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.

turned in her seat to face me. I had Elva in my lap, but she

okay, Piper? I heard some truly

her concern. I felt hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment

and left my half of the breakfast uneaten on the plate

pick at.

the grounds?” I asked. It took great strength to keep my voice

at some point last night

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

least, I

continued to linger in my mind, even as

feel Terry’s

breath.

girl in the black dress who seemed to have my wolf. Who was she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten it? And why was she teasing me

to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me from

was only worried for me and for the kingdom, but

the underground organization was exposed, it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their

by Nicholas. I had my own heart and my own beliefs.

stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who

her nanny and

searched through most of the palace before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I

wasn’t like him to be so isolated

click of my heels on the tile steps, he turned back to

want to be alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed

his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the

company if it’s you,” he

a seat on

also there last night. He had bome

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

Nicholas moved away.

Nicholas would have taken advantage. He wouldn’t

of my desire

I was still

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