Chatper 353


    Chapter 0353


    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. Now I remembered everything that


    had happened, from being caught with Nichs by the King, to Nich s’s break up letter, to standing


    outside of his door as Nichs refused to answer.


    I meant to bottle in my worries as much as I could, but the minute Mark entered the room, I pounced


    toward him. He sighed, seemingly resigned to his fate.


    “Is he alright?” I asked first. One of my lingering fears was that Nichs had been harmed or was


    suffering from some terrible infliction – illness or otherwise. It was by far the most pressing question.


    My own feelings were secondary to Nich s’s overall wellbeing. “Is he sick, or hurt?”


    Mark smiled a little, sadly. “He is healthy.”


    I slumped as relief rushed through my body. With the worst out of the way, I could press forward with


    my questions.


    “Is the King responsible for this? Perhaps Nichs was backed into a corner?”


    “I’m sorry, Piper…”


    “Please, Mark. He won’t talk to me. If I only understood…” I worried my hands together. I was a


    nervous wreck. Maybe I shouldn’t want to know the answers. Maybe they would only hurt me worse


    than I was being hurt right now.


    But I was never would who could easily back down from something.


    “The King might have suggested it,” Mark said, “But the separation is for the good of the kingdom.”


    I blinked, surprised. The good of the kingdom? That felt like a reh ea rsed line. “The kingdom hardly


    hinges on my secret rendezvous with Nichs…”


    “Maybe. Maybe not. But your very public rtionship with Prince Julian is important. If you were to


    continue to see Prince Nichs, I fear it would only be a matter of time before the public caught wind. It


    would undermine your rtionship with Prince Julian.”


    I frowned. I tried to see it from their perspective. The fate of the kingdom was important but…


    “I hate that you have to keep seeing Julian if that’s not what you want to do,” Mark said. ” You shouldn’t


    have to do anything you don’t want to do. But this is a high risk situation with an angry public. You’ve


    seen the mobs just outside the gates? It’s growing every day.”


    1/4


    I had seen them. They had been growing bigger…


    “I want to hear all this from Nichs himself,” I said.


    +15 BONUS


    Mark lightly shook his head. “Please, stay away from him Piper.” A line creased the center of his brow,


    and he suddenly looked troubled. Softly, he admitted, “You aren’t the only one struggling…”


    Oh. Oh.


    Nichs wasn’t doing this because he wanted to. Of course, he wasn’t. But neither was he doing it


    because he was coerced.


    He genuinely thought this was the right thing to do, for the good of the kingdom. And by thinking


    otherwise, by chasing him down and demanding answers, I was being selfish.


    Nichs was struggling too. He still cared for me.


    But we just couldn’t be together.


    “Do you understand now?” Mark asked.


    “Yes,” I said. I did understand, even if it shattered my entire heart.


    The end of Nichs and me hade much sooner than I had ever expected. I knew it had to happen


    eventually but… no, I wouldn’t push anymore.


    Some things just weren’t meant to be, no matter how much the two involved cared about


    each other.


    “I’ll respect Nich s’s wishes,” I said, and Mark looked infinitely relieved.


    Yet when I had agreed to respect Nich s’s wishes, I had thought I might have a day or two to lick my


    gaping wounds before I saw him again. Unfortunately, I was immediately summoned by Julian to join a


    meeting with him, Veronica, and Nichs to discuss trapping


    Jane.


    So now, I stood in Julian’s private rooms as far as possible as I could from Nichs. Julian and


    Veronica both gazed between us, as Nichs and I did our very best to ignore the other.


    I wasn’t going to as much as nce his way, even if he spoke. It was easier if I pretended he


    didn’t exist at all.


    That was easier said than done, of course, and when he cleared his throat, I immediately nced. He


    nced too, and our eyes caught. The moment slowed, the world melted around


    us.


    I wanted to walk closer. I wanted to hold him and bridge this new distance between us.


    But that could never be.


    +15 BONUS


    I looked away first.


    “Right,” Julian said, confused. “Okay. Well, I have no idea what awkward thing is going on. here.” He


    pointed between Nichs and me. “But, Veronica hase up with a possible n to trap Jane.”


    Thoughts of heartbreak slipped out of my mind. Yes, I could focus on capturing Jane. Bringing down


    the underground organization. These were achievable goals that had nothing


    to do with Nichs.


    “What’s the n?” I said, probably too eager.


    Julian looked at me with surprise.


    Veronica less so, though she did pause a moment before speaking.


    “I assume you all remember that cor that diminished Prince Nich s’s wolf powers,”


    Veronica said.


    “All too well,” Nichs grumbled.


    “Yes,” I said, not eager to relive those memories either. How close I hade to physically losing


    Nichs that day. Whatever we were going through now paled inparison to him nearly losing his


    life… or his freedom.


    Veronica went to a nearby coffee table and retrieved a small box. Carrying it, she moved to the center


    of us so we could all see. We each inched closer. Unfortunately this ced Nichs and I right next to


    each other.


    We nced at each other again. He looked away first this time. A pain pinged in my heart.


    Veronica lifted the top of the box and revealed a simple leather cuff bracelet sitting within.


    “After studying the cor, I dismantled it and retooled it into this more subtle bracelet,” Veronica said.


    “The power remains the same. It will diminish the power of whoever wears it.”


    “That’s brilliant,” Julian said, smiling wide.


    Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Veronica dipped her head ever so slightly and a hint of pink touched her cheeks.


    “Like this, it will be much easier to get on Jane if she shows up to the event,” Julian said.


    “When she shows up,” I said with confidence. My twin would never miss a chance to embarrass and


    hurt me, not the way she is now. And what better opportunity would she have than on a world-stage


    during an event meant to celebrate joy and happiness?


    Julian hummed thoughtfully. “We only need a volunteer to get close enough –


    “}


    “I’ll do it,” I said, just as Nichs said, “It has to be me.”


    +15 BONUS


    We both stopped. We looked at each other.


    Deep in his eyes was the same affection I always saw in him, though now, it seemed to be buried


    behind a shield of ice. A shield that made him frown deeply.


    I frowned too. If he thought I was going to let him win this argument, he was far off.


    Jane was my sister. My responsibility.


    I would be the one to capture her.


    No matter what Nichs wanted.