The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia, #3)

by Carissa Broadbent

“There is no light without darkness. There is no life without suffering.”

She knew she should stop talking. But the words came anyway. “There has to be a way to redeem them,” she said. “No living creature is soulless. And no living creature deserves to be killed for fun.”

“It is an injustice, Mische, that this is what you got when you asked for love,” he murmured. “This isn’t what love should feel like.” It isn’t? I almost said.

“It should feel like this,” he whispered against my skin. Two tears slid down my cheeks. I couldn’t answer him. I couldn’t pull away.

“It feels like waking up rested after a long nap. Or like going to sleep knowing you’ll awaken safely. It feels warm and comforting. A fresh dawn makes you believe that the future can be better than the present.”

“Do you remember what it was like to feel that way? Like someone else’s affection could fix everything.”