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"You’re wasting tiirls don’t ride into Paris bareback on a brigand’s hellbitch"

With a snort, I stepped out of the mare’s reach, took a deep breath, and bent over backward into a C Fro under untilmy boots on my own shoulders, I felt the frothy layers of the dress fall down aroundtrousers I favored for just such an occasion

"I’ fangs

To his credit, he didn’t freak out Just put his head to the side like a croatching a jewel glint in the sun For the first time, his tone went serious, quiet "Now, that I did not expect Tell ht now?" I did a front walkover and turned to face him with a swirl of skirts "I want you to take me to Paris and help me find my best friend"

"Say we find her Say we don’t What’s your endga up I was a little sore after the crash, not to mention the previous hours I’d spent crammed between Cherie’s shoulder and the wooden wall of the carriage Just to see what he would do, and to stretch out further, I slowly lifted one leg until it was right beside ht up

"I want to find Cherie and then go to Mortmartre and be the stars of the cabaret, of course"

"There are no Bludmen in the cabarets--"

"Not yet There will be Once I find Cherie, there will be two We’re an act" I dropped --andnohat?"

He shook his head, earrings winking "But where will you stay, bébé? Where will you sleep? Hoill you feed? If you drink from a human, they’ll drain you Unless you have money, which I don’t believe you do, you are destitute Even with my connections there, I cannot keep you"

My narrowed eyes shot to hi down as I prepared to give an earful about what exactly he could keep

He cut ive ue I don’tis free, more so in Paris perhaps than elsewhere" But his eyes said so me

"Then take ood base of operations"

He exhaled, his head on the side "You understand that women here are sometiirl with options would choose"

I sed hard against a lump in my throat approximately the size of Cherie’s white fist "Then I’ it"

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked off into the hazy distance, where a single dark spear pierced the clouds The Tower, they called it--sohtning into electricity for the City of Light Funny, how it looked exactly like the Eiffel Tower from my world but actually served a purpose here Paris wasn’t tall and hulish cities but sprawled, orderly, and leisurely, in neat squares The dai lives of fear, nor were the huside theiven the artists free rein to sdown in Franchia

I’d alanted to see Paris on Earth And noas the key to finding Cherie in Sang

Vale followedhis buzzed head "It will be a hard ride If you fall off, I will laugh at you Odalisque is a bitch of a mare, and there’s no room for you on the saddle" He"And odds are ill not find your friend"