“The only thing better than imagining Dimitri carrying me in his arms was imagining him shirtless while carrying me in his arms.”

“God, I got lucky. If I'd hurt it, it would have put me out of practice for a while.”Smiling, he returned to his chair. "I know. You kept telling me that while I was carrying you. You were very upset.”"You...you carried me here?”"After we broke the bench apart and freed your foot.”Man. I'd missed out on a lot. The only thing better than imagining Dimitri carrying me in his arms was imagining him shirtless while carrying me in his arms.”

“I don't wear armor. I don't carry weapons. An emperor needs only his imagination.”

“I had a brief glimpse of a frail, mature man carrying a ravaged child in his arms...”

“But, all this while, I was giving myself very unnecessary alarm. Providence had mediated better things for me than I could possibly imagine for myself.”

“When my whole body is pushed against his, I wrap my legs around his waist, forcing him to carry me the way my heart had been carrying HIM since the moment he saw me.”