She began to remember the girl she’d been at seventeen, ready to debut into society, eagerly smiling at the handsome young men, wondering which one would become hers. Gehring seemed to know that an eager girl hid inside her, and each of his glances coaxed her out of hiding. He was careful with her vulnerability, treating her like a treasure. Layer by layer, her vanity melted away, and her arrogance deserted her, because she needed it no longer. She was safe. Gehring’s smiles were always so open, his gazes eager and honest. Sunlight caught in his unruly curls, framing his tanned face in angelic light. Looking up into his face, she felt surrounded by a simple grace, a redemption, a benediction that burned the sins of her long dark life away. Gehring renewed the sense of life she’d been missing since her Unbirthing. True, she could not die, but Gehring made her feel truly alive. She had to draw heartbeats from the patrons on a daily basis, so often did her heart stir.
