The Luna Choosing Game

“No,” Nicholas said.

Julian, still bowing, shot him a glare. “I wasn’t asking you, brother. In case that wasn’t obvious.”

1

“She will not dance with you, because she is about to dance with me.” Nicholas said.

Julian straightened upright. “Is that what was happening here? Because, to me, it appeared as if you two were awkwardly standing near each other and only barely talking.”

That description didn’t sound so different from some of the royal dances I knew, but I decided not to

point that out.

“Even if we were only talking, you must admit how exceedingly rude it is to interrupt,” Nicholas said.

“Rude, maybe,” Julian said. “But necessary, if I’m to save Piper from an evening of boredom.”

“Perhaps we should ask the lady to choose for herself,” Nicholas said. He looked at me.

Julian did too. “Well, Piper? Which of us will it be?”

his presence. I’d given him quite the shock

pairs of eyes pressing down onto me. One pair belonged to Linda, who downed an entire champagne flute while glaring

The King v

me under the intensity of his

Linda’s ultimatum.

chance either way. So I held out my hand

hand in

a moment, a touch of surprise widening his eyes. “Piper?”

sharpened. “Wouldn’t want the whole

jealous you are.”

Nicholas schooled his features. “I’m not jealous.”

even though it had no real reason to. Nicholas and I did not

jealous, and I had no right to

fooled me.” Julian tugged on my hand, pulling me out onto the dance floor. As he held my hand with one of his, he wrapped his other

steps were simple. I was able to keep up fairly easily. With Julian twirling me around the dance floor, I noticed Linda and the

and me with an unreadable expression. His eyes never left us for long, even as other

and I braced myself for whatever observation he was about to make. “You and Nicholas disappear for a time. Then when you return, he

swallowed thickly. “I don’t know what you