He grins and reaches for me. I leap into his arms, taking his jaw into my hands. His skin is warm and blissful beneath my touch. He holds me tight against him, and I seize his mouth, kissing him with all my hurt and all my glee. He is almost savage with the kiss, claiming me and parting my lips, seeking permission with the tip of his tongue. I wholly give it to him.
I kiss him, my tears wetting his skin, my laugh dancing across his lips.
Beneath my singing heart, the horn burns a brilliant heat.
And so does my soul.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Another adventure concluded. Another one to put in the books, literally. This is the first novel I’ve ever written that was based off a dream. A bizarre dream, but many aspects of it were so intriguing to me that I knew I had to write it. So I did. At the same time I was drafting The Plastic Magician. Never have I written so much so quickly in all my life! But as all books before and after this one, this was not a one-woman show. Hardly.
Thank you for my critique partners and first readers, Caitlyn (who made the ending of this way better), Rebecca (who rounded out my protagonist), Erin, Katie, Rachel, Kim, and Cerena. Your help and patience as I made this story something worth reading is never forgotten. Many thank-yous to my fantastic husband, Jordan, who is not only an early reader but a great sounding board. Not to mention, like Tennith, he is wonderful to look at.
Thank you to Jason and Marlene for making this book happen. And to Angela, who was very patient with me and all the back-and-forth we had during edits! My gratitude goes to Rachel McNeill, whom I texted for twenty minutes over a problem with this book, thinking she was the above-listed Rachel. While that must have been a confusing conversation, she took it in stride and proved quite helpful.
Many thanks to Tacket Brown, who graciously reviewed my hand-scrawled sheet music in the back of this book to make sure it was legible and playable. (And for indirectly letting me know I’m still competent in that area!)
And once again, thank you to the Guy in White, the Big Man Upstairs, the Head Cheese of the Universe, that Divine Being who keeps my heart beating and gives me ideas in the same breath.
Never knew He liked kissing books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlie N. Holmberg is the award-winning author of the Numina series, The Fifth Doll, and many other books. Her Wall Street Journal bestselling Paper Magician series has been optioned by the Walt Disney Company. Charlie’s stand-alone novel, Followed by Frost, was nominated for a 2016 RITA Award for Best Young Adult Romance. Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. She is a proud BYU alumna, plays the ukulele, owns too many pairs of glasses, and finally adopted a dog. She currently lives with her family in Utah. Visit her at www.charlienholmberg.com.
ALSO BY CHARLIE N. HOLMBERG
The Numina Series
Smoke and Summons
Myths and Mortals
Siege and Sacrifice
The Paper Magician Series
The Paper Magician
The Glass Magician
The Master Magician
The Plastic Magician
Other Novels
The Fifth Doll
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet
Followed by Frost
Veins of Gold
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Text copyright © 2020 by Charlie N. Holmberg LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by 47North, Seattle
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ISBN-13: 9781542005005
ISBN-10: 1542005000
Cover design by Micaela Alcaino