Title: The Boy in the Smoke Author: Maureen Johnson Publication date: February 2014 Publisher: Hot Key Books Goodreads From Goodreads: On a cold night, Stephen
Dene went to the Eton boathouse to perform a desperate act. But someone
stopped him along the way, sending his life in a new and decidedly
strange direction–leading him to London, to two new friends, and to a
world of shadows and mystery.
From New York Times bestselling
author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Key to the Golden Firebird and The
Name of the Star, The Boy in the Smoke is a thrilling prequel to The
Shades of London series.
Since I am in the mood for guy protagonist lately, I decided to venture
out of my usual sub-genres in Young Adult and read this book. The Boy in the Smoke is a novella and prequel for a series I haven’t even read, but I managed to enjoy this book a lot nonetheless.
We
are introduced to Stephen, a quiet boy trained to obey authorities, and
his dysfunctional family. In the cold house where his parents never
have time for him, Stephen’s only friend is his sister, Gina. But Gina,
cheerful yet self-destructive Gina, will not stay around for long. In
the end, Stephen himself has to choose whether to follow his ignorant
parents’ orders or to follow his own dream.
The first half of the
book feels very much like a typical contemporary YA, so I was quite
taken aback when the paranormal stuffs kick in. One of the ghosts still
gives me creeps (“He was little,” she explained. “And he made a lot of noise. So I put him in the fire. Everyone was angry.”
*shivers*). I like Stephen, he is a nice guy – polite and sincere – and
no one deserves better happy ending than him. Mentally kicking his
parents for treating him so badly. I’m glad with how things turn out in
the end. The ghost-buster things feels kinda rushed, but I guess it’s
understandable since we are expected to find out more about it in the
first novel.
Maureen Johnson is an author whose book I’d wanted
to read for a long time, and I’m glad to say that this novella made me
want to read more of her works. The story has a nice flow and it didn’t
take long for me to finish it. For a companion novel, I think this book
also works well as a standalone. Fans of Shades of London would
love this companion since it adds up a lot to the background of one of
the main characters, Stephen. Those who are simply curious and in search
of a well-written guy POV like me, well, feel free to dive in!
You
can tell when your parents dislike you—when they are horrified by the
way you eat, at your bodily fluids, at the noises you make and the way
you play. You know when you perpetually give them a headache or make
them vanish into another room and leave you with the housekeeper or each
other or the dog, whatever is handy.
Another way you can tell is
when it is the last day of prep school, and they forget to come and get
you and go on holiday to Barbados instead.
Wow, this book is absolutely not your normal definition of superhero book.
Audrey
has always been idolizing her mother, the superhero Morning Star. It’s
bad enough that her mother doesn’t seem very keen to have Audrey
following her path, but it’s even worse when her mother’s sidekick,
Leon, keep tugging her patience. Strange things are happening in the
city with high school girls gone missing, but Audrey’s mother refuses to
give out any information to her. When Audrey’s friend is falling victim
and almost dead, Audrey decides to take matters into her own hands and
uncovers what her mother and Leon has been fighting all this time. But
like Gram said, there are some places it’s best not to look…
The
writing in Dark Star is great and very easy to follow. I also like the
relationship between Audrey and her mother. Although they fight at times
because Audrey’s mother tends to keep her in dark, it’s clear that both
of them love each other very much. I like how Audrey keeps first aid
kit everywhere in their house because her mother doesn’t want to get
Audrey worry when she comes home injured. Leon, with her cookies smell,
flour in his hair, and ironed shirt also get some pieces of my heart
too.
However, I felt like the characters in this book are not
used wisely. They have just the right characteristics to make them even
more awesome: a bit reckless and justice-must-be-served heroine, a
vigilante superhero as her mother, a mysterious sidekick, stern
grandmother, and supporting best friends, but I feel like I didn’t know
them much better in the end. I also wished for more romance in air
because really, Audrey needs more time to talk to Leon without getting
into banter and later, fight.
In overall, Dark Star is a good
read but it’s not something that I expected. Although this book gives
sense of comic-like superhero, it’s nothing near. It’s a great book but
with the superhero thing stamped in the synopsis, I think I raised my
expectation bar too high. I think devoted fans of paranormal stories
(who can endure slow pacing in their books) would fall in love with this
book. I hope there would be a sequel because for me, Dark Star felt
more like an opening for an enjoyable series.
But that night I
lay awake thinking of girls lured out into the sweet night air, the
darkness that awaited them, vanishing lights and a rising wind. Tricia
and Kelly and those other nameless girls, bound to me by a shared
ancestry and by the cuts above our heels. And when I slept, my dreams
were filled with blood.
Young duchess Katerina Alexandrovna has a wonderful gift of necromancy
which she regards as a curse. The gift/curse makes her wanted by both
dark and light powers. The Tsar’s second son, Grand Duke George, deduces
Katerina’s power and reminds her ‘nicely’ not to ever use her dark
power. The crown prince of Montenegro, the gorgeous Prince Danilo, wants
Katerina for his own agenda, which is suspiciously involved with blood
sucking. Katerina has to learn how to waltz among the dark and light
faerie court, old vampire clans who want to take revenge on the Tsar,
and unconsciously-raised living dead… all without falling for the charm
of the charming Prince Danilo or off-limits Grand Duke George.
First
of all, this book is set in Russia in 1888. Can’t go wrong with that
beautiful time, right? There are so many balls and gowns mentioned to
satisfy my obsession. I love the vivid and beautiful description of the
setting. It’s very easy to imagine myself taking a walk in the woods,
breathing the frosty air and savoring the cold beauty of winter in
Russia.
There is something fascinating about historical fiction.
Although I tend to get headache in desperate attempts of remembering
their strange names and deciphering the unfamiliar words, I always have
pleasure in reading historical fiction. Maybe it’s the complicated yet
mesmerizing protocol, the way the characters speak in perfect manner and
veiled words. I’m a lover of words, so I always appreciate a play of
words. But maybe another cause of my fascination is the perfect
gentlemen’s acts in historical fiction. Call me weird, but I melt
whenever the hero takes the heroine’s hand and kisses it. There’s a
reason I adore Mr. Darcy.
The Gathering Storm is a book that I
wished there would have been more romance inside. It’s more focused on
Katerina’s power, her fear for her family and friends’ safety, and her
detective work on finding the main threat of the Tsar. Aside from the
lack of romance, I really like the paranormal aspect of the book. It’s
very interesting to see how the author, Robin Bridges, mingles history
with Russian legends.
I like Katerina. She’s lovely, smart, and
very nice. She wants to be a doctor and I feel bad for her that woman at
that time in Russia is not permitted to. However, sometimes I’m
exasperated by her pessimistic view of life. She refuses to ask help to
people around her because she’s afraid of endangering their life, even
when she’s stuck in a very difficult situation. Her romance with Prince
Danilo is a sort of enchantment, while the relationship she has with
Grand Duke George is more natural. George is very stubborn yet I can’t
help falling for him. There is no insta-love in their relationship. Mon dieu. Not with George keep catching Katerina in shady states.
In
overall, I did enjoy The Gathering Storm immensely. There are so many
things to love in this book, yet I finished it feeling like there’s
something missing. The story could be something… more. More action, more
developing characters, more surprising twists, and a conclusion! The
first book of this trilogy feels like the promise of the storm ahead.
Well, definitely the gathering of storm. However, I hope you would give
this book a shot, because it’s full of amazing premises and likeable
characters. I definitely can’t wait to read the second book of this
trilogy, The Unfailing Light!
I shivered, feeling nothing but
the bitter cold. I was certain that, witch or no witch, Elena would not
do anything foolish. But as I looked back across the line of sleighs,
full of excited young girls, I had a terrible vision. A brilliant
bluish-white light illuminated each girl’s face.
This vision was, unfortunately, very familiar.
Death would be dancing with us at the ball that night.
I crossed myself and prayed it would touch no one I loved.
With the glowing reviews of Merrick brothers, I
expected Elemental to be a wonderful novella before I start Storm. But
it amazed me how short the story is. Just when I thought things start to
become exciting, BAM! It suddenly ends, leave me with gaping mouth. If I
have to metaphor my feeling, I feel like jumping from a cliff to a lake
when I reached the last page. But instead being welcomed by the cool
water, there was only solid wall hit me mercilessly.
Despite the
sort of cliffhanger ending, one thing I enjoyed most about this book is
the tension. Oh, the tension between Emily and Michael! It is as if I
were there, watching them exchange hostile glances and snarky remarks.
The conversations are interesting to read and I like the chemistry
between them. I love the vivid description of the hot summer days and
the deserted sports center. Perfect setting for the start of Michael and
Emily’s friendship.
There are a few things I found frustrating
in this novella. I don’t understand how things work in Elemental’s
world. Does everyone have ability to control elements? I’m really
confused because it is never stated clearly in the book. Elemental
doesn’t offer answer, but it definitely is a good prequel before you
start the series. It leaves you with questions about the community, the
power, and the aggression that Merrick family constantly receives.
Brigid Kemmerer also does such good job in portraying Michael’s emotion,
frustration and turmoil he felt toward his family and sequence of
things happening because of his power. I need answers and I’d definitely
read Storm. Hopefully it would be a great explosion that I’m
anticipating!
“Want to learn?” he said.
“Learn?” Her voice was squeaking.
He
tapped the fence with the end of the bat. “How to hit.” She couldn’t.
She’d already spent too much time talking to him. This had danger
written all over it.
But some part of her heart had already told her brain’s insistent thoughts to shove it.
Spectral starts off with Jewel’s family moving
in to other town. Jewel’s family moves a lot and she gets tired with
all the new schools, new friends, and new names. She is convinced that
her family is in some kind of witness protection program so she never
asks much question about the whole moving thing.
In this new
town, Jewel’s false name is True. She quickly makes friends with a very
bubbly girl named Taylor and Chase, the guy who seems interested to her.
Jewel tries not to get her hopes up, but maybe her family will stop
moving and settle down in this new town. However, strange things start
happening. Her encounter with Roman, a new guy who surprisingly knows
her true name, makes her questioning everything her family has told her.
Roman claims to be her guardian, but which one she should trust: the
parents who raised her or the guy who is ready to give her answers to
everything her family has kept from her?
I enjoyed Spectral
despite some flaws in this book. The story keeps me engaged and the
writing is very easy to follow. I can understand Jewel’s shock upon her
discovery. I found myself putting the puzzles in Jewel’s mystery too.
The story gets even more interesting once Jewel is in Russian. And
later, Italy! I love that she’s brave enough to explore the truth about
herself.
Like so many other readers, I am swooned over the love interest in this story,
Roman. Roman, with his gentle, protective, and somehow sexy ways,
manages to capture my heart. Her relationship with Jewel is very lovely. I think I would fall over heels if someone
ever calls me his butterfly. I guess Roman is supposed to be
the bad boy while Chase is the safe, good ol’ guy, but I can hardly find
any bad guy aspect in Roman. Sure, he has a fair amount of mystery
required for a bad boy, but other than that, I think he’s a good guy
with cute grin and funny lines.
Spectral is a great book that is
worth a shot, especially for those who enjoy stories about witchcraft.
I’m really hoping that Shannon Duffy would make this a series because
I’d love to see Jewel explores more about her new power. Plus, more
Roman, please!
A multi-colored butterfly suddenly fluttered
down from the ceiling landing on my fingers laced around the coffee cup.
I gasped, but didn’t move. Glancing up at the ceiling, I whispered in
awe, “Where did that come from?”
Roman’s lips twisted into a grin
as he gazed down at it, and then back into my eyes. He raised one
shoulder. “One butterfly always knows another.”
Hi amazing people! Like I told you yesterday, today I have the super amazing Krista Holle, author of The Lure of Shapinsay, in Catch the Lune! Krista's debut novel, The Lure of Shapinsay, is a touching and romantic story about selkie. It is a book that I had pleasure reading it, and I know that you're going to love this book too! You can read my review of this bookhere. Done reading the review? Now you can proceed to the interview, watch the beautiful trailer, and participate in the amazing giveaway! ♥
The Interview
Welcome to my blog, Krista! I'm so ecstatic to have you in my blog! Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Thanks,
Hilda! I’m married with four awesome daughters. There’s also a
neurotic cat in the picture who compulsively steals the family’s socks.
I’m also a critical care nurse, but my passion is writing. I love
collecting seashells, reading, and watching movies, but I’d rather write
than just about anything. Like the cat, it’s a compulsion for me and
the reason I’ve dubbed myself “one sick cookie.”
Where and how did you get the muse to write The Lure of Shapinsay?
I
was first exposed to selkies with the release of the movie The Secret
of Roan Inish back in 1994. Then again with the children’s picture book
The Seal Prince. For those who aren’t familiar with selkies, they’re
beautiful seal men and women from the coasts of Scotland and Ireland.
The men are notorious for magically luring women to their deaths beneath
the sea.
In the story, Kait falls in love to a selkie man to the
point that she’s willing to sacrifice anything to be with him. Would
you follow her act if you were her?
You must understand that Kait
was under the influence of the “Lure” and incapable of acting
rationally. So yes, if I encountered a beautiful selkie man, I’d lose
my head too. Hopefully I’d live to tell the tale, but if not I’d have a
glorious death.
In The Lure of Shapinsay, the characters are
speaking in Irish slang (well, I think they speak in Irish slang. I’m
sorry if I’m wrong! :) ). How did you learn about the old slang?
The
dialect is actually an old mixture of Scottish and Norse—the real
dialect of the Scottish Orkney islands. I wanted my story to have an
authentic feel so I researched Orcaidian stories actually told in the
old dialect.
What do you think would be the best theme song for The Lure of Shapinsay?
I
love Brandon Flower’s “Crossfire”. It tells of a relationship caught
between heaven and hell. This is Kait and Eamon’s relationship. There’s a
sweetness at being together, but the odds of a land/sea relationship
working are pretty slim. It’s agonizing at the same time.
Brandon Flower - "Crossfire"
Watching your dress as you turn down the lights
I forget all about the storm outside
Dark clouds roll their way over town
Heartache and pain came a-pouring down like hail, sleet and rain, yeah
They're handing it out
And we're caught up in the crossfire of Heaven and Hell
And we're searching for shelter
Lay your body down
Imagination-escape
round!
If you were a Greek Goddess, who do you think you would be?
I’d be Daphne so the beautiful Apollo would only have eyes for me.
If
you could have a relationship with paranormal creature (like vampire,
werewolf, or selkie men!), what creature would you most likely to have
relationship with?
Selkies of course! All three creatures have
the potential to kill you, so if I’m going to die, I want to have a
smile on my face.
You constantly had dreams about a guy you have
no idea whom, and then one day you suddenly bumped into him. What do you
think he would say to you?
“You’re going to think this is crazy, but I just saw a portrait of a woman from the 18th century and you look exactly like her!”
Which one do you prefer: instant love or instant hate?
I adore love stories, so it would have to be instant love. I’m a romantic at heart.
Thank you for answering the question amazingly, Krista! Not that I expected less from you! ;) I think it's very interesting that Krista chooses Daphne - we all know that it's a sad love story! To add sprinkles of awesomeness to this interview, here is the book trailer for The Lure of Shapinsay! :)
It is not a secret that I have a thing for star-crossed
lovers. Even though I sure won’t like to experience it myself, books
about star-crossed lover always intrigue me. The pull is even stronger
when it’s a paranormal story. So when I was presented to a chance to
read a love story between a selkie and a human, how can I resist?
The
Lure of Shapinsay presented a lovely story set in 1848, in an island
named Shapinsay, off the north coast of mainland Scotland. Among village
people, the folk of selkie men and women are passed through
generations. The village people acknowledge selkie’s existence but they
refuse to have anything to do with the creature. It’s not strange to
find men boasting that someday they would catch a selkie woman in their
net and take her as a wife, while village women are secretly dreaming of
an encounter with beautiful selkie men. Kait Swanney is not one of the
women. She is ignorant of the story about the selkie men’s beauty,
thinking that their beauty won’t have the power to charm her. Never
crossed her mind that later, she has to face a selkie men seeking for
revenge.
Eamon is a very young selkie man. He mistook Kait as the
murderer of a newborn selkie. He intended to take Kait’s life as the
payback, but much to his surprise, he found Kait fascinating to watch.
Kait’s love and yearning to the sea confuses Eamon greatly. Just like
Kait who is lured by his beauty, Eamon is slowly but surely captivated
by Kait’s devotion to him. Eamon is willing to give up everything for
Kait, but will his selkie body survive his decision? What if their love
story is fated to be another romantic tragedy?
Selkies are
creatures who live as seals in the sea but shed their skin to become
human on land. Selkie men are gorgeous creature and they have seductive
power over human women. The Lure of Shapinsay stays faithful to the
legend and I can see how great Eamon has lured Kait. I don’t think that
Eamon lures Kait in purpose since he’s too young to really understand
the selkie men’s power, but it’s clear that Kait is on the verge of
losing her mind because of Eamon. I honestly can’t tell the difference
between the effect of the lure or true love anymore in this book. It
seems like Kait is affected by a form of fanatical, obsessive love which
makes her willing to sacrifice her life just to be with Eamon. Even
though Kait’s devotion to Eamon is quite touching (and crazy, I must
say), I can forgive most of her actions because they are the result of
Eamon’s magic.
In the last half part of the book, I was annoyed
by Eamon’s stubbornness. His idealistic view got on my nerves,
especially when he knows very well that nothing can be gained if he’s
dying. Seem like the proud side of him is a characteristic of a selkie
man. Eamon’s young age plays a big part in this story because without
his lack of experience and reckless tendency, we won’t have this
engaging love story.
Eamon and Kait’s story is sweet and moving. You can’t help but rooting for
this couple from the beginning. I also really like Tipper, the old
woman who helps the couple a lot. Sadly, the other side characters are
just dropped in the end, like Kait’s brother Blair or Magnum, the guy
whom Kate expected to marry. It would be much better if the other
characters still make appearance throughout the book.
The Lure of
Shapinsay is a great book that I encourage you worth checking out. If
you’re a fan of romantic story, then this is a must read! Fans of
folktale and mermaid will also enjoy the story. I like Krista’s writing,
so I will make sure to take a peek at her new book when it comes out!
“Your
cheeks are flushed,” Eamon observed with a relaxed smile that lit up
his face like the sun. He awkwardly pushed a blonde straggler behind my
ear. His fingers lingered behind my neck as if they were always meant to
be there. “Aren’t ye well?”
“It means I’m happy,” I said with a broad grin. “Your cheeks are splotched pink too.”
Eamon touched his cheek like it couldn’t be true then gave me a bewildered look. “Then I must be happy too.”
Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply
awesome. I love the tea flavor! A strong
recommendation.
A little
note about The Lure of Shapinsay!
Make sure to stop by tomorrow because I will post my interview with Krista! Find out how Krista got her inspiration to write this book and her fantastic answers to my Imagination Escape round! ♥ Plus, she's awesome enough to provide a GIVEAWAY of prize pack of The Lure of Shapinsay! Don't miss it. Tomorrow, only at Catch the Lune! Oh, and I know I start to sound like a bad TV host. Sorry, can't help it. :P
The worst thing Samantha (Sam) has ever done in her life is shoplifting.
When Stephen encounters her at Friday night in a club, Sam can hardly
believe her luck. Stephen might live in her neighborhood, but he can’t
be mistaken as the guy-next-door kind. He’s handsome, dangerous, and
somehow he’s attracted to Sam. Stephen has given her vague warning that
their kiss would change Sam’s life, but that sounds too cocky, right?
Maybe he’s a really good kisser, but it sure can’t alter her life
completely.
She can’t be more wrong.
He’d somehow managed to steal my soul in that kiss.
Reading Dark Kiss was just as much as riding on an
emotional rollercoaster. I felt like I keep getting my hopes up and down
throughout the story. There were times when I was so engrossed by the
story that I wanted to keep reading. Other times, I was fairly
disappointed with the storyline and the characters’ actions.
Emotional rollercoaster aside, I think the idea of angel and demon
works together is very fascinating. We don’t see much about it in YA.
Sam did some things that made me got headache, but in overall, I quite
like her. I admire her courage and her good intention. I only hope that
she can accept her fate in short time and stop freaking out, so we can
get over the whole plot
I’m-normal-please-this-is-nightmare-if-I-ignore-it-eveything-will-stay-the-same
quickly.
Bishop, the angel who leads the mission, is the love interest of
Sam. He’s the kind of guy who would never hesitate to throw himself to
the fire if it means saving human’s life. There is also Kraven, the
devil whom Sam met shortly after her encounter with Bishop. Kraven is
irritating but in some ways, he does protect Sam. If you’re no fan of
love triangle, then rest assured, there is no love triangle in Dark Kiss. However, I get a feeling that it is inevitable in the next book. Hmm, I guess I need to pick my team from now!
I did enjoy Dark Kiss in the end. I appreciate the multiple layers
in the story since they are done very well. The shocking revelation in
the end adds positive points in the book. I really want to learn more
about Bishop and Kraven’s long time fight, and Sam’s true nature.
Needless to say, I’ll definitely pick the next book in this amusing
series! Love angel, demon, and the whole save-the-world thing? Then you
won’t be disappointed by this book!
The boy’s attention shifted to the gold-bladed knife Bishop pulled from a sheath on his back that I hadn’t noticed before.
“What are you going to do with that?”
“What I was sent here to do,” Bishop said. “My mission.”
Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply
awesome. I love the tea flavor! A strong
recommendation.
PS: This is completely random, but they do change the cover! YAY! There is no Elvis Presley hair anymore. I love this new cover much better than the old one here. I can't picture Bishop with the previous hideous hair! Wise decision, Harlequin Teen! :)
It's Monday! Do you like Monday? Monday is not exactly my favorite day out of the seven days. I guess I just love weekend too much. ♥
Either you're a Monday person or the one who walks like zombie on Monday (like me for example), today I have something to cheer up your Monday! Yes, an upcoming book trailer and excerpt of Taste by Kate Evangelista, a paranormal YA book which is coming up this May. I'm not exactly sure what creature we will find here, but one thing: they are all gorgeous. ;)
In honor of this book trailer and excerpt reveal, you won't see Monday Muse this week! Don't worry, Monday Muse will be back again next week - with more rambling and crazy stuff I'll talk about! :)
The Excerpt
I sat up and followed Calixta’s gaze upward. I rubbed my eyes. I didn’t
know what I was seeing at first. A statue? My brain refused to snap
together coherent thoughts. I didn’t realize I’d fallen so close to one
of the garden benches until I stared up at the boy that sat on one. He
was strikingly beautiful. His tumble of blonde hair curled just above
his sculpted cheekbones. He wore a silk shirt and a loosened cravat,
like he’d become bored while dressing and decided to leave himself in
disarray. His ivory skin and frozen position was what had me mistaking
him for something carved from marble by Michelangelo. Then he sighed—a
lonely, breathy proof of life. If I had to imagine what Lucifer looked
like before he fell from heaven, the boy on the bench would certainly
fulfill that image. My brain told me I had to look away, but I couldn’t.
“Luka,” Calixta said again, her voice unsure, almost nervous.
It no longer contained the steel and bite she had threatened me with,
which made me wonder who the boy was.
He leaned on his hands and
crossed his legs, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the night sky.
His movements spoke of elegance and control. I’d encountered many
people with breeding before, but his took on the air of arrogance and
self-assuredness of someone used to getting what he wanted when he
wanted it.
I only realized I’d been holding my breath when my
lungs protested. I exhaled. My heart sputtered and restarted with a
vengeance. Luka tore his gaze away from the stars and settled it on me.
I’d expected pitch-black irises, like the other Night Students, but blue
ice stared back at me.
“Human,” he whispered.
He
reached out, and with a finger, followed an invisible trail down my
cheek. I stiffened. His touch, cooler than Demitri’s, caused warm sparks
to blossom on my face. He lifted his finger to his lips and licked its
tip. He might as well have licked me from the way my body shivered.
Luka’s curious gaze held mine. “Leave us,” he said, but not to me.
“But—” Calixta protested like a spoiled child.
He
spoke in a language I hadn’t heard before, remaining calm yet firm. The
words had a rolling cadence I couldn’t quite follow, like rumbling
thunder in the distance. They contained a harsh sensuality. The
consonants were hard and the vowels were long and lilting.
Footsteps retreated behind me.
Luka reached out again.
It
took me a minute to realize he wanted to help me up. I hesitated. He
smiled. I smiled back timidly and took his hand, completely dazzled.
Even with my uniform soaked from melted snow, I didn’t feel cold—all my
attention was on him and the way his callused hand felt on mine. Without
moving much from his seated position, he helped me stand.
“What’s your name?” he asked. He had a voice like a familiar lullaby. It filled my heart to the brim with comfort.
I swallowed and tried to stop gawking. “Phoenix.”
“The bird that rose from the ashes.” Luka bent his head and kissed the back of my hand. “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”
My
cheeks warmed. My head reeled, not knowing what to think. I couldn’t
understand why I felt drawn to him. And the strange connection
frightened me.
From behind, someone gripped my arms and yanked me
away before I could sort out the feelings Luka inspired in me. I found
myself behind a towering figure yet again. Recognizing the blue-black
silk for hair tied at the nape, relief washed over me. Calixta hadn’t
come back to finish me off.
Demitri’s large hand wrapped around
my wrist. Unlike the night before, no calm existed in his demeanor. He
trembled like a junky in need of a fix. The coiled power in his tense
muscles vibrated into me.
“What are you doing here?” Demitri asked.
I didn’t know he’d spoken to me until I saw his expressionless profile. I sighed.
“Phoenix.”
I
flinched. The ruthless way he said my name punched all the air out of
me. “You owe me answers,” I said with as much bravado as I could muster.
“I owe you nothing.” He glared. “In fact, you owe me your life.”
“I don’t think so.”
Ignoring
my indignation, he faced Luka, who’d remained seated on the bench
during my exchange with Demitri. “Why is she with you, Luka?”
“I
wasn’t going to taste her, if that’s what you’re implying,” Luka said.
“Although, she is simply delicious. I wouldn’t mind if you left us
alone.”
There it was again. Taste. The word that kept coming up
between these Night Students and I was connected to it in an
increasingly uncomfortable way. To taste meant to sample, but what? My
flesh? They had to be joking because the alternative wasn’t funny.
“The sins of the father …” Demitri left his sentence unfinished.
Luka’s smile shifted into a snarl. “Obey my command.” His chin lifted. “Kneel.”
Demitri’s stance went rigid. His grip tightened around my wrist.
Okay,
weird just got weirder. Why would Luka want Demitri to kneel before
him? I thought back to Eli and the others bowing to Demitri when he
questioned them, but they didn’t kneel. Seriously? Were they all living
on a different planet or something?
“Kneel.” Luka’s detestable smirk made his features sinister rather than angelic. The real Lucifer: a fallen angel.
Without
letting go of my wrist, Demitri knelt down on one knee and bowed his
head, his free hand flat at the center of his chest. “Your command has
been obeyed,” he said formally.
Luka nodded once.
Demitri
stood up and pulled me toward the school without telling me where we
were going. Not having the time to thank Luka for saving me from
Calixta, I risked a glance back. Luka smiled at me. His smile spoke of
whispers, secrets, and promises to be shared on a later date.
