The Luna Choosing Game

After the confrontation with Mark, I expected to be approached by Nicholas, so I wasn’t shocked when he called me away from the dining room at lunchtime to speak with me privately.

He started walking away from the dining room and I fell in step beside him. Eventually, in an empty

hallway, he turned to face me. A frown was firm on his face.

Mark told me that you and Julian started investigating the underground organization again, despite my

explicit instruction not to.”

“That’s correct,” I said. Maybe I should have denied it. I knew Nicholas only had my best interest at

heart, but that didn’t mean I could roll over to his every whim. He didn’t know all the facts. Maybe it was

time I told him the full truth, I wasn’t sure.

My answer made Nicholas’s face even more severe. This, I imagined, was the face he used to look down those that opposed him politically. It would be intimidating, if I had even an inkling of fear against

him.

“You have to stop, Piper. You must give this up and let it go. You are endangering yourself. I cannot allow that.”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter if I’m in danger. It’s worth it, if it helps bring them down.”

shoulders tensed. “If you would

”

me otherwise, Nicholas,

what about Elva?” he said, voice sharp. “What you are doing

in trouble. Can’t you see that?”

opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “What do you mean?” The hardness in his face

offering myself as much comfort as I could.

understood the depths of my fear, he would see my side of things. I doubted it – he’d always been a stickler for the rules – but

all the time,” I said. “How long will it be before the underground organization comes after her

me so that he was only a mere few inches away. “I

Nicholas? While we’re under your roof? But what happens to

on our own?”

way. I’ll

see that exposing the

for the rest of

He had returned to authoritative prince–mode. Making plans and statements. I knew he meant what he said, but in reality, he had no way of seeing it

to crack his

world, no matter how

me,” I said. “Three years ago,