I don't care if you danced naked on the roof of the Little Palace with him. I love you, Alina, even the part of you that loved him.

Mal,” I whispered into the night.“What?”“Thanks for finding me.”I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming, but somewhere in the dark,I thought I heard him whisper, “Always.

Mal snickered. "What's so funny?""I just pictured the Darkling being cornered by a sweaty duchess trying to have her way with him.

I rolled my eyes. "For defending my honor, you dullard."He yanked me beneath a shadowed awning. I had a moment's panic when I thought he'd spotted trouble, but then his arms were around me and his lips were pressed to mine.When he finally drew back, my cheeks were warm and my legs had gone wobbly."Just to be clear," he said, "I'm not really interested in defending your honor.""Understood," I managed, hoping I didn't sound too ridiculously breathless.

THE SERVANTS CALLED them malenchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke’s house like giggling phantoms, darting in and out of rooms, hiding in cupboards to eavesdrop, sneaking into the kitchen to steal the last of the summer peaches.

I'm sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.

If you want to lie to me, go ahead. But I'm not going to pretend to believe you.""Why not?" asked Sturmhond, stepping into the tent. "It's only common courtesy.

I have a lot of scars,' he said finally. 'This is one I chose.

I thought that I’d given up on Mal. I thought the love I’d had for him belonged to the past, to the foolish, lonely girl I never wanted to be again. I’d tried to bury that girl and the love she’d felt, just as I’d tried to bury my power. But I wouldn’t make that mistake again. Whatever burned between us was just as bright, just as undeniable. The moment our lips met, I knew with pure and piercing certainty that I would have waited for him forever.