BooksBarbecue
Back Reverie Save as PDF
Chapters (53)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Letter from the Author
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Contents
  6. • One •
  7. • Two •
  8. • Three •
  9. • Four •
  10. • Five •
  11. • Six •
  12. • Seven •
  13. • Eight •
  14. • Nine •
  15. • Ten •
  16. • Eleven •
  17. • Twelve •
  18. • Thirteen •
  19. • Fourteen •
  20. • Fifteen •
  21. • Sixteen •
  22. • Seventeen •
  23. • Eighteen •
  24. • Nineteen •
  25. • Twenty •
  26. • Twenty-One •
  27. • Twenty-Two •
  28. • Twenty-Three •
  29. • Twenty-Four •
  30. • Twenty-Five •
  31. • Twenty-Six •
  32. • Twenty-Seven •
  33. • Twenty-Eight •
  34. • Twenty-Nine •
  35. • Thirty •
  36. • Thirty-One •
  37. • Thirty-Two •
  38. • Thirty-Three •
  39. • Thirty-Four •
  40. • Thirty-Five •
  41. • Thirty-Six •
  42. • Thirty-Seven •
  43. • Thirty-Eight •
  44. • ∞ •
  45. • Thirty-Nine •
  46. • Forty •
  47. Epilogue
  48. Acknowledgments
  49. Excerpt from Be Dazzled
  50. One
  51. Two
  52. About the Author
  53. Back Cover

She’d taken the whistle, Kane’s only hope, but she’d also relieved him of something else. A heaviness in him that he didn’t know he harbored, a layer of leaden dread that had shaped itself around his heart. Teary streaks cooled his face, and he pushed the emotion down and away.

She had given Kane something, too. The answer to the question he had been asking this reverie since he’d awoken. And the answer was: Ursula was horribly, devastatingly, and dangerously wrong about the way this reverie should end.

• Eighteen •

Breaking

The ballroom rocked with a waltz.

Kane’s eyes throbbed in the new brightness, searching for Sophia’s golden dress in the swirling crowd. He had to find her, to protect her. He had to find Ursula, to stop her. Dean was right; he couldn’t just keep running. He had to do something.

Dancers jumped out of his way as he pushed through the crowd. A hand found his and before he even realized what happened, a body was in his arms.

“Sophia is here, but don’t worry. She is safe,” Adeline whispered, grasping Kane’s shoulder with her other hand. A convincing smile brushed her painted lips. “Don’t look for her. You’ll twist it again if you don’t calm down.”

Adeline was breathtaking in a lilac gown. In some places it clung to her like wetness, and in others it drifted from her like steam. Her hair was in dual braids, like a crown, and from the choker around her throat hung a spiked pendant. It nestled in her cleavage, its spines dimpling her skin.

“One, two, three. One, two, three,” Adeline counted, guiding them in the turns of the dance. Nearby guests patronized them with bemused whispers.

Maybe if he kept his voice low, he could talk. “Helena is—”

“Don’t speak. Everything is being taken care of. We know Helena is playing the part of the youngest Beazley girl. We know what she’s up to. All we have to do is get Johan to meet her during the fireworks, so they can run off. Spin me on three-two-now.”

Kane spun her. They rejoined. Adeline’s eyes never left the crowd over Kane’s shoulder.

“Fortunately, Elliot appears to be playing Sir Johan. Go figure. Must be the jawline. I don’t know. That boy is prince-shaped all over, I bet. Anyways. Meet me in at the railing in a few minutes. Be sneaky.”

The dance ended and Adeline blessed Kane with a deep curtsey. She excused herself, grabbing a flute of champagne as she exited the ballroom. Kane took the long way around the crowd and out onto the patio where he found Adeline leaning against the railing, the champagne glass already downed.

“Adeline—”