“I think you’re my hero,' she said. Only half-kidding.He stared at her, the picture of incredulity. 'Most people,' he said, 'think I am a very bad man.'She studied his eyes to try to find out if that bothered him. He didn’t seem bothered by them. He seemed discomfited by her. 'Well,' she said at last, 'maybe you’re a very good dragon.”

“He said, “What’s in the wardrobe?” She glanced at him. “Books that don’t behave.” Misbehaving books? Not bothering to hide his skepticism, he said, “Uh-huh.”

“Somehow she had climbed halfway up his body before he managed to grasp her waist. He plucked her off and set her on her feet.She started to climb up his body again.“Are you having fun?” he asked suspiciously.“We’re on the fucking moon!” she shouted. “There’s nothing here!”He stared at her. “I don’t think you’re having fun.”“No air!”He shook his head. “Think about that logically. Could you have possibly said those words if there truly was no air? Of coursethere’s no air or atmosphere outside this bubble—”“Ofcoursethere’snofuckingairhereorfuckingatmosphereonthefuckinggoddamnMOONyouGODDAMNFUCKINGCRAZYMORONICDJINN…”“Grace,” he roared in her face.”

“He gave her a lazy predatory smile as he moved his torso over heres. "You're not afraid of me at all anymore, are you?"She sobered. Call her crazy, but she thought he would rather cut off his hands than hurt her. "So what if I'm not?" she muttered.His beautiful, cruel mouth pulled into a smile. "I think if your're not crazy, it's a very good thing," he said. He moved, and before she realized what he intended, he had her hands pinned over her head. "It gives me all kinds of license to do bad things to you. With you. On you. In you.”

“He brought her to the moon with a flourish. The near side facing the Earth, not the far side, since he thought they should take the trip in stages. She turned in his arms to look around at where he brought them."W-what ... ""I told you it would be somewhere special," he said, in the invisible bubble he had created for them.She screamed.He smiled smugly. Yes, this second date destination was worthy of a happy scream. Very few humans had walked on the moon. He knew how rare this opportunity was. Surely it should make up for what had happened on their first date.Grace kept screaming. She turned and clawed at him. "Oh, my God. Oh. My. God. OHMYGOD!"His smile vanished. He tried to get hold of her in a gentle but tight grip. That was more difficult than he expected. She seemed to have acquired a half-dozen arms and legs. He informed her, "You may stop making noise any time now."Somehow she had climbed halfway up his body before he managed to grasp her waist. He plucked her off and set her on her feet. She started to climb up his body again."Are you having fun?" he asked suspiciously."We're on the fucking moon!" she shouted. "There's nothing here!"He stared at her. "I don't think you're having fun.”

“When she's in her manic phase, she's a little like trying crack for the first time," Rune said. He blinked at them, his face bland. "Not that I would know what that feels like.”

“It sucked so bad she might as well put a gun to her head and pull the trigger. Except she didn’t own a gun because she didn’t like them. Besides, pulling the trigger on a gun was pretty final. She had issues with commitment and she was so freaking dead anyway, so why bother.”