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"The eaves are rather low," he said bitterly as I floundered "I can’t afford better This ain’t the Ice Palace"

My eyes adjusted to the died to roll onto an elbow He was across the s on a stool as he pulled on a pair of shiny knee-high boots with silver toe caps I wanted to say so The scruffy, careless, drunken wastrel I’d encountered earlier had metamorphosed into a sleekly handsoht suede breeches, a flouncy shirt with feathery layers of lace, and a geht His hair shilossy waves He reminded me of my h there was soer on what it was, his posture or his scent or his wolfish grin, but so

"It’s tiing ht where you are I looked up sonize you in a heartbeat So start thinking about what you can do to change that, starting with your hair"

My bare hand went to the long white-blond curls rippling over the side of the bed Ye gods, had he taken the pins out while I’d slept? I was scandalized, to think of those long fingers buried in e my favorite feature? I couldn’t alter the ice-blue eyes of ical choice Then I realized the iuise myself?" I pulled my shoulders back and stuck out my chin despite an unladylike position "I am the princess I will soon be Tsarina Once the authorities are made aware of my whereabouts, I will be returned to the Ice Palace You may even be rewarded for your trouble"

Before we drain you and eat your heart on toast, I added silently

"This isn’t Freesia And Freesia isn’t what it was four years ago There’s civil unrest there, talk of revolt against the landed Bludh, and if you actually made it back home alive, Ravenna would have you killed If the people still want you, they don’t know it They’re completely in her power Mesanda Perhaps all of the above"

"You’re lying" Each word dripped icicles

"Why would I lie? This is London, and I’ tunes for coppers in a third-rate Blud bar I’ monkey If I wanted to hurt you, I would have turned you in to the Coppers while you were asleep and taken the reward" He tied his cravat and flashed his dirin "It’s up to a thousand silvers, you know They think you’re dead But so to bet on it"

On the outside,apart, cracks invading lacier about to plu, one, and the beautiful palace where I’d led a charer safe The sea, theinthat sootten their way

"I’ve got to get back" I had to discover what Ravenna held overIf it was as bad as he had described, it wasup first Looks like you were drained to the cusp of death What’s the last thing you reolden ray of sunset shining through aso small it resembled a porthole The bloodshot whites of his eyes served only to enhance the blue I inhaled deeply and found that his sed at me He wasn’t a Bludman, that was for sure But as he?

And where had I been for the last four years?

"The last thing I re by the fountain in the back courtyard There was a thin layer of ice on top, like the fil patterns in the ice, watching the koi swih the crust"

"And then?"

"And then I was in the dark, plotting your death"

"Nice"

"I’le, I pulledon the other end of the bed, where the eaves weren’t so low "Nice is for nursematist And I wake up cranky Why do you smell different?"

"None of your damned business"

"I don’t like your attitude"

"I’m not your servant"

I hissed "If you were--"