Parker eyed Andrew’s torn and disheveled appearance but nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. Anything else?” “No. That will be all.” “Very well, Your Highness.” Parker bowed and stepped aside to let us walk hurriedly to Andrew’s private quarters. With as big as the mansion was, I was jus
By the time I got to work the next day, Andrew had told me that everything was taken care of. Any witnesses who might have recognized us, any fingerprints that could have been used to identify us, any clue that we had even been at The Masque last night had been figuratively buried. That was the magi
I knew that Jeffrey was right. No matter how I was going to get out of this, it would only be with Andrew’s help. I didn’t want to get Andrew involved, but he was already involved; in fact, it was as much his problem as it was mine. I looked from Jeffrey to the door and back again. “Can you
The guards grabbed Thomas by the arms. He did not put up a fight. He continued to stare at me, his intelligent eyes calculating, as they dragged him toward the SUV that had pulled up. “Think about what I said,” he told me. “Think about the other Lunas.” I shivered, though from the weather or fro
“Hello, Crystal! Let me check.” There was the sound of clicking on the keyboard, and then a humming came across the phone. “I am sorry, but we do not seem to have an order for you.” “What? Are you sure? It would have been made by Fabian Gallo.” “Yes, I am sure.” “Well, is there any way tha
Now that Fabian’s feelings were known, his efforts to undermine my authority seemed to triple. In a week, he ignored—or half-assed—every request I made of him. Even most of the other employees were getting tired of him because they had to pick up his slack. When I complained to Lily, she took Fabi
“Yeah. It’s wild, isn’t it?” Terri said from behind the counter. “Especially why he got fired.” I set my bag behind the counter. “What do you mean?” “You didn’t hear? I would think you of all people would know.” Terri’s playful smirk confused me more than anything else. “Was it because he
With the problems involving Fabian resolved, I was able to focus on the next big event in my life: Nikolas and Eliza’s wedding. Set to occur that Sunday, it was actually going to be a small event with only a few family members and friends in attendance, but everything had to be perfect. Nikolas and
That night, long after the last of the guests had left for their rooms, Andrew and I returned to the presidential suite to find that the staff had decorated it in preparation for our stay. All the décor, right down to the bed sheets, had been switched out for matching red and gold pieces. The light
Andrew’s eyes met mine as I approached the altar. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. He looked so handsome in his classic black tuxedo that I could hardly wait for after the reception to be with him. As I took my place across from Andrew, I handed my bouquet to Lily. The priestess bega
One month later, I stood in a suite at a private beachside resort, admiring my wedding dress. It hugged my curves in all the right places while still gently brushing against the ground like a low-hanging cloud. Crystals glistened in the room’s fluorescent lights, and the train flowed behind me effor
“Let’s continue this in the bedroom,” I said, breathless. Andrew nodded his agreement. I pulled Andrew to his feet as he stuck the ring box back in his pocket. Then I dragged him back to the bedroom, leading him by the tie. Not that he needed to be dragged; he would have followed me anywhere by th
Andrew texted me and said his flight was delayed by a few errands he had to run, so I waited. And waited. I waited for an entire day, and even began to worry that Andrew had changed his mind. Then I heard a knock at my door. I leapt off the couch and rushed to answer it. Stopping just short of the
Noah left the next day. I took him to the airport, we exchanged a hug and a brief farewell, and then I watched him walk through the gate. That was the last time I ever saw him. With a heavy heart, I returned to an empty apartment. All our furniture and my belongings—what little I still had—were the
Sensing the urgency in Noah’s voice, I leaned in closer. “What is it?” I asked, trying to suppress the anticipation in my voice. Noah’s grip on my hands tightened. “I’m going to study financial law in the human world.” I froze. My heart thumped hard against my ribs, so hard that I thought th
The nightmares did not stop. In fact, they got worse. By the end of that week, I was having at least one every night, and it was showing in behavior during the day. I could scarcely stay awake. At my new branch of Ever After Weddings, I had to sneak off into the breakroom whenever there were no cu
I dreamt of the Lunar Festival. Noah and I walked hand-in-hand through the stalls, enjoying the sparkling lights and the company of our new pack mates. Yet something was off. I could feel a chill in the air, a foreboding that I could not quite shake off. “We should get out of here,” I said, tryi