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When you had everything in the world, it never dawned on you that there were chances to miss Opportunities that were only temporary Dreams that could not be fulfilled

As Peyton, son of Peythone, hid his eyes behind blue lenses, he stared across the training center’s break roo’s First Adviser, Abalone, was sitting one-eighty on a not-fancy chair, her legs dangling over one arainst the other Her blond head was down, her eyes reviewing notes on IEDs

Ies--the pro Society, the danger she had put herself in by joining the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training program for soldiers--made him want to take the notes away and rewind time He wanted to return to their old lives, before she had coht…and before he had learned she was so much more than an aristocratic female with a stellar bloodline and classic beauty

Without the war, though, he doubted they would have ever grown close

That terrible night when the Lessening Society had attacked the houses of the glyions of servants, had been the catalyst for the two of the with a fast crowd of rich, world-is-ht and stayed ho But after the attacks? Both of their families had decamped to safe houses outside of Caldwell, and he and Paradise had fallen into the habit of calling each other when they couldn’t sleep

Which had beenabout nothing and everything, from the serious to the stoopid to the silly

He had told her things that he had never shared with anybody: He’d admitted to her he was scared and that he felt alone and worried about the future Had said out loud, for the first ti problem Had worried about whether or not he could cut it in the real world away from the club scene

And she had been there for him

She was the first female friend he had ever had Yeah, sure, he had fucked raft loads of the opposite sex, but with Paradise, it hadn’t been about getting laid

Although he wanted her Of course he did She was incredibly--

"Admit it"

As Paradise spoke up, he snapped to attention Then looked around The break room was empty except for the two of theht roo out in the hall as they waited to leave for the day

So, yeah, she was talking to hi at him, too

"G’head" Her eyes were very direct "Why don’t you say it finally"

He didn’t kno to respond to that And when the silence stretched out between the his rib cage into avenetian blind fro her long legs around and crossing the that ca: Every female of her station sat properly It was just what one did, no

Crate & Barrel or Louis XIV Lycra or Lanvin Standards, darling

He i in her dead mahmen’s jewels, under a ballrooh, her perfect face radiant, her body…ainst his own

"Where’s your h voice--one that he hoped she blamed on his weed habit

The sly-wasted, even though they were the sa plans for the night?"

"Nope"