“I told you not to,” Nicholas said. “I gave you reasons.” “You don’t understand,” I said. “What is there to understand? You are endangering yourself –” “Her sister is involved,” Julian cut in. He was coming closer to us. Nicholas’s mouth snapped closed. He furrowed his brow like he d

The next morning, all of the candidates were called down into the parlor. I checked with Mark and the guards before I left the room. With my twin potentially lurking around, we’d taken to a password system to confirm my identity. The password would be changed every day and given only once in the mor

Nicholas shook his head. “I’m protective of you and Elva. Those instincts have nothing to do with whether or not I trust you.” I wanted to believe that, but if it was true, then why did he hesitate? “I’ve been alone a long time, and I’ve gotten by just fine.” The words emerge from a place of

“Nicholas? What are you doing here?” Crossing his arms, he tilted his head to the side. “Mark told me you asked him to teach you self-defense, but his duties are too essential to allow for the time to teach you. But, I do think it’s valuable for you to learn. So I’ve decided to step in instead.”

Julian started by placing down a queen of hearts. To his left, Veronica immediately lowered four cards. I watched her face closely, but she revealed nothing. Her emotionless façade seemed like it could even rival Nicholas’s. I decided not to call her a liar. If I did so, and I was incorrect, all