CHAPTER FIVE
“Forgive me, Princess. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
I focused a sleepy gaze at the servant girl placing a tray on the dresser, a candle lighting her way. Last night I’d dropped like a rock the moment Freya left, but when images of guillotines and disappointed siblings morphed into agonizing wails and screams for justice I woke and couldn’t face dreaming again. “I wasn’t sleeping.”
“I am Elani. Clothes have been provided in your dressing room. If you have need of anything else, it would be my pleasure to serve you.” The little waif bowed, the golden light of her candle illuminating her as she ducked out in the hall without another word. She reminded me a little of Aust’s mom, always skirting the shadows of Jade’s home, invisible as she delivered a tray of food.
I pushed away all thoughts of Haven and sat up, stretching out some of the night’s kinks. Without a window in the suite, there was no way to gauge the time. The only thing I knew was that I couldn’t lie around any longer. The glorious Golden Haze had worn off, my back was aching, my nerves were thrumming, and my head was spinning. If I didn’t get moving, I might actually peel my skin off my bones.
I would meet my mother today. My mother the queen.
My stomach knotted, the muscles still sore from last night. I revisited Freya’s disgust as I puked on the Queen’s royal hardwood and laughed to myself. I think she got more than she had bargained for yesterday.
Poor Princess Love.
Princess. I sighed. I’d always loved it when Reign called me Princess. It made me feel special. Choosing it as my nom de guerre when I became Talon had been natural too. At Haven and with all my friends, I was Princess. Somehow yesterday that changed. Being called Princess here was almost a slap to the face. From the looks of the people in the city crowd, I had a feeling the last thing I wanted was to be one of their Princesses.
As my feet hit the plush carpet, I leaned over and clicked on a lamp. Maybe Freya was the exception. Maybe the other Princesses were nice, normal girls. They would be my half-sisters not my twin, but that was still good, still a family connection. I scanned the gold-leafed, silk strewn room looking for my bag of clothes. There was no sign of it.
I hadn’t been carrying anything when Freya dragged me out of the townhouse. I bet my stuff was either still there or lost in the courtyard somewhere. Damn. My Jimmy Choo boots were in that bag. Shit. Iadon made me that battle-vest and I’d be damned if someone else would palm my blades.
With new purpose, I walked the mile to my dressing room and opened the double, leaded glass doors. Lavender assaulted both my nostrils and my vision. Wonderful. My life had a theme. Ignoring the invasion on my olfactory glands, I took a lookie-loo in the two dozen drawers built into the wall. Lace, silk, tulle, chenille, more lace . . .
Gods doesn’t anyone workout here?
I grabbed the lavender silk robe from the hanging bar and smiled as I shrugged it on over my black, leopard print underwear. For now, the matching bra was lost with the rest of my clothes. After tying the robe closed I checked to make sure it was long enough to cover the tip of my dagger. Just in case I tugged my thigh sheath up my leg a little higher.
Heading out the door I thought, maybe I should—
A hand gripped my shoulder.
I reacted before I could think. “Oh, shit, sorry.”
Dropping to my knees on the marble tiles, I inspected the kid sprawled outside my door. He wore a brown uniform, different from the soldiers I’d seen yesterday, with a leather sleeveless vest instead of the brass or bronze. Younger than me, probably eighteen or nineteen max, he looked as new as a mint condition nickel. Cute kid, sandy blond with pale sage green skin. He was probably cuter before the split lip.
“Sorry buddy, you scared me. What the hell are you doing sneaking up on people?”
“Uh . . .” He shook his head, blinking shiny moss-green eyes. “Guarding your door?”
I heaved the poor guy to his feet and handed him his weapon. Not the six-foot staff I’d seen in the city, but more like a rune-covered nightstick. “I think I won round one.”
He looked like he was deciding whether to be pissed or amused. I was glad when he chose the latter. “Right you are, Princess.” He stretched his jaw and probed his swelling lip with long fingers. His eyes widened at my robe and took an immediate survey of the crystal and bronze light fixture on the ceiling. “Forgive me. I . . . uh, please don’t report me.”
“Report you? For what?” I shoved my girlie parts back into my robe and tightened the sash. “For scaring the crap outta me or copping a look at my rack?”
The moan that echoed in the corridor was almost as cute as the blotchy scarlet blush covering his cheeks and neck.
I laughed. “No harm done. Not much to look at anyway. What’s your name?”
“Chamber Guard 11.”
I snorted. “Catchy. I take it your mother had a long and painful delivery? Marked from the start, eh? Beaten as a child?”
He chuckled, still studiously surveying the lighting. “Well, no. My given name is Terran.”
“Cool. Well, Terran, since first blood has been drawn, I consider us friends. I need a favor.”
He looked at me, a determined smile forming. “What do you have need of, Princess?”
“Okay, two favors. One, call me Lexi. I’m sick of all this pompous Princess shit. Two, I need me some workout clothes.” Terran’s eyes widened. Maybe he was a bit slow or maybe I’d cracked his egg a little harder than I thought. “You know, yoga pants, spandex, something for morning workouts. I’d give my left nut for some Lulu Lemon.”
He choked, sputtering until he took a few deep inhales. When he had regained his composure, he gestured down the hall. “I’m sure we can find something in the training wing.”
Maneuvering the maze of corridors, we eventually made our way to the training wing. Terran led me to a stack of clothes that reminded me of martial arts gis. Pressed and arranged by size, I picked the smallest one I could find. The drawstring took care of the waist sizing and I cut a foot off the length of the pants and sleeves to complete the tailoring adjustments.
After sheathing my knife, I left Terran standing guard outside the men’s locker room and freshened up. My entire world had flipped on its ass in the past twenty-four hours. I didn’t think an early-morning moment with some hair gel and mouthwash was too much to ask.
Talon warriors trained to compartmentalize pain and confusion. With the warm water of my wipe down bringing me back to center, clarity returned and my determination to find answers focused.
It left me Jonesing for a little hand to hand.
“Why isn’t there a ladies change room?” I asked Terran as he led us out through the staff wing toward the side lawn. “Is that some kind of a male dominance, macho bullshit?”
He chuckled. “Are you always like this, Princess?”
“Like what?”
“Uh . . . head down and horns raised?”
I smiled, liking that analogy. “Call me Lexi . . . and yes.”
“Well.” He jogged ahead and opened the door for a couple women pushing a linen cart. They froze when they saw me and bowed their heads before shuffling off. “You’ll find women here—women of status, I mean—aren’t quite as . . . lively as you. They would never instigate sweating, let alone risk the possibility of bruising skin or mussing hair.”
“Oh, how feminine.” I stuck out my tongue.
He laughed and opened another door. This one led out the far end of the palace to the outside world. After checking if the way was clear the two of us darted for the bronze, metallic wall on the far side of an open-air patio. Terran nodded to the guard posted at the gate. We didn’t seem to garner much interest.
By my experience, guards were more attentive when people were breaking into a palace rather than out. When we made it to the shadows behind the wall Terran relaxed again. I glanced back the way we’d come. Because of the height of the wall, I couldn’t see anything beyond the upper spires and the points where it met the mountain behind.
While I played within my mind, lowering the volume of the ocean hitting the protective field, Terran led us down and around what felt like a labyrinth of utility paths and over the first of the three moats that Estes had told me emulated the city’s rings. The barrier wall edging the one nearest the palace was that same bronze metal I’d seen a dozen times already.
As we walked, I ran a hand over the smooth, sculpted designs etched into the wall, surprised to feel energy surge under my palm. “Cool. What is this made of?”
Terran cast a glance at me rubbing the wall and stopped. “That’s orichalcum. It’s our primary alloy. We use it for building, coins, lady’s trinkets—”
“Weapons?”
Terran shrugged. “Usually not, though I have heard one of the city smiths is forging it strong enough to make a blade. Usually though, it’s too pliable.”
“And why does it pulse like that when you touch it?”
“Beg your pardon?” He arched a sandy blond brow. “Pulse how?”
I dried my palm against my pants and placed it flat against the metal wall again. The same sensation of electrical current wriggled through my hand and up my arm. “I don’t know. It tingles. Like it’s got an active component somehow.”
Terran placed his hand beside mine and shook his head. “I’ve never heard of that. Maybe it likes you and is welcoming you home.”
I laughed and followed him around the gentle arc of the moat’s dividing wall. A rhythmic feminine sigh was coming from somewhere up ahead. It was obvious by the pitch and gasp that someone else was out enjoying the early-dawn seclusion of the staff areas. Terran and I froze as male panting joined the chorus of coitus.
“Oh, Princess,” the man said, “how you intrigue me.”
Cue more of the feminine giggles.
Doubling back the way we came, we hustled down another side path, leaving the dawn lovers to their fun.
“Forgive me,” Terran said, clearing his throat. He kept a solid gaze on the path in front of us. “A poor first impression of life at the palace.”
I snorted. “Please, that was the most like home I’ve felt since I got here. My sister, Jade, married a Highborne Elf. He and his family all prefer to get their grind on in the glory of nature. Tripping into backyard sex is almost a daily occurrence. Voyeurism is unavoidable where I live.”
Not for the first time since Freya found me at the pond, I found myself missing Tham. We had fooled around under the moonlight dozens of times ourselves. Not that Terran needed to know that. I wished I’d sent Tham a text or something before I left. Even with everyone angry at me, Tham would understand why I had wanted to come here. Wouldn’t he?
Yes. Yes, he would. This was my chance to find out who I was. He would get it. If he were here, he would have snuggled in beside me last night and let me cry, scream and fall apart. Then, like the true friend he was, he would’ve dusted me off and kicked me in the ass to keep going.
“May I ask you something?” Terran asked, pausing before an opening to another path.
“Sure, shoot.”
“Did you really not know who you are all this time?”
“Nope. The big reveal yesterday came right outta the blue. I still need the deets about this whole Eligible thing and how that Balor man was my breeder and gave birth to me. I’ve never heard of men bearing children before, but hey if I can avoid pushing out a mini-me, that rocks. I like my boobs right where they are and my vagina can crack walnuts.
When Terran could breathe again, we continued.
“And the other realms? What are they really like? The portals were barred before I was born. I’ve always had a fascination with the forbidden.”
I shrugged. “I’d imagine it’s not that different from here: good guys versus bad and all the life, love and laughter in between.”
Terran nodded. “But the Modern World, the vehicles, their sense of abandon, their vernacular—it’s amazing.”
“You’re crazy. The best thing about the Modern Realm is shopping. Hands down.” I thought about the party supplies I’d imported for my Bacchanalia, things I might not get to use now. Was Julian right? Had it been selfish to want to have an amazing birthday? Had I really risked exposure?
As we continued to stroll, Terran and I fell into an easy step. “Was it terrible, Princess? Being raised in the Realm of the Fair? Everyone seems so horrified that you were taken from Attalos, but I think it must have been thrilling.”
We turned a corner and headed toward the sheer wall of the mountain attached to the back of the palace. I ran my fingers along the arcing design of the orichalcum wall and sighed. “It’s bizarre really. I mean, obviously, I love my family and my life, but I never quite fit. I don’t think you really can when you don’t know who you are.”
I looked down at myself and laughed. “I’m obviously not human. I’m short, stronger than almost any man and have an unquenchable almost obsessive thirst for all the good stuff in life: fighting, drinking and fucking.”
Terran choked again and I pounded him on the back.
“So, I knew what I wasn’t, but it didn’t matter to anyone I cared about what or who I was. They accepted me. Lexi, daughter, sister, friend, fighter or teacher, it didn’t matter.”
The look on my siblings’ faces last night triggered a tightening in my gut. Well, I thought they’d accepted me.
“What is it that you teach?” Terran asked.
“Strategic assault, weapons mastery, anything to do with kicking someone’s ass. Likely nothing anyone here would approve of.”
Terran frowned. “No, but it just might keep you alive.”