Laurent flinched at the touch, afraid that he was going to be hit. Fear flashed in his blue eyes, silver in moonlight, and his breath emerged in quick puffs, flying away through the snowflakes.

Shaking his head, Laurent clenched his fist. "Happiness suits you," he said, going to the edge of the roof to look out across Paris. "You belong out there, in that glittering world. You shine as brightly as any one of those lights. It's wrong of me to keep you. Cruel."

Wincing with self-hatred and misery, Laurent closed his eyes.