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Des must see that because rather than try to coax me back to my feet, he slips his arms under my wings and the backs of my knees.

He lifts me against his chest, cradling me to him. His talon-tipped wings spread wide around us, and then he leaps into the air, the two of us ascending into the night sky.

As the cool air whips my hair about, Des cups my face to his chest, shielding me from the worst of the wind.

I lean my head into him, breathing in his masculine scent. I don’t understand how even out here, in the middle of a foreign world’s night sky, I can still feel right at home pressed against this man. But I do.

My eyes drift close, and I let the beats of his wings rock me to sleep.

***

My stomach dips, and I wake with a start. A thousand stars sparkle around me as I blink my eyes open.

When I try to sit up, Des’s arms tighten around me. It takes me a moment longer to realize two things: one, we’re still in the sky, and two, Des makes for a surprisingly good bed.

I glance beneath us and notice we’re beginning to descend onto yet another floating island that is not Somnia.

Now Des’s earlier cryptic questions about my interest in his kingdom become clearer.He’s taking me on a tour of his realm.

I try to remember just how many floating islands he rules over, but I’m totally drawing a blank. All I manage to piece together is that we’re going to visit several of them.

This one looks fun. Even from far away, I can already see that. Everywhere I look, there are strings of colorful lights illuminating the buildings—not like the lights you might see at Christmas but the kinds you might find outside a cantina.

The bright flowering plants and trees that grow here have a tropical feel to them—as does the balmy night air.

It’s not until we get closer that I make out a series of bar fights happening in the streets. The fairies who aren’t fighting are drunkenly staggering on and off the pavement—except, of course, for the lovely couple that may or may not be getting it on against the side of a building.

Allll riiight.

We land outside what looks to be a gambling hall, the fairies inside clustered around several tables where more fae are rolling sets of dice.

I slip out of Des’s arms, looking around me. “What is this place?”

“Barbos, the City of Thieves.”

Barbos. This is where he first met Malaki and joined the Angels of Small Death.

I gaze at my surroundings with new appreciation. I could easily imagine the Bargainer haunting these streets, making deals with drunks, thriving in the night.

We start walking, and oh God, everything hurts. I meaneverything. Whatever that horrible place was where we trained in Phyllia, it worked me over good. I groan as we walk, rubbing my backside. “Des, I think you broke my ass.”

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his leather pants. “Cherub, you’ll be making different moans when I break your ass.”

Sweet Lord of heaven and earth.Blood rushes to my face. To my horror, my skin begins to brighten.

Bad, siren. Bad.

I guffaw. “Thatwill only ever happen in your dreams.”

Des stops and catches my jaw in his hand, forcing me to look in his eyes. “You know, the endearing thing about you is that you still say things like that, even though I know you’re more than a little intrigued.” His thumb strokes the side of my face.

Intrigued at the thought of anal play? Traitorous heat blooms low in my belly that has nothing at all to do with my siren.

Still, I manage to say, “I’mnot.”

The Bargainer’s gaze drops to my lips, a smile curving up the corners of his own mouth. “Is that so?” he says, his voice more serious than before. “Perhaps I should sacrifice one of your beads to pull this truth from you.”

I swallow, not sure if the thrum in my veins is from indignation or a perverse sort of anticipation.