Nathan waved Elva and I forward, close to the edge of the front stair. “Now introducing,” Nathan said. “Piper and her daughter Elva.” The polite applause abruptly ceased. In its place, whispers and murmurs erupted in the room. “Mommy?” “It’s okay, honey. Just remember, you are a princess.”
Without thought, I placed my hand in Nicholas’s waiting one, and let him tug me away from Julian’s arms and into his own. He was good at leading, even more so than Julian. Watching him, trusting his guidance, I didn’t need to count my steps anymore. I simply followed him as we danced around the ba
No, that was a foolish notion. He was kind to Elva because he was a kind person. At the end of the day, Elva and I were going to be eliminated from the competition. We’d leave the palace, return to our little apartment with Anna, and never hear from Nicholas again. We’d probably see him on televis
My throat went dry. “Your Majesty, I had no intention of –” “Whatever your intention, you have still insulted me,” the Queen said. I straightened at the shortness of her tone. I was terribly confused. What had I done that was offensive? Was it because Julian, Nicholas, and I had broken the ord
The girls around me were freshening up their Merfolk language. Some were fluent. Others, less so. Though most seemed to have a baseline knowledge. My grasp of the Merfolk language was rusty, at least. I vaguely recalled some lessons during my days at the Academy, but that felt like so long ago now
In the werewolf tradition, he wore a tuxedo, though with a blue shirt rather than white. His eyes were deep red as they focused on me. “Ambassador Zale, may I present Piper,” Mark said. Well, it was now or never. Trust Mark, and presumably Nicholas, or take the chance myself. Reaching up, I
Nicholas I had no idea why I decided to help Piper. She had betrayed me in the past. By all accounts, I should have been pleased to see her fail. Yet, when I stood outside the sitting room and heard Lena suggest the traditional punishment for Piper, I couldn’t stand idly by and do nothing. The
Unfortunately, Lena also had the Queen’s favor. I had to be careful here, lest I risk offending my own mother. “I have questions,” I said. Lena dipped her head. “Of course. I live to serve, sir.” Behind me, Mark quietly snorted in disbelief. He quickly covered it with a cough. Lena glared at