The next morning after the event, I went with Nicholas to speak with Julian. He was in a sitting room, sipping coffee while reading through a newspaper. Terry’s face was plastered all over the front page, under the headline: Traitor. It still didn’t seem real. I expected him to pop out from any co

Beside me, Nicholas grunted. We both ignored him now. Julian smiled at me. “Thank you, Piper.” As day turned into evening, and evening into night, I could not stop thinking about Jane’s knife and how closely I had come to being skewered. If Nicholas had moved a half-second slower, and I coul

Confronted with the scenario of the man I wanted to sleep with very clearly about to sleep with someone else, I did the only thing I could think to do. I swiveled on my heel without a word and took off down the hallway. I fully intended on returning to my room, crying my eyes out, and then pretend

Nodding at Nicholas, I moved past him and returned to his rooms. He released me at once and fell in step behind me instead. Inside his rooms, I moved toward Lilliana, who was down on one of the ornate rugs. Her legs were kicked out of her, her nightgown drawn up to her hips. She peered up with a s

The next morning at breakfast, Elva and I sat beside Susie and across from Veronica and Tiffany. The excitement with Terry’s capture seemed to be the popular topic for everyone else at the table, except for us. None of us seemed overly thrilled to ever mention Terry’s name ever again. At least, I

Soon, Elva got squirmy and Nicholas lowered her down. She rushed back to her toys and Nicholas came toward Charlotte and me. Charlotte immediately stood. “Please.” She offered him her seat. “I couldn’t,” he said. “I have chores that need tending to,” Charlotte said. That didn’t seem entirely t

That night, I sneaked out of my room when everyone else was asleep. The guards pretended they didn’t notice. Then I quietly walked down the hallway, keeping my steps light as I wound my way through the palace until I stood before Nicholas’s door. I gently knocked, and it opened right away. Nicho

“Oh, Nick.” “Does it feel good?” I nodded. “Good.” He continued to touch until it was nearly too much. I clutched at his upper arms with both my hands, squeezing. “Maybe we should see what else you aren’t wearing,” Nicholas said, then. He held onto one breast with one hand, while his other l

I passed out from the intensity of the pleasure. When I reawakened some time later, I was bundled up in Nicholas’s arms, resting against his chest. I was entirely surrounded with warmth, and contentment swirled within me. Never in my life had I felt so satisfied and safe. Nicholas kissed the top

I was speechless. I didn’t want to believe Veronica could have been involved in such a dark thing as the underground organization but the evidence was clear on her ribs. She lowered her sweater, hiding the tattoo again, but it was seared into my mind now. It was exactly the same in size and placemen