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“If I had focused, maybe I would have noticed something was wrong.”
“You can’t think like that, Lexi. Neither of us knows what’s going on. I promise we will find her, but we have to remain calm until we do.”
He was right. Freaking out wouldn’t solve anything. And Harper could be just fine.
She didn’t think the odds on that were good, but it was a possibility. If someone called her away on an emergency, she might have just left her things behind.
She took a deep breath, pulling herself together. She needed to remain composed.
He wiped at her eyes once more, giving her a kiss on her forehead before he leaned back. “We’re going to figure out what’s going on. Together.”
She liked the sound of that. She nodded, agreeing with him. They left Harper’s room and headed to their room.
“Stephen is looking into it. He mentioned that he’d seen her just the other day, and he has eyes out to have anyone tell him if they see her. So, people are looking.”
She nodded; that was good.
“He’s sending a scout to look around the town, and he will get back to me later.”
She nodded once more as they stepped into the bedroom.
“So, instead of worrying, why don’t we do something to get your mind off everything? Why don’t you put on something you can go horseback riding in?”
She blinked at him, surprised. He wanted to take her horseback riding. She smiled, suddenly eager about his idea. She would love to do that.
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yes, but wear something warm.”
She turned on her heel and rushed into her closet. She looked through her clothes, wanting to find something appropriate. She suddenly wanted Harper there. She would know what to wear.
She had to keep telling herself her best friend was okay. Nothing had happened. She was just overreacting.
It was easier to say than to believe. Her gut told her something bad was coming, and she needed to be prepared.
FOURTEEN
XANDER
Xander wasn’t in the best place that morning. When he originally planned to take Lexi out for horseback riding, he had planned it meticulously to be a day of romance, bonding, and her thoughts about their mating ceremony.
Lexi wasn’t a full shifter, but she most certainly knew about the traditions, especially when said shifters were royalty. But he didn’t want to go into planning anything like this with assumptions, and the last thing he would ever want was her discomfort.
Judging by the lovemaking in the reading room, she was fine with the sex part of their budding relationship. That gave Xander a special buzz as he walked around the palace, unable to stop thinking about how delicious she tasted and how adventurous she was to ask him to take her right then and there.
The situation with Harper and Maureen had placed a bit of a damper on their romantic escapade. Harper was supposed to help her feel more at ease in the new land that she would call home, and instead, through no fault of her own, she has only enhanced Lexi’s sense of displacement. Maureen was acting strange, and he wished he had taken heed of it earlier.
But perhaps horseback riding would help take her mind off the confusion. The stables, along with the picturesque countryside, were sublime, like walking through a museum in your own backyard.
Lexi came downstairs in high spirits, which made Xander optimistic. Plus, she was wearing the most adorable riding outfit, a black knitted sweater and tight brown slacks that hugged her plump butt beautifully.
He wore his riding outfit, which was disastrously plain. He walked up to his mate, touching her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Are you ready, darling?”
Her bright eyes swam with concern, but when she nodded, there was a maturity that he admired. Her hair was tied into a sensible braid that made her look older, more experienced, and dashing to boot.
“I am, love,” she said with a smirk. “Let’s get out there and breathe in the fresh air.”
