She stalked toward Xander with eyes on him like a hunter. She stuck out her hand without her gaze wavering in the slightest.
“Wonderful to meet you, Xander,” she said firmly.
Xander shook her hand, which didn’t feel at all like a dead fish. It was hard for a woman, which he really liked. He knew from the very first interaction with Harper that she would jump into the line of fire to protect Lexi.
That was comforting.
“And it’s splendid to meet you,” Xander said, shaking back just as firmly.
Once introductions were finished, Harper returned downstairs to finish getting updated on the pack and city situations with Stephen before they both signed off for the night. Lexi sauntered over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist like he was a tree trunk.
Her scent, her eyes, and the pressure of her breasts against his chest were all enough to make him dizzy with rapture.
“I have an idea for that job you requested,” he said, leaning into her hair and taking in a deep whiff of her scent.
She rested her chin on his chest, eyes as bright as the fire burning beyond them.
“Oh?”
“Yes, if you’re still up for it tonight, I would like you to meet our healers. They are just around the corner from the palace. Believe it or not, they prefer the darkness of the night to fraternize.”
Lexi laughed, then ran her hands up and down Xander’s back. She pressed her pelvis into his, and he knew it was going to be even more difficult to keep his hands off her tonight.
“Let’s go then,” she whispered.
Since Lexi was used to the company of witches, Xander didn’t concern himself with informing her about the way the healers on his land approached new people, or even him as the king, for that matter. They walked in the darkness with their lanterns to a hut a short distance from the palace. The crescent moon-and-fog-lit path was an enticing image.
Lexi was a sight in her light hooded cape, still wearing the magnificent blood-red dress that hugged her curves like it was painted on. She paid no attention to him when they arrived at the dwelling, the swell of her breasts moving up and down, so appetizing in the moonlight.
He told his wolf to take it easy for the time being.
Xander led the way, introducing Lexi to the three healers who worked for the city and especially for the palace. They all regarded her with respect, but not any more than usual. It didn’t matter to them that she was the future queen, but that didn’t seem to bother Lexi at all.
“All right, if you have witch blood, then let’s see what you’ve got,” the head healer grumbled.
The young head healer held out her hands to Xander, who gave a confused frown. The healer was impatient, though, snapping her fingers at him with wide eyes and an irked tone.
“Give me your hand, My King,” the healer said. “If you trust your future queen, you will give me your hand.”
He looked at Lexi, smirking, who bit her lip with excitement. He then offered the healer one of his hands, who took it aggressively and swiped it with a tiny blade.
Xander pulled back instinctively, but the healer held tightly. Blood pooled at the center of his palm, with Lexi watching closely. Her eyes burned into him, fascinated and entirely unafraid.
The healer gazed at Lexi and nodded. Lexi then lifted both her hands, taking Xander’s palm between her own. She locked eyes with him, her swimming emerald lakes captivating him in a dream he never wanted to wake from.
Then, shades of the color of the skies in the Arctic during an Aurora Borealis began emitting from beneath Lexi’s palms. Xander saw them in his peripheral vision as sparks flew from Lexi’s eyes, then snapped to look at them, his heart slamming inside his chest.
“It’s okay,” Lexi whispered. “Trust me.”
In a moment of intense intimacy, Lexi pressed her palms tightly against Xander’s tiny wound. The colors softly swirled into his hand, and a cloud of angelic smoke billowed, a small fizz of light moving upward like lightning over his skin. He couldn’t see it as she had her hands pressed against him, but he could feel the slice being sewn shut.
Lexi let him go a few seconds later, and the anxiety pumping through his heart ceased. He turned his hand to face him, astonished by what he could see.
“Wow,” he muttered.
His hand looked like a blade had never touched it, not even once. He had been healed by his own healers many times after moments of battles, but something about Lexi made it feel different. It felt like lovemaking without being naked.
The healer clapped, albeit a bit sarcastically. Lexi dropped her hands behind her back, bowing her head to Xander and the healer.
