The Luna Choosing Game

“How long did you wait, Piper? A week? Two? It couldn’t have been long.”

He sounds like he’s jealous. Or was that an illusion? He doesn’t care about me and is just mad at me.

Maybe the latter is more logical.

His dark eyes burned into me, leaving my heart in scorched tatters. Never in a thousand years would i

have thought Nicholas would be so vicious to me.

“It wasn’t like that.” I said, to try to defend myself.

He crossed his hands over his chest. He wasn’t going to listen to me,

“Why even come here?” he asked me.

“My application was selected…”

“Why even apply? Were you trying to get to me?”

“No,” I said.

“Maybe you regret your child’s father. Maybe you want me back.” He laughed once, bitterly. “Like you

have a chance.”

The words sliced into me as surely as if he’d been holding a knife. He had changed since I’d known him.

Three w

years ago, he’d been kind and patient. I’d given him my heart and he’d gently cradled it. So many

nights, we’d laid under the stars, trading kisses and stories.

Once, when he’d spent all night looking at me, I had told him, “You’re missing the

starlight.”

He’d replied, “I can see it in your eyes.”

The man before me now was nothing like the one I had known. The man here was arrogant, indifferent. and imposing in how he carried himself.

Breaking up with him had never been something I wanted to do. It hurt me still, thinking upon it, so I had tried to push it to the back of my thoughts

on like work, and caring for

he had become, brought all those feelings crashing back into Tome so

+15 BONUS

different now that I couldn’t help but wonder if I was misremembering the past. Maybe he’d never

that

whatever you want,” I said, adding some bite to my own voice.

is a mistake, and I intend to

chill ran along my spine. “You are the only woman who ever dared to break

room, and then out into the parlor. I thought he might slam the door behind him, as enraged as he

Elva continued resting, undisturbed.

hate him. So

He might be a cruel, insensitive bastard but he liked children. He’d been kind to Elva. He didn’t take any of his misconceptions about me

to hate

my knees beside

child. If we had stayed together, maybe he would have revealed his secret in time.

was a

was very far from these golden

was wasting time, staying here. I needed to go

I

on the cushion. I was so drained, from the trip, from seeing Nicholas again, from…

my own eyes slid

Excuse me,

open my

me. I beg your pardon, miss, but the King Luna, and princes have arrived, I suggest you hurry to the parlor at

my eye.

he was already disappearing out of the room. He left the door

watching me with

softest smile. It is. We have to be quiet though, okay?

Luna are talking.”

“Okay”

pulled Elva into my arms and camed

family was standing atop some type of stage The King stood at

Luna on one side. The three princes flanked his

looked older than he did on the bills in my purse.

his voice camed far,

he said, calming the crowd and gaining their attention

event. We are very pleased by your presence and look forward

and whispered something in