The Luna Choosing Game

By the next morning, the drug had worked its way through my system and I felt like my old self again. I

went down to breakfast, where I was reunited with Elva, who had stayed with Susie the night before by

order of Nicholas.

I was grateful for his foresight. Mortified as I was by my actions and sounds, I was at least spared the

embarrassment of explaining any of this to Mark or the nanny myself. Or worse still, to Elva..

A thought so stomach–churning, I dared not even think of it.

So when I did finally greet her, it was with a tight hug and big smile, the same as always.

Susie and I didn’t always sit together, but we chose to that morning. There were still many empty chairs with the previous elimination, and I was feeling vulnerable from what had happened the night before. I needed my friends.

Around us the girls were chattering about the curiousness of the evening’s events. Terry was to be one of the main judges of the night, but he never came to ballroom.

Also as curious, both Nicholas and Julian disappeared sometime in the night, only to reappear this morning, one with a black eye and the other with an injured hand.

“You don’t suppose the princes got into a fight with each other?” one of the girls asked.

“No,” Lilliana said flatly. “He is too mature to take part in such childish antics.”

“Julian does love to tease,” said someone else.

“Not enough to tempt a prince away from his decorum,” Olivia added. “Prince Nicholas been around Prince Julian for years. He’s surely built up a tolerance.”

“Well, then what happened with Sir Terry?“”

“Maybe he started the fight,” someone said, and another laughed. A third shushed them.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Olivia said, rolling her eyes.

they continued to argue, Susie turned in her seat to face me. I had Elva in

Piper? I heard some

and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s reaction to Nicholas the

left my half of the breakfast uneaten on the

pick at.

Terry left the grounds?” I asked. It took

some point last night and returned to

me with a sense of relief and for the first time that day, I took in and exhaled a deep

now, at least, I was

continued to linger in my mind, even as we broke from eating to

I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s

breath.

the black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had she come from? How had she

many unanswered questions. It felt worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me

was only worried for me and for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that he could

being manipulated into giving away

I wouldn’t be cowed by Terry, or by Nicholas. I had my own

of those innumerous other souls out there who just

into the care of her nanny and

the empty ballroom. I found him

like him to be so isolated or so reflective.

of my heels on the tile steps, he turned back to look at me.

you want to be alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost… lost sitting there.

its place was the same sort of cocky expression

if it’s you,”

charms and took a seat on the

was also there last night. He had

the decency both to tell me it wasn’t my fault, as

Nicholas moved away.

have taken advantage. He wouldn’t

of my desire much quicker.

I was still

angry about it. I did have desire for Nicholas. I had wanted him to kiss me on the balcony. In time, I might have wanted to have him do