But suddenly her words fall away when she turns her head and looks up into Anton’s face, her own the picture of shock. “Anton!” I gasp, realizing that Laila was expecting a glowing white and blue wolf and standing in front of her is a white and blue boy. “You weren’t supposed to shift!” “Oh god
“I wasn’t quite brought from home,” Anton says with a little shrug, smirking at Laila and clearly enjoying himself. “But I wasn’t called up, either.”“Then where did you come from?” Laila asks, looking at him with her wide eyes. Her dark brown irises, I note with curiosity, are larger than mine or a
Nothing happens.“You have to tell the Palace where you want it,” Laila murmurs, lifting a forkful of seafood to her mouth. “Or else it will just appear somewhere in the room and you have to go find it. Also, you don’t have to raise your voice.”“Fun,” Anton murmurs, looking back to me, his eyebrows
“Oh yes,” Anton murmurs, nodding sagely. “One of those. Please, tell us more.”I glance at Anton, again rolling my eyes because I know that he’s as ignorant as I am. He gives me a little smirk before we both turn our attention back to Laila.“It was a deal,” Laila says, taking a sip of her sea water
“Oh, Juniper,” Laila says, tilting her head sympathetically at me. “That was…a bad deal.”“Yeah, that’s clear now,” I mutter, displeased as hell with myself but considering that it was really my only choice. If my family had been involved they’d have laughed Nic and his offer out the door. Dad might
“Damn,” Anton murmurs, tapping his fingers soundlessly on the table while he processes everything Laila just said. “That is…that is definitely not the bedtime stories I was told as a child.”“Oh,” Laila says, turning to him with wide-eyed interest. “What kind of stories did you have?”“About a mouse
All Contestants are hereby invited to attend the Beauty Trial this evening, escorted by their Heralds. Please wear only the enclosed garment and prepare yourself to be judged by your physical charms. The lady who least appeals to the Prince will be Eliminated at the end of the week.“What the hell?”
I turn away then, cursing swiftly and thoroughly, a newly fervent hatred burning within me.Behind me, I hear Anton murmuring very nice things to Laila, comforting her and trying to make her laugh. But even if I do wish I was as good a friend and person as he, my anger takes hold, my wolf prowling a