The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0068

I awoke the next morning to the sound of thunder outside my window and pounding on my bedroom door. I’d barely gotten out of bed when the door burst open and a slew of Joseph’s guards flooded in.

“Mommy!” Elva shouted as she hid under the covers.

“At least let me get dressed,” I said, holding up my hands.

The guard closest to me shook his head. “Orders are orders.” He grabbed me roughly by the arm and

dragged me toward the door.

met

In the hallway, Joseph’s guards were arguing with Nicholas’s. Mark was running toward me.

“Mark!” I called to him. “Elva’s in there!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll watch her!” he called back. He tried to come closer to me, but one of the guards roughly

shoved him. “Hey!”

“Mark, please.” I was worried he might start something. “Elva!”

Mark grit his teeth, but stepped backwards, letting the guards and me pass.

“Keep her away from this! Please!”

“I will,” he promised.

was dragged through the hallways. It was early, just before dawn,

heads out of their doors to see

nowhere to be seen. Likely this

to see.

the ground floor, near the back door,

let me change,” I said, hoping to appeal to her sense of decency. If I went

nightgown, it would

“You should have thought of

would I have had the time? Somewhere between being startled awake

would

forward, out into the gardens. They forced

them warned. Then they disappeared

facing away from the palace.

better though, I reasoned, looking out at the flowers and

pelted down on me like tiny, frozen daggers. After only a few minutes, my nightgown was entirely damp, clinging to me like

I wrapped my

I couldn’t do that. It was all I had to

growing chill.

The cold

nearby tree and I

tears flowed freely, with the rain to hide them. I was cold and tired and miserable, but I

1. up.

me to do. They

her medicine. Julian and I were going to expose the

trade. And Nicholas…

smiled. His kindness when

past, but I’d enjoyed being around him. Compared to my other reasons to want to stay, this