Us Dark Few (Us Dark Few, #1)

by Alexis Patton

To all the dreamers and misfits. And those who prefer dancing in the dark.

If life was measured by the lessons I’ve learned, I would be immortal. – Khalani Kanes

Love was like gravity. Pulling and tugging you down to the deepest depths, exposing your core vulnerabilities, ripping barriers apart, and leaving you with nothing but space.

Emptiness has the fragility of feathers and bears the weight of mountains.

He was a disaster you couldn’t tear your focus away from. He was the unmoving calm while you lean on the precipice of death.

The truth is, it’s not the hurt you see that’s dangerous. It’s the hurt you hide that’s the real menace.

An acceptance that whatever came their way, whether it be a short death or a long painful life, it wouldn’t have to be experienced alone.

Reading was like sucking in a gulp of air after holding your breath for a lifetime. Or falling in love. Khalani had never been in love, but she imagined that that’s what it felt like. An emotion that gave your soul wings.

That’s the beauty of knowledge. If it’s remembered, the meaning can’t be fully erased.”

You hide from devils in your sleep. I smile at them in greeting.

“Some people might think they were just words on a paper, but it was more for me. Each page was an expression of all the hope and despair in my life, as if the author’s thoughts were an extension of me.

“I don’t know. It was weird. For the first time, I felt…alive. Not just when I read it, either. The words stayed with me. Like the book was inspiring me to create my own masterpiece.

His stormy eyes suddenly flickered to her, as if he could feel Khalani’s gaze raking over him. This was the most they had interacted in weeks. Her pulse quickened, but she refused to be the first to look away.

The loudest screams are hidden in smiles.

The horrors housed inside often took up the most space.

“I know I shouldn’t say this, but your beauty is so overwhelming that it makes me ache. It’s more than physical. It’s who you are as a person. That’s how I know if your parents are anything like you, they are in heaven too.”

But why was he staring at her like that? Like she was the living manifestation of all his angels and demons brought to life.

You’re the story I read slowly. I want to savor and memorize every word of you.

“Not now.” Takeshi seethed. “And if you don’t want this to happen again, I understand and will keep my distance. But if you do, it’s not over for me. To be honest…I might never be over you.”