The Stars Are Dying (Nytefall Trilogy #1)

by Chloe C. Peñaranda

Never before had I known what it was like to crave dancing in the rain until I was touched by a night storm.

“But he should have known a leash has two ends and it was only a matter of time before you strangled him with it.”

“Your loss is deep, but you will heal. It will linger, but you will keep living.”

I had no need to counter his words. The wound within me had been split open stitch by stitch and there was nothing he could do to mend it. So I lay back down and watched the fire rage. “Rest now. When you wake, the world will still be cruel and your heart will still be bleeding, but you are breathing, Astraea. And every breath is a reminder that you live for something.”

“Danger is not in the act nor the being; it arises when one does not know how to handle a difficult situation.”

“Only when the crown shifts will your heart and loyalty be tested. Not all written pasts are true, and not all futures told are certain.”

“I’ve known many centuries of torture,” he said, so quiet it touched me gently. “And yet the greatest agony is you.”

“Because you are the brightest star,” he said, a murmur over my lips. “And the brightest star needs the darkest night.”

“You all like to think you’re different. Everyone believes their intentions are the right ones. But you are all different faces of the same monster.”