Nicholas became Deception in order to stay. I pretended to sleep thinking of everything that had happened. The Baobhans still wanted me even after I had helped to kill one of theirs. What did that mean? They could have taken me against my will but they didn’t. There was so much I still didn’t understand about them.
Grandma Sidney had spoken to my parents and said that I’d been in a fight. How right she was. Talking to my mom on the phone and then Trina reminded me how much I loved them. I knew that I didn’t want to give up that part of my family either. Somehow I would have to tell them, all of them, the truth.
“I can tell you’re awake.” I opened my eyes. Nicholas freshly showered jumped onto the bed next to me wearing my blue terry cloth robe. “Dreaming of your future husband?” He was smiling from ear to ear.
“You heard me?”
“Yes, I heard you.” He kissed me reminding me just how crazy he could make me. “Shall we make it official?”
“If we do I don’t think the Baobhans will honor the truce. For now I’m going to have to play along with their game.”
He sighed. “That is a very responsible point you make.” He kissed me again and pulled my body against his. “I have no problem with them knowing you aren’t going to choose them. We’ll hunt them down one by one and we’ll be free of them.”
“What if there’s more than one? I couldn’t grow another Yew. You saw how weak I was.”
Nicholas gently slipped the loose hair around my face behind my ears. “Piper, I will go along with this until we can discover a way to free you of them. I will not give you up. The Baobhans can never have you.”
I touched his face. “Don’t worry, Nicholas.”
My bedroom door flung open and Sidney stood there with her hands on her hips. “Do I have to put bars on your windows now?”
“He just had to use the shower.”
Her expression didn’t change. “Yeah, that looks like what’s going on.”
“It’s okay, Ms. LeVine. I intend to marry her.”
“Oh good, another one of those.” She threw her thumb over her shoulder toward the hallway. Nicholas hung his head.
“See you later, Piper. I love you.”
“Good gracious.” Grandma Sidney gave him a push down the hall, and I laughed. He’d be there tomorrow and every day after and I knew nothing would make me happier. Going to high school after everything that had happened seemed ridiculous and yet I wasn’t afraid.
Maybe it was because I was numb. Maybe it was because I was still too exhausted to consider all of the ‘what ifs’ awaiting me.
What I did know was that I’d never expected to find my prince. Not only had I found him but I’d found me too. My journey was far from over but at least I knew I’d be traveling my road with Nicholas.
“Goodnight, Nicholas,” I told him on the wind. “I love you too.”
The End
(Read on for an excerpt of Piper LeVine, the Path of Betrayal)
Excerpt from Piper LeVine and the Path of Betrayal