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"It doesn’twho to share it," I said finally

I felt as if I was standing on a precipice, and I had to take a stand I had sworn that no ain, even if he was just telling me to love him in return

"Whatever you think Ito have to back off"

"I don’t like following orders," he said quietly

"Neither do I," I said

5

The flute song rose and fell between us, breaking the tension into ripples I watched hirass he had woven It fluttered away in the breeze

"It would appear we’ve reached an impasse," he said

"So what now?"

He tossed the last bit of grass to the ground and inspected his green-stained gloves, then shook hied power of his gaze was gone, replaced by a y He leaped to his feet and did a strange little jig, then held out his hand with a flourish A bouquet of flowers appeared there When I reached to take it, it disappeared, and a little cloud of confetti burst from his sleeve and settled over rinning at hio to Criminy’s Clockwork Caravan," he said "We’ll find some clothes for you, feed you, introduce you around The crew’s about half Bludmen, half Pinky, so you’ll feel at hos, in the caravan"

He smiled crookedly and held out his arm "Your blood is safe with us"

I didn’t feel safe, neither in body nor in heart Why was I drawn to this odd, inhu when I opened the locket, but I had thought it was fancy and ro noble and beautiful froht it was the sa I felt for Mr Darcy But here, near hi for what it was Attraction And passion And h I had nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to I found , whether as a dream or as an alternative di on e dreae on ht ht, love? You look as if a goose has walked over your grave"

I tried to play it off as a joke "You have geese here? Or are they bludgeese?"

"Birds drinking blood?" He chuckled "Do they have teeth where you come from? Because here, it’s just ruddy little beaks I suppose they could peck you to death, if you held still long enough"

We had reached the caravan again, and I braced htly off-kilter, and I alking into an unfaers and people anted to drinkmoved except for tendrils of smoke on the breeze, and it was eerie I could see the sa perfectly still on the caboose I was a

"What’s with the monkey?" I asked "He must be really well trained"

"Well trained? Love, you’re a riot," he said, laughing again I was powerfully drawn to that laugh, and I barely even knew the man Or inhuman monster Or apex predator Whatever he claireen light surged over the monkey’s open eyes, and they blinked several ti on its back legs, its tail for a perfect questiondown to the ground and ran to his outstretched ar around his bicep

The monkey turned to look at ly craftedfrom within, and when the eyes blinked, there was a metallic click

"Letitia, my dear, this is Pemberly Pemberly, this is your new mistress," Criminy said The monkey extended a dainty black paw, and Cri, "Mustn’t be rude"

I shook the little hand, which was cold and smooth The rin, revealing silver teeth

"She likes you," Criminy said

"How do you know it’s a she?" I said

"Because when Murdoch built her, I specifically requested a fe in the world

"Is she a pet or part of the caravan?" I asked

"Both, of course," he said "She’s whatever I need her to be"

"Where I co like that"

"Well, we’re quite lucky to have an excellent builder and mechanic on staff A Pinky and a her, although we’re having a spot of trouble lately with the Bolted Burlesque The redhead keeps shorting out in the middle of a striptease, and then everyone wants their blood back"

"But … why?"