Chapter 151

“It’s fine,” I said. “I got away before anything truly bad happened.” At his insistence, I then proceeded to explain exactly what Terry had done.

“He tried to touch you,” Nicholas growled. “He did touch you.”

“I left before anything could happen. I got myself out of that situation.”

After cleaning his wounds, I wrapped his hand in a sanitized white bandage. He held himself very still for me, though I could feel the tension buzzing under his skin.

The moment I fastened the bandage, securing it, he pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me.

“I should have been there,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“You can’t be there every minute. Besides he was so subtle about it, even Julian didn’t notice.”

Nicholas hummed, a deep rumble I felt in his chest against my ear.

“I’m worried,” I said. “Stepping out like that was not the most tactful move. My standing is sure to suffer.”

“You protected yourself,” Nicholas said. “That is the most important thing.”

To him, maybe it was. But I wasn’t as sure about myself. Elva needed the medicine and treatment only the palace could provide. Any loss of standing, any risk of being removed, was a danger to her.

Still, I wrapped myself in the comfort of his worry for me, and let it help build my courage. I would protect Elva. I would do anything for her. But I didn’t need to sacrifice myself to Terry.

At least, not yet.

“We should get back,” I said. “We can’t risk looking too suspicious.”

Nicholas lowered his face down into my neck, where he breathed me in for a long moment. Then, reluctantly, he released me.

As we returned to the dining room, he stayed very near my side, not touching but never more than an inch away.

As we approached the table, I noticed that Julian had moved into my seat.

“You don’t mind, do you, Piper?” Julian asked, eyes alight with mischief. “This makes it so much easier to talk to Joyce.”

“Of course not,” I said, and moved to Julian’s old seat, which now placed me across the table from Terry.

Nicholas pulled back my chair for me, then pushed me in as I sat. When I was comfortable, he lowered himself in the chair beside me.

Terry glared at both of us.

A small sense of victory filled me. It lasted only a moment, long enough for Terry to stretch out his arm and wrap it around the back of Susie’s chair.

Susie instantly paled.

My heart leapt into my throat. Susie was quiet and self-conscious. I didn’t know if she would have the confidence to stand up for herself against Terry’s flirtatious onslaught.

Terry leaned into her and whispered something into Susie’s ear. Susie tried to lean away, but Terry brought his arm around her and locked her into place.

Her eyes were wide and panicked. She stared at her empty plate like it might offer help.

I kept my gaze on Terry’s hands. So far they were both visible. If one so much as slipped out of view for a second, I was going to jump across the table and throttle Terry, standings be damned.

I knew, deep down, that Terry was only flirting with Susie to get to me. This must have been his backup plan all along, if I showed any kind of resistance. He somehow knew we were friends and plotted to use that knowledge against me.

I hated him deeply, almost as much as I hated myself for getting Susie caught up in all this.

The empty entrée plates were taken away, and in their place, a desert was brought in. It was cheesecake, smothered in a rich-looking chocolate sauce. If I’d had any appetite at all, I would have gobbled it in a flash. As it was, I was struggling to keep my lunch down.

Susie, apparently thrilled with the distraction, leaned forward to eat her cheesecake. After the first bite, Terry stopped her by raising his napkin.

“My dear, you have a touch of chocolate syrup right here…” He tabbed the napkin to the corner of her mouth. Susie went still as a statue.

I moved, ready to stand and do something, when Susie looked across the table at me and met my gaze. Subtly, she shook her head no. She was telling me to stop.

But why? To protect me? To protect us both if our standings should suffer?

Terry shouldn’t be allowed to treat people this way.

I looked at Nick, and his face was grim. He wasn’t eating either, simply glaring at his uncle.

Terry smirked. “Are you enjoying your dessert, dear?” Terry asked Susie in a low, sultry voice that made my skin crawl. “Go ahead and eat more. I’m right here, ready to help clean you up if you make a messy.”

Susie’s hand shook as she cut off another portion of cheesecake. She lifted it halfway to her mouth, but then lowered it instead.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

“Is it not to your liking?” Terry asked. “You wouldn’t want to upset my chef.”

“I’m sorry,” Susie said again. She offered no more explanation, even after Terry waited.

Eventually, though he looked disappointed, he said, “Suit yourself.”

After dinner, the candidates and guests were brought into a sitting room to socialize. The princes were called in to give more interviews with the camera crews.

Coffee and tea were served, but I declined both.

I sought out Susie and found her alone in the far corner of the room, looking for all the world like she hoped she could disappear.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “He is vile.”

“Did he touch you?”

She shook her head. “No more than you saw.”

That, at least, was a small relief.

“Susie, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. He’s only going after you to get to me…”

“I know that,” Susie said. She looked up at me, and though there was fear in her eyes, there was something like conviction too. “He doesn’t actually want me. I’m just a ploy. If he keeps his attention on me, then he might leave you alone.”

“I will not let you sacrifice yourself—”

“He won’t actually touch me,” Susie said. “It’s you he wants.”

She seemed certain of that but I was incredibly less so. Susie was shy, but she was beautiful and sweet. Terry might not want her long term, but I highly doubted he wouldn’t still try to claim – and ruin – her if the opportunity presented itself.

Especially since he knew it would hurt me.

Yet before I could express any of that to Susie, Terry approached us.

“Susie, my dear,” he said, and though he said it so charismatically, words smooth like honey, it absolutely turned my stomach.

It must have done the same for Susie. She visibly flinched.

“I would like to invite you on another tour,” Terry said. He was purposefully ignoring me.

“We already went on a tour,” I said.

He didn’t even glance at me. “This one would be much more private and… personal. You would have all my attention, Susie. Wouldn’t you like that? I’m sure it would improve your standing.”

Susie sunk into herself, making herself small. Even so, I could see the cogs behind her eyes turning. She was actually considering this!

She must have wanted to protect me. She must have actually believed that he would leave her alone.

I knew better. I was half-ready to grab her hand and keep her by my side with force, if necessary.

Finally, Terry slid his gaze to me. “That is, unless Piper would like to go in your stead?”