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.

me. I had Elva in my lap, but

heard some truly terrible rumors.”

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

swallowed down the bile rising in my throat, and left my half of the breakfast uneaten

to pick

It took great strength to keep my

“Word is, Terry left at some point last night and returned to his own mansion.”

a sense of relief and for the first time

For now, at least,

my mind,

for the day. I couldn’t help but feel Terry’s cold hands on me or smell his terrible alcohol–laden

breath.

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

to find the answers. Not since Nicholas had forbad Julian and me from continuing our investigation. 1

and for the kingdom, but it frustrated

organization was exposed, it would protect people like me from ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their abilities. It was the only true way to keep Elva safe.

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

innumerous other souls out there who just

seeing Elva safely into the care of her nanny and

palace before I thought to check the empty ballroom. I

him to be so isolated

tile

had questions and demands, but he seemed almost…

his look of vulnerability faded. In its place

don’t mind company if it’s

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

last night. He had bome witness

to tell me it

Nicholas moved away.

wouldn’t have. But Julian’s being

the circumstances of my desire much quicker.

I was still

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