Extrait

He still had his arm around me, his skin warm, reminding me that he was real, no matter how strange and inhuman he seemed when he started conjuring things out of the air. He fed me a truffle. If the wine was good, the chocolate was mind-blowing, but I knew it had no substance, and as soon as I tasted it I wanted more and more.

“Some things can’t be satisfied,” he said. “But there are other ways in which everything I give you is very real. I wanted to remind you of the difference.”

“Sometimes I think I control you,” I said. “And sometimes I feel as if I should be a little afraid of you.”

“Sounds about right,” he said. “Despite that, I am…yours. All yours.”

We kissed again, one of his hands taking mine while the other slipped under my sweater, skin to skin, although still chastely—for now. The boat rode over a swell and I bumped into him. Not entirely on accident. His arms twined and tightened around me, steadying me. In the dim light, the reddish hints in his hair were muted to a tawny color but his eyes still caught strange golden colors in the lantern light.

“Master Blair is wrong to take your magic away,” he said. “You are just the right person to continue his rebellion. My brave, beautiful Charlotte.”