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his lips so I knew he wasn't really put out.
    We went home and managed to shower and pack at a record speed. He wanted to linger but I had a plan and I didn't want to miss the sunset launch.
    A little more than an hour later we passed the Indianola city limits. I still wouldn't tell him what we were there for but as we drove through town it became readily apparent. Every flat surface of the town was plastered with signage and advertisements for the National Balloon Classic.
    We pulled into the parking area with barely any time to spare. I had arranged for us to ride in one of the balloons that was going up at sunset as a part of the lighted balloon exhibition. Because Reese Lynch was not Rhys Whelan, and thus did not have a balloon piloting license, we could not go up on our own in a balloon, but as we watched the sun dip below the horizon surrounded by a field of bright colors from the basket of a balloon floating in midair, it didn't much seem to matter.
    I leaned back against his chest and turned my head up to kiss him just under his chin. He wrapped his arms around me just a little tighter and said, "I love you, Jason," into my ear.
    I smiled back up at him and said, "I love you too, Rhys."
    THE BEGINNING
    Author bio: Kathleen is a relative newbie to writing but has jumped in feet first (there might have been a dare involved). She is a bit of an all-around geek. Kathleen loves sci-fi television (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and could argue to pro and cons of Serenity vs. Stargate until the end of time. She has mastered the art of procrastination, is owned by two crazy cats, and loves being a Christian (but not the scary kind). Her favorite thing to read about are first kisses, and she is way more likely to write a first kiss than a sex scene. Kathleen loves to hear from readers, writers, reviewers and pretty much anyone so feel free to email her at [email protected] or comment on her blog. She has two self-published stories available, Broken and Christmas Tradition , as well as a plethora of ficbits, available on her blog. She is also in the middle of a serial story, True Love's Kiss , which updates every two weeks or so.
    You can find her online at Romancing the Word (her blog) or on her Goodreads profile .
    ****

THE LUXURY OF VENGEANCE
    by Isabella Carter

    Blonde, winged man in han-style clothing, holding sword

    Dear Author,
    Take no prisoner. Show no mercy. Trust no soul. And vengeance shall be yours…
    Sincerely,
    Experiment

    genre: fantasy
    tags: royalty; military men; revenge; vanilla
    word count: 20,764
    Back to Table of Contents

    THE LUXURY OF VENGEANCE
    by Isabella Carter
    Once upon a time, he had dreamed of succeeding his father to the Throne of a Thousand Swords. It was his destiny, his mother had explained. Those dreams had been filled with the idyllic peace that only children could conceive. And then she had died, and Chien had been left only with his dream of the day he would finally take his aunt's head and return honor to the Throne of a Thousand Swords. Thirteen long years of planning, of arranging it so that each death would not raise suspicion. Now that the end was so close, he could scarcely believe it.
    And with its being so close, he would have to be more careful than ever. There would be no worse fate than to have spent all those years in vain simply because he had grown too impatient at the end. Coming here to eavesdrop on the Empress was a stupid risk, especially since things were already falling into place, but sometimes the best way to gather information was to listen in himself.
    If they found him in the tiny servant's hallway, there would be no good excuse for his presence. But he doubted she would even think to check the hallway. Few knew about it. It had been built before Chien's time as a way for servants to enter quietly and clear food from the Emperor's room. Considering the small size of the hallway, Chien didn't have to wonder too hard why that tradition had not lasted