Chapter 86

Tonight at the Second Ball felt like a night where anything could happen.

As Nicholas pulled back from our kiss, I immediately wanted him to return for another. I had butterflies in my stomach, remembering the way he said my name.

He said it again now.

“Piper.”

“How did you know it was me?” I asked.

“I told you I would.” He lowered both hands down to my waist and squeezed me tighter to him. “I would know you anywhere.”

He leaned in again. I wanted him to kiss me so badly.

But then I felt a familiar pull, almost as if someone or something was tugging me at the heartstrings. I knew that feeling.

It was my wolf.

But how could it be here? Now? I hadn’t gone anywhere. Had the mysterious person from the car outside of Terry’s mansion come to the Second Ball? Why?

“I’m sorry, I…” I stepped back from Nicholas, out of his hold.

His eyes behind his mask hardened at once. His smile slipped away. “Piper? What’s wrong?”

Feeling woozy, I pressed my hand to my forehead. “I…I have to go…”

It wasn’t a good enough explanation by far, but in the moment, all I could think about was getting to my wolf. A piece of me was so near, and when it was, I felt so whole. I couldn’t resist it even if I wanted to.

I turned and dashed into the ballroom as fast as I could in my heels. I followed the feeling, searching the room. Then I saw someone I hadn’t seen before.

A woman stood there in a long, black dress with black feathers sticking out at the shoulders and in her hair. A black mask covered half of her face. Feathers shot from along the top of the mask and into her hair.

I didn’t know who she was. She hadn’t been with the candidates earlier, unless someone had changed. I didn’t have time to look for the others and do a head count.

Her eyes locked with mine for a brief moment. She seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place her. Quickly, she turned away and began walking from me. That’s when I realized she was the one with my wolf.

I gave chase, following even as she ducked into a side room, and then another side room from there. Every time I thought I had her cornered, when I entered the new room, she had vanished into the next.

Then I entered into a room that was already occupied. Terry sat relaxed on a leather sofa, his arm thrown across the back. He was drinking from a flute of champagne when I entered. He lifted a brow at me as I came through the door in such a rush.

“Have you seen a woman in black?” I asked, looking around. I didn’t notice any other doors out of this room, except what was clearly a bathroom.

I could feel my wolf moving farther away. I was desperate to catch it but the trail had stopped cold here.

When Terry didn’t answer me, I spoke again. “Is there another exit from this room?”

Terry placed his glass on a tray beside another flute. He lifted the bottle of champagne and poured the bubbling liquid into the second cup.

“Sit, Piper,” he said, motioning to the open couch beside him. “We should talk.”

I narrowed my eyes. He had to have seen that woman. Was he covering for her? Did he truly know more about this whole thing than he let on?

Perhaps, I reasoned, I could get more information out of him if I talked to him. Julian had been very tight-lipped about the full extent of Terry’s possible involvement. If I couldn’t garner more information from Julian, then perhaps it was smart to go straight for the source.

Terry clearly liked me. If I played into that, even just to be nice, maybe I could bring out some revelations.

Terry waited through the length of my indecision. When he motioned a second time for me to sit, this time I joined him on the couch, sliding down onto the spot he indicated.

“Tell me about the girl in the black dress,” I said.

“Uh, uh. Demanding is not very becoming, Piper. Here, have some champagne and calm down for a moment.”

He passed me the second flute of champagne and I took sip. Then I drank a second sip for some liquid courage.

He smiled. “Good. Now, tell me why you are looking for a girl in a black dress.”

“I followed her,” I said. “She came in here and then disappeared.”

Terry glanced around the room. “There’s no one in here now. You are free to check.”

I knew she wasn’t still here, because my wolf continued to move further and further away. If she was still here, I would have been able to feel it.

I sipped at the champagne again, trying to get my thoughts together.

“Did you know that girl?” I asked him.

He tilted his head. His piercing gaze bore into me as he asked, “Did you?”

That… was a very odd question. “I don’t know.”

I rubbed at my forehead. I was having trouble now keeping my thoughts together. My body felt much heavier than it had even a moment before.

“I don’t… feel so well…”

“Drink a little more,” Terry said. He lifted my glass for me and tipped some more champagne into my mouth. “It will help you feel better.”

Wait. Was this champagne drugged? I tried to push the glass away from me but my strength was entirely depleted. I couldn’t even spit it out, although some spilled and dribbled down my chin.

“There’s a good girl,” he said.

When the drink was empty, he returned it to the table. But then he brought his hand to my face and stroked my cheek. It was a gross mockery of the soft way Nicholas had touched me only a few moments ago.

My stomach twisted but I didn’t even have the strength to throw up.

He pried his thumbs under the corner of my mask. “Why don’t we take this off of your beautiful face?”

I weakly lifted my hands, but he simply batted them away.

“None of that now. I want to see you.” With meticulous attention, he untied the ribbons holding the mask in place and then pulled it down, away from my skin.

A few of the flowers from my hair fell down onto the soft and onto my dress. A red pedal landed on his jacket. He plucked it off with an annoyed expression, and flicked it away to the floor.

“Don’t fight me now, dearest.” His hands came to my shoulders. “I’ve been looking forward to adding you to my collection for quite some time. With you, I will have the full set.”

The full set? What did he mean by that? I didn’t want to be part of any collection!

“No…” I flopped my hands against his chest.

“You are a stubborn one, aren’t you? But go on.” His smile shifted into something sinister, something dangerous. He wasn’t even really smiling at me anymore, more leering and showing his teeth.

He looked more like an animal than anyone else at the ball tonight. He was the only one I had felt afraid of.

His hands inched down my front, slowly coming to rest just above the swells of my breasts. I sucked in a sharp breath. I didn’t want him to touch me.

My limbs were so tired… useless. I wanted to scream, but nothing more than a low whimper escaped me.

Without a wolf, I had already been weak, but drugged like I was, I was absolutely helpless.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Nicholas was there.

He glared at his uncle, fire in his eyes.

“What the hell is going on here?”