Chapter 79

Terry had said that he had heard a lot about me. I was hoping it was mostly good things, but knowing he was the Luna’s brother, I had some doubts. The Luna herself did not seem overly fond of me.

When Nicholas stepped between us, I began to wonder if there was more going on than I was aware.

Terry had seemed friendly enough. His piercing gaze was unnerving, I supposed. He looked at me like he was trying to see through my skin. But honestly, that wasn’t all that unusual among the nobility.

“Don’t be rude, Nicholas.” Terry placed his hand on Nicholas’s shoulder and eased him to the side. “Let me see the girl, at least.”

When I was in plain sight once more, his smile added teeth. “Ah, there you are. As stunning as they say. And where is little Elva?”

Elva peeked from around my skirts.

“Hello, little girl. Aren’t you a pretty one?”

Elva quickly ducked back behind me.

“A charming child,” Terry said. “You must be proud.”

Now, I could start to see why Nicholas had attempted to shield me, even if subconsciously.

Terry gave off weird vibes. He seemed nice enough, but there was something tense about him. He was being almost too friendly, like he knew Elva and I well enough to laud us with compliments.

Maybe that was just how he did things. Maybe he was simply being nice and I was reading too much into it.

But I had spent a lot of time around some not-very-nice people, and Terry was ringing all the alarm bells in my head, even if I couldn’t properly discern the specific reasons why.

“Are you here to see the King?” Nicholas said, frowning. “I would be happy to escort you.”

“Would you?” Terry lifted a brow. “That would be a first.”

Nicholas’s jaw clenched.

And there, that was the reason I didn’t trust Terry.

Because Nicholas didn’t trust him, and I trusted Nicholas. I didn’t really need a reason beyond that.

“Very well,” Terry said with a sigh. “Show me the way if you must.” To me, he offered one final smile. “I hope to see you around, Piper.”

I dipped my head in acknowledgement. I had no intention of returning the gesture.

As they walked away, I took Elva’s hand and began the trek to my room. I found Mark waiting for us at the end of the hallway.

Mark returned to my room with Elva and me. Along the way, I struck up a conversation.

“I met Terry,” I said.

“Yes, I saw.” He didn’t offer more than that on his own.

Curious.

“I couldn’t help but notice the tension between him and Nicholas. Admittedly, he made me feel… uncomfortable.”

Mark said, “Prince Nicholas and Terry don’t see eye to eye very often. Terry’s personality aligns more with Julian.”

So he was a secret-keeper then. Someone who observed more than they let own.

I would have to be careful around him.

“But,” Mark continued, “Terry is well respected around the palace. He treats his staff well, pays very well, and generally keeps to himself. I would be careful not to alienate him.”

I nodded, taking the warning for what it was. If the staff was fond of him, I would have to be careful what I did or said, lest I earn their ire. I knew what the staff was capable of, and wanted to stay on their good side as much as I could.

“Perhaps it was my imagination playing tricks on me,” I conceded. I was very attuned to Nicholas, whether intentional or not. With him on edge, my perception was likely skewed.

If I met Terry again, maybe I would look at him differently. At the very least, he deserved a second consideration, being as well liked as he was.

The next night, at a banquet, the King stood up and properly introduced Terry to the cameras and to the girls and me.

“My brother-in-law Terry is a shining beacon of nobility,” the King said. “He is a royal that many aspire to be. Generous, humorous, and kind. Please speak with him while you can and learn from him. He will be staying in the palace with us for a time.”

“Don’t be coy, now, Your Majesty,” Terry said with an easy smile. “You should tell the girls that I will be helping to judge the Second Ball.”

The King nodded. “It is as he says.”

The candidates began to chatter. If Terry was to be a judge, then it would be beneficial to earn his good favor.

Yet I still couldn’t entirely dismiss the creeping feeling that tickled my skin whenever he glanced in my direction.

“Why do you suppose he is staying in the palace when he lives so near?” whispered the girl beside me.

“He lives nearby?” I asked. That was the first I had heard of it, though I supposed it made sense.

“Yes,” the girl said. “He stays in the large mansion up the road. It’s on the same land as the palace. I believe it’s on the other side of the forest.”

My blood ran cold. I had been just outside the mansion on the other side of the forest.

That was the place where I had felt my wolf.

I swiveled in my chair, turning my full attention to Julian.

He had heard. I knew because his usual smirk was missing. Instead, he met my gaze with a stern one of his own. His mouth was a tight line. His eyes looked strained.

Terry lived in that house?

Then that would mean…

Did he know something about the underground organization? Was this why Julian had kept from me the owner of the house – he didn’t want me to know a royal was so directly involved?

But then, Julian had always hinted it could be so. He had urged me not even to trust the King. Just how deeply did this organization go?

“He’s dangerous,” Julian whispered, for my ears only.

I snapped upright in my chair, suddenly rigid. He’d been so overly friendly with Elva and me already. Did he know Julian and I were the ones that had snooped outside of his home? That we had chased the car with the person who had stolen my wolf?

Half of me wanted to shake him and demand answers. The other half wanted to cower in fear.

If he was royal and in the underground organization, then he was indeed dangerous. He was powerful enough to make me disappear if he wanted, and no one would even know where to look.

“You will need a place to sit, Terry,” the King said, looking out over the table.

“If I could choose my own seat,” Terry said.

“Of course,” said the King.

My stomach sank down to the floor as Terry walked by many open seats to come toward me. He stopped just behind the chair of the girl next to me.

“I don’t suppose I could convince you to move over one seat, my dear? I promise it will only be for as long as I stay.”

Her smile wavered but she could say no. This would be an additional seat between her and Julian, her chosen prince. With obvious reluctance, she stood and moved to the next seat.

“It’s my honor,” she said, an obvious lie.

Terry’s smile, meanwhile, beamed, like he found personal pleasure in her annoyance. He pulled the seat out further and claimed it as his own.

Once he was seated, he turned his pearly-white smile onto me. “Hello, again, Piper. It seems like we will be seeing a lot of each other these few days until the Second Ball.”

Julian immediately leaned forward. “Hello, uncle. Fancy see you here. Typically you choose not to sit so near me.”

For the first time, I watched Terry’s face tense, ever so slightly. Yet quickly, it had smoothed out again.

“Julian. A pleasure.”

His eyes turned back to me, then for an instant, dipped down to peer at my bodice.

“Though not as pleasurable as seeing Piper.”

This man deserved no second chances. I knew immediately, deep in my bones, that Nicholas had been right not to trust him.

I swallowed hard, feeling trapped.