To Kill a Shadow (Mistlands, #1)

by Katherine Quinn

Often I wondered why she wore the charm of the Moon God when the day and its light was all she yearned for.

Kiara's real dad?

I felt his stare, searing into my skin and making a home.

“You tried, even though you knew you’d fail,” he’d said gruffly. “And that’s what matters.”

If I robbed the world of her light, there’d be no going back from that.

Why did her defiance cause my blood to boil,

Serious Jude was handsome. But smiling Jude? He was absolutely mind-numbing.

“Sometimes the best part is the middle…before the ending can ruin it for you, that is.”

I’d seen enough cruelty in this lifetime to fill a thousand more. A man who no longer feared death did not wither beneath its gaze.

I was his chosen weapon to quench his bloodlust.

And in the reflection of his eyes, I saw the truest version of myself.

I watched every step she took, knowing full well I’d done nothing but poke at the beast lurking within. But my beast matched hers, and we’d only tear one another to pieces in the end.

I wanted to laugh, to curse, to lift up and kiss her again.

Kiara was a wild creature that couldn’t be tamed, and I’d been on my leash for far too long.

All I desired was to close the gap and lose myself to the flames she ignited, to burn so deliciously until we were remade, like a blade forged in steel.

“Control is an illusion, something to make us feel grounded and in charge of our destinies.”

“Don’t overthink everything. You might be surprised by how much you’d like being out of control. Being alive is chaos, and living in it is half the fun.”

Regret was the harshest of punishments.

I’d learned that day that sometimes we have to give away pieces of ourselves to others we love, even if it hurts at the time. Without sacrificing those parts, nothing new—and possibly wonderful—could grow in their stead.

Love was nothing if not sacrifice, and for him, I’d willingly give all of myself.

danced across the moistened stones, highlighting the droplets of water that glistened like a million little stars.

“You saved me. Kiara Frey. You are the only light I will vow to protect.”

Love is not the absence of self, but rather, the absence of fear, For only the brave drop their armor and walk onto a battlefield with their hearts exposed.

I was both the night and a forgotten light. The vast universe of black and the endless possibility of the day.

Such a fearsome thing, my little warrior goddess.

“And after we fight about who was right and who was wrong, I’m going to kiss you senseless.”