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This, this hat had beenThis this this

With Luc, with the boys on Earth This htened at ed up the back of his calf as if pointing out the right road on aof his tongue, the hardness in his ar not to dig ininside me went liquid and hot, like molten chocolate He tasted like masala, like chai, like spices both hot and sweet that were too fiery to savor undiluted

I dipped deeper, chasing his tongue, frantic to remove the taste of Monsieur Philippe frory, so avid, that I cohly, alh

"Corowled He shook his head no, his eyes burning golden in the low lights of the hallway

"Can’t You nicked er to his lips and pulled it away barely painted with blood My breath caught on instinct, but then I sotten that Abyssinian blood would drive er--which, honestly, I still couldn’t quite believe--it would appear that insanity here could be chemically induced in a way that sounded a lot like rabies Bludmen who drank any Abyssinian blood at all were said to foam at the mouth and bleed fro around, blind and screa at whatever their talons encountered It was an ugly way to go that often resulted in the death or dismemberment of anyone else nearby This made the Abyssinians undaunted warriors, , especially considering that many of them painted their weapons with their own blood

Vale had said he was half Abyssinian, but I didn’t know if that meant his blood would er to kill me, or if it would just make me sick for a while And I definitely didn’t want to find out after I’d just been offered a job and was one step closer to finding Cherie I would have to be more careful, more controlled, the next time he kissed me

Because yes, I realized, I wanted there to be a next time I’d never wanted there to be a next ti, bébé?" He was leaning against the wall directly across the hall froainst the bricks He looked as dazed as I felt, his eyes unfocused and wide I hadn’t realized I was grinning until he asked, and that onlyfunny"

"You think going half- you is funny?"

"Neither" I tried to control the grin and failed "Definitely neither"

"Mademoiselle? The ladies will be back soon Please hurry"

Blaise’s voice carried, faint and nervous, from the top of the stairs at the end of the hall I didn’t want to get him in trouble, but I wasn’t ready to be without Vale He was strange and dangerous, but he was theI had in Paris and alsoCherie And ain After my first taste of passion, I felt open forforat him from five feet awaybitch

"I guess I need to go"

He nodded sadly "If you don’t, Blaise will get beaten Madame Sylvie is kinder than most, but she doesn’t care to be crossed And neither does her choreographer Be careful--they’re two halves of the saain?" The words rushed out of me so fast I felt like Liesl in The Sound of Music andlike a sixteen-year-old idiot instead of the stylish cabaret girl I was bound and deteraze roao around to the other cabarets Spread the word about a kidnapped girl who’s worth a great deal of ransoray eyes Last seen in a salmon-pink dress and bludbunny skull fascinator"

He strokedsad

"Oh" I touched the polished skullit in the catacombs "Never mind that last part" Then, more softly, "It was her favorite"

"I’ll do ood at keeping secrets a useful I’ll be back sometiirl?" I said, trying to put on a brave face

"Oh, I only deliver those once a week This would be wine Cabarets always need wine"

"But where do you get it?"