Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3)

by Penn Cole

“It is not just my body that craves you, Diem. It is my heart.” He clutched at his chest. “My scarred, ruined scrap of a soul. Your smiles, your affection, the way you look at me, the way you see me... that is my lifeblood. I would sooner wither without food or water, sink into the sea until my lungs burst, abandon my magic and let my godhood burn me alive from within than endure one more day of life without you in it.”

“Desire?” He gave a dark, throaty laugh. “Desire is a pathetic word for what I feel for you. I require you. I am sustained by you. You are the flame that fuels my fire. Don’t you dare question that—not for a second.”

Most people would say to fall is to give up. To accept total helplessness to one’s predicament. For those fleeting, frightening moments in the air, both time and your heart stand still, and you’re at the mercy of gravity’s pull—and whatever awaits you on the ground. But that’s only what happens when you’re pushed. When you jump—when you stand on the ledge, look down, and embrace what you see with arms wide open—there’s nothing helpless about it at all. Instead of terrifying, it’s liberating. You’re not in freefall... you’re in flight.