A Queen This Fierce and Deadly (Kingdom of Lies, #4)

by Stacia Stark

“In every life, wildcat. No matter what happens, you hold on to that. It’s you and me in every life.”

“The book is a grimoire filled with ancient knowledge and dark magic. It is this grimoire that has allowed Sabium to lie and manipulate with such ease.”

“Once you cross the line into a certain level of idiocy, you lose the right to self-determination. And that is especially true for those responsible for protecting children.”

“Listen to me, wildcat. Our story doesn’t end when this life does. You’ll be mine in the next life––and the life after that. If you hadn’t wielded time, I would have waited as long as it took to see you again.”

But believing that a group of people are all the same is one of the reasons this continent is the way it is.

“We go together. I’m not leaving you here, powerless.” Not after watching him die so recently. “You make me insane.” “I love you too.”

“You think feelings are a weakness. And sometimes, they are. Sometimes, those feelings eat at everything you thought you were. But a life refusing to feel, to love? That is worse than a weakness. That is a travesty. To refuse to feel the full range of emotions, to deny yourself joy in

an effort to protect yourself from the loss? I may not know much—may have no true glimpse of the future the way my mother does—but I know without a doubt that one day, the tiny moments of joy you keep turning your back on? They’re the moments that will keep you alive.”

“I vow to be the roots that ground you, the branches that help you reach for your dreams, and the shelter that forever keeps you safe. I will love you in every life.”

“You clawed your way under my skin, wildcat.” She angled her head, smirking up at me. “You deserved it. You were so grumpy and mean with your orders and threats.” She gave a mock shiver. “Very scary.” I leaned down and kissed the shell of her ear, enjoying the way her breath caught. “You had no problem standing up to me.”

“Is it any wonder I’m convinced the gods created you just for me?” he breathed, his tone full of wonder. I frowned at him. “Perhaps the gods created you just for me.” “They created us for each other.”

“If I am to be haunted by the people I have killed, so be it. But I didn’t kill Cavis. And seeing him on my wedding day…hearing him…it was a gift, Prisca.” My throat swelled. “What did he say?” I whispered. “He said you looked beautiful. And that I had better treat you well.”

“What will you tell your children if Regner wins this war? How will you explain to your children’s children that you had a chance to fight on the right side of history, and you chose not to get involved? Will you look them in the eye and tell them you allowed innocents to be slaughtered because it was politically convenient?

“Do you know what happens to those who allow innocents to die for their own convenience? They soon find that convenience is replaced by the cold fingers of guilt tightening around their throats each time they attempt to sleep.”

“There are better ways to live than wrestling with constant terror. Than being lied to and stolen from, imprisoned and murdered. And there are worse ways to die than fighting for freedom, next to the people we love. Our people deserve a different life. A better life. Each and every one of you deserves to live in freedom. You deserve to watch your children learn how to use their magic as they grow. You deserve to live in peace.”

Pride roared through me until I almost shook with it. This woman. She was everything I could ever want. She was so much more than I deserved. And I’d keep her safe until the day I died.

“I’ve never had a problem believing in the gods. I just struggle to believe their existence is of any benefit to us.”

“Of course, he would kill the most vulnerable of us first. So that the rest of us lose all hope.”

Demos had once told me that trust was everything in war. You had to trust that the soldier next to you would hold the line until the moment he died. If he turned to run, so would others, and all would be lost. Battles across our history had been won and lost based not just on weapons, weather, or location. But also due to courage, friendship, and bravery.

“This is what Regner does,” I said. My voice shook with rage, and I forced myself to firm it. “He creates loss and then basks in it. He creates lies and then

enjoys the lack of trust. He creates hopelessness and benefits from the lives spent lost to it. “But this is not what we do. We create joy. We create friendship. We create life and love and hope. And when we have to—when someone forces us to—we create death. Today, we will make Regner regret choosing to target our people. We will make him regret the grief and loss and hopelessness he has wielded for centuries. We will defend our kingdoms and refuse to yield to the madness of the Eprothan king.”

I’d once believed there was nothing heroic about war. Now, I knew it brought out the best and worst in everyone.

“Every life.”