I went carefully still. Oh, I was starting to see now, where his anger came from. Dating a commoner was one thing, a mistake that could be easily forgotten, but for a noble and a commoner to share a child was a grave error that usually ended in someone’s untimely demise. The King leaned forward in
The King’s whole face went pale for a beat, and in the next, he became very red, like he might explode. Julian let the lie linger for far longer than was comfortable, until the King seemed like he might choke to death on it. Then Julian laughed, and said, “Just kidding! Nicholas isn’t the father
“He’s saving your bacon, Piper. Elva’s too. By publicly decrying this theory, he’s giving you a shield. The King can’t touch Elva now without public uproar.” Oh. I looked back at Nicholas in awe. I had suggested the public statement before, but for him to continue that idea, to protect us… My ches
“It wasn’t what it looked like,” I said on reflex. “You said before what you felt for Julian wasn’t serious,” he said. “It’s not.” Nicholas crossed his arms. His jaw tightened and he didn’t say anything else. I didn’t know what else to say, how to ease his worries, than to tell him the truth
It was much more difficult than I’d been expecting. I’d already gotten stuck twice. Susie was a patient teacher though, and kept a level head. She only giggled a bit when I’d fallen onto my backside, and not laughed outright. Plus, she helped me up right after. Nearby, the wolves Night and Silve
For a moment, I sat there in shock, looking at Elva and her wide, earnest eyes. Nicholas wasn’t exactly the last person I thought she’d say. He had been visiting her a lot lately; he always seemed to make time for her. But I would have thought Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny would have taken highe
One of the girls came close to me, peering at my selection. “Huh. I feel like you could have done better, Piper.” She was mocking me, which I would not dignify. “I’m quite proud of this actually.” “My friendly advice?” she said, smirking at me. I was fully prepared to ignore her, until I saw the
Nicholas’s mouth was so close. As I looked at it, he licked his lips. I licked mine in reply. We leaned closer, closer, dangerously close…Then the oven timer dinged.We immediately straightened, snapping away from each other. Nicholas turned, coughing into his hand.I reached for the oven mitts and