...the thrill of being surrounded by something wondrous and fantastical, only magnified and focused directly at her. The feel of his skin against hers reverberates across her entire body, though his fingers remain entwined in hers.

The circus itself is my personal ideal entertainment venue.

Timing is a sensitive thing.

Is magic not enough to live for?

Good and evil are a great deal more complex than a princess and a dragon . . . is not the dragon the hero of his own story?

The rain increases and umbrellas sprout like mushrooms amongst the graves.

You send me all these roses. Every time I think the last bouquet has arrived, finally, another turns up. I’m running out of vases. I didn’t know roses came in so many colors. You say they’re the perfect symbols of love because they have thorns and love is pain. I say life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something. And you don’t get it. You say you love me, but you don’t speak my language. You don’t even realize I’m an orchid girl.