The Shadows Beyond (Shadow and Light Duology, #1)

by T.J. Rose

How are you?” Something inside Cinn cracked, just a little. His mouth hung open, a few strangled syllables forcing their way out before he mumbled, “Not great.” “Excellent. Honesty is an important part of emotional regulation. If

his inability not to care about others had always been his most vulnerable point.

You can love someone with everything you’ve got, every last inch of you, and it can still not be enough. Sometimes it’s not something they can control.”

“Seriously, Julien, Cinn’s not a shiny new toy for you to play with and break.” “And what if he’s a broken toy I want to fix?” Julien replied, knowing full well what she’d say back. “You’re too fucked up yourself for that, and you know it.

His laugh was quickly becoming like a drug to Cinn—he was unable to resist chasing it,

The smile Julien flashed him was as bright as the sun, and he was Icarus, about to burn.

he was practically back to normal. As long as they continued to ignore any elephants that stampeded through the room.

Just a forest full of memories, each a pine needle to the heart.

“You’re not an awful person, Julien. You’re just a complete mess. But you’re our complete mess. And we’ll sort this. Together.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered. “Julien, my love, you deserve the world. You’ve just never believed it, and that is why you occasionally act like a total psychopath.”