Chapter 65

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, sorry!”

He pulled me away then, quickly, before the King could recover.

The servant, concerned for his King, rushed to his side, leaving our escape open.

Out in the hallway, Julian pulled out of one royal room and into another. This one wasn’t quite so elaborate, likely a prince’s personal chambers. Yet it seemed far too organized and clean to belong to Julian.

A television was on overtop of a sofa. I thought I heard Nicholas’s voice, but Julian spoke louder and closer, straight in my ear.

“You cannot tell the King the truth about Elva’s birth or the story of your wolf.”

I blinked, surprised by his urgency. He’d switched from mischievous to deadly serious in an instant.

“I have reason to suspect that some of the royalty might be involved in the underground market. We can’t trust anyone. Not my brothers, not the Luna, and not the King.”

“Surely not Nicholas…” I refused to believe that he would have anything to do with what happened to me or Elva.

Julian rolled his eyes. “Of course not Nicholas. But we can’t tell him the truth of our investigation. So we need to keep them all in the dark about everything ever.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. If the King was involved…

What could that possibly mean for the kingdom?

“Give me time. Until I find out who knows what and who is innocent, we cannot let anything slip. Got it?”

I nodded.

“Good.” He pushed a hand through his hair. “God, that was close. He was about to sick those guards on you.”

“I… Elva.” I needed to get to her, right away.

“Hold on.” Julian retrieved his phone. He dialed something, then brought the phone to my ear.

“Prince Julian?” Mark said, his voice stiffer than I was used to. “How may I assist you, Your Royal Highness?”

“Mark, its Piper. Is Elva okay?”

Immediately, his voice softened for me. “She’s here and she’s fine. Why? Is something happening?”

“It’s the King, I… Please don’t let anyone take her.”

“She’s safe with me, Piper. On my life. No one will harm this child.”

The way he emphasized, I could tell he knew what I was asking, and I could hear his reply loud and clear. I could have cried for it.

If the King himself comes through this door, I will still protect this child.

“Thank you, Mark. Thank you so much.”

“It is an honor, Miss.” He coughed. “Though I should tell you, it is also a direct order from Prince Nicholas.”

I breathed in added relief. To have them both on my side, and now Julian too, gave me immeasurable comfort.

But that left one question…

“Where is Prince Nicholas?”

“Piper,” Mark said. “Are you near a TV?”

Julian had wandered closer to where the television blared in the room. He waved me closer. As I did, I slowly lowered the phone to more clearly hear.

Nicholas was sitting on a white chair facing the camera, in a room not unlike the one we had given our shared statement in.

“Unfortunately, with that evidence, I can show you conclusively that I am not Elva’s father,” Nicholas said.

“Unfortunately?” the producer prompted.

“The child is a credit to her mother and her pack,” Nicholas said. “I would have been proud to have her be mine. Alas…” He let the word hang.

“You smart son of a bitch,” Julian said to the television. Any such compliment from Julian to Nicholas was rare, even with an insult attached. I doubted very much he would have said it had Nicholas been in this very room.

I gave Julian a confused look.

“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 chest filled with warmth all of the sudden.

“Do you have any idea who the true father is?” the producer asked.

“I know only that he is the worst kind of coward. A man who refused to stay to support his child or his child’s mother. Why name him and give him the publicity? Let him live in the shadows with his weakness.”

Nicholas spoke with a passion he rarely showed, especially on camera.

Julian whistled. “He’s really nailing this interview. I never knew he had it in him.”

“When he returns, you should tell him so,” I said.

He laughed. “And let it go to his head? The guy has a big enough ego, Piper. Be serious.”

Someday, I wondered if the obvious rift between the two men would ever heal. I also wondered what had caused it to start with. They’d always seemed to hate each other, even when we had all been in school.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Julian said. “Sometimes people just don’t get along. There doesn’t have to be a rhyme or reason or some great backstory.”

I supposed that was true, though it still made me feel very sad for them.

Turning into me, he grabbed both my wrists and shook them back and forth, making my arms waggle.

“Cheer up. We should be celebrating. And we will, as soon as…” He glanced at the television, but the interview was over.

“Julian?”

“Give him a minute.”

I looked around. We were alone in the room. “Who?”

The door opened, and Nicholas walked in. Julian tugged, pulling me forward by wrists into his waiting arms.

“I’m so happy for you, Piper!” Julian said loudly, likely for Nicholas’s benefit.

Nicholas stopped just inside the door. Then he stepped further in and threw his suitcoat down onto the couch.

“What the devil are you doing in here?”

I gasped and tried to break free from Julian, but he squeezed me too tightly for me to wriggle away.

“Julian. Let her go.” Nicholas’s voice was very forceful.

Julian sighed dramatically, but released his hold. I stumbled, suddenly without his constraint. In a flash, Nicholas was behind me, righting me with his strong hands on my shoulders.

“Are you alright?” he asked me.

“I’m fine,” I said.

“Don’t mind us,” Julian said. “We were just excited to see your interview.”

He straightened. “You saw that?” He was looking at me but Julian answered.

“Yes, we both saw you fumble your way through another public speech,” Julian said.

Nicholas clenched his jaw.

I looked between them, a bit amazed. That was not what Julian had said earlier.

Julian winked at me.

I glared at him.

“I liked it,” I said to Nicholas.

“You did?” Nicholas asked me.

“We watched it together,” Julian said. “Her and I.”

He was antagonizing again, but Nicholas and I were far too busy looking at each other to listen to him.

“The way you talked about the man who left me… He’s not even real, but I felt your hatred. If it had been true, it would have made me happy to know that you felt that way.”

“I do feel that way. Or… that’s the way I felt, before I knew the truth.”

“Nicholas, I…”

Julian cleared his throat. “I guess I’ll see myself out.” He gave a bow with a flourish, then skipped toward the door. “Don’t have too much fun, now.”

At his teasing, Nicholas and I separated a bit. I crossed the room. He stayed near the television.

When Nicholas spoke again, his voice was tight. “So you and Julian were in here… alone…”