When I returned to my room, I changed into my pajamas and slid into bed. Elva was already fast asleep. Yet no matter how long I laid there, or which way I tossed and turned, I could not find sleep. My mind was still with Nicholas in that hallway. I could only imagine the terrible things the King w

When I slept that night, it was only because pure exhaustion from staying up the entire night before had finally caught up to me, and sleep pulled me under against my will. Else I would have been shaking with anger and worry. For a few, brief hours, I had felt peace. But now, I was awake again. No

“It should be me,” Nicholas said, just as I told him once more, “I should be the one to do it.” We glared at each other. “Jane and I have the history,” I said, impassioned. “She is my sister. It is my not just my right to be the one to bring her down, but it is my obligation.” “That obligation

The next morning at breakfast, the candidates were gossiping as per usual. Topics were sparse, especially since we weren’t allowed to watch any television. But the girls amused themselves with who was feeling under the weather, and who was wearing what to the ball. I tried to participate more than

“It’s just strange,” Julian said, as he escorted me from our room for one of our dates. “I guess since pretty much the time the King saw you and Nicholas, he’s been locked up with his advisors. I’ve seen him many once in passing, but he didn’t stop to talk to me.” To me, that didn’t seem all that

“Then, what?” He glanced at me. Slowly, he stopped walking. We were alone in the hallway though there was talking up ahead. Around the corner was the dining room. Some of the girls must have gone down to lunch early. “Joyce called you out to that balcony,” Julian said. “He said it was because yo

For his date with Olivia, Nicholas had arranged a special two-person table in one of the sitting rooms, where they would share their lunch together. With Julian’s insistence we eat with them, that two person table was turned into a four person table by adding two chairs and two more table settings

Slowly, Julian moved his arm forward, placing his hand onto my shoulder instead. In my head, I commanded myself, Don’t go stiff. Don’t go stiff. Don’t go stiff. If I cared for Julian romantically, I would be pleased by this clear sign of ownership and affection. So I tried to play the part and s

Maybe it was instinct, my body’s natural reaction when being kissed by the man I so deeply cared for. Or maybe it was habit, borne from so many shared kisses in our younger days, or since being reunited. Whatever the reason, when Nicholas kissed me, my entire body seemed to come alive. As if the

He growled a little. “Good.” Then he did it again. I dropped my head back. It hit the wall with a thud. This exposed my neck, and Nicholas dove forward, latching himself onto the newly exposed skin. The marks he’d made before were fading. He sought to renew them now, suckling and nipping at the