Poppet

“Free your mind, Jowendrhan. A cage is only a cage as long as you believe it is.”

“Stapled to her gaze, sucked into the potency of her focus, only the trace of her blood in my mouth reassures me this is not a vision but a hallucinogenic pause from responsibility.”

“A shade slinks over me and I'm caught off guard when he leans down, placing a blossom in my cleavage, his face shadowed and secretive.”

“Who knows what real really is...”

“Inhaling, I am ignited with the first breath of freedom”

“I'm not a man easily moved to displays of emotion, but tonight I am weak, I am vulnerable. It must be from being inside her, so close to her, breathing in her pain, and love, and light, and blossoming vulnerable beauty”

“Look into my eyes and deny me.”

“The closer she hip sways to me, the taller and tenser I stand, until I'm so rigid my muscles ache.”

“I'm the riddle you have yet to solve”

“She lowers her forehead to the floor, curling starlight tendrils under her face when she rocks in the yoga pose, so tempting and sexy even in her deepest despair. Her courage is failing and I wait it out, watching the prone woman bend subconsciously in prostrate worship. She knows who I am or she wouldn't do that.”

“Naïve, and very very dangerous. If she only knew what treacherous waters she has just stepped into.”

“Why the hell do women always have to bring back up? It's not as if I'm going to molest her at the opera.”

“His eyes are piercing and intense, the stare they give me brimming with threat and interest, folding thick arms over a broad chest, rippling the muscles in his forearms and etching the tattoos down his arms into stark highlight.”

“This time you aren't escaping. It's time for a heart transplant.”

“So many people talk about the Golden Gate bridge, but I would bet they haven't seen the new Sava River Bridge. It has long metal ropes suspending it, like a gigantic angel's harp waiting for god's fingers to reach down and pluck the first chords, to send a vibration of relief and love into the heart of Belgrade.”

“God bless you butterfly, because now I'm claiming you like no mate has ever been claimed in the history of our kind”

“He gives me the stare that only men can do. The mouth tightening exasperation stare.”

“The flock mirror the madness of their liege.”

“Aye,” he smiles, joy igniting in his stormy gray eyes, stroking my hand possessively as if unwilling to let me go for fear I am nothing more than a hallucination about to wear off.”

“A man who is obviously too handsome for his own good smiles at me. His eyes are mischievous, as if he's harboring wicked thoughts and is tempted to subject me to them.I hold his dark gaze for a moment too long, and then pin my focus back on the”