When she looked back at Amiri, she found his gaze unflinching, warm and golden and so full of life she could not help but reach out. Her fingers grazed his chest—his smooth, perfect chest—and he gathered her close, his hand slipping around her back; a gentle vise, an anchor. Forty feet above the ground and he made it seem like they were standing free and easy with the earth hard beneath their feet. She forgot to breathe, but managed enough of a voice to whisper, “You’re the first person in years I’ve been sure of, Amiri.”
His chest rumbled. “Who were the others?”
“My father. My brother. My coach. All of them dead now. The only people who ever loved me.”
“I love you.” Amiri’s arm slid up the trunk of the tree, gripping the branch above their heads. “Shape-shifters only take one true mate. Something the heart knows. And it knew you, Rikki. From the start.”
Words to fly by, words to live by, like riding a rush of pure energy, straight from the sun into her heart. But for a moment—just one—it felt almost too good. It made her afraid.
“My mother left,” she found herself saying, very quietly. “I don’t know where she is. If she’s still alive. My father was murdered, Markovic … lung cancer. My brother, Frankie, killed in an accident.” Rikki stopped, closing her eyes. “I thought I had found him again, you know. When I saw Eddie for the first time. It was like having my brother back … and then losing him all over again. And I couldn’t do a thing to save either one of them.”
“Eddie is fine,” Amiri said quietly. “He will be fine. You helped save him.”
She shook her head. “Everyone I’ve ever loved has been taken from me. If anything ever happened to you—”
He placed his hand over her mouth. “And me? How do you think I feel?”
She tugged his hand away. “You’ve lost, too. In the lab, what Broker said … about the women you’ve loved …”
Tension strained his body; his expression flattened, far too neutral. “Only one woman. Her name was Angelique. She was the first woman I ever loved. Our affair was casual to her, but not to me. I wanted her to be mine, and I thought if she knew me, all of me, that it would …”
“Awe her?” Rikki supplied, when he said nothing else. “Make her realize just how special your love is, because of the man you are, that you aren’t the kind to trust your heart lightly?”
Amiri stared. “Am I so transparent?”
“No.” Rikki kissed the corner of his mouth. “But that’s how I feel.”
“Ah,” he breathed, smiling. “So you like me, just a little?”
She shoved at his chest, laughing. “Don’t change the subject.”
His smile faded. “There is little to change. She rejected me. She called me a monster, a demon, even a sorcerer. She threatened to expose me. I was heartbroken, frightened. I turned to my father for advice. He went out that night and killed her.”
Rikki felt sucker punched. “What?”
“He murdered her. Then threatened to do the same to any woman who ever learned the truth about me. I believed him, and I ran away. And though he was not near, I … took the lesson to heart. I stayed far from women, and if I kept a female friend, she was always old or married. I did not want the temptation. I did not want to suffer such heartache again—or the possibility that another woman might die because of me.”
She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea that his father—Aitan, that man who had helped save them—could do something so cold, so ruthless. “How long ago was that?”
“Fourteen years,” Amiri said. “A long drought. I hardly understand how I survived, knowing what I do now.”
“And what’s that?”
Soft hunger filled his eyes. When he smiled, she could feel the predator in him, the danger. That sweet, hot, danger. He grabbed the back of her neck, his fingers sliding into her hair, and he pulled slightly, just enough to tilt her head so that her neck lay exposed.
He kissed her throat. He kissed her jaw. He lay his mouth over hers and kissed her tenderly, so soft and light she pushed against him for more. But he kept her hungry, aching, and whispered, “You ask for an impossible answer, Rikki Kinn. Better to pretend you have been blind all your life, and now can see the sun.”
“I can see it,” she said, and pulled back just enough to look at him, and marvel. A light sheen of sweat covered his brown skin; his limbs were loose, powerful; and when she met his gaze his eyes were bright, so intense her breath caught. He stared back at her with naked pleasure, as though she was a wonder, a mystery. And she felt like one; the entire world was her own private fairy tale, scattershot with magic.
The sun was setting, casting shadows etched in silver. Amiri held her close, and they stood on the branches of the ancient tree and watched the world swallow fire, followed by the hush of twilight, the first gasp of stars.
And though for years she had convinced herself that nothing was more important than a lonely heart, the thought of going back to that, even in the face of terrible loss, was a cruel and indefensible joke. Rikki had been living without living. She had been passing through life with her soul in a cage.
And Amiri, she realized, had done the same. Lonely hearts, frightened of their shadows.
But now they were free.
“It’s a whole new beginning,” Rikki said.
“Indeed,” Amiri replied, and they stood above the world, and watched the twilight gather life.
Jade Lee Dragonborn
ONE PROTECTOR
When dragon power flows through your veins, when dragon thoughts burn in your mind, you can accomplish anything. Natiya knows, for she carries one of the last eggs in the land disguised as a jewel in her navel. Day by day the Unhatched grows, and when at last it births they will be joined in a sacred and eternal bond.
ONE SLAYER
When dragon power flows through your veins, when dragon emotions trample your soul, you become a monster. So knows Kiril, for one destroyed his cousin. That is why Kiril vowed to destroy dragonkind—and he has almost succeeded. But there is an obstacle he did not foresee: love.
AVAILABLE MARCH 2008
ISBN 13: 978-0-505-52754-7
To order a book or to request a catalog call:
1-800-481-9191
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CRITICS PRAISE
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
MARJORIE M. LIU!
SOUL SONG
“The romance between Kit and M’cal is as fast and furious as is the evil that chases them and will keep readers turning the pages to see what happens next. Whether you’ve read the previous stories or not, I highly recommend Soul Song.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Liu’s latest is … clever, finely constructed … and delivers great paranormal suspense…. All the other elements Liu fans expect—a strong heroine, a damaged hero, sharp dialogue and funny, fanciful details—are well-represented, making this a satisfying return to her universe.”
—Publishers Weekly
EYE OF HEAVEN
“Once again, Liu has managed a brilliant blend of fantasy, action and romance…. Liu brings her skewed universe to life with skill and conviction, grounding the comic-book plot with fully realized personalities and the workaday details of circus life … This entry will undoubtedly please fans of the series and should provide a fresh thrill for newcomers in the market for an extraordinary romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This amazing series is brimming with multifaceted characters forced to play for huge stakes. With each new book, Liu adds more depth and dimension to her world and more credence to her reputation as an exceptional talent.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
THE RED HEART OF JADE
“Liu’s third entry in her Dirk & S
teele series cements her reputation as an irrefutable force in action-adventure romance. By combining comic-book thrills with passionate descriptive prose, Liu has carved out a unique voice not unlike the writing on the titular stone.”
—Booklist
MORE PRAISE FOR MARJORIE M. LIU!
“Red-hot Liu adds extra luster to her fast-rising career in the Dirk & Steele series. She packs her stories with a variety of immensely intriguing characters, making the high-stakes plotlines even more mesmerizing. No question, Liu is destined to be a major player!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
SHADOW TOUCH
“Liu’s screenplay-worthy dialogue, vivid action and gift for the punchy, unexpected metaphor rockets her tale high above the pack. Readers of early Laurell K. Hamilton, Charlaine Harris and the best thrillers out there should try Liu now and catch a rising star.”
—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“If you have yet to add Liu to your must-read list, you’re doing yourself—and your patrons—a disservice.”
—Booklist (Starred Review)
A TASTE OF CRIMSON
“Liu has a knack for making far-fetched circumstances seem feasible, and she draws characters with such precision … they practically step off the page.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Passionate, intense and gritty, this paranormal thriller is a truly enthralling read.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (Top Pick)
TIGER EYE
“The romance between Delilah and Hari tantalizingly builds until it culminates in a sensual love scene…. [An appealing and] striking paranormal romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“I didn’t just like this book, I LOVED this book. [Marjorie M. Liu] has a great new voice, a fresh premise, everything I love to read. Anyone who loves my work should love hers.”
—New York Times Bestselling Author Christine Feehan
Other books by Marjorie M. Liu:
SOUL SONG
EYE OF HEAVEN
DARK DREAMERS (anthology)
THE RED HEART OF JADE
SHADOW TOUCH
A TASTE OF CRIMSON (Crimson City Series)
TIGER EYE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Dr. Sai-Ling Liu for the gracious use of her time as I peppered her with questions about being a physician, and practicing medicine in Africa. Many thanks to my agent, Lucienne Diver, and my editor, Chris Keeslar.
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE LAST TWILIGHT. Copyright © 2008 by Marjorie M. Liu. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition JUNE 2010 ISBN: 978-0-06-201348-4
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