Chained

“Fuck me like it’s the end of the world. As if we’re the last people alive.”

“Power is frightening, and for years, my sister has been a vessel for it. But it’s also addictive—which is likely one reason the people of Lumis adore Sylvan. For the time being, though, you and I should figure out exactly where Aimée is. We’ll find her and bring her to the surface. If Carys wants to join us there, so be it. But my niece is not safe here—I’m as sure of it as I’ve ever been of anything.”

“I do wish you and I could have lived the lives we deserved outside of our prisons. I wish we could have grown up together, as sisters should. Aimée is lucky to have someone like you in her life. Someone who chooses to be her family out of love instead of obligation. If you end up being her savior, then so be it.”

“For years, I thought I knew everything the High Council was up to. Doling out just enough currency to the Peaks’ citizens. Keeping the people fed—just barely. Enriching a precious few while impoverishing many. But from what you’ve told me about the city under the mountain, the true power in the Peaks may well lie in the hands of people we’ve never even considered—people hidden in the darkest places.”

“For years now, we’ve lived in a state of precarious balance—those who reside on the surface and those in the Depths were separate and blissfully oblivious. All was as it should be. But you, Soleia, and that mate of yours—you fucked it up for all of us. You have no idea what you’ve done. It’s your fault she’s here. Your fault.”

“Perhaps one day, you’ll understand why I spend almost every second fantasizing about being inside you.”

“I’ve never been able to rely on anyone, Bastian. It’s hard for me to grasp the concept of trust. I loved my father more than anyone in the world, and he sent me away. The Hursts…they were awful, but you know that. You met Oliver. I have always been a thing that people discarded or abused. I’m not sure how to become a thing the most beautiful man in the world loves.”

“She is my mate. She is here as a guest, and you will show her respect.”

“I suspect you know exactly what I think of any orders issued by the High Commander. I would let me do exactly as I wish in my own damned home, if I were you. Draw that blade, and I will see to it that it finds a permanent home in your fucking neck.”

“I’m beginning to think they—we—are all pawns in a far bigger game.”

“Because as long as people are preoccupied with their own suffering, they won’t find the strength to rise up. They’re too worried about making it through next week to concern themselves with next year.”

“This land is ruled by bullshit and treachery—by greedy, vengeful little men. Then again, what land isn’t? Nearly every government is its own kind of smokescreen, and behind its leadership often lies something far worse than anyone can possibly imagine.”

“Fuck. Me. You are the most addictive substance known to man. Or woman. Or any other living thing. If you ever leave me again, Sunshine, I think I will perish.”

“Whatever may come, you and I will face it together.

“You are the light that has finally convinced my heart that I am worthy of love. I still love my sister. I love Aimée. But until you came along, I never felt worthy of either of them. Even when Carys was turned by Saint—when she became a monster who wished me dead above all other things—I told myself I deserved it. That she hated me because I was terrible. But you wandered into my life, and the first second I looked into those green eyes of yours, I felt layers of self-loathing peel away from my soul—because I saw in you a person who might one day love me.”

“Sylvan is not a killer so much as an overlord. He has worked hard to make those who reside in the Depths forget the wrongs of the past—and of the present. But even if I wished to forget, I would feel obligated to retain my knowledge of the days long gone. I am here in this room for one purpose only, and that is to ensure the present and future are salvaged. I am here to see that the Lightbringer is brought to heel at long last.”

“Because you have been wounded—and like many of us, you have scars. They make us who we are. They’re nothing more than roadmaps to our souls—and the map that unfolds in you is one that I revel in. You’re perfect—and the best thing about you is that you don’t know it, so there’s no arrogance in your soul. Only truth.”

“Do not make me say how it would pain me. I don’t like to admit how fragile you’ve made me. How brittle my heart is every time you walk away—and how much I’ve ached these last few days, worrying that you were hurt, or worse. I couldn’t feel our bond, and it nearly broke me. No one has ever robbed me of my soul until you.”