Regarding Her Majesty, Queen Levana, has she or any of the Lunar court commented on the escape of the convict?" Kai's jaw tensed. "Oh, she's had a thing or two to say about it.

Did you know that she was cyborg?” asked a woman in an unhidden tone of disgust. Kai stared at her, appearing confused, then let his gaze dance over the crowd. He shuffled his feet closer to the podium, a wrinkle forming on the bridge of his nose. Cinder bit the inside of her cheek and braced herself for adamant disgust. Who would ever invite a cyborg to the ball? But instead, Kai said simply, “I don’t see that her being cyborg is relevant. Next question?” Cinder’s metal fingers jolted.

The doctor brushed past her and gestured at the holographic image that jutted from the netscreen. "Let me tell you what is peculiar about it" "I'd say 36.28 percent of it is pretty peculiar

Keep your head in the clouds and your hands on the keyboard.

Was it all in my head? A Lunar trick?” Her stomach twisted. “No.” She shook her head, fervently. How to explain that she hadn’t had the gift before? That she couldn’t have used it against him? “I would never lie—” The words faded. She had lied. Everything he knew about her had been a lie. “I’m so sorry,” she finished, the words falling lamely in the open air. Kai peeled his eyes away, finding some place of resignation off in the glistening garden. “You’re even more painful to look at than she is.

She raised her eyebrows in a look that she hoped conveyed how much she was all right with him leaving her. After all, he was a prince. The most powerful men and women on Earth had summoned him. She understood. And yet he was still here, with her. "I'm fine," she said. "Go away.

I don't want to tell you how to be a prince, but shouldn't you have some bodyguards or something?" "Bodyguards? Who would want to harm a charming guy like me?