Moonlit Bonds

Chapter 455 - 455: Lisa: Reformed Bratitude (I)

LISA

The Fae girl is a captive. A possible danger to the pack. Someone Lucas, the great Alpha, is wary of.

But... is this how captives are treated?

The young Fae girl lounges on a nest of blankets, arms straight above her as she reads from romance . Not

a hard guess on the contents, considering the half-naked man on the cover. Dirty bowls are scattered around her

head like sbizarre halo.

Whatever chapter she's on must be particularly steamy, based on her wide eyes and the slight flush on her

cheeks.

I'd kill for a good book right now. Something to distractfrom the constant fear, from the throbbing in my

thigh. From the nightmares. But no—we don't waste precious supply runs on entertainment. Medicine, weapons,

food—those are the priorities in Wolf's Landing. Not escapist literature.

No idea how she's procured the book, but | need to know.

Magister Orion sighs heavily from over my shoulder. "I know how it looks. But the Fae cannot deny her comfort,

considering her status in their society."

| turn to face him, crossing my arms. "If she's so important, why don't you just hand her back to Lucas, then?"

Ava's teacher rubs the back of his neck with a soft laugh. He gestures toward a chair beside Pip's makeshift bed.

"Perhaps you should sit down, Ms. Randall."

| reluctantly lower myself into the chair, never taking my eyes off him. On the floor, the Fae girl ignores us

completely, turning a page in her book.

"This doesn't look like imprisonment to me. This looks like..."

"Protective custody," Magister Orion finishes for me. He settles into a chair opposite mine, his massive frame

making the furniture look child-sized. "Yes. Pellonia is not precisely a prisoner, though your Alpha is quite

suspicious of the girl."

"Pellonia?" | glance down at the purple-haired girl, who's still ignoring us. Cute.

"Her proper name. Pip is a... nicknshe's adopted during her little rebellion."

| study her more carefully now. The chains on her clothing, the deliberately messy purple hair. Definitely a

teenager trying on a personality.

"She's a princess, right?"

"Correct. The daughter of the Crown Prince."

| cross my legs, shifting my weight in the chair as | decide Magister Orion isn't the one who needs my attention.

The girl—Pellonia—is the more interesting puzzle here. | pin her with my stare, not bothering to hide my

assessment.

"So, Princess Pellonia. Why is a spoiled royal playing rebel? Seems like an awfully big risk when you could be

sipping whatever passes for champagne in fairy land."

Magister Orion opens his mouth, but | snap my fingers at him without breaking my concentration on the Fae

princess in question. "Not asking you. She's got a mouth. She can use it."

The trick with a brat is to get them angry. They specialize in defending their actions, declaring no one

understands them, and throwing a fit until they get their way.

I should know—I am one.

Well, reformed.

Mostly.

The sudden click of my fingers in the quiet room has the intended effect. The giant man closes his mouth, his

exhale almost imperceptible. Smart man. | can practically feel him judging me, but he takes the hint.

Gotta fake my authority. Brats hate authority. And if she's the Crown Prince's daughter... well, we don't have

royalty like the Fae do. But | bet she's got an arrogant streak a mile wide beneath all her rebellious attitude.

There's no way she's going to let a mere human nag at her.

Silence fills the space between us. The only sounds are the distant voices of people outside and the occasional

rustle as Pip turns another page in her book. She's pretending | don't exist, which only makesmore

determined.

One minute stretches into two. Three. The Magister sits perfectly still, apparently content to let this play out.

| count four full minutes before Pellonia's grip on her book tightens slightly. Her page-turning slows, then stops

altogether. Slowly, the book lowers just enough for her eyes to peer over the top.

Those eyes. They're hard, calculating, deeply distrustful. Not a kid's eyes at all. They remindof my own when

I look in the mirror these days.

"You're human," she finally says, her voice flat. Not a question.

"Last | checked."

"Then you wouldn't understand."

Nailed it.

I bark out a laugh. "Try me, Your Highness. I've got nothing but tand an aching leg. Entertain me."

She lowers the book a little more, revealing the tight line of her mouth. "It's not entertainment."

"No? Then what is it? Teenage rebellion? Daddy issues?"

She sits up abruptly, the book tumbling into her lap. "You think I'm doing this to upset my father?"

"Aren't you?" | tilt my head, studying her chains and purple hair with exaggerated interest. "Please. Your whole

aesthetic screams 'notice me, Daddy."

She slams a hand against the ground with a soft hiss.

"You know nothing aboutor our world. This isn't about my father. It's about survival."

"Survival?" | echo, leaning forward slightly. "You're a princess. What exactly are you surviving, when you live in a

pretty little palace?"

"Not all prisons have bars, human. And not all thrones are safe. The New Order," she sneers the name, "has

infiltrated every level of power. Including the Fae Court."

"Wow. Shocker. I'm so surprised." Rolling my eyes, | drawl, "And the only hero—sorry, heroine—our world can rely

on is a spoiled little Fae princess. I've read this book."

"This isn't sstory!"

"Yeah, yeah. So you're what—a resistance fighter?" | curl my lip. "Princess Leia, looking for her Han Solo?"

"I'm a messenger. A connector. Someone who can move between groups without raising suspicion." Her chin lifts

slightly. "I can help. | have helped."

"Right. Helped decimate a compound of people hiding from the New Order."

"We didn't—!"

Pellonia presses her lips together, her eyes narrowing into slits. She shoots Magister Orion a nasty glare.

"Get this human out of here," she demands. "I've done nothing wrong, and I don't have to explain myself to her."

Magister Orion looks up at the ceiling, his massive shoulders lifting in an exaggerated shrug. "Oh dear, I've just

remembered | have several... important magical... things to attend to tonight." He waves his hand vaguely. "Very

urgent. Perhaps you two can continue this stimulating conversation without me."

Before either of us can protest, he's backing toward the door, muttering something about "young women sorting

things out" and "diplomacy training." He doesn't bother to hide what he's really thinking.

The door closes with a soft click, leavingalone with the sulking princess.

"Coward," | mutter.

"For once, we agree," Pellonia says, picking up her book again.

| snatch it from her hands in one quick movement. She lunges forward, but | hold it just out of reach.

"Give that back!"

"Half-naked man can wait," | say, glimpsing the cover again. "You know what I think? I think you're not nearly as

important to this 'rebellion' as you want everyone to believe."

Her face flushes. "You know nothing."

"Then educate me, Princess. What exactly does a teenage fairy bring to a revolution? Besides attitude and

terrible fashion choices?"

She yanks at one of the chains dangling from her belt. "I told you. I'm a liaison. | carry messages. | help

coordinate—"

"Bullshit," I interrupt. "You don't coordinate anything. You're a runner. An errand girl."

Her nostrils flare. "Il am not—"

I" ' : I a

They're using you." | lean back in my

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content is on novelenglish.net! Read

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"That's not true!" Her voice rises. "I've been with the Rebellion since the beginning! Since before most humans

even knew what was happening!"

Now we're getting somewhere.

"How convenient that you happened to be there 'from the beginning," | make air quotes. "Letguess—they

approached you? Made you feel special? Like you were chosen?"

Her silence tellseverything.

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What a coincidence that the

Rebellion just happened to recruit

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Pellonia's hands ball into fists. "My father is the reason | joined! He's been compromised. The entire court has

been compromised."

"By the New Order?"

I" | Pr

Yes! They've infiltrated

everywhere—human governments,

supernatural Ado the

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pe oni rdoesn't even

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realize he's being manipulated." Her

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voice cracks. "T-they replaced his

advisors one by one. Anyone who

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questioned them disappeared.” The

content is on novelenglish.net! Read

the latest chapter there!

Her eyes shine with unshed tears, and despite myself, | feel a twinge of sympathy.

"The Rebellion found me," she continues, quieter now. "They have people everywhere too. They saw what was

happening and approachedat a royal function. Said they needed someone on the inside."

"Who exactly is 'they'?"

"The leadership? I've never met them. We have cells, for safety. Small groups that don't know about each other."

She hesitates. "My handler is called Corvus. He coordinates our region."

"And how big is this mighty rebellion?" | lean forward with a mocking smile. "I bet there's only ten of you, aren't

there? All pretending to be heroes because you're bored."

"Thousands." She lifts her chin proudly. "All across the country. Humans, shifters, vampires, fae. Everyone who

sees the truth about the New Order."