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Arcana Rising Kresley Cole 13750K 2023-09-01

"The Empress moves her vines as she dreams"

In a wry tone, he says, "I believe that is theI’ve ever heard"

I also nore any sounds Iis remarkable, as is her sense of smell

Fauna would surely scentmy flowers

She smiles at the boy "And do s?"

He casts her a s And all of your creatures adorelack of fear of her lions The great beasts laze a my plants, their muzzles still stained with blood from an earlier kill They’d taken out a band of the Hierophant’s demented followers

Fauna shyly says, "I adore your illusions"

The Magician conjures a ball of light above them, then shapes it into an infinity syh eternity--and back on itself

Fauna is duly iht reflects in her eyes

He turns to her and brushes his fingers over her cheek

Are they in love? How does one know? If love has erous eaze, just before he presses his lips to hers

I tilt er over hs and his groans, itwith the Reaper dances in a in wait, no doubt Why is his attention so fixed upon me? Because he is Death and I am life?

What would it be like to kiss hi, which shames me He is odlike looks, he’s a monster who proudly wields his Touch of Death

Even if he could kiss h ician sit forehead to forehead, catching their breath

He says, "I want you to run aith h I shall have to kill Fauna and her admirer sooner than I’d anticipated

I ith a cry, lanced up, but I couldn’thow I planned to kill yourtocouple

They’d had no idea that some evil force plotted to punish them because they’d dared to fall in love--and to want out of the game

As I lay in the dark centuries later, I couldn’t help drawing parallels to ine with Aric