Chapter 37

NOLAN

Nolan got up quietly, hours before sunrise. He pulled the covers up around Yena’s bare shoulders. She was sound asleep and snoring lightly.

He dressed and started to exit, then found himself pacing back over to the bed and gazing at the peaceful expression on her face as he thought about what he was about to do.

This morning, he had a very early meeting scheduled with the Secretary of State.

Kerr had been the one to request the meeting. But then he had made it very difficult to schedule, canceling several appointments at the last minute.

It was a power play. Kerr was trying to bait the prince into going into a conversation irritated and off his game.

Nolan could not have refused to take the meeting. It was important to keep up appearances right now. He was still trying to figure out what exactly was happening, and until he did, he had to act as though everything was normal.

Even though everything was very far from normal.

Everything was about to change. He could feel it. And he had always been right, in the past, to trust this feeling.

The feeling was danger coming. From all sides.

But he had only his instincts, and no evidence. And he could not be sure who he would be able to trust as allies when the attack was finally upon him.

Nolan kissed Yena’s forehead tenderly and left the room.

He planned to go surprise her at her school later that day.

The Academy was on the way back from the capitol, and he knew she would be in classes until the early afternoon. If Kerr did not waste too much of his time, the timing would be perfect to pick her up just as she was leaving campus.

Nolan stepped out into the hallway and turned the doorknob quietly.

As it clicked into place, he locked all thoughts of the princess out of his mind.

Now was the time to sharpen his reactions. Block out all distractions.

It was not only that Nolan was obligated to attend this meeting, despite the host’s clearly nefarious intentions. The meeting was also an opportunity.

So far, the prince had very little intelligence about his enemy. But at least now he had one bit of information. Kerr’s little game had revealed the Secretary’s association with Adan.

So now Nolan knew, at least in part, where Adan was beginning his campaign: in Parliament and the public eye.

It was always better to know as much as you could about your enemies, even if that meant walking straight into a rival wolf’s den.

The only other option would be to hide like a coward and await sure defeat.

YENA

I was shoving some notes and handouts into my bag as I walked out of the Arts building, regretting not doing that while I was still seated in the lecture hall, when I had the distinct feeling that I was being watched and snapped my head up to see who it was.

My bag completely exploded. I’d absentmindedly filled to the brim with school papers and odd items over the past few weeks. They flew everywhere.

The eyes I had felt on me were Adan’s. They went wide as he watched me drop all my stuff.

Some of the papers floated comically back and forth in the air, making their way down the concrete steps in slow motion.

Adan shook his head and smiled as he walked over. “Need a hand?”

“Sorry,” I said, realizing right after that I didn’t really need to apologize.

He had kind of startled me. For a second I wondered how long he had been out in the courtyard waiting for me.

That thought left my mind when he said, “No need to apologize, Princess. I’m just glad I can happen upon you so often in your moments of need.”

I flinched and went red when he called me “Princess.” I guess because Nolan called me that sometimes when we were together. It felt too intimate to be hearing from Adan’s lips.

He gave me a puzzled look as I darted my eyes away, not sure what to make of my reaction.

He changed the subject.

“Let me help you with some of those books.” He snatched up a few that had fallen onto the steps. I picked up the other fallen items and shoved them into my bag. I thought about asking him what he was doing here, but thought better of it.

There were some similarities between Adan and Nolan that I was starting to see more and more as I got to know the professor. It was strange how they could be so radically different in so many ways, but also sometimes say the same things, or move their tall bodies in the same way.

I guess that was genetics. Not that I would know much about that.

Maybe it was also because they were raised as royalty. Adan probably couldn’t help waiting on me hand and foot when he saw the chance. That’s what a Lycan prince would do.

As if to remind me in that moment that Adan was, in fact, definitely no longer a prince, he put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You okay?” His voice was quiet.

I nodded. “Just clumsy. I’ve been so busy getting ready for the show, I guess I’m a little bit frazzled.”

“Show?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Oh. Yeah, there’s a big competition in my program. I’ve been preparing for weeks.”

We rounded the corner out of the courtyard and into the parking lot.

“When is it?” he asked. “I’d love to stop by if I’m not teaching a class.”

I started to tell him what time the show was, and how to get to the theater, but stopped mid-sentence when I saw Nolan about twenty feet from us, storming over with his eyes on Adan.

I saw Nolan’s eyes flicker to the stack of my schoolbooks Adan was cradling in his arm. Then he looked at me.

I’d seen Nolan give me stern looks plenty of times. A hard, authoritative look was one of his default faces. But this was different.

Nolan had murder in his eyes.

Adan, his voice warm like this was a gentle reunion, said, “Little brother.”

Then Nolan was one inch from the professor, stopping dead in his tracks, with a storm of energy around him that I could swear I felt pulsing off of him like heat waves.

NOLAN

The meeting with Kerr had been completely pointless, and the wait had been as long and tedious as Nolan had expected.

And it had been hot in the Secretary’s office. Uncomfortably hot.

Kerr had claimed that the heating system had just broken, and the repair was already underway. Another little game.

Back in the car at last, Nolan removed his jacket and loosened his tie. He adjusted his body to get comfortable, letting an air conditioning vent hit him straight in the face.

The trip to the school was quick. Nolan straightened himself back up before the car was parked. He waited for two guards to exit their vehicle and give him a little wave, then got out.

The sun was out, no doubt making a very brief appearance. The morning fog had cleared from this area at the base of the mountain. But the winds would probably sweep the clouds back inland from the coast any minute now.

Nolan was thinking about this when Yena rounded the corner walking in step with a tall, well-dressed man. It hit him like a sledgehammer when he realized a beat later that the man was Adan.

All morning, Nolan had been on alert. Ready and waiting for a fight in the capitol.

By the time he got to the Academy, he was tired and distracted. He started to let his guard down. As if the day’s battle was over.

That was a very bad mistake.