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She’s nothing, Sabara claimed

Niko didn’t lie the way Sabara did, but I felt his hand close around my elbow, and he pulledyou," he said ere alone at last

"What does thatthat I wasn’t her, that I didn’t know everything Sabara knew A tender shts, but only if you let her in"

"I didn’t I-I don’t think I did, anyway," I thought of the way I’d felt exposed and I shuddered

"You didn’t She didn’t have enough ti

Instead, it was alluring At least to Sabara I took an insignificant step closer

But there was nothing insignificant about it

Suddenly ere face to face, breath to breath I wasn’t sure , but Sabara’s was

"Dance?" I heardthat it wasn’t er the one in control I felt my lips pull into a smile then, unable to make them stop

Panic seized ain, Charlaina This is what I want

Niko grinned back, a wild, uncaged grin that matched my own

He took my hand and led me to the center of the dance floor Bodies parted out of our way like a tide, until it was only the two of us who existed out there, and a million eyes were on us, like stars, omniscient and watchful

I placed my other hand on his shoulder and we stepped into theit envelop us, curl around us, pull us It was like a force that manipulated and coaxed, controlled and cajoled

In his ar in ways I didn’t know it could I followed steps I’d never seen before I tasted notes and shter and heard colors all aroundme dizzy in the most delicious way

All because of Niko