Chapter 90

When I asked Julian if he wanted to continue the investigation, I had thought he might be a hard sell. What I hadn’t expected was for him to put me down flat.

“No.”

“No?” I said, startled.

“No, Piper. Nicholas is right. It was wrong of me to try to include you. I knowingly placed you in danger.”

“I’m old enough to make my own choices,” I argued. “I could have said no at any time.”

“Could you? Really? At the mere mention of your wolf, you were ready to do anything. And when you felt it, and you chased after that car, you were practically out of your mind. I should have stopped you then. I should have ended the investigation right at that moment.”

“Ending it wouldn’t solve anything,” I said. “I wasn’t lying last night. Whether I find my wolf or not, it doesn’t matter. What matters is we put a stop to the people that are doing this. I don’t care how high up the conspiracy goes.”

“Face it, Piper. We flew too close to the sun. We could have lost everything.” He looked at me with meaning, in a way I hadn’t seen before from him, or could discern. “We nearly lost you.”

The words were said with so much genuine emotion that I had to sit back for a moment, surprised. Since when did Julian worry about me? And he wasn’t taking it back. He was just leaving it out there in the open, for me to see and evaluate however I wanted.

Except that I didn’t know how to evaluate. I was so used to Julian’s teasing that I didn’t know what to do when he was being genuine.

He must have known that, or at least, been able to figure it out, because he dropped his head. When he lifted it again, he wore a charming smile. “You should see your face right now. Priceless.”

For a line of teasing it was weak, but it gave us both the opening we needed to move past an impossible moment. So I grasped onto it and gave him a smile of my own.

“Bet it’s still better than your face,” I said, teasing.

Julian placed his hand to his heart. “You wound me.”

I knew he wasn’t serious this time. Not even a black eye could detract from the handsome-factor of the three princes.

As the moment stretched and silence began once more, I knew I had to make a push. That he cared about me was flattering, certainly, and I didn’t want to devalue such a rare emotion from him. But I couldn’t just forget my plight because of it.

“When we were at the ball, the reason I found Terry at all was because I was led there,” I said.

A hint of something sparked in Julian’s good eye, and I hoped that meant I snagged his curiosity.

“By whom?”

“A mysterious woman in a black dress,” I said. “Not one of the candidates.”

“Did you recognize her?”

I still wasn’t sure. “She did seem… familiar somehow, but I don’t know. I couldn’t place her. Plus, she was wearing a mask.”

“Tell me more about the dress,” Julian asked, so I did so, describing the unusual black feathers. When I finished, he asked, “But you didn’t see her in the room with Terry.”

I shook my head. “It’s like she just disappeared.”

Julian rubbed a hand along his jaw. “Could have been a secret passage. Those are added all the time and my dear uncle would have access, as well as ability to keep it a secret.”

I could feel him coming around, so I encouraged him excitedly, “So they could be connected.”

“Yes, probably, especially since she is likely the person we saw leaving Terry’s house.” He glanced at me, and then straightened, as if remembering himself. “This is a bad idea, Piper.”

“Bad ideas are the best kind,” I said, and I could see, with the mischievous quirk of his lips, that I had finally convinced him.

“We will have to tread very carefully here. Terry is the Luna’s beloved brother and has sway over the entire royal family.”

“It doesn’t matter how well connected he is,” I said. “We can’t let him get away with it. Or anyone else who could be involved.”

Julian watched me a moment. “This isn’t just about your wolf.” That wasn’t a question. He already knew, he just wanted me to confirm it for him.

So I did.

“Not just, no. Elva has abilities. She’s showing them already. I worry everyday about her safety. Those monsters could find her and hurt her, or manipulate her like they did me. And maybe she’s safe now with Mark, but he won’t always be around.”

I pressed my hand to my chest in attempt to ease the growing discomfort there. Worry for Elva lived forever inside of me. I wasn’t sure solving this mystery would totally fix that, but it might ease the constant hurt.

“The only way to truly protect Elva long term is to bring down this organization before they can come for her.” I spoke soundly, and from deep within. I hoped it would be enough to convince him.

He smiled. “Let’s go preserve Elva’s happy future, then.”

With an overwhelming feeling of victory, I pulled him into a sitting hug.

To my surprise, his hand came around my waist, returning it.

Later, as I was searching for Elva, Susie, and Mark out in the gardens, I came upon Nicholas on a walk. He immediately stopped, spotting me at once. Slowly he approached me, as one would a startled animal.

I felt equally on eggshells around him, remembering the way my body had reacted to his last night.

“How are you feeling?” he asked me, when he was close enough.

“Much better, thank you.”

I tried not to cringe at how formal I sounded. This was Nicholas, not some stranger. We were friends. Friends did embarrassing things in front of each other all the time. Granted, it wasn’t usually wanton moans when the other friend touched them, but still.

I motioned toward his hand, which had been wrapped in bandage.

“Does it hurt?”

He shrugged. “Nothing broken.” His jaw set into a hard line. “I just wish I could have used it to bust Terry’s face rather than your wall. At least Brian got a solid hit in, from what Julian says.”

I nodded. I didn’t usually wish violence on anyone, but if anyone needed their face punched, it was Terry.

“If he ever comes near you again, Piper, tell me at once. And if I’m not there, tell Mark, or Brian, or even Julian, if he is present and I am not. He’s no great hero but our hatred for our uncle will help him see the light.”

“Trust me,” I assured him. “I have no intention of being near him ever again. This time was a mistake that I will not repeat.”

“Good.” Nicholas looked at me a moment, then away.

I hated this awkwardness between us.

“Nicholas, about what happened last night…”

“It’s forgotten, Piper.”

“It does not seem so forgotten.” I worried my bottom lip.

He looked at me again, then sighed this time. “I apologize, but I think about what Terry almost did to you and I… I become very angry.” He stepped an inch closer. “I want to keep you safe, Piper. You must know that.”

“I do.” Though I didn’t totally understand why. Nostalgia, perhaps. Or for a sake of honor since we were in his home. Or maybe to help keep Elva safe as well, since he was so fond of her.

Whatever his reasoning, I was grateful. “Thank you,” I said. “I do know that.”

He nodded. Then he opened his mouth like he meant to say more.

Lilliana spoke first. “Piper, there you are.” She rounded Nicholas’s side, standing very close to him. “I was hoping to speak with you.”

I blinked.

Lilliana wanted to speak with me?