Chapter 368

Nicholas POV

I returned to the living room where Veronica and Julian were helping Elva color. Jessica had already excused herself and gone to bed. Both Veronica and Julian looked up at me and their eyes went wide.

“What happened?” Julian asked.

I wanted to tell him but not in front of Elva.

Instead, I turned to Veronica. “Piper is just cleaning up in the kitchen. Please stay here until she comes out to you. Do you mind watching Elva?”

“I can do that,” Veronica said.

“And me?” Julian asked.

I finally looked at him. I hoped he would be able to tell a lot from my flat gaze and my words, “I’m going to speak with Bridget.”

“Oh, shit,” Julian said and hopped to his feet.

Yeah. He understood what I had meant to convey.

“I’m coming with you,” Julian said, just as I’d hoped.

I kissed the top of Elva’s head. She barely noticed, so entranced with her coloring. Then, with Julian in tow, we started toward the stairs. Along the way, I briefly filled Julian in on the altercation between Bridget and Julian that had happened in the kitchen.

With each step, Julian uttered a new curse word. By the time we reached the top stair, he had gotten quite creative.

In front of Bridget’s room, we knocked. She must have been expecting us – or at least, me. She opened the door right away. Her face was bright when she looked at me. Seeing Julian behind my shoulder though, that brightness dimmed somewhat.

Without a word, she backed into the room and let us enter.

Julian and I stood near the dresser, carefully avoiding the mess of clothes spilling out of her nearby suitcase. Bridget stood nearer the door with her back to it.

“What is this about?” Bridget asked. She continued to smile dully, a look of fake confusion on her face.

“You already know,” I said. I was tired of all her games. It was past time to cut down to the core of the situation.

The look of bland confusion disappears from Bridget’s face in a blink of the eye. Good. Maybe she would stop trying to bullshit us and give us the truth for once.

“Piper got to you, then,” she said. “I knew she would.”

Got to me? What the hell did she mean by that?

“She told me what happened in the kitchen,” Nicholas said. “What you said.”

“And you so quickly believed her?” Bridget’s face suddenly twisted into upset. God, she could do that so quickly, no wonder she had won so many acting awards. She shifted her entire persona in a blink of an eye.

“What happened to us? To our friendship? To make you treat me this way?” Bridget asked. Her bottom lip trembled.

“Damn, you’re good,” Julian said with a low whistle. I was relieved he could see it too, and knew she was lying as much as I did. We’d both had the wool pulled over our eyes with her for far too long.

“You’ve both changed so much,” Bridget said. “When we were boys, you cared so much for me. Can’t you see how Piper has poisoned you against me? You so quickly believe that I am at fault, but what do you really know about her?”

“I know she’s a shitty liar,” Julian said. “She’s a terrible actress. Unlike someone else I know.”

“She is deceiving you,” Bridget said. “She’s good at pretending to be bad.”

“I dated Piper at the Academy,” I said. “I saw every side of her. She is no liar, much less a natural one.”

Bridget stood firm. “She has deceived you for a long time.”

“Bridget, stop,” I said.

“You really are just embarrassing yourself,” Julian added. “I’ve seen the tape of how you abandoned Piper on the island. Dear mom and dad might be shield you in the public’s eyes, but they can’t save you from my own.”

“Mine either,” Nicholas said. “Your behavior since you came to us has been unacceptable.”

“You are letting your foolish affections for that commoner affect your judgement,” Bridget said.

“Instead of asking what happened to us? What happened to you? This person you are now… the vicious snake… is nothing like the girl we grew up with,” Julian said. “Did life as a superstar not suit you?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Bridget said. “I am the same.”

So much for honesty, then. I doubted we’d get anywhere with Bridget like this. Whatever reasons she had to become the way she was were locked up inside of her and in a past she wasn’t willing to share. I couldn’t waste anymore time trying to unlock those secrets, not when they didn’t affect any outcome.

Bridget had done terrible things since she came here. Whether out of love or affection for me or not, those actions could no longer continue without consequence.

“Bridget,” I said. “Let me say this plainly so that there is no confusion.”

She looked at me with her full attention. Julian did too, curious.

“You will never be my Luna,” Nicholas said. “Even if Piper goes her own way and does not becoming my bride, you still have no chance. For as long as I live, you will never wear a crown.”

Julian whistled, impressed. “Yeah, you can double that for me. You’ve turned into a real piece of work. It’s a shame, to be honest.”

Bridget looked at us both. Her innocent demeanor slowly faded away. And in its place was an overconfident coldness that almost seemed… detached.

“Bold words from two little princes,” Bridget said. “But I’m going to go ahead and not let myself be too disappointed. After all, how much of this is really up to you?” She grinned. “After all, the King and Queen get the final say, don’t they?”

Like hell they would, if their decision was for me to make Bridget my bride.

I opened my mouth to say so, when I heard a scream from the hallway.

“Nick-lass! Nick-lass! Where are you?!”

My stomach dropped at once. That was Elva!

I met Julian’s wild eyes with my own for only a brief moment before we both rushed to the door. Bridget dodged out of the way. In the hallway, I bent down and scooped Elva into my arms.

She’d been wandering the hallway alone… The guard who had been outside of Piper’s door had moved to help her, but she was crying for me. Fat tears streaked down her face.

“What is it, Elva? What’s wrong?” I asked. Where was Veronica? Where was Piper?

“The s-scary man…” was all she managed to get out.

I handed her to Julian’s waiting arms.

“I got you,” he whispered into her hair. “No one will hurt you.” To me, he said, “Go, Nicholas! Now.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I turned and ran down the stairwell. The back door was open. I rushed that way, with the guard following closely behind.

Outside, I first saw Piper – alive, upright, pale but okay. I exhaled.

Then I noticed Veronica. And from there, I spotted the crumbled up merfolk man at their feet.

Prince Ronan.

How the hell had he gotten here?

To hell with worrying about that right now. My wolf was raging. I had to make sure Piper was safe. I ran to her and pulled Piper into my arms. She trembled like a leaf under my touch, which made me hold on tighter.

I was strong. I could hold us both together, even with the fear gripping like a vice at my own heart.

“What the hell?” Bridget said as she stepped out onto the deck. She must have followed me down here.

Ronan groaned from the ground, stirring at the sound of her voice. He lifted his head, peeked open his eyes.

“My… beloved?”