Page 53 of Wickedly Yours

Was any of it real? Or was it that the person he was with me, soft and caring, was the fake? Maybe it wasn’t either of those things. Maybe, just like me, he’d built up walls around himself to protect himself.

Lilith’s hand rested on my knee. I blinked, securing my mental barriers. “Luna?”

“Hmm?”

“Teach him it’s okay to love, will you? He needs that. More than anything else.”

My palms were sweaty. “I don’t…” I shook my head. “It’s not like that between us.” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but my mouth was bone dry. I took a chug of my wine, ignoring the way my head spun a little after.

“I told you,” Asura said, her shoulders drooping slightly. “He didn’t listen to us.”

“I know,” Lilith said with a sigh.

Something Zain had said earlier came to mind, even as the two seemed to share a conversation all of their own. “Can you all talk to each other?” I asked, looking between the group. “You know, mind-to-mind.”

Thorn gave me a confused look. “No. That’s reserved for—” The girls cut him off with a glare, but I was just confused.

More than anything, I needed a break—some air.

“I need a moment,” I mumbled, standing up and gathering up my skirts so I didn’t trip on the shiny fabric. They let me go,though I figured that none of them would be too far behind, monitoring me anywhere I went in this place. Sure, I wasn’t a prisoner, but I wasn’t exactlyfree, either.

“Luna!” I turned, finding Willow waving at me, her face bright.

I breathed a sigh of relief, practically walking into her arms and letting my sister wrap her arms around me, hugging me tight for the second time this evening.

My heart felt fuller just knowing my big sister washere. I loved her more than anything, and there was a part of me that wanted to go home. To take the easy way out, to go back to my life. But I meant what I said to her, too. I felt like I had to do this. To see where it went between us. Even if it was crazy.

Going back to my old life no longer even felt like an option. We’d have to talk about what would happen with the bakery before she left. It had never been her dream, after all—it was always mine. And while I’d always loved the happiness it had brought me, it was time for a new dream. Was there a chance that I could have it with Zain?

“Wow. This is beautiful.” Willow looked appraisingly at my gown.

“Thank you.” Looking down, I messed with the skirts. Unlike the dress from earlier, it didn’t have a slit in the leg—but it dipped massively low beneath my breasts and down my back. Suddenly, I felt like I didn’t know what to say to her. “Did… Damien give you yours?”

Willow nodded. Her silky gown was a midnight blue that blended into dark purple, adorned with hundreds of tiny diamonds, which looked like a blanket of stars set against the night sky. Even more gems detailed the sweetheart neckline.

Her gaze was distant before she murmured out a, “Can we talk?” She gestured to the outside balcony with a tilt of her head, her hand occupied with a glass of wine.

I agreed.

The cool air against my skin was welcomed, and it felt like I took a full breath for the first time all night. The balcony gave a full view of the area surrounding the palace, lights from the nearby city dotting the skyline and the palace gardens spread out below us.

Out here, it felt like I could really see the place for the first time. The night was a deep red hue, a whole distinct set of constellations woven into the sea of stars.

I rested my back against the railing, watching Willow as she propped her arms against it, looking out. “This place is… Wow. Definitely not in Pleasant Grove anymore.”

“Mhm,” I agreed.Earlier, I’d had the same thought. And that was before I’d realized the sun was definitely a ruby hue, and whatever trick of the light made my bedroom sobrightmust have been magic.

My thoughts drifted. Hopefully no one would sneak into my room and leave the door open. Selene was always trying to escape outside, and who knew what would happen if she got loose here? It wasn’t like she knew how to get home in this place. If something happened to her…

“Luna.” My sister’s voice was stern. “Talk to me.”

I turned, looking into her eyes—bright green, the color we shared—before emitting a deep sigh. “Iam, aren’t I?” What else would we be doing out here?

Willow crossed her arms over her chest. “You were right.”

As the little sister, I especially liked to hear that—because it felt like I was always losing the arguments on account of beingyounger,but I didn’t feel like gloating right now.

“About what?” I quirked an eyebrow. It did also help when I knew what, exactly, she was referring to.

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