The Master Magician (The Paper Magician, #3)

by Charlie N. Holmberg

She had done the magic in secret, of course. These were studies best kept quiet.

The clouds looked like ethereal creatures, sky-fish swimming across the blue expanse, following the sun to the other side of the world.

Then she kissed him the way a lady should never kiss a man to whom she was not wed.

He certainly never forgot he was a gentleman, no matter how hard Ceony tried to coax the rogue out of him.

Emery reining himself in as always. Kisses like these could lead to other things, especially in a house where the only possible interruption came in the form of a paper dog.

the way Mg. Aviosky’s eyes narrowed when she saw Ceony and Emery together, that distinct hum she made in her throat, told Ceony the Gaffer assumed more. Hopefully no one else did . . . at least not yet.

Saraj might have had power over flesh and blood, but she had power over everything else.

She thought her ears would light with fire, her cheeks burn to ash, but the moment passed, as even the worst moments do.

Emery stood there with his arms folded tightly across his chest, his green eyes blazing with a fire that could only be meant for her.

If he asks you to do a small task, there’s no harm in doing it, and he’ll be more pleasant afterward. That’s one rule I’ve learned.”

Ceony realized she had found a gold coin in the murky sewage of her situation with Mg. Bailey—a sort of freedom she would never have back at the cottage.

Whatever Mg. Aviosky knew, Mg. Hughes told her. And Ceony had a hunch as to how he’d conveyed the information.

I broke my promise, she thought. His actions aside, I broke my promise.

She had no leverage. Not anymore.

“When one believes in oneself, even the extraordinary is possible.”

I merely wanted to present it as something to consider. Decide where you want your life to go before you set it rolling.”

“You are the kind of woman who makes me believe in God, Ceony,” he murmured. “I don’t know how else it could be possible to find you. For heaven’s sake, you even delivered yourself to my front door.” She smiled. Her heartbeat steadied. “How many men can honestly say a woman has walked their heart?” he asked. “But I can. And if you’ll have me, I’d like you to stay there.”