toward Rowena. “You may go, but remember this. You’re lucky not to be rotting in the dungeons for the rest of your life.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Lincoln orders the guard to shuffle Rowena off to the nearest exit. She bows repeatedly as she walks away.

“You’re so gracious, Your Highnesses. Thank you, Your Highnesses.”

Kiss ass. But not without good reason.

Once Rowena’s gone, I refocus on Maxon. “Now, what are our rules for your powers?”

His little voice is barely a whisper. “Ask Mommy and Daddy first.”

“That’s right,” says Lincoln. “And you didn’t ask us, twice. First in your room, and now, in this hallway.”

Maxon blinks innocently. “But you wanted to know what happened.”

“You could’ve used your words to explain,” I state firmly. “You broke the rules, so you’ll have extra chores to do today.”

Maxon puffs out his lower lip. “But she broke your rules first.”

As if on cue, Lincoln’s mother Octavia appears from around a gilded corner. She steps along at a brisk pace, her lithe frame wrapped in a floor-length black robe. Her wavy brown hair hangs long and loose over her shoulders. As always, the Queen Emeritus looks petite, serene and absolutely lethal. Octavia used to be a warrior, and a predatory aura still follows her.

Maxon jumps up and down. “Grandmother!” He says her name with his little-kid accent, so it comes out more as Gran-mudder. Love it.

Octavia kneels down, opening her arms wide. “Come here, my boy.”

Maxon races down the hallway and crashes into Octavia’s arms. They hug for a long moment before Octavia leans back, getting a good look at her grandson’s face. “What’s this I hear about your new nanny quitting?”

Lincoln and I share a look of faux-surprise. Octavia always knows everything that happens in Arx Hall within two minutes tops, thanks to the servants on her secret payroll who are experts at lurking around corners and listening at doorways. Whenever something juicy takes place, they feed information back to her through a network of back hall whisperers. I thought about breaking up her system, but I benefit from it too, sometimes. Besides, we only live here six months out of the year. When we’re in Purgatory, Mom and Dad are so busy as President and First Guy, they pretty much stay out of our way.

Maxon’s little mouth pulls down into a scowl. “She was terrible to me, Grandmother. She wouldn’t let me read your new book or anything.”

“Ah,” says Octavia sagely. “But you shouldn’t have hit her with lightning, now, should you?”

Wow, she found out about the lightning strike, too. Extra impressive.

“I only hit her a little bit,” explains Maxon. “Now, I’ve got extra chores.”

“And some nasty ones too, I should think.” Octavia taps her cheek dramatically, as if a thought were just occurring to her. However, Octavia being Octavia, I’m sure this thought is why she headed over to our wing of Arx Hall in the first place. “How about you come with me to the stables today? It’s Saturday, so you’ve no tutoring, right?”

Maxon nods vigorously.

“Your chores can be tending to the horses. After that, you and I can go for a ride.”

Maxon wraps his arms tightly around Octavia’s neck. “Chores with Grandmother. Yay! And then Pop-Pops comes for my battle training tomorrow. Double-yay!”

“Your grandfather’s coming into Antrum to attend the anointing of the new Earl of Acca,” I explain. “It’s not all about you and your battle training.”

Actually, it is all about Maxon. Dad has a mega-playdate-s***h-mock-battle arranged with Maxon and all his little prince buddies. My father could give a crap about the new Earl; it’s just a good excuse to sneak away from Purgatory while Mom’s stuck in a convention. Still, Maxon doesn’t need to think the world totally revolves around him. Only mostly.

“What do you say?” Octavia turns to me and Lincoln. “Does cleaning the stables count as an acceptable punishment? I’ll oversee everything to ensure the servants don’t let him slack.”

“That’s fine,” says Lincoln.

“Agreed,” I add.

“Excellent, I’ll have him back by noon.” Octavia rises to stand and Maxon does his ‘little monkey’ routine, wrapping his legs around Octavia’s waist so she has to carry him, tummy to tummy. She hugs him close and smiles.

“You’re my sweetest boy, Maxon.”

Lincoln’s eyes open wide in mock-shock. “What about me?”

“You’re a close second,” says Octavia with a smirk.

Maxon snuggles into Octavia’s shoulder for another hug, and he uses the opportunity to peep over at Lincoln and me, his s**t-eating grin once again firmly in place. Somehow Maxon’s trouble with Rowena turned into Grandmother, horses and happy time. What a little player.

Octavia says Maxon has ‘natural political acumen’ that will make him a great king some day. I think Maxon could grow two heads and she’d say that’ll make him a great king one day. Octavia is tough as nails until you wheedle your way into her heart. After that, you could do pretty much anything and she’ll make an excuse for you. Connor’s living proof of that. Classic example: the fact that he’s gone all the time? Octavia says he’s merely adventurous in his retirement. Or the way he treats Maxon like my kid’s contagious? Connor doesn’t want to force himself on his grandson.

Riiiiiight.

Still, I’m sure Octavia had other plans for her Saturday morning. I shoot her a friendly wave. “Thanks for helping out.”

“You’re most welcome.” She raises her pointer finger high. “Ah, one last item. We’re sending over a new night nanny for Maxon. She’ll understand how to handle my little warrior.”

“Wow, that’s a relief. Thanks, Octavia.”

Lincoln’s mismatched eyes narrow. “Of course, we’ll need to meet her first before making any final decisions.”

“Are you quite certain?” A strange look flickers across Octavia’s typical poker-face. Could that be guilt? “I shouldn’t think that’s necessary.”

“Oh, it is extraordinarily necessary, Mother. Especially considering that face you just made.”

Octavia opens her eyes extra wide. I know that trick for seeming innocent; I’ve used it myself a million times. “Whatever do you mean, my son?”

Lincoln points right at her nose. “That look, right there. Come clean. What’s really going on?”

“Nothing,” replies Octavia quickly. “You two have got quite enough on your plate as it is, so I found you a new night nanny, that’s all. Now, you can focus on the big event tomorrow.” Her mouth winds into a satisfied smile. “The end of the old House of Acca. Anointing a new Earl.”

“Nice try to change the subject,” says Lincoln. “I hardly noticed.”

“Please.” Octavia rolls her eyes. “Go prepare for the Anointing.”

“Not happening,” I say. “When are you sending her over?”

“Her who?”

I fold my arms over my chest. “Octavia. Enough.”

“Fine. I’ll send her over to your audience chambers tomorrow at eleven.”

I pause, considering. “That’ll work. Lincoln and I can split nanny duty tonight.”

Lincoln steps up to my side, wrapping one arm firmly around my waist. “In the meantime, you bring up an excellent point. The Queen and I have all sorts of things to do before the Earl’s Anointing.” Behind my back, his hand slowly dips to firmly cup my ass. I make a chirpy-sound and then blush something fierce.

No question. The guards at the other end of the hallway just got a free show.

Wouldn’t be the first time.

“Lots to do,” I add, my voice about two octaves higher than normal.

“As I suspected.” Octavia turns on her heel and strolls away, Maxon still happily cuddling in her arms. “See you later!”

Once she and Maxon are gone, Lincoln and I rush back into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind us. My heart beats at double speed.

Royal playtime returneth, yeah!

Lincoln tosses me onto the bed, where I bounce, snort, and in general break out into a fit of giggles. With an ultra-smooth lunge, he slides onto the mattress and pins me onto my back, his firm hands, hips and thighs instantly pressing mine into place. Wherever he touches me, a sense of electric excitement runs across my skin. Our gazes lock; my body heats.

Lincoln’s voice comes out all low and growly, just the way I like it. “How long do I have you?”

I know exactly what he means. “I’m open until the trade summit.”

“So, we have hours.”

“Yes, we do.”

“In that case, I have an idea.” His legs guide mine apart with a knowing grace. “Want to know what it is?”

I squirm to free my hands so I can pull his mouth to mine, but he has me pretty well pinned. Damn, that’s hot. “Tell me.”

“Watching you unravel, again and again.”

I can’t help but smile. Unraveling is the best. “Oh, I’m all yours, Mister the King.”