They snacked on the pastries Nasim had brought that morning, and after that, he took her to an exquisite little restaurant downtown, a quiet place where she was served dozens of tiny morsels that would finally add up to a fine meal. “Where to now?” she asked, once they had finished, and the heate...
he said, making a face. “The master bedroom straight through is mine. You are of course welcome to share it, but there are two other bedrooms that you may choose as well.”She identified the master bedroom easily enough. It was minimalistic in the extreme, with stark white walls and an enormous wh...
Her shoulders felt lighter this morning. The new materials were coming in, she’d contracted out work for the creation of the grand hall’s lamps, and she felt confident that while all of the work wouldn’t be done by the time she left, renovations would be well underway. She was still deciding on s...
Instead, he stood with his broad back to the floor-to-ceiling windows, glaring at the sweating man who stood in front of him. “So let me get this straight,” he said, his voice silky soft. “I am set to report for…some kind of reality show next week. Is that right?” &n...
She remembered how much difficulty she’d had with jet lag from when she had come over for Trinity's wedding, and this time instead of fighting it, she simply decided to give in to it.Her cabin was a snug berth with plenty of space for the light luggage she had brought along, and her bed was soft ...
Berry had gotten there quite early and found her seat next to her gate. She had just another two hours in the country. After that, she would be back in the United States. Berry told herself that it was for the best, but despite that, she felt a deep wrenching at the idea of leaving Alamun. In the...
Marianna said jokingly, as she got into the car. He smiled at her, raising a dark brow. “Truly? Did you think I would be that disrespectful?” “No, never. I don’t think that you are ever disrespectful unless you truly mean to be. However, I do think you might be a little careless.” Nikolos winced,...
It might have been the fact that the sunrise had looked particularly gorgeous from her picture window this morning as she’d sipped her coffee and read the morning edition of the New York Times from her tablet. It might have been the fact that she’d gotten a good night’s sleep for the first time i...
She did her work, she laughed with the friends she had made, and she took part in the life of the encampment. But it felt as if she had left her body behind to take care of business while her soul went somewhere else entirely. Whenever she got close enough, she would catch...
She didn't let herself look towards them. Like the other members of the orchestra, she kept her eyes on her music. Finally, the lights dimmed slightly, and the announcer came on. “And tonight, in her first solo in Berlin, we have Olivia Majors al-Hamidiya!” The applause faded as the first strains...
The sky was a blissful blue, and Heidi Conrad sat breathless in a small group of similarly-robed students. Underneath her mortarboard, her red hair had been tamed from its usual curls into a tidy braid, but she still couldn't help but feel a bit like the wide-eyed freshman who had appeared on Col...
After all, it was for her job, and it should have been all on her dime. When she had started to make the arrangements though, Mikal stepped in with that calm control and confidence that seemed to be second nature to him."I have an appearance to maintain," he said with a grin. "After all, I can't ...