The Luna Choosing Game

Nicholas

I had no idea why I decided to help Piper. She had betrayed me in the past. By all accounts, I should

have been pleased to see her fail.

Yet, when I stood outside the sitting room and heard Lena suggest the traditional punishment for Piper, I

couldn’t stand idly by and do nothing.

The thought of Piper kneeling out in a storm, soaked, chilled, and miserable sent an unfamiliar tremor of

rage through me.

I didn’t feel strong emotions like that anymore, not since I turned off my heart three years ago. But this

hot anger had been enough to melt through my emotional freeze.

I couldn’t be detached, not with this.

Ambassador Zale had taught the royal family the secret Merfolk greeting only a few hours before. The

timing had been peculiar, almost as if he had expected us to utilize this new knowledge to help the girls

with the challenge, if we so wished.

I hadn’t intended to teach the greeting to anyone. But that had been before the Queen threatened Piper

over something as trivial as glove length.

An insult to the royal family, the Queen had said. Unlikely. She had always been fickle with such frivolous

to such an extent that she would exert

purposeful, like Piper was

simply by being here,

cruelty made my insides

hoping to earn the favor of our kingdom’s

not

mind, I could almost pretend

to gamer goodwill with

heart knew the truth. I sent Mark to teach

wanted to

her dance with Zale while everyone else in the room stared in either shock

myself to feet

+15 BONUS

danger. This left me time to ponder over other concems. Mainly, why didn’t

know, but we had assigned knowledgeable maids to each of the girls precisely to prevent these kinds

been the one to suggest the harsh

her behind the thrones, but she was gone from her usual position near the

my side with a satisfied look on his face. I nodded approvingly.

always.

how quickly he could

looking for

“Lena,” I said.

toward a discreet servant’s door in a comer of the ballroom.

sir.”