“I prefer that,’ said Aimeric, quickly. ‘I mean that I prefer to be part of a company that can fight. I’m a… — C.S. Pacat Business Copy Share Image
“He dismounted. ‘Are you here to kill me?’ said Jord. ‘No,’ said Damen. There was a silence. They stood two paces apart.… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“Damen let out a breath. Laurent, he realised suddenly, wasn’t playing them against one another. He was playing to Nikandros. There was… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“A fourth son, thought Damen, waiting for someone to notice him. When he wasn’t trying to please, he was baiting authority, as… — C.S. Pacat Last words Copy Share Image
“It’s not a trick,’ said Laurent. ‘You’d let me go,’ said Damen. This time it was Laurent who was silent, gazing back… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“Well? Attend me,’ said Laurent. ‘Attend,’ said Damen. The word sank into him. He felt as he had in the training arena… — C.S. Pacat Fitness Copy Share Image
“After a long moment Laurent said, with painful honesty, ‘I . . . find it difficult to let go of control.’ ‘No kidding,’ said Damen.… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“He didn’t try to hide it. He had discarded his wrist gauntlets. He wore the Akielon breastplate, the short leather skirt, the… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“He won’t hurt the child,’ said Laurent. ‘Whether it is your son or Kastor’s, it is leverage. It is leverage against you,… — C.S. Pacat Children Copy Share Image
“It’s morning,’ said Laurent. ‘We slept?’ ‘We slept,’ said Damen. They were gazing at one another. He held himself still as Laurent… — C.S. Pacat Kissing Copy Share Image
“Damen thought privately that princes needed seasoning not protection. Laurent in particular. He had seen Laurent open his mouth and strip paint… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“He enjoyed it. Pallas was a worthy opponent, and it was a pleasure to feel the strain and heave of a highly… — C.S. Pacat Fitness Copy Share Image
“The Akielon slave would (of course) assume treachery on the part of the Veretian forces, after which he would launch some sort… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“Laurent. Why must you always defy me? I hate it when we are at odds, yet you force me to chastise you.… — C.S. Pacat Chastise Copy Share Image
“He said it as it opened up inside him, ‘They are our reinforcements.’ The truth was marching towards him. His past was… — C.S. Pacat Truth Copy Share Image
“Damen dropped the pitcher. It shattered, shards flying outward as it slipped from his fingers and hit the stone floor. Laurent’s arms… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“He knew that he was vulnerable to her in this state, that her expertise, like Laurent’s, was in finding weakness and pressing… — C.S. Pacat Heart Copy Share Image
“Laurent said, ‘The soldiers in Kastor’s army are trained in massage?’ ‘No,’ said Damen. ‘But I think the rudiments are easy to… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“Protect me,” said Damen, flat incredulity in his voice. “I am aware that you saved my life.” Damen just stared at him.… — C.S. Pacat Life Copy Share Image
“I want you to know,' said Damen, carefully, 'that I haven't done anything to encourage the idea that I-that you and I-'… — C.S. Pacat Damen Copy Share Image
“All right,' he heard Lazar say. He'd forgotten Lazar was there. After a long moment, he took his eyes off Laurent and… — C.S. Pacat Damen Copy Share Image
“In fact, the way Laurent’s men talked about their Prince now was not substantially different to the way that they had talked… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“Laurent whirled his horse to face Damen. ‘I need you to captain the men. Take the command from Jord. It’s yours. It… — C.S. Pacat Fight Copy Share Image
“You know, my uncle knew who you were,’ said Laurent. ‘He spent this whole time waiting for us to fuck. He wanted… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“His father’s words had been made of breath, nothing left of his deep-timbered voice. ‘Tell the physicians I will be well,’ his… — C.S. Pacat Father Copy Share Image
“Guerin shrugged, turned and with impersonal motions tipped the collar and the cuff segments into a cloth, and wrapped it, before passing… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“Laurent flushed. The colour hit his cheeks hard, and a muscle tightened in his jaw as whatever he felt was forcibly repressed.… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“He knew that expression. His sense of danger, highly attuned to Laurent’s moods, told him that Aimeric was better off downstairs with… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“You should be,’ said Jokaste. ‘He is the son of a king.’ The son of a king. Damen felt dizzy, as if… — C.S. Pacat Children Copy Share Image
“And then there was a burst of activity from the lower gate, and a rider came into the courtyard: it was Laurent.… — C.S. Pacat Change Copy Share Image
“So you will parley with me as with a king, and you will tell me why you called me here.’ Deliberately, Damen… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“My honourable barbarian. I wouldn’t have picked that as your type.’ ‘Type?’ ‘A pretty face, a devious mind and a ruthless nature.’… — C.S. Pacat Barbarian Copy Share Image
“It’s considerably less than a foot,’ said Damen. ‘Is it?’ said Laurent. ‘It feels like more when you argue with me on… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“He said it to Laurent. Laurent said that from this moment on, any Veretian who struck an Akielon would be executed. He… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“My orders are to hold,’ said Damen. ‘We let the Regent commit first, to draw him out of position.’ ‘If we do… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“For a moment he thought Laurent wasn’t going to do it. But in public, Laurent had no recourse to refusal. Laurent extended… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“I knew in the palace, when they dragged you in front of me,’ said Laurent. The words continued, steady, relentless. ‘I knew… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“His intellect made increasing sense of this: there had been an ambush, he was underground, and since his body didn’t feel as… — C.S. Pacat Mind Copy Share Image
“I intend to survive, I intend to beat my uncle, and I will fight with every weapon that I have.’ ‘You mean… — C.S. Pacat Copy Share Image
“Auguste was like you,’ said Laurent. ‘He had no instinct for deception; it meant he couldn’t recognise it in other people.’ ‘And… — C.S. Pacat Deception Copy Share Image
