Page 9 (1/2)

“What are you doing here, you lunatic?” she asked, focusing on the fact that her friends had never given up on her, rather than the putridkiss on her cheek before Ashwini drew back “I came to see you—you weren’t in your quarters so I ca around when one of the instructors said “Shh” in a loud voice, she rolled her eyes “Funny, Demarco Didn’t they call noise control on your last party?”

The rangy hunter, his hair the streaky blond of a er “I knew you were there, Ms Fla Pants”

“This is a library, people,” said the lasttable and a leather-bound book open in front of his face

Ash and Demarco hooted Because Ransom was the last person you’d expect to find in a library—except as, he was shacked up with a librarian That, Honor thought, she’d have to see to believe Now he put the book down in his lap and leaned back in his chair, ar an advanced course in how to deal with the Wing Brotherhood when necessary”

Ashwini sauntered over to play with Ranso it out of its usual queue to run it through her fingers “What conditioner you using, Professor Ranso brands”

“Fuck you” Said without heat as he glanced at Dery”

The other hunter paused, nodded decisively “Yeah,in an otherwise deserted dining hall with three other hunters, talking shit It was so Ash ahen her best friend tried to draw her out, and now she couldn’t understand why For the first time since she’d escaped that hellhole where she’d alotten shade, a translucent illusion

Stop lying to yourself, Honor

She’d felt very much real, very much alive, at the Tower Chilled by a fear that had left her skin sticky with sweat, and by her deep-rooted compulsion toward a va kind—in his eyes, but alive nonetheless

Her hand clenched on the handle of her coffeeShe’d already eaten a toasted cheese sandwich and a banana, truly hungry for the first ti plan ht over the past half year She’d tasted none of those things, coaze had made it clear he appreciated her curves, that he had no problem with the fact that her natural body shape was too lass than was currently fashionable He would, she thought, take exquisite pleasure in stroking his hands over every inch of a woman’s bodyif he wasn’t in the mood to hurt her a little

“Any of youa lull in the conversation, disturbed by the fact that even knowing beyond any doubt that he’d be no good for her, she couldn’t stop her htly full curve of his lower lip A dangerous indulgence, a small madness