A Soul of Ash and Blood

“You’re an absolutely stunning murderous little creature.”

“No one in there will care that he struck the Maiden. Right or wrong, they don’t see her as a person. When they look at her, all they see is a symbol of the Ascended, of those who have killed many of their kin and drove their people to near extinction. That doesn’t mean they all agree with what he did, but you need to think about what it will do if you walk in there and kill him—a wolven who descends from one of the eldest families.”

“Well, damn. So, you’re telling me that you went through the Ascension and completed the Culling without going into stasis?”

“From the first time in the Red Pearl to this moment, what I felt was real. It was always real because I…I’d fallen in love with you long before I realized it. I was on the edge before we even left Masadonia, and I began falling when we arrived in New Haven. By the time we made it to Spessa’s End, I knew I was in love with you.”

“Like I said before, I don’t give a fuck that you’re the Maiden. I would think you would’ve realized that by now.”

“Yes. I find women who can wield a dagger and nearly knock me on my ass to be extremely alluring. And arousing.”

“That strange feeling I’d felt when we were beneath the willow? The sensation of rightness? It was a part of my soul recognizing yours. Heartmate. That’s what I felt falling into place. I had no idea that was what I was feeling then.”

“Talk to her. That’s what Nyktos did when she was in stasis. I don’t know if she heard him, but I think it helped. I know it helped him.”

“The next time, do as I order, not as you see fit. We need the Maiden unscathed when I take her. Disobey me again, and it will be your head That goes for everyone.”

“I don’t know if you picked up on what I was feeling during that time. I was a… “I was a fucking mess of guilt and worry, and this desperation I didn’t fully understand then. I just knew I couldn’t allow you to remain under the Blood Crown’s control. That you deserved a shot at a real life.”

“Fear and bravery are often one and the same. It either makes you a warrior or a coward. The only difference is the person it resides inside.”

“You can’t change what happened in there. Just like you can’t change the fact that the courtyard used to give you peace. You just replace your last memory—a bad one—with a new one—a good one. And you keep doing that until the initial one no longer outweighs the replacement.”

“She’s survived some horrible shit and has the scars and strength to prove it. She’s brave, Kieran. Passionate. Hungry for life and experience. She’s fierce, even a little vicious when provoked. Or a lot vicious. You were right when you said we’d underestimated her. She’s nothing like we expected.”

“Oh, so now you claim ownership of that title? Bear all the responsibilities of such? Good. About damn time. Your parents and Atlantia will rejoice. Alastir will likely come in his pants from happiness, and blah, blah, what-the-fuck-ever, but you aren’t just going to go in there as his Prince. You will be going in there as the Prince of Atlantia—the Prince who governs us all.”

“What I was doing to myself was weakening him. You’d think that would’ve been enough to snap me out of it, seeing what it was doing to him, but it wasn’t. I was too lost in my head, though not lost enough that I didn’t know how fucking selfish it made me.”

“The loss of a parent or a family member lingers long after they’re gone, the pain lessening but never fading. Years later, you’ll still find yourself thinking that you’d do anything to get them back.”

“We all know what is ultimately at risk here. Not just what we’ve carved out in New Haven, but our lives. Our futures. Our children’s futures. And if we’ve got to bleed for that, we will.”

“Let me show you just a little of what you missed by not coming back to the Red Pearl.”