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328eb8f You speak." It came out as an accusation. "When there's someone around worth speaking to." -- Shana Abe
724021f You're naught but a human man. You couldn't possibly understand." He lifted a brow, still smiling. "Liar." "Cutpurse." "Runaway." "Swindler! "Coward," he said softly, and she jerked back. Shana Abe
865790f She was too compelling to look at directly. Bright like the sun, bright and terrible. Only one other being could look upon her, and that was Death. And so...they became lovers." He said the word like a caress, like velvet again, and my face began to heat. "Together they forged great and hellish things," Jesse murmured. "Lightning and waterfalls that churned into clouds off the tip of the world. Chasms so winding deep that daylight never tra.. Shana Abe
b4fc2d6 How good to see you, Miss Jones." That debonair tone, the friendly press of his hand upon mine. It was such a contrast to our final moments in the cottage that I couldn't help but smirk. "Thank you for having me," I replied, loudly enough for the duke to hear. "But I haven't," said Armand under his breath. "So far." I tugged back my hand. "Ever the gentleman, aren't you?" "I try. Come aboard, waif. Come and experience a gentleman's world." Shana Abe
8a1903d I would have done anything. Don't you know that?" "No." Shana Abe
18b1de2 My dowry is thirty-five. A year." His brows climbed. "You're joking." "I would never joke about money with a notorious thief. Just imagine, in a mere two years you're at a profit." "How I adore a woman who does mathematics in her head." Shana Abe
63d9663 You'd better marry her before she reaches eighteen and the spell wears off," I said. "Spell?" "Yes. The one that's hiding her fangs and pincers from plain sight." "I don't find them especially hidden," he said mildly. "Then perhaps you're a pair." His brows lifted. "Now, that's the cruelest thing you've said so far." Mrs. Fredericks cleared off, and Chloe took her place before the piano. A beam of sunlight was just beginning its slide into .. Shana Abe
3468a95 Don't worry. If we sink, we'll swim together to shore. We'll use your bewitching chapeau as a float." The nose of the yacht dipped hard, then rose. The wing began a low howl around us. "I'm not blotto," he said, in response to my expression. He turned to the railing and chucked the empty flute to the waves. "Not yet, in any case." I went to stand beside him. The flute had sunk beneath the surface already, on its way to an eternity of sand a.. Shana Abe
5f2b8e2 I'd dreamed once of a forest of gold, and Jesse had done what he could to give it to me. His bedroom had been transformed into a wonderland of leaves and flowers, pinecones and branches of birch and oak, all of it glimmering, all of it singing. The bed was covered, his chest of drawers, the sill. Much of it was jumbled together, beautiful for what it was if not its presentation. Jesse had last left this room on the night of his death, righ.. Shana Abe
76485a9 Why do you want to know?" The shrug again. "Just wondering." "Really. You've skipped your lawn tennis or duck hunting or whiskey drinking or whatever else people of your sort do all day, only to come all the way out to the island to ask me about the piano piece. Because you were " I pushed away from the door. "Coming here to kiss me would have been more believable." "Well, it second on my list." "I'm not intimidated by you," I said, blun.. Shana Abe
6722efd Stop," Jesse said. I stared up at him, almost panting with fear. "Stop, beloved," he said more gently, and took up my clenched fist with both hands. "I've upset you, and I shouldn't have. I don't want you to dread yourself. I don't want you to dread what is to come. Like I said, you're exceptional, so there may be nothing to worry about at all. But whatever happens, whatever you face, I'll face it with you. Do you hear?" "How can you say it.. Shana Abe
feb70b5 How long have you known about him?" I asked Jesse, using my free hand to gesture toward his guest. "Forever. Nearly as long as I did about you." "God, Jesse. Why didn't you say anything?" "He was a shadow of you." Jesse shrugged. "His background is diluted, his dragon blood les strong. Even with you in his proximity, I wasn't certain any of his traits would emerge. He hasn't anywhere near your potential." "Pardon me," Armand said, freezin.. Shana Abe
2752088 I'll start in the air," I said, far more steadily than I thought I could, considering. I knelt to tie the shirt around his thigh, cinching it tight above the wound; he stiffened but let me finish the knot. "The air first, the airship, and then-then I'll dive." "You can't swim," broke in Armand. "You told me that you can't." "Maybe I can now. If I'm a dragon." "Don't be an idiot! If you can't swim, you can't , Eleanore! You'll drown out the.. Shana Abe
10a8298 I pulled at the knot again and heard threads begin to pop. "Allow me, Miss Jones," said Armand, right at my back. There was no gracious way to refuse him. Not with Mrs. Westcliffe there, too. I exhaled and dropped my arms. I stared at the lotus petals in my painting as the new small twists and tugs of Armand's hands rocked me back and forth. Jesse's music began to reverberate somewhat more sharply than before. "There," Armand said, soft ne.. Shana Abe
b40b12e My, my," Chloe murmured, studying the chocolate she held. "I do believe this one's gone off. It stinks like a cesspit." Her eyes lifted. "Oh, wait. It's only the guttersnipe." "Or perhaps it's your perfume," I said cordially. "You always smell like a whore." "It's " retorted Runny-Nose, before Chloe could speak. "Then she smells like a whore." "Aren't the eloquent young miss." Chloe's gaze cut to Sophia, standing close behind me. "Slum.. Shana Abe
0f25024 You're not human, Eleanore Jones. I think that somewhere inside you, you must know that. You must always have known. You're not made of ordinary bone or blood but of something else completely." "Really. What am I of, then? Kelp and jellyfish, I suppose?" "You are made of magic." He said it in an absolutely unremarkable way, as if instead he'd just said, or " Shana Abe
13404f1 Lora, beloved. Lora of the moon and sky. are a dragon." , sighed the fiend, swelling with delight inside me, filled with an awful, awful recognition. "That is ," I shouted over them both; rather, I tried to shout, but my voice was so strangled it came more as a gasp. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I don't appreciate your games. I-I came here to tell you to stop pestering me, and leaving me gifts, and at me-" "You dream of f.. Shana Abe
71550b0 When her gaze met his, her irises were luminous, pooling bright silvery purple, a definitely inhuman glow. He'd awoken the beast in her. Good. "What you?" she whispered. Jesse took a step back to clear his head, to free himself from the tendrils of her sorcery. It'd be easier for both of them if he could think straight. Right. He needed to focus. He'd waited his lifetime for this moment, but, even so, the words came with difficulty. It w.. Shana Abe
2d6ee6f Hullo," he said sleepily, rubbing a hand along his jaw. I came to life. "Get out!" He yawned, a lazy yawn, a yawn that clearly indicated he had no intention of leaving. In the moody gray light his body seemed a mere suggestion against the covers, his hair a shaded smudge against the paler lines of his collar and face. "But I've been waiting for you for over an hour up here, and bloody boring it's been, too. I've never known a girl who didn'.. Shana Abe
44e1427 The duke's son and the pauper girl. I suppose as a couple we were the most interesting thing in view. I took the champagne glass from Armand and finished what he hadn't. As Sophia had said, it wasn't swill. So much for my manners. "Why am I here?" I asked curtly, handing back the empty flute. "Because I invited you." I dropped my voice. "Did you find out anything about Rue?" "Is that why you came?" "No, I came because I simply can't get eno.. Shana Abe
a59208c Tender creatures, these aristocrats. Who would have guessed? Shana Abe
3bcb826 You called me," I whispered. "And you came," Jesse Holms answered, a green-eyed glance back at me, a half smile that dissolved my bones. Then we were moving hand in hand down the rotting plank stairs." Shana Abe
481a2c2 But how... am I a dragon? How are a starman?" "I don't think of myself as a , exactly," he said soberly, though I sensed he wanted to smile. His hand released mine, the bridge broken; he moved to hang the lantern on a shiny new hook dug into the wall behind us. "I was born here, on earth. Not even far from here, in fact. Just over in Devon. My parents died young, when I was only five. Hastings is my great-uncle and he took me in, and I'.. Shana Abe
670c64d Bundled in my shawl and uniform, I might have been partaking in any one of Mrs. Westcliffe's permitted after-supper al fresco activities, like: Strolling to the edge of the rose garden to admire the sunset. Strolling to the edge of the orchard to admire the sunset. Strolling to the edge of the bridge to admire the sunset. At England's foremost educational opportunity for young women, strolling to the brink of things was allowed. Leaving the.. Shana Abe
ce9866b Don't allow yourself to waste that chance. Don't succumb to any...distractions." I could only imagine my expression. Miss Swanston lowered her candy-red lashes and glanced back at Armand. "Oh," I said, swallowing. "No. Definitely not." "Forgive me. He seems quite taken with you." The bite of roll lodged in my throat; I coughed. "He isn't, I assure you." "Eleanore, it grieves me to correct you, but he is staring at you even now. He hasn't be.. Shana Abe
7fe5691 You are, after all, Armand's inamorata of the moment." I gave up on the titles. "I'm his what?" "Inamorata. It means " "I know what it means." She took in my face and slanted a smile. "Dear me. Have I offended you?" "Only by your ignorance. I'm not his lover. I'm not-anyone's anything." "But you could be, if you wished it. If you looked at him the way he looks at you.." "You're imagining things." "I'm not. Everyone's noticed." "What does i.. Shana Abe
6a14742 You need to get home, both of you. Louis, I'd like to keep the letters here, if you don't mind. I want to go over them again." I came to my feet. "And ask the stars about them?" Jesse nodded. Armand only shook his head, gloomy. There were bruises under his eyes that hadn't been there yesterday. "Ask the-fine. Splendid. Keep them if you like. Burn them. Turn them to gold or silver or lead. In the morning I'll wake up and none of this will h.. Shana Abe
7eb1926 I'm spending until dawn with you," I said firmly. "Don't bother to argue." "God forbid," said Jesse, solemn. I pushed past him into the cottage. He'd been waiting up for me, I could tell. There was a book spread facedown upon the table, a pair of lamps lit beside it. "I thought you said you were resting tonight. "Aye. I was. But then it occurred to me that the bed wasn't nearly so comfortable without you. So I got up and hoped." I crossed m.. Shana Abe
73e2d28 What is what?" asked Armand. "I don't hear anything." I hadn't taken my eyes from Jesse. "There's more than one. Two at least, right?" "Two," he said. "I hear two." Armand stood. "Two " I sent him a look. "Zeppelins. Headed this way." He stared at us, silent. And really, what could he say? "All right, all right." I chafed my hands nervously up and down my sides, rumpling the shirt. "I can-I can fly up there. Turn to dragon. Claw them open.. Shana Abe
494c5a0 Armand needs to see you. He's had all this time to think things through. He'll have questions. He'd rather go to you with them than to me." "I hardly have answers." "Then guess." I huffed a laugh. "Are you serious?" "I am. Either you guess or I do." That brought me upright. "You mean, you've only been guessing at what you've been telling me?" He gave a grin, folding his arms behind his head. "Not entirely. Sheathe your claws, love. The star.. Shana Abe
2d4f1b7 You snore. Shana Abe
931c37d But Holms had proven stalwart and valiant. When Miss Jones had shown up to discover them in the castle hallway, because she'd heard a suspicious noise and had feared for her schoolchums' safety, they' d had to bring her along. She'd wanted to run straight to the headmistress, of course, but Armand had persuaded her not to. How he regretted that decision now! The duke had fired his guns at them all. They'd retreated, thought to go to the aut.. Shana Abe
e11fb23 I guess you'll have to be a sodding duke now," I tried-clumsy, tasteless, and he only winced. "Sorry." I covered his hand with mine. "That was dumb." "No, you're right. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been stewing about it. Me and Reggie both. I think it's safe to say that this isn't remotely what either of us wanted." "I'm sure you'll do swimmingly." "Bugger that," he said, tired. "And bugger Aubrey, too. I wish I could say that to his fac.. Shana Abe
f2ed395 nothing helped tea. It simply was what it was, which was boiling hot and flavorless. Shana Abe
bafd85d Perhaps it was the silken dress on my body or the golden roses at my shoulder, but I had determined that I was going to be the most perfect, delightful charity student the duke had ever encountered. I was going to stand correctly, speak correctly, smile correctly, listen attentively. I was going to make him positively reel with my perfection, so I added another "Very," with a trace more of awe. Mrs. Westcliffe granted me a glance of approva.. Shana Abe
cd6e71a There were seven of them. They smiled seven identical smiles, and the message behind each was identical, as well. It read: Shana Abe
533b498 I would give up all the summers of eternity for you. I love you. Forever and my summer days, I'll love you. Shana Abe
a7a3d3f They fire lots of bullets very, very quickly. Quicker than anything else." I looked up and around the bedroom, the mismatched furniture, the weirdly firm light. "Why? What could you hunt with those? What could they have to do with anything?" "I don't know," he replied. "That's what's so unnerving." I rubbed a hand to my forehead, feeling an ache beginning to build behind my skull. "Armand." His eyes went to mine. I had to say this carefully.. Shana Abe
8c976e9 I love you. At your best and your worst, I love you. Paris or Darkfrith. Here, there, and everywhere, I love you. Shana Abe
3d53b1a I didn't think students were allowed below the main floor. I knew the kitchens were there, as were most of the servants' quarters; the professors and Mrs. Westcliffe had their own aboveground wing on the other side of the castle. No one had ever specifically told me to go below stairs, however-probably because a true Iverson girl would never, ever dream of mingling with the help. I could always say I'd gotten lost. The pillars of the worl.. Shana Abe
c26b362 We pretended to be of mud instead of stars. We pretended not to fly. fantasy Shana Abe
25b2712 I thought that ground fire couldn't reach the zeppelins," I said. "I thought that guns on the ground didn't have the range." "Eleanore. Do you imagine for one particle of one second that he was thinking clearly enough to fathom that?" "He was thinking clearly enough to fathom all of " I retorted, my hand flung out to encompass the roof. Blood stained my palm. "Clearly enough to have men haul all these crates into the castle in broad daylig.. Shana Abe
4fbcc89 Right," I said once more, because it sounded firm, and because Armand's brittle desolation was beginning to eat at me. None of this, after all, was his fault. "We get him downstairs. We sneak him out of the castle, back to your motorcar. You take Jesse to a doctor and take your father home. Lock him in a room, pour some wine down his throat. Laudanum. Whatever you have to do to keep him out while I get rid of the guns. None of this ever hap.. Shana Abe
ebca520 I hate it here. I hate everyone here. I hate that I am so different. I love it here and I want to belong and I know that I never will. Shana Abe
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