Henry and Imogen had pulled out her butterfly circus to amuse the children, and she even honored them with a visit from her beloved Blue Morpho butterfly. Demi, Vale, and the daimons were huddled around Blaise, admiring his first wagon car, painted blue to match his skin and bearing the words The Magnificent Blaise, Master of Legerdemain. Frannie and Thom had gone off into the woods, hoping to lure some owls for her shop, taking Jacinda’s automaton hound for protection.
And that left Criminy and me as alone as two lovers could be in the midst of a lively carnival. When Criminy pulled me toward the large mechanical bird that guarded our entrance to the tent within the circle of wagons, I smiled and went willingly. We whispered the passcode together and sneaked past the magnificent machine. The other side was quiet, and I thought he might lure me into a private part of the tent to attempt more baby making, but instead he pulled me along the ring of wagons and began climbing the ladder on the outside of the dining car. I’d never been on top of any of the wagons before, so I followed, curious.
“Criminy Stain, you romantic!” I cried.
On top of the largest wagon, he’d laid out a picnic blanket, with pillows and teacups, his clockwork monkey waiting with a steaming pot of blood.
“Me, a romantic? Don’t tell anyone, love. I have a reputation to uphold.”
But I could see the old glint in his eyes, his brows and cheekbones just as sharp as they’d been the day I first saw him in a locket and his smile just as full of dark promise. He reclined gracefully and drew me down beside him, and I curled up among the sultan’s pillows and took the cup Pemberly offered me.
“It went rather well, didn’t it?” he asked, looking down with a fond smile at the clot of children still running about his kingdom way past their bedtime.
“It did. I’m so glad you invited them. It’s wonderful to see everyone together in the same place.”
“True enough, love. But that’s not what I was talking about. I meant . . . everything. Did you ever imagine, when you woke up in the forest all that time ago, that you might have such a happy ending?”
I looked up at the stars, which spun crazily and didn’t quite match up to the constellations I’d known on Earth. The night birds sang sweetly, but the birdsong was eerily off. Soft rabbits waited just beyond the strings of lights below, their eyes red and their mouths drooling for a taste of the humans playing beyond. Sang was a strange place but, by God, it was my place.
“Nope. I had no idea.”
“I told you it would all work out.”
“Well, if you want to be smug about it . . .”
He took my hand, sliding up my sleeve and kissing up my wrist. “Oh, I do. I want to be very, very smug about it. For at least a hundred and fifty years. Just like this.”
“You want to live happily ever after?” I asked.
His grin was sharp, but his eyes were soft. “Wickedly ever after, love,” he said.
And that’s exactly what it was.
Acknowledgments
Looking back, I’m pretty sure I thanked everyone who’s ever existed across the three Blud novels. Still, it doesn’t hurt to thank folks twice.
Thanks to my husband, Craig, for starting me on this fantastic journey into writing novels. Thanks to my parents and grandparents for their support, and to my beloved children for their . . . well, not patience. Thanks for leaving me mostly not insane.
Thanks to Kate McKean, agent extraordinaire. Her carnival skill is some kind of publishing magic.
Thanks to Abby Zidle, superb editor, who always makes sure Sang looks good. Special thanks for letting me close the door to Sang in style!
Thanks to the Pocket publishing team for great edits and support, and to Tony Mauro for fantastic covers.
Thanks to Jennifer Heddle, the editor who bought a little book called Blud all the way back in 2011.
Thanks to FoxTale Book Shoppe for three amazing Blud launch parties.
But the biggest thanks go to the readers, bloggers, and reviewers. There was a moment in time when I thought, What if I’m the only one who falls in love with Criminy Stain? And . . . well, let’s just say I never had to suffer that pain. You’ve been here for every step of the journey, and I thank you. I hope you’ll look for my other books and stay in touch. Just because the ruby exploded doesn’t mean we can’t still dwell in Sang.
Don't miss the rest of Delilah Dawson's Blud series!
Wicked as They Come
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The Mysterious Madam Morpho
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The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance
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Wicked as She Wants
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The Damsel and the Daggerman
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* * *
Wicked After Midnight
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* * *
Carniepunk: The Three Lives of Lydia
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* * *
Three Slices
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About the Author
Delilah S. Dawson is the author of the Blud series, the Hit series, Servants of the Storm, a variety of short stories and comics, and the upcoming Wake of Vultures, written as Lila Bowen. She lives in the North Georgia mountains with her family, a floppy mutt named Merle, and a Tennessee Walker named Polly. Find her online at www.whimsydark.com.
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Also by Delilah S. Dawson
The Blud Series
Wicked As They Come
Wicked As She Wants
Wicked After Midnight
Blud Novellas
The Mysterious Madam Morpho
The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance
The Damsel and the Daggerman
And
“The Three Lives of Lydia” in Carniepunk
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Pocket Star Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by D. S. Dawson
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Pocket Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Pocket Star Books ebook edition October 2015
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Cover illustration and design by by Tony Mauro
ISBN 978-1-5011-0211-0
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
&n
bsp; Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright