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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
K.J. Charles
Read between
December 26 - December 28, 2021
“Let’s be clear. Are you trying to blackmail me?” “That’s such an ugly word,” said Rackham predictably. “Then it suits you, you pasty-faced junk-sick turd.”
“Witch.” He gripped the little man’s hair more tightly and pulled him forward. “And don’t talk with your mouth full.”
Hottttt
“I can’t stop you from being arrested, I suppose, but if you are, you do know that I will apply the entire resources of my wealth to dealing with it. Including the services of a firm of lawyers who are more like moray eels than human beings.”
“Problem?” enquired his henchman. “No. Nothing.” “Mr. Day didn’t turn up, then?” said Merrick, homing in on his thoughts as ever. “Been and gone.” “Came and went?” “Oh, shut up.”
By his account Sumatra is crawling with magic and evil priestly cults and enchantments and beautiful native sorceresses.” Crane gave Esther a nod of acknowledgement. She gave him an incredulous glare. Stephen choked.
Lol Esther didn't like that
“I’m not a child, Lucien. Rackham is as much my problem as yours. And I don’t need your protection.” “No, you need to eliminate a plague of giant killer rats, and find out if some murderous bastard called it up. So you concentrate on that, and I’ll take Rackham off your plate while you do it.”
“Dear me, Mr. Day. You really do love to get fucked on desks, don’t you? Put you on a desk, and you’re begging for it. What is so particularly exciting about desks?”
“They’re not exciting, they’re boring.” Stephen quivered as Crane’s mouth moved to his sensitive earlobes. “You write on them and then you go home, and nothing horrible happens, nobody dies. Lovely dull surfaces. All the better to do interesting things on.”
He looked, Crane thought, delightful: well dressed, bright-eyed and freshly fucked, the latter point hopefully lost on the men gathered around the table with them.
And the Amazing Vanishing Shaman has buggered off again, without a word, as usual.” Crane’s tone wasn’t quite as light as he’d intended. “Cor, dear.” Merrick shook his head. “You have got it bad, ain’t you?” “Shut up.” “I’m just saying. Round his little finger.” “Shut up.” “Pining, that’s what you are. I didn’t recognise it at first, but—” “Shut up, you repulsive inebriate, or I will dismiss you without a character. And go to bed. We’re up early tomorrow.
“I mean, he’s a shaman, but he’s only human. No family. On his own. Always has to watch his back. And then along you come, with all that stuff I said, plus you don’t give a shit about anyone knowing you like blokes. The biggest problem he’s got and for you it’s nothing. He’s terrified, you couldn’t give a monkey’s. And you’re all, like, ‘I’ll buy this, I’ll dress you, I’ll fix it, I’m in charge—’” “Shut up,” said Crane. “Enough.” “I ain’t saying you do it on purpose. But that bloke’s held together by spit and pride, and if you take away his pride—” “I heard you, damn it. Stop.”
It had been four months ago, but Merrick had the retentive memory of the barely literate.
Most of my acquaintances in this country are either Chinese or old China hands. People very like Rackham.” “But not dead, I hope.” “No, most of them aren’t dead at all.”
So. You and Stephen.” “Yes. You don’t seem surprised.” “Well, he’s been my best friend for ten years and my wife’s partner for five. We have had occasion to observe him. It’s the total lack of interest in the fair sex that gives it away, over the long run,” Dr. Gold added helpfully. “I’ll make a note.”
“Well, as you say, it’s his business. But watch your step, Lord Crane. And perhaps bear in mind that you may consult me in confidence, professionally speaking.” Crane had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but Dr. Gold looked past him before he could ask. “Ah, the march of justice. Have you two finished?”
Um, what does he mean by that?
He began a careful explanation, as she stared at her unbitten arms, which Crane interrupted with a brisk, “They’re shamans. It was magic.”
He knew Leo would get it
“I know. You looked a great deal less scared when we were about to be murdered by warlocks.” “That was only death. This was Esther.”
“You know, Gold’s right. You’re a fool, and I’m another. Between us, we’d barely make a village idiot. God damn the man,” he added as footsteps sounded, coming down the stairs. “I will talk to you later.” “What does that mean?” said Stephen warily. “Shout at. Fuck. Adore. Come here.”
“This is typical of you, Steph,” said Dr. Gold bitterly. “Typical. Of course you can’t just be unnatural like everyone else. Go on, get this overgrown magic lantern out of my way, this is a surgery, not a circus. Out!”
“Blame Leo. She bled all over me.” “That’s the Hawkes and Cheney suit!” said Merrick, outraged. “I’ll never get that stain out.” “I’ll bleed more carefully next time,” Leonora assured him.
“Watch your language,”
You're telling her to watch HER language?
“Since when did you talk to the law?” demanded Leonora in Shanghainese. “Since his nobility’s been fucking it,” Merrick returned. “You want the shortarse on your side.”
"The shortarse" lol
We need to know who this Arabella was. Lord Crane, can you assist?” he asked formally. Everyone in this room knows we’re fucking. Please, don’t do this.
“That’s him, the little one? Yours?” Leo asked. “Yes.” I hope. “Not your usual type,” she observed. “His usual type is dangerous buggers,” Merrick said. “And there’s no change there. Do not piss Mr. Day about.”
“It occurs to me that I have never fully appreciated my good fortune that you were the shaman that came to help me. Not only that I got my hands on your delectable arse, but that apparently most of your colleagues would have turned into power-mad lunatics through my malign influence, whereas you remain the strongest and the best man I know. I’d thank Rackham again for introducing us, were he not dead, and had I not planned to kill him myself.”
Well that's just sweet
“This respect for shamans, this inviolability...” “Mmm?” “Well, I don’t know if you remember, but some three weeks ago you tied me to your bedposts and spent two hours subjecting me to acts of unimaginable depravity. And considering you call me a shaman—”
Would love to read that scene
“That’s for me to know and you to find out when you’re chained to my bed. And I do mean chained. With iron, next time. I want you helpless.” He felt Stephen’s quiver over the motion of the carriage. “Naked, helpless, pleading. And absolutely vulnerable to everything I choose to do to you.”
“You do love to put me on my knees, don’t you?” “I like to make you know your master,” Crane said. “It’s only fair. The rest of the time, you’ve got me so thoroughly enslaved, I might as well be wearing a collar with your name on it.”
Well that's the sweetest Lucien gets
“Look. I am quite sure I’ve told you how remarkable you are. I know I have. Magical, and infinitely fuckable, and extraordinarily brave. I’m also well aware that you’re a better man than I will ever be. I’m fairly sure you have no idea just how glorious you are, which is fortunate for me, because the more time I have with you, the more aware I am of my own very obvious flaws. And I realise you don’t entirely trust me—no, let me say this,” he insisted as Stephen tried to interrupt. “I realise that and I don’t blame you, but I want—I would like—you to give me a chance to demonstrate that you
...more
That is a long highlight but just too sweet not to note. He's laying it all out there!
My life changed four months ago, and I utterly failed to understand that until just recently, and therefore...I may have omitted to tell you that I love you.” He took a breath. “That’s all.”
OMG. That was the sweetest love monologue ever. Take that, Shakespeare
“Is there a reason you did that in public, when I can’t even touch you, let alone—let alone say anything properly?” “Well, yes. I already know what your cock thinks. I’d like to hear from your head as well. Or your heart.”
You’re an extremely attractive and eligible man, and I’m not. And I seem to do nothing but take from you—” “No, I can’t let that pass, that is objectively horseshit. For heaven’s sake, man, I can barely give you the time of day without a fight. Merrick says you’re held together by spit and pride.” “Thank him for me.” Stephen pushed a hand through his hair. “In any case, that’s not the point. I’m not sure what the point was. Oh, hellfire. I love you, Lucien. It wouldn’t be so nerve-wracking if I didn’t.”
“No, you’re right, it was a terrible idea to do this in public. I don’t suppose you could make us invisible?”
“When this is over, could we go away? Your shooting place again?” “As soon as you like. How long can you take?” “How long do you want?” “The rest of your life.” Crane watched Stephen’s eyes widen. “For now, how about a fortnight?” “Done,” Stephen said. “And...done.” “God, sweet boy. I love you. I think I need to say that quite a lot.” “Any time.” Stephen’s voice was a little shaky, his eyes bright.
I'm so in love with their love
“You look like the cat that swallowed the cream,” Stephen said softly. “That comes later. Here’s the dining room.”
Town’s sister?
Oh shit!
His voice cracked. Merrick threw him a hip flask, and he took a gulp of raw brandy. “Christ! Steal the good stuff next time, you know where it is.”
“I see.” Esther took the flask from Stephen and swigged. “That’s a devil of a deductive leap. How were you sure your version of the ending was the true one?” “I wasn’t. That was a calculated risk.” She threw back her head with a sudden crack of laughter. “Magnificent. It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Crane.”
Crane recalled Monk’s body, the ugly jerking. “It was moving him like a puppet. A meat puppet. It was going to do that to me, wasn’t it?” “Not on my time.” Stephen
Stephen is such a little baddie
“Do you believe in hell?” Stephen said abruptly. “No, not really. Should I?” Stephen shrugged. “I don’t believe in demons and pitchforks. But I think, if you had to define hell, you could take a good man and deny him the rites he believed in, and condemn his soul to a slow process of madness and vengeance and corruption until it was nothing but a mass of rage and hate and seething evil that his true self would have loathed. I think that would be hell.”
Rage and hate and anger
Stephen sighed. “Everyone can do evil. Some people can be forced to it, and some fight against it, and some don’t even need an invitation.
Wisdom, sweet little Steph
Crane groaned. “Dirty little witch.” “All true,” Stephen murmured,
They huddled together, hands waving and groping, empty eye sockets dark-red pits in faces stained with glistening tracks.
OMG
