King of Envy (Kings of Sin, #5)

by Ana Huang

Even if Ayana wasn’t engaged to Jordan, she wouldn’t be mine. We belonged in different worlds. But there were moments—days—when I didn’t give a fuck. She belonged by my side. And she was right there, only floors away, like the universe had dropped her in my lap on purpose to fuck with me.

was of the firm belief that a home should feel like a home. Books should be read, couches should be sat on, kitchens should be used. A house wasn’t a museum; it was a tapestry of who we were and the lives we’d lived.

He shoved Kai. Hard. Kai glanced down at where wet handprints marred his previously immaculate shirt. When he looked up again, his face had hardened into stone. “That,” he said, “was a mistake.”

“Hey, Luna. This, uh, isn’t what it looks like.” She crossed her arms. “It looks like you and the rest of the bachelor party got into a fight and got kicked out of the bar.” Xavier paused. “Okay, then it’s exactly what it looks like.”

I kept my eyes locked on hers while I reached over and slowly, deliberately, took Ayana’s hand.

Don’t. The tortured sound rang in my ears, and it was in that moment that the truth set in with painful, wrenching clarity. That wasn’t the command of a man who didn’t want me; it was the plea of someone who did.

“Kada te konačno budem poljubio, nećeš više nositi njegov prsten na ruci.”

"When I finally kiss you, you won't be wearing his ring on your hand anymore."

“Do you taste that, srce moje?” Vuk’s eyes burned into mine. “That’s the taste of your need for me. Not anyone else. Me.” He pushed his fingers deeper. I choked, my eyes welling with tears. “You’re mine, Ayana. I teško onom koji pokuša da mi te uzme.”

“Call off the wedding.” Soft desperation ran beneath his otherwise cool command.

“There’s one thing you should know about me, Ayana,” he said, his breath grazing my ear. “I. Don’t. Share.”

When I said I wanted her, I wanted all of her. Every smile, every tear, every sigh and moan. She consumed me, body and soul, and I refused to settle for anything less in return.

“Joy doesn’t require the absence of grief,” my mother said. “We have the capacity to hold both at the same time. That’s part of the human experience.”

“He saved your life. Strong…feelings are normal. But feelings are malleable; integrity isn’t. We do not entangle ourselves in new ties before the old ones are broken.”

“Nisam sklon kompromisima, srce, ali za tebe bih pristao i na hiljadu njih.”

“It’s because I wanted to do this under the Northern Lights. Last year, when we were in D.C., you told me you never got to see the Lights, and I wanted you to experience them. I want you to experience everything beautiful in this world, Ayana, and I hope you’ll give me the honor of being by your side for it all.”