Prologue
If any man knew how to hold his liquor, it was Jake Linley. God knew he'd had a lot of practice at it, and it was a good thing, too, otherwise he'd be staggering drunk at the moment. Unfortunately, no matter how much he drank this evening, it was not going to numb the bitter awareness of what he could never have.
Jake was tired, and hot, his caustic resentment seeming to rise with each moment he spent in the luxurious, crowded cavern of a ballroom. Separating himself from a group of friends, he wandered to a gallery that bordered the room, and glanced at the sky that loomed dark and cool beyond a row of glittering windows.
If any man knew how to hold his liquor, it was Jake Linley. God knew he'd had a lot of practice at it, and it was a good thing, too, otherwise he'd be staggering drunk at the moment. Unfortunately, no matter how much he drank this evening, it was not going to numb the bitter awareness of what he could never have.
Jake was tired, and hot, his caustic resentment seeming to rise with each moment he spent in the luxurious, crowded cavern of a ballroom. Separating himself from a group of friends, he wandered to a gallery that bordered the room, and glanced at the sky that loomed dark and cool beyond a row of glittering windows.
