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I turned and took the curving staircase down to the sunken garden

It didn’t take ainst the trunk of a large oak, scanning thein the dark?" I asked

"Just ainst the trunk "You should have joined us at dinner"

Mal snorted "No thank you From what I could see, you looked positively miserable, and Nikolai didn’t look lance at my kefta, "whatever would I have worn?"

"Do you hate it?"

"It’s lovely A perfect addition to your trousseau" Before I could even roll ed hold of my hand "I didn’tto say so since I first saw you tonight"

I flushed "Thanks Using my power every day helps"

"You were beautiful back in Cofton with jurda pollen in your brows"

I tugged self-consciously at a strand of my hair "This place reminds me of Keramzin," I said

"A little It’s a lot fussier What exactly is the point of teeny tiny fruit?"

"It’s for people with teeny tiny hands Makes theh I reached into my pocket and fished around inside the black velvet pouch

"I have so for you," I said

"What is it?"

I held out ame we’d played as children

"Obviously, it’s a sweater"

I shook my head

"A show pony?"

"Nope"

He reached out and took ers

I waited for his reaction

His olden sunburst froainst my palm sent a shiver up uard?" he asked

I cleared my throat nervously "I … I didn’t want unifor’s oprichniki"

For a long moment, we stood in silence as Mal looked down at the sunburst Then he handed it back to me My heart plummeted, but I tried to hide my disappointment

"Put it on me?" he asked

I let my breath out in a relieved rush I took the pin between h the folds on the left side of his shirt It took et it hooked When I finished and olden sun, over his heart

"Is that all?" he said

We were standing close together now, alone in the wararden It was the first moment we’d had to ourselves in weeks

"All?" I repeated My voice came out as little more than a breath

"I believe I was promised a cape and a fancy hat"

"I’ll ?"

"I’"

"Fine," he said "I’ll take ht, but when his lipsplayful in his kiss He tasted of heat and newly ripe pears froer in the hard slant of his e to his need that sent restless sparks burning throughth of th, and I felt it in the hard bands of his arers as his fist bunched in the silk at the sainst hi fierce and almost desperate in the way he held h

My head was spinning My thoughts had gone slow and liquid, but somewhere I heard footsteps In the nextup the path

"We have co his rifle in a single swift ate deriet my kiss-addled brain to function properly

Tamar shook her head "They claim to be Grisha"