Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)

by Marissa Meyer

Cinder stood trembling, unable to move. Wanting to comfort Peony. Wanting to run away.

He was the fantasy of every girl in the country. He was so far out of her realm, her world, that she should have stopped thinking about him the second the door had closed.

Then the prince reached for her hand—her cyborg hand. Cinder tensed, terrified that he would feel the hard metal, even through her gloves, and yet even more afraid to pull away lest he find it suspicious. She mentally urged the robotic limb to go soft, to be pliant, to be human, as she watched Kai lift the hand and kiss the back of it. She held her breath, overwhelmed and embarrassed. The prince released her, bowed—his hair falling into his eyes again—and left the room.

“Maybe her programming was overwhelmed by Prince Kai’s uncanny hotness.”

Freaky android

“No,” said Kai, allowing a cold smile. “Eventually, I’ll have an empress for that.”

Oh he ate her up

can.” He shrugged, seemingly uncomfortable, which was an oddly charming look on him.

It was not her fault he had liked her. It was not her fault she was cyborg. She would not apologize.