"Liz won"t give up on you," Alex went on, his voice softening. "And I won"t give up on Liz. We"re b.l.o.o.d.y well stuck with each other. We might as well make the best of it. Lailah, on the other hand, will probably leave us to freeze if we stand out here much longer. And I"ve had enough of the cold."
He turned toward the car. After a moment, Blake followed. He might regret it, but he was tired of the cold too.
Liz raised her eyebrows in a silent question as he slid into the back seat: are you all right? Blake nodded. It felt less like a lie than he"d thought it would. She reached for his hand, and he returned the gentle pressure.
"Let"s go home."
Acknowledgements.
This novel has been a labor of love, despair, and grim determination, more than any other I"ve written to date. So many people have suffered with me through the drafts. I"m indebted to Steven Downum, Elizabeth Bear, Jaime Lee Moyer, Leah Bobet, Jodi Meadows, Kathryn Allen, Marissa Lingen, Ian Tregillis, Cathy Freeze, Siobhan Carroll, Cory Skerry, Jamie Rosen, Lisa Deguchi, Deva f.a.gan, and everyone in the Online Writing Workshop and the Bat City Novelocracy. And of course, my indefatigable agent Jennifer Jackson, Michael Curry, David Moore, Jonathan Oliver, and Jeffrey Alan Love.
I"m also grateful to Matt Andrews for his help with the Bete Noire recipe. I have consumed many of them.
end.