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.

I had Elva in my lap, but she was busy stuffing her

Piper? I heard some truly

and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for

rising in my throat, and left my half of the breakfast uneaten on

pick at.

It took

is, Terry left at some point last

sense of relief and for the first time that

For now, at least, I was safe.

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

but feel Terry’s cold hands on

breath.

my wolf. Who was she? Where had she come from? How had she gotten it? And why was

worse now, somehow, because I would never be able to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had

but it frustrated

would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their abilities. It was the only true way

cowed by Terry, or by Nicholas. I had my own heart and my own

matter what Nicholas condemned, I wouldn’t let him stop me from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to

and Mark, I set off on my

thought to check the empty ballroom. I found him sitting alone on the bottom

to be so isolated or so

on the tile steps, he turned

alone?” I asked him. I had questions and demands, but he seemed almost…

its place

don’t mind company if it’s you,”

eyes at his flirtatious charms and took a seat on the same step he

was also there last night. He had bome witness to the full extent

it wasn’t my fault, as well as to make

Nicholas moved away.

wouldn’t have. But Julian’s being present helped

of my desire

I was still

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