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.

argue, Susie turned in her seat to face me. I had Elva in my lap, but she was busy stuffing her face

okay, Piper? I heard some truly terrible rumors.”

concern. I felt hungover some, with a cloudy head and tired eyes, but otherwise okay Except for my continued embarrassment over my body’s reaction to Nicholas the

my throat, and left my half of the breakfast uneaten on the plate

pick

I asked. It took great strength to

point last night and returned to his

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

For now, at least,

continued to linger in my mind, even as

help but feel Terry’s cold hands on me

breath.

was she? Where had she come

would never be able to find

and for the kingdom, but it frustrated me that

ever being manipulated into giving away their wolves and their abilities.

Nicholas.

from protecting my daughter or any of those innumerous other souls out there who just wanted to do the

into the care of her nanny and Mark, I set off

before I thought to check the empty

to be so

heard the click of my heels on the tile steps, he

be alone?” I asked him. I had

and his look of vulnerability faded. In its place was the same

if it’s you,” he said.

a seat on the same

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

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

Nicholas moved away.

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

the circumstances 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