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“God. Take it easy,” Harper joked.
“What are you doing here?” Lexi inquired, laughing.
“I’m moving in. Didn’t he tell you?”
Lexi couldn’t believe it. Harper proceeded to tell her that all royalty needs their own personal guard and that Xander had called and asked her to take the job. It warmed her heart to know he knew that Harper was her best friend and a close confidant.
She cried a little while holding Harper in her arms. Lexi would have someone to talk to who would understand her world and would know what she was having to deal with. Harper was a shifter and one of the few who didn’t make fun of her for her lack of the ability to shift.
In fact, she was quite the opposite … a constant cheerleader and the person anyone would be lucky to have standing in their corner.
Lexi was starting to believe things were going to work out all right in this new place.
TEN
XANDER
The day spent with Lexi was positively blissful. Getting to know her felt so easy, like listening to a soft wind before a big storm.
It was nearly evening when they got back to the palace, the sun dipping below the horizon and a gentle blanket of darkness draping the land. Xander went upstairs with her, hoping that Harper would be waiting for her in their bedroom suite.
He went into the public area kitchen, taking note of the staff and relaying the same message to them as he did the staff in the private area. He moved into the lounge and game room which was oddly quiet for a night as dark and bleak as this one.
Stephen, Xander’s beta, watched the storm clouds roll in beneath the bloom of firelight. He knew when Xander approached, recognizing his silent step like a song.
“Harper has arrived, sir,” he said. “She’s waiting for Lexi in the bedroom.”
Xander nodded, satisfied. Yet, there was still something lingering inside him, something like doom but not quite as catastrophic.
“Everything else is moving well here?”
Stephen nodded, still staring out the window at the shiny graying clouds. Stephen, much like Maureen, wasn’t exactly the most animated person. But Xander wasn’t either, so it was easy for him to pick up the tiniest of uneven vibes around the palace and the people who were closest to him.
But Lexi threw a wrench into his intuitive abilities, and he was starting to wonder if his suspicions were unreasonably magnified.
“Indeed, sir,” Stephen said. “The staff have been informed about Lexi’s interests in possible kitchen duties as well as searching for a new position within the pack. All took the news with a valid indifference.”
Xander narrowed his eyes at Stephen, who was still facing away from him. He decided not to raise the subject at that moment; he already had something in mind to discuss with Lexi before they went to bed for the night.
“Very good,” Xander said. “I will send Harper to you for updates, then you may sign off tonight, Stephen. Good work, as usual.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Xander departed the public lounge and moved up into the private East Wing. He heard Lexi giggling as he walked down the hallway toward the private lounge, where a fire crackled, mixing with the pleasant jovial energy of the room.
His heart beat like a rabbit’s in a sprint as he came around the corner, leaning his head on the door frame as he peered inside.
He saw Harper first, sitting turned away from him on the love seat, arm curled around her friend like they were children. She was lean and soft. And she didn’t look like a normal enforcer somehow, but Xander knew better than anyone that looks could be deceptive.
And then, there was Lexi. Beautiful, sexy Lexi. Laughing like there wasn’t anything in the world weighing on her shoulders. She wrinkled her nose in the most adorable way. The dimples on her cheeks were sweet and fresh.
“I hope I’m not interrupting,” Xander said, knocking on the door twice.
Lexi looked up at him, beaming. Those eyes, those lighthouse eyes, could strike him down anywhere.
“Xander,” she said excitedly. “Harper is here, and she’s going to be my enforcer.”
Xander smiled, feeling like a little boy, when Harper turned around and stood. Facing him, she was a lot taller than Lexi, solid, and utterly intimidating.
