by T. K. Perry
“Stop it!” Lexi commanded, fighting the soothing buzz that eked into her senses despite breathing through her mouth.
“Guards,” Limen called out wearily as he watched Tiger’s aerial avoidance as Talan continued to come at him, muttering outrage.
Beck, Erid, and another guard watched the chase above them, moving in quickly as Tiger zipped between them, delivering Talan to their waiting grasp.
“He attacked me!” Talan accused, straining against their grip.
“No, he didn’t,” Limen said, his disapproving glance falling on both Talan and Tiger.
“He hit me earlier today,” Talan asserted. “Just ask him!”
Limen’s frown deepened as he waited for Tiger’s response.
“Talan was waiting for me outside my room and attacked me when I tried to enter.”
“You hit me!” Talan sputtered. “He hit me,” he reiterated to Limen.
“Enough. Talan, go home or go back to the dungeon,” Limen commanded.
“She was in his room! And now he’s signaling her! He’s probably controlling her like his cousin did!”
As everyone turned to stare at her, Lexi took a short breath through her nose, immediately regretting it as Tiger’s scent soothed her senses, relaxing her posture and softening her expression. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Lexi managed.
Brows knit, Limen gave her a hard look before turning back to Talan. “Dungeon or leave the mountain.”
“You know I can’t leave her. The Queen wants us married; why isn’t that enough? Just marry us, Limen. She has no other choices,” Talan argued as he struggled futilely under Beck’s iron grip.
Limen winced faintly and looked at Lexi. “I can’t marry you to anyone else.”
Tiger had been slowly working his way back near Lexi, and now gave her a furtive prod in the small of her back. Rousing herself, Lexi took a deep breath through her mouth and spoke.
“Beck, Erid, put Talan back in the dungeon.”
Limen’s head shot up, his eyebrows high. Talan sputtered in protest as Beck and Erid dragged him to the door.
“If my season ends down there, Princess, I doubt you’ll ever forgive yourself,” Talan warned spitefully, his words echoing in her head until the heavy door closed behind him.
“You can have him released a day after you leave with the flying guard,” Tiger whispered. “He’s only trying to manipulate you.”
Lexi squared her shoulders at Tiger’s words. “Was there anything else you wished to discuss?” she asked Limen, her tone cold.
Limen staggered back a step as his hazel eyes searched hers. “No,” he finally said, his gaze falling to the floor.
“Good,” Lexi said. “Let me know when my royal flying guard escort arrives.”
Limen shook his head in confusion. “Are you going home, then?”
“You said it yourself; I’ve no choices here,” Lexi countered, her tone more challenge than explanation.
“But I thought...” Limen began, nodding at Tiger.
Lexi’s blank mask hardened. “Don’t release Talan again without my approval,” she said haughtily, then turned slowly and left the room with Tiger in her wake.
As the heavy door closed behind them, Tiger gave an exaggerated shiver. “You sounded just like the Queen at the end there.”
Lexi made a face and elbowed him. “You’re lucky I could talk at all.”
“I told you to breathe through your mouth,” Tiger said defensively.
“I did! Mostly.”
Tiger laughed, then looked at her carefully as they walked. “Are you okay? Or can you still smell me?”
Lexi’s face split into a grin she tried to hide by turning away.
He stepped in front of her to see her face.
“I can still smell you,” she admitted, “but that doesn’t mean I’m not okay.”
Tiger scowled and took her arm. “You just fall down and lose the ability to think and speak.”
“I don’t either. I’m speaking and walking...both require thought.”
“You were breathing mostly through your mouth,” he reminded her.
“Well, try it again and see how I cope,” she suggested, her smile hidden behind a dark panel of hair.
“We already tried that, remember?”
When Lexi didn't answer, Tiger's scowl increased with the silence. “Why did you come to my room, anyway?” he finally blurted.
“Oh.” Her entire conversation with Cam seemed a very long time ago. “Do you happen to know how long my father’s season was?”
Tiger’s eyebrows rose high with a half laugh. “He didn’t tell you?”
Lexi shook her head. “I assume it wasn’t too short since he encouraged me to go.”
Tiger shook his head apologetically. “I have no idea. I don’t think we’re even allowed to discuss the royals’ seasons.”
Lexi frowned and looked away.
“I’m sure you’ll have enough time to get home and find some suitable noble.”
Lexi turned back to him with a false smile, removed his hand from her arm, and walked towards her waiting guards. “Get some sleep,” she said over her shoulder. “You look tired.”
“Thanks, Your Highness,” Tiger muttered, watching until the door shut behind her.
Chapter Twelve
Clodi's steady snoring helped cover the sound of the balcony door. After pulling out a mildew-scented rug, Lexi opened the door at a glacial pace, stopping frequently to listen for Tiger above, the guards outside, and any disruption in her roommate's cacophonous breathing. When the space was wide enough, she slipped out and slowly pulled the door shut. Grinning, she turned and ran right into Tiger.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
Lexi let out a tiny shriek and slapped Tiger's chest with a loud thwack. Clodi's next snore ended abruptly, and Lexi turned to stare at the balcony door until she heard Clodi's next labored intake.
Relieved, she turned back to Tiger. “You scared me!”
“And you are scaring me. Why are you sneaking away from your guards in the middle of the night?”
Lexi squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye.
“No, don't lie,” Tiger chided before she could speak.
“I wasn't...”
“Yes, you were. Now where were you going?” Tiger insisted.
Lexi frowned. She had meant to find the castle archives and discover how long her parents had been on the mountain before their marriage, but she couldn't tell Tiger that without betraying her father's confidence.
“I can't tell you that.”
“What? Why not?” Bemused and irritated, Tiger spoke a little too loudly and Clodi's snores suddenly stopped.
Alarmed, Lexi took Tiger's arm and pointed up to his balcony. Begrudgingly, he flew up with her just as the door to the queen's suite began to open.
“Who's there?” Clodi asked with a yawn.
Landing soundlessly, Lexi pushed Tiger into his room, shushing his whispered objections. Then they waited quietly until they heard Clodi go back inside. Lexi let out a breath, then inhaled deeply. Even with the balcony doors open, the scent of the room was soothing, and her tense muscles began to relax.
“Why can't you tell me?”
Lexi turned her head and took deep breaths of the cold night air while she tried to construct an answer.
“You're trying to figure out a way to lie to me that I won't be able to tell,” Tiger guessed.
Turning back, she glared at him, but the room was too dark for him to read her features.
“Were you coming here?” Tiger asked, a chiding note in his tone.
“No.”
“Were you going to Cam's room?”
“No!”
“Were you going home?!”
“Shh! Of course not! Stop guessing. You'll never figure it out.” Lexi pushed him further into the room and shut the door behind her with a shiver. The sudden and complete blackness felt oddly intimate, and Lexi removed her hand from his chest and
backed up until her wings brushed against the balcony doors.
“Open the doors.”
“We're being too loud and it's too cold,” Lexi explained, her tone already softer, her words slower.
Tiger let out an exasperated sigh as he walked across the room, first to switch on the lantern, and then to open the hallway door. Marching back to Lexi, he took her hand and led her to the open door. “You stand there,” he directed, releasing her hand to fold his arms across his chest. “Now, what's this big secret?”
Lexi merely shook her head and walked out into the hallway with Tiger close on her heels.
“You're not going to tell me, and you're going to go wandering without your guards again?!”
“I'm not wandering,” Lexi shrugged, a little smile tugging at her lips.
Tiger flew quickly over her head and landed, blocking her path. “You're right,” he challenged, grinning. “You're not wandering.”
Lexi shook her head with mock gravity, “Tiger the Tyrannical has returned,” she announced. “I haven't missed you.”
Tiger took a step forward, his grin widening. Lexi feinted left, then flew right, shrieking as he caught her legs. Laughing, Lexi pulled his hair until he let go, then flew down the hall with him close behind.
“You'll regret that,” he teased.
“I regret nothing!” she called, rounding the stairwell.
As she turned, Tiger grasped her arm and pulled her to him as they both stumbled into a landing, clinging to each other. Lexi laughed, resting her head against his shoulder. As Tiger's laughter died down, he slid his arms around her, and they stood at the top of the stairwell, swaying slightly in their embrace.
“Tiger?” she asked, reaching up to smooth one of the unruly curls over his ear.
“What?” he asked, surreptitiously pressing a kiss into her hair.
“Did we ruin our friendship?”
Their swaying stopped as Tiger knit his brows and pressed his lips together. Lexi looked up at him and poked the puckered skin between his brows.
“You're making wrinkles.”
Tiger gave her a small smile. “I'm too young to have wrinkles.”
Sighing, Lexi pulled away from him. “You were right.”
“I'm always right.”
Lexi swatted his arm half-heartedly.
“What was I right about this time?”
Lexi looked up at him, then felt a betraying blush rising in her cheeks.
“Oh. That. Can't resist me now?”
Lexi swatted his arm harder this time, and Tiger let out musical closed-mouth laugh.
“Don't tease me,” she complained.
“You mean like this?” Tiger gathered her back into his arms and bent down as if to kiss her.
“Tiger!” she grumbled, trying to wiggle away. When he laughed and held tighter, she grabbed his head and forced a rough kiss before shoving his forehead back.
Tiger froze for a moment in surprise, then a mischievous grin lit his face that had Lexi looking nervously around them for witnesses. His ensuing attack of kisses were planted all over her face in rapid succession while she laughed and tucked her chin until he could only reach her forehead.
“Stop!” she giggled, finally reaching up to cover his mouth.
He kissed the hand that covered his lips until she drew it back, then he resumed kissing her face. This time she didn't fight him, and kissed back when he finally reached her lips. The faint musky scent that she had been catching on his clothes was now overwhelmed by a fresh signal, and her arms slid around his neck as her knees weakened with the delightful smell. They were too caught in the moment to notice the first throat clearing, but the second was accompanied by a false coughing fit that ended in a choking noise. Tiger and Lexi pulled apart, concern tempering their embarrassment. Lexi's guards stood at the foot of the stairs, Charis bent over in feigned distress as Erid half-heartedly patted his back between his wings.
“Miss Parnassian came out into the hallway to search for the 'yelling man' who woke her up. She asked us why we were there when you weren't. So we went searching for you, and...” Erid trailed off sheepishly, his face suffused with color.
Charis stood, but turned away in another faux coughing fit. Faces aflame, Tiger and Lexi exchanged a glance and took a step further apart.
“We didn't mean...” Erid held out a hand, his gesture taking the place of the rest of his sentence.
“It's fine,” Lexi assured them, squaring her shoulders as she willed her blushing cheeks to return to their natural color. She started down the steps, then looked back at Tiger.
Still embarrassed, he gave Lexi a tight smile and waved goodnight as he headed back to his room. She watched him go for a moment, then joined her guards at the bottom of the staircase. Charis still had a hand over his mouth, as if he anticipated the need for further coughing.
“Where are the records kept?” she asked abruptly.
“Uh, back room of the library,” Erid blurted.
“Please take me there.”
“Um, it's locked.” Erid looked at her curiously. “The library, too.”
“And you don't have a key?”
“No.” Erid shook his head, dropping his eyes when she met his gaze.
“Who does?”
“The Governor, Erynnis, the librarian, and Eros,” Charis answered, his voice still hoarse from his coughing.
Lexi nodded, considering. Though she hadn't met the librarian, Eros seemed most likely to hand over his keys without informing Limen. “Will you show me where the library is?”
“Even though it's locked?” Erid reminded her.
“Yes.”
Erid walked in front of her while Charis brought up the rear all the way to the library. Their stilted formation made Lexi uncomfortable, especially when they passed others who eyed them speculatively, then exchanged whispers with their companions. The carved wooden library doors were nearly as grand as those leading into the throne room and echoed the hunting scenes of the stoned-carved frieze that adorned the outside of the castle.
Erid rattled the handle, then gave Lexi a confirming nod. “Locked.”
Lexi wanted to try the handle for herself, but she resisted with a stately nod. She didn't really doubt Erid, but it was frustrating to know that the information she wanted was just out of her reach. Surely her father wouldn't have encouraged her to come if her parents' seasons had been short. Lexi shook off her thoughts with an almost imperceptible shake of her head. Both guards were looking at her expectantly, and the remainder of the night suddenly seemed like an annoying thing to fill. She regretted sleeping through the day, squandering time she might have spent with Tiger— only Tiger had probably spent it with his girlfriend. Lexi turned away from the guards so she could scowl as she walked. Coli seems perfectly nice, and if she makes Tiger happy...Lexi couldn't even finish that thought. She needed a distraction now. Her steps sped of their own accord, turning into an angry march instead of the stately gait of a princess. She hadn't even realized where her storm of jealousy was taking her until she stood in front of Cam's door. Her conscience smote her, and she reached up to touch her lips. She had been kissing Tiger; would Cam know? Lifting a lock of her hair, she held it under her nose. She recognized the faint scent of Tiger. She sniffed her collar, then carefully backed away from Cam's door, stepping lightly. Grateful for her guards' lack of commentary, she hurried back to her room and slipped inside. She quickly changed to the symphony of Clodi's snores, fetched her bag, then walked down to the bathing pool, bruises exposed to the empty halls and the deferential guards who followed in her wake. At the door, she peered inside.
“Raven!” Damus called, motioning her over just as Psyche slapped his arm. They stood in the far corner of the lightly populated pool, Damus lounging while Psyche began to rush through her bathing.
Lexi gave him a tight smile, then stepped back out and shut the door. Maybe she could just take a walk outside, in the frigid dark. Letting out a slow breath, she turned to the g
uards.
“I suppose Limen wants you to follow me in there?”
Erid nodded.
“It isn't necessary,” she asserted.
Both men looked uncomfortable.
“He'll be displeased if you disobey his orders?”
“We'll be docked a meal a day,” Erid admitted. “We get dungeon time if you come to harm.”
Lexi's mouth fell open, but she abruptly closed it. “That seems unduly harsh.” She straightened her spine until she looked down on both men. “I won't allow it. If Limen orders your punishment, I will rescind it.” She started to open the door again, then turned back when both men began to follow her. “You will remain here,” she ordered.
The guards exchanged uneasy glances, but stepped back obediently as Lexi let the door close between them. Psyche was just stepping out of the pool; as she passed Lexi, she flung her wet hair, the cold tresses slapping Lexi's bare shoulder. Lexi's mouth twitched with amusement as she realized Psyche had been aiming for her face, but the petite blonde lacked the height and hair length to deliver her intended insult.
“Sorry,” Psyche lied without turning around.
It was so petty and ineffectual than Lexi found her amusement growing. A genuine smile lit her face as she entered the water.
“Sorry about that. Psyche just can't behave herself...ever,” Damus sighed, drifting to her side.
“I see that.”
“She's not a bad person, she just...” Damus hesitated.
Acts like one? Lexi thought, dunking her head to hide her smirk.
“She's just negatively impacted by royalty,” Damus joked when she reemerged.
Lexi lifted one brow, her glance subtly shifting around her to see if anyone was listening.
“Hmm...as impervious to my humor as you are to Psyche's tricks. That's a shame.”
“Perhaps it is only your subject matter that is the problem,” Lexi suggested, trying to hurry her washing without appearing to do so.
“Maybe.” Damus pursed his wide mouth thoughtfully before speaking. “Mind if I ask you a question?”
Yes. “No.”
“How does this end for you? I heard you rejected Van and the noble in the dungeon, so...are you planning to marry a commoner?”