The Luna Trials by Marissa Gilbert

28. Hit & Miss

Savannah didn’t know what to expect now. She grazed her sight over her smirking mate, although it was Kai’s reaction she was mainly interested in observing. He seemed tense to her, lips pursed and hands in his trousers pockets. Nonetheless, when their eyes locked, a small reassuring smile reached the corners of his lips, and she instinctively knew nothing had changed between them as of yet.

“So?” Claude urged her to respond, shaking his shiny blonde hair as if he was starring in a shampoo commercial. “Are you confident that you are staying, Savannah?”

“I can’t be confident, can I?” Savvy replied, lifting her chin slightly. She glanced at the Northern King again. His sinile faded, but now she was the one who wanted to raise his spirits. “I am the least wanted contender here. I know too well, and so does everyone else. I am the least likely to win, but…” She looked Kai straight in the eye, “But I feel like I am starting to fall in love with the North. The people are nice, the traditions are beautiful… there are so many wonderful things here!”

“But what about the king?” Chloe interrupted her little speech.

“He is … intriguing,” Savvy chuckled, desperately wishing to change the subject. She wasn’t going to confess anything on TV with so many witnesses. Not like that.

She could feel her cheeks heated involuntarily.

“But let’s imagine you can win,” Claude suggested with an insincere grin. He definitely wasn’t imagining that. “Do you think you can be the perfect Luna for the North?”

“Perfection is subjective,” Savannah felt herself relaxing. She was ready to talk about anything other than how she felt about Kai. Or her mate, who was now trying to pierce her with his glare. He hadn’t looked at her previously, but now that all the attention was on her, thanks to the interview, he was devouring her with his hungry eyes, as if she was all he wanted for the months they had been apart. “It would be premature of me to promise to be perfect. Perfection comes in all shapes, sizes, colours, and forms, and more importantly, it comes from experience.”

“And do you feel like you have the required experience?” Chloe leaned forward as if they were good old friends, but there was a menacing glint in her eyes that Savvy couldn’t ignore. She knew that glint too well. This was how a predator would eye its prey.

Savannah Stormhold was no prey though, and it was time she clarified this.

“I definitely have more experience than anyone else in the Luna Trials.” She shot the TV presenter a graceful smile. “You see, my parents died early, and, since then, it was only my brother and me. Gideon didn’t have a Luna, and naturally, I had to take most of the responsibilities

upon myself.”

“Yes, we have heard that you are one of the best at throwing amazing western parties!” The twins exchanged smirks. “But the North is a bit different from the West.”

“It is undoubtedly different,” Savvy nodded, “but politics is the same everywhere. You either have the skills for it, or you don’t. I do. However, I am surprised that you only mentioned parties. I

thought you had done sufficient research on me. Right now, it’s a bit embarrassing that I know more about you two than you know of me. When this is supposed to be in your job description.”

“Tell us. Savannah, what did we miss?” Claude pursed his lips, breathing sharply through his nostrils. He did not like being challenged on air when he had no problem throwing other people under the bus regularly.

“Pretty much everything!” The princess shrugged her shoulders innocently as she let out a little giggle. “My charity work, curating our schools and managing to achieve better results, thanks to a few changes in the education system than we have had prior. My personal art program, paid for by the money I inherited from my parents. My aid to Beta Reid with the budget and managing to increase our profits. Not to mention the many battles I took part in over the years because, frankly, I didn’t have all that extensive battle training for nothing. I have had a busy

life that was already filled with Luna duties. I am sure it will be somewhat different here, but luckily, I am a very quick learner.”

about a rumour that you have …” Chloe went for the kill, judging by her fierce look, and

Petra?!” she heard a voice that

a sparkling bodysuit, consisting mainly of rhinestones. It was barely covering anything, her long slender legs were on full display. She had an enormous fluffy cape in addition that consisted of layers and layers of white tulle. It was definitely made by the same designer for the previous gown. Her pink hair was done up in two pyramid buns with loose curls falling down her

right until the moment her mentor Evelyn ran up to

woman hissed at her giggling protégé. “What?” The girl flapped her lashes. “You told me to s*x it up a bit!”

right next to them, “and I believe that Petra looks

even wider. All while Evelyn

this was the perfect distraction and decided to use that moment for her exit

Chloe’s hand, and then did the same to Claude. The two of them realised she had escaped when

we are not done,”

grunted. “It’s time for the next contender. Princess Savannah, can I

it was for the best and not because Zack told him something awful about her. Which could simply be the truth

alone.

was looking at her with the same warmth and desire, so she knew that her mate hadn’t managed to ruin anything yet. There was still

soul. The mate bond was still there, ever present as the first day she

fingers lacing with hers and in the very same moment, the bond and its effects were forgotten. Zack’s spell

he had talked to Zack just a few minutes ago, and

entangled, she dug her fingers into his body as

a breath, “we’ll announce everything right after the interviews are done. I am

gathering the strength to

he confessed, tightening his grip on her as she gasped from the

any kind of reaction in his eyes and only saw guilt

and she realised that he was talking about something else. He

her lips with his again. He couldn’t help himself.

“I need to get information from him, and he will stay here for some time. Is that

she shook her head. “He is the

the back

front of Savvy, covering her from his friend defensively. This was an instinct of some sort, and even the king himself was surprised by

Beta stared at them for a few seconds with his brows

he said in a respectful official tone he had never used before, although he wasn’t quite sure how to behave in front of the Western Princess. They hadn’t had

border is under attack.”

a gasp that threatened to escape her. Now

and his Beta didn’t say a word out loud, clearly using their