After I got changed and ready to go to sleep, I found Emmaline with a pillow and thin blanket on my couch. She stretched her legs out over the blanket.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing?"

Her head snapped up. "I'm getting ready to sleep...?"

"Why are you on the couch?"

"Because I'm sleeping here? What kind of question is that?"

I shook my head. "You're not sleeping on the couch, Emmaline."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "It's your room, Kaden."

"I don't care. Sleep on the bed."

"No."

I let out a sigh. "Emmaline, you're sleeping on the bed if I have to tie you down to it."

"Kaden-"

I crossed the room in five long strides. I slid one arm beneath her knees and wrapped the other around her back. I lifted her effortlessly, ignoring her loud protests. When I tossed her on my bed, she glared up at me.

"I hate you."

"Good." I said. "Now go to sleep."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "No."

"Emmaline."

"No."

"What's so wrong with you taking the bed?"

"It's your bed."

"And you're the guest."

"Kaden, I can sleep on the couch. It's probably more comfortable than my bed at home."

"I can sleep on the couch." I said. "Stop arguing. You're already on the bed."

"You picked me up and threw me onto it!"

I waved it off. "Technicalities."

She groaned loudly. "Seriously, Kaden. Let me take the couch. It's one night. It won't kill me."

"It won't kill me either." I said. "So you take the bed. I'm done arguing about it." I sat on the couch and shifted the pillows while Emmaline examined where she was sitting.

"You know," she said. "This bed's pretty big. We...we could both fit on it."

I made sure she couldn't see my face. "Are you suggesting that we sleep together?"

"Stop smirking." She snapped. "And yes, I happen to be."

"I'm not smirking."

"I know you are. Stop lying."

"I'm not lying."

"Kaden, I can see your face." She shook her head. "Well? Are you going to make me regret making a suggestion by ignoring it, or are you going to give me an answer?"

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

She threw her head back and laughed. "I'd be more uncomfortable with you sleeping on the couch."

We put a pillow between us to distinguish the "boundary". My face was hot the entire time, and her cheeks were a bright pink. Once it was all settled, she rushed out a good night and flipped onto her side, her back facing me. I chuckled and rolled onto my stomach, my face turned away from the pillow. I was expecting to be up for hours thinking, but I fell asleep immediately.

♚

When I woke up, someone was in my arms. Hair tickled the skin of my forearms and my neck, and my legs were tangled with the other person's. I was surprisingly warm and comfortable, even though my arm was twisted beneath a person and my legs were bent at an odd angle. I opened my eyes.

The pillow that was between Emmaline and I was on the floor. I was on my side and so was she, her hands rested on my arms, which were wound around her waist. Her cheek was pressed against my chest and our legs and the blankets were a tangled mess. She had a small smile on her face, and her breathing was even.

I could wake up like this every day. My own thought made me blush, but I wasn't at all inclined to untangle myself from her or to move in general. For once, I found myself wishing that a moment could drag out for the rest of eternity. I would have been more than content if it did.

I didn't have any concept of time with her in my arms, but I guessed it was about an hour later when she let out a small moan and snuggled closer to me. She inhaled deeply and her eyes opened slowly. 

She blinked groggily in the early morning light and looked up at me. That jolted her awake and her cheeks turned a dark red. She slid out of my arms, and I felt a little disappointed. I knew how she felt about me, but why did she have to move away? I was comfortable.

"S-sorry." She stuttered. "I'm, uh, kind of a clingy sleeper."

I smiled at her. "Don't apologize. I was comfortable."

"You were?" She seemed genuinely surprised, her bright eyes wide. "Usually my brothers complain about it because I'm such a warm person."

I shrugged. As much as I could lying down, anyway. "It works out well. I'm freezing at night. My mom says it's poor circulation or something. Dad always told me that they stuck me in a freezer when I was a baby, so now I've got ice in my veins. Shame that's not really possible without killing me. It was a pretty clever story."

"You're so realistic, Kaden." She shook her head and sat up. "What time is it?"

"I don't know."

She checked my clock. "Seven. We should get ready."

While I was getting dressed, Eadlyn came in to get Emmaline. She said that they could get ready together, and that she had a dress for her to wear. Forty minutes later, I met them in the hall to go down to breakfast.

Emmaline was still blushing. She nudged me. "Should we not talk about that again?" She whispered.

I shrugged. "Whatever you want to do." I said. "Personally, I enjoyed the whole situation." I winked at her, and she smacked me.

"Stop joking around." She hissed. "This isn't something to joke about."

I apologized. "I was being serious." I said. "You can do whatever you want. Spread it around to infuriate the others or keep it our secret. It really doesn't matter to me."

When we got to breakfast, the other girls were already seated. They stood and curtseyed, and Emmaline reached out and grabbed my hand. It was hidden by her dress.

She sat at breakfast with Autumn and a girl named Chanel, who seemed surprised that she was so happy and normal. The look Autumn gave me said that she'd gotten the message of what happened from Officer Leger. She looked ready to draw blood.

After everyone was finished, I stood and pulled a list from my pocket. The girls exchanged surprised and excited looks, but the grim look that must have been on my face put those to a quick death. I cleared my throat. "Selected," I said. "It appears there has been an incident."

Confused murmurs ran up and down the table.

"Over the past week, one of my Selected has been targeted. Some people have been physically abusing her, and I will not stand for that. I know who did it, and you will be punished and sent home today." I looked at each girl. "Lady Valerie Corne, Lady Sierre Baccama, Lady Carly Aguillard, Lady Nia Tudor, and Lady Kimberly Mobin, please stand up."

They did as told, exchanging a look.

"For the past three or four days, you have been threatening, intimidating, sabotaging, and physically and psychologically harming Lady Emmaline Levitt. You five will be placed on trial and will receive what my family and I deem a fitting punishment for not only the sabotage of one of my Selected, which is against the rules, but also for harassment and assault." They looked horrified and turned to look at Emmaline. Sierre and Kimberly's faces slowly faded from shocked to angered.

Everything went downhill fast.

A guard grabbed Kimberly before she could pounce, but Sierre launched herself across the table at Emmaline, who ducked and avoided being tackled. She took a plate and smashed it over the other girl's head, and two guards dragged Sierre to her feet. Blood ran down her head, rivers of it flowing down her neck and shoulders and soaking into her dress.

The five were dragged from the room to be placed in holding cells. Miss Marlee and Miss Lucy stood and rushed to Emmaline, whose arms were bleeding. The other girls were sent back to their rooms with a guard each. My father and Officer Leger went to check on the guards with the five girls and Eadlyn accompanied them. Mr. Woodwork ushered Josie, Kile, and Osten out of the room. My mother stood and came to me.

"You did well, Kaden."

"Sierre tried to attack her."

"You did what you could, and you couldn't have seen that coming." She rested a hand on my shoulder. "Kaden, she's fine. See? They're bandaging her arms, and she'll be fine." I couldn't stop staring at the blood on her arms. My mother shook me. "Kaden, go check on the other girls. Make sure they're all right. Then worry about Emmaline. We'll handle Emmaline. Deal with what you can fix."

I nodded. "I'll be back." I turned and left the room, the image of blood soaking her dress stuck in my head.