*Jay*
Eden asked me not to dwell on the past, but to simply concentrate on the present for a few hours. I take her request to heart. I forget that I am the son of a convicted thief, an orphan raised by a master thief. I forget that I’ve spent my youth arranging swindles designed to line Feagan’s pockets with riches. I forget that she is my mark, my duty. I think only about the she-wolf who strolls along beside me, taking such delight in the smallest pleasures offered by the gardens. She is as entertained by the acrobats as she is by the puppets. Her smile seldom abandons her face and her eyes glitter more brightly than the gaslights that are being lit as darkness blankets the gardens.
An orchestra plays lively music. From time to time, as Eden and I stroll along, she sways slightly as th
