Lexi Monarch Read online

  Lexi stared at him a moment, her bemused expression slipping into understanding. “The hickory and clove is your pheromone scent? You signaled me?”

  Talan nodded.

  “Why? I’m not in season.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Talan asked, stepping closer.

  “Yes!” She pointed emphatically over her shoulder. “No wings.”

  Talan looked thoughtful. “I’ve noticed you don’t usually like me to stand close to you or touch you.”

  A slight blush crept into Lexi’s cheeks.

  Talan grinned. “I know you don’t like me. Our little misadventure this morning didn’t help, either,” he added, taking another step towards her until only a few inches separated them. “But I’m very close to you now.” He tipped his head slightly as he watched her lips part to draw a ragged breath. “And you’re not moving away,” he noted, meeting her eyes. “Can you explain that?”

  His hot breath on her face seemed to make her skin tingle and she marveled at the sensation, forgetting his question. Talan watched her a moment, a triumphant smile stealing across his face.

  “Now,” he said, stepping back from her, “I must ask you to excuse me. I need to speak with my father immediately.” He ran off in a happy trot that reminded Lexi of Raven coming home after a long ride.

  Lexi drifted back to the now empty reception room, playing with one of her artfully cascading ringlets until it lost its curl. She winced when she realized what she had done, and tucked the strand behind her ear. Maybe Mother won't notice, she thought. Then the clock chimed the hour.

  “Oh, no,” Lexi murmured, a little crease of panic appearing between her brows. Lifting her long skirts, she ran unsteadily in her dainty red heels.

  The grand dining room was heavily accented in polished copper, giving everything within it a bronze gleam. Even the palest face wore a healthy glow here. Lexi slowed to a graceful walk as she entered, grateful that only a few of their sixteen guests were aware of her mother’s mania for timeliness. Those few tensed at Lexi’s entrance, quickly turning to the far end of the long, rectangular table to observe the Queen’s response. Nostrils flared, her expression bore the promise of a most unpleasant conversation when no one was watching. Lexi took her assigned seat mid-table at Talan’s side, grinning to herself when she realized if she leaned back a bit his large wings completely blocked her mother’s view of her.

  The Queen smiled broadly, if not warmly, at her gathered guests and nodded to her husband.

  “Let’s begin,” her father responded on cue, motioning the servants poised in the corridor to bring out the food. The King glanced quickly to ensure his wife’s attention was elsewhere, then bowed his head for a short moment, his lips moving.

  “Your mother does not look pleased,” Talan whispered, the corner of his mouth drawn up in amusement. Lexi watched its inviting curl until he turned to look at her.

  “I should not have followed you,” Lexi murmured, then turned her head to smile warmly at Juno and Delpha across the table. Delpha’s face still bore signs of tears and her answering smile was half-hearted. Juno ignored Lexi’s smile and stared at Talan with poorly-concealed fury.

  “Why is Juno so angry?” Lexi whispered.

  Talan’s full lips stretched into a merry grin. “She was eavesdropping when I had my father call off the marriage negotiations.”

  Lexi turned her head abruptly to stare at him, her mouth open. Talan chuckled at her sudden lapse of composure. Lexi sat up straighter on her stool and schooling her face to polite interest, turned to engage one of the treasury minister’s twin daughters in conversation. When the fourteen-year-old had finally exhausted her store of anecdotes about her new pony, Lexi turned back to Talan.

  “Are you going to marry Delpha, then?” Lexi whispered.

  “Delpha smells like peas.”

  “Peas are pleasant.”

  Talan cast her a quizzical expression before turning to answer his father, who was seated to the right of the Queen.

  Some time during the meal, Delpha had been apprised of the canceled marriage negotiations, and her countenance was now beaming.

  “What a delicious meal!” Delpha praised no one in particular, adding a twisting flourish as she brought her fork to her mouth.

  “Perhaps if you didn’t eat so much of it, your wings might be more than ornamental,” Juno spat, tossing her long, blonde hair so that it cascaded over her beige forewing.

  Delpha stopped chewing as if she had been stung, then swallowed laboriously. “Well,” she finally said, turning to Juno and speaking softly. “I would be fairly upset if I had lost him, too.”

  “I have not lost him,” Juno hissed, then blushed as Talan looked at her.

  A smile tugged at the corner of Talan’s mouth. He leaned slightly so that his wing grazed Lexi’s bare shoulder and made it tingle. With her breath coming a little too fast, Lexi turned to the treasury minister’s daughter and asked her to retell one of her pony stories. When the meal finally ended, her mother took sharp hold of her arm before Lexi had even stood, and swept her from the room before she could speak. Dragging her into the King’s council chambers, the Queen briskly shut the door.

  “Lord Admiral is under the impression that your season has begun. Is he correct?”

  Lexi shifted uncomfortably, and the Queen relaxed her grasp. “I don’t know,” she answered honestly.

  “No back pain?”

  Lexi shook her head.

  “Words, Lexi. Use them, please.”

  “No, Mother, my back does not hurt,” Lexi said succinctly.

  “Careful of your tone,” the Queen warned, then clicked her nails together. “You will tell me the moment you sense any pain.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  The Queen met her eyes for a moment. “You look very pretty in red.”

  Lexi’s face softened at the compliment, and a little lump formed in her throat. “Thank you.”

  “And don’t be late to dinner again,” the Queen said brusquely, exiting the chambers as rapidly as her formal gown would allow.

  “Could have been worse,” Lexi sighed, smoothing the ruined ringlet behind her ear before hurrying after the Queen.

  In the smaller of the two concert halls, musicians were warming up their instruments as the guests meandered to their seats. Delpha and Juno clustered around Talan; Juno speaking in strident tones. Lexi's Mother caught her eye and nodded to the group with a single raised eyebrow that said, “Fix it.” Lexi nodded and stepped forward.

  “If Talan wants me to go away, I will,” Delpha said sulkily, gazing up at Talan with subdued hope.

  “Of course not,” Talan said easily.

  “But Talan,” Juno purred, slipping an arm through his. “We need to talk.”

  Talan extricated his arm from hers with a pinched smile.

  “The concert is about to begin," Lexi announced, "and the Queen would like everyone to take their seats. Juno, Delpha, I would be pleased if you both would sit next to me.” Lexi ushered the protesting girls to a cluster of three seats near the front.

  Talan grinned after her and claimed a seat near the door.

  The Queen had chosen the works of a new composer for the evening’s entertainment. Though unique, the music was slightly discordant and agitating. Mixed with the heat of the room and her overly-tight bodice, Lexi was soon writhing in her seat. She alternately clenched and relaxed the muscles of her legs in a vain effort to remain outwardly still. Her handkerchief had become increasingly damp as she blotted her perspiring face and neck. Finally, she could endure it no longer.

  Turning to her companions with a pleasant expression, Lexi spoke in an undertone. “Please excuse me.”

  She could well imagine the wrath she would see on her mother’s face, so Lexi kept her gaze focused on the open door and slipped out quickly. The unpleasant music spilled out into the corridor and drove her away. She jogged unsteadily in her impractical shoes until there were no servants or guards in sight. Finally a
lone, she clutched at the tight bodice of her dress in a vain attempt to loosen it, her gait increasing until she ran headlong into the garden. Taking gasps of the cool night air, she sat heavily on a dimly lit bench and lifted her skirt to cool her legs. Kicking off her heels, Lexi's bare feet beat a staccato rhythm against the flagstones.

  “Feeling a little warm?” Talan asked, laughing as he approached her.

  Lexi let out a little shriek, flipped her skirt down, and leapt to her feet.

  “Don’t cover up on my account,” he said, grinning wryly. “You and I are practically engaged anyway.”

  “What?” Lexi demanded, her mind reeling.

  “Your mother has agreed.” He took her hand and she immediately withdrew it. "We are only waiting for your wing birth to make it official.”

  Fury and a sense of futility warred within her, producing a most aggravating result: tears. Lexi quickly dropped her gaze, turning aside to examine a rhododendron blossom.

  Startled out of his smugness, Talan lifted a hand to gently wipe her tears. “Don’t cry, Princess. I will be very good to you. You may not like me now, but in time, we’ll learn to love each other. Until then,” he lifted her chin with a soft caress, “focus on this.” His lips were soft upon hers and hesitant, waiting for a response. When she continued to cry, he kissed her cheeks in the moist paths where her tears fell. Her crying slowly quieted at his touch, his hickory and clove scent heavy upon the air.

  “What about the display laws?” Lexi murmured, her voice still full of tears. “We’re violating them.”

  Talan grinned and kissed her mouth again, pleased to feel her lips move with his. “Actually, until your wing birth, the laws don’t apply.”

  Lexi contemplated that as she returned his kisses, enjoying his arms wrapped tightly around her back. Everywhere he touched her seemed to be on fire, radiating a pulsing heat that shut off her mind and all the objections it was shouting. Reluctantly, she broke away from his mouth to gasp for air, her lungs aching in their bodice-vise while a searing pain wrenched her back. With a suppressed shriek, Lexi collapsed into his arms.

  Talan dragged her to the bench, lying her prone across his lap as he tore at her dress. Cercy’s careful stitches held, so he ripped the sleeves from their seams and tore her bodice open from under her arms, exposing her bare back. At first it appeared terribly bruised, and a panicked thought flashed through Talan’s mind that he had done this. He ran his hands lightly over the darkened skin, feeling her skin pulse under his fingertips. Another swallowed shriek and Lexi’s back split open over her left shoulder blade, clear fluid running across her back, spilling onto his pants and the remainder of her dress. A heavy clump of dark tissue protruded from the opening, steadily growing as it split and lengthened.

  A laugh of wonder escaped Talan’s mouth and he patted Lexi’s head. “You have your left wing set,” he announced, watching as black and orange panels extended out, wet and wrinkled. Lexi only groaned in response, the sound rising into a soft cry of pain as another eight-inch slit burst open over her right shoulder blade and a second clump of dark tissue emerged.

  “I need to move you,” Talan said, carefully sliding her knees to the ground, her head still on his lap as her right wings began to expand. “The worst is over,” he assured her, brushing away damp tendrils of hair that had escaped their elaborate coiffure.

  Lexi panted heavily, trying to lift her head from his lap, but lacking the strength. She could feel the front panel of her bodice askew on her chest, the soft fabric of his trousers meeting her skin. Trembling, she drew one weak arm up to clutch at the remains of her dress.

  “Now we can be married tomorrow,” Talan said, smiling happily as he watched her large wings slowly expand. “And in nine months, you’ll be mother to a king.”

  Lexi moaned softly, feeling the tears once again prick her eyes.

  “Is it still painful?” he asked, softly caressing her face. “Stretch them out a bit and the cramping should go away.”

  Dutifully, Lexi opened and closed her wings, feeling the strange new muscles in her back, and the pull and drag across the air of her lovely new appendages. Shifting her head in Talan's lap, she turned to look at them. Beautiful orange panels, veined and rimmed in black with a white spotted border met her eyes.

  “I have my father’s wings." Her voice was soft, almost reverential as she reached out to touch her dewy forewing.

  Talan chuckled warmly. “Yes you do, but they look rather feminine on you.”

  Lexi smiled and lifted herself weakly off his lap with her free arm, her detached sleeve bunched around her wrist.

  Gently, Talan touched the exposed heavy bruises just above her elbow. “I’m so sorry I did that to you.”

  “You thought I was Tiger this morning, didn’t you?” Lexi asked, shakily teetering to her feet.

  A look of confusion crossed Talan’s face.

  “The stable boy? Remember you broke his nose two years ago?”

  “You mean the one who always followed you around?” Talan asked, a look of irritation flickering across his face.

  Lexi let out an angry breath. “He was my best friend; he wasn’t following me.”

  “You shouldn’t be making friends with servants, Lexi. I won’t have that in my household.” Talan shook his head as he removed his jacket and helped her put it on. “Tell the stable boy to keep a respectful distance from now on.”

  “Is the Mating Mountain far enough?” she asked wryly, jamming her shoes back onto her feet with enough force to send one skittering across the paving stones.

  “That will do,” Talan conceded with a returning smile. He recovered her shoe and placed it before her with a bow. “Now, my dear Princess, how do I get you back to your room without parading you by your mother’s guests?”

  Glaring at him, Lexi slipped on her shoe, noting the way her leg still trembled as she did so. She would be wise to accept his help. “This way,” Lexi conceded, pointing. Out of necessity, she allowed him to take her arm as they passed through the blossoming garden. “You did think I was Tiger. It was him you meant to hurt.”

  Talan shrugged. “Not him necessarily. Just a stable boy with no business riding the King’s horses, especially bareback, and at a gallop,” he said, patting her arm. “That was dangerous, you know. You should have obeyed your mother.”

  Lexi clenched her fists, feeling her manicured nails press into her skin. “But riding makes me happy.” A deep sorrow settled over her as she realized she had taken her last ride.

  “You’ll find new things to make you happy. I would miss riding, myself, if flying weren’t so exhilarating.”

  Lexi stopped in the abandoned hallway to work her drying wings, then tried to lift off the floor.

  Talan laughed. “You won’t be able to fly yet.” He watched her a moment, concern flickering across his face. “I’d prefer if you didn’t fly at all.”

  Caught completely by surprise, an unladylike snort escaped her. “You’re joking.” Her wings stilled as she tried to read his face.

  “You’re the last hope for a male heir, Lexi. You have to be careful.”

  Lexi’s mouth fell open as she stared at him.

  “But I could compromise. We could fly together, holding hands," he suggested, taking her hand in his.

  Lexi pulled her hand away. “I’ll only get to fly maybe a week of my whole life, and you would take that from me?” she asked, already sensing the answer.

  He turned to her, caressing her face as he spoke. “You’re a princess; your life is not your own.”

  Reaching up, she took the hand he had laid alongside her face and removed it. “I don’t want to be a Princess, Talan.” She gave him a long look. “Thank you for your assistance; I can return to my room alone.” A traitorous tremble vibrated through her legs, but she ignored it, and stalked away from him.

  Chapter Three

  “Cercy!” Lexi called as she stumbled weakly into her room, for once seeing the wisdom of the square doorway as he
r wings easily cleared it. The long walk unassisted had drained her strength. Staggering, she made her way to her bed perversely pleased that she had dismissed Talan, even if she had needed him. She collapsed onto her bed only to feel her wings bend against the soft cushions. Panicked, she stood back up and checked each wing for damage.

  “You hollered, Your Highness?” Cercy drawled as she walked in, then clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh! You’ve gotten your wings! You’re all grown up now, and only eighteen!” Cercy embraced her, then pulled back to point at the jacket. “This looks like quite a story.”

  “It is,” Lexi assured her, fumbling with the buttons under her wings to remove it. Cercy moved to assist her, then gasped at her tattered dress.

  “Did the owner of the jacket do that?”

  Lexi nodded, letting the story spill out as Cercy helped her remove what was left of the dress and wash. Cercy's frown grew with the telling until her face had settled into a deep scowl. Lexi flinched at the expression, then replayed her wing birth in her head, trying to see it from Cercy's perspective.

  “I know you don’t like Talan because he hit Tiger," Lexi finally ventured.

  “It’s not that he hit my boy, it’s that you don’t like him either. You never have. Just this morning he treated you brutally, and now you’re ready to marry him?!” Cercy finished helping her into a backless nightgown from her wedding trousseau, then carried off the torn dress, muttering to herself.

  “What else can I do? He’s the only available mate, and the Queen has already arranged the marriage!”

  Cercy spun back around, yelling from across the room. “Appeal to your father, that’s what! Tell him what happened this morning and beg him to let you wait for another nobleman to come into season!”

  Lexi sat down glumly on an elegant little stool and caught her face in her hands. “I hate creating strife between them,” she moaned. “She makes life so miserable for him when he disagrees with her.”

  “Fine. Then marry a man you don’t like and have children who turn out just like their daddy,” Cercy retorted and left the room.