The Luna Choosing Game by Jane Above Story

Chapter 0322

Julian and I ran all the way to Nichola s’s room. I knocked on the door, but there was no

answer.

“Maybe he’s asleep,” I said.

“See if it’s locked,” Julian said.

I tried the handle. The door opened at once, pushing inward. Together, Julian and I stumbled into the room. Then, I gasped.

Furniture had been shoved over. The carpet was torn to shreds, like wolf claws had sliced straight through. There were claw marks etched into the wall.

“He struggled,” Julian said, stepping into the center of the room. He paused, and turned to me. “Do you feel that?”

“Feel what?”

He lifted his head and looked around. “Magic.’

>>

Now that he mentioned it, now that I knew what to focus on, yes. I could feel it too, like a tingle in the back of my mind. Or my nose preparing for a sneeze.

“How could this happen?” I asked, wandering around the room. The claw marks seemed to lead toward a wall, like someone had been dragged there.

Nicholas. What have they done to you?

Then, distantly, muf fled through stone and wood, I heard a wolf howl.

I knew that wolf. I could feel it pull inside of me much like my own had.

But this one didn’t belong to me. It was Nicholas.

“Sh it,” Julian said. “He’s here. Somewhere. There has to be a passage.

bookcase.

I turned back to the wall, where a painting of a sailboat hung.

“There’s nothing there, Piper. Keep searching!”

Julian went for the

That didn’t seem right. Visually, I knew I should have been able to see the outlines of a passageway, especially if it had been recently used. But right now, my heart was pulling me

here.

is the way, it seemed to whisper.

“Piper, stop wasting time!”

1/4

+15 BONUS

hand and put it to the wall. It felt

The

was here, I

closed my eyes, and let the pull of my heart lead the way. It compelled me to lift a hand. My fingers brushed

I pressed down.

There was a click.

door swung open, revealing an opening right in front

my side. Disbelief widened his features.

know,” I

with it, let’s go.” He nudged me aside so he could enter the passageway first. I followed him down, down

tight around his neck. One of the cages had been burst through, iron bars bent. He snapped wildly at some men in dark clothing who were trying to corner

tired, weakened somehow, in a way I had

to him,” Julian barked at me. “Remove that da

are you going

“Save my

brother.”

>>

so angry. His eyes were wild with it. His hands shook, tremoring

fully human one second,

two of the men, pushing them away from his brother and sending them into the wall. They hit

well, dodging what I could. Julian had already

Nichola s’s side. He inched forward, trying to place himself

let me help

anyone who came to close. He snapped at an arm, a hand. Julian took care of most of the

+15 BONUS

into

my

sparkled under my touch, shooting pain up arms. I gasped, but held on. If I could get him

could just get him

between my hands. Then I twisted, just as

forward again, eager to return to

to his side, someone tackled me, sending me sliding along the ground. No, not a person,

widening in horror as a

My whole heart shattered.

of me that had been so violently ripped away and given instead to

my soul, the growing bruises from where I’d

at me