Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy, #2)

by Callie Hart

Humans were not good at taming their feelings. They felt everything so rudely, right out in the open, with no awareness of how their reactions might affect those with finer senses.

He looked down, stunned to find Nimerelle buried to the hilt in his chest. “You’ve… ruined the velvet,” he croaked.

Priorities

“I don’t do it for you. I do it for those you have feasted on. Enjoy hell, tick.”

The redheaded figure stood at the bottom of the stairs,

BBY BOY CARRION

And he could have his reasons, so long as none of them involved him harboring any sort of hope that Saeris was going to confess her undying love for him. That wasn’t happening.

dang straight

“What do you think I’m doing?” I snarled. “I’m saving the fucking fox!”

He’d left the safety of Cahlish. For her. He’d climbed the mountain. For her. He’d snuck through Irrín and crossed the river. For her.

Loyal lil boy ;-;

I hadn’t noticed Carrion was clinging to the back of my armor. With no saddle to grip, he really had no other choice.

Brotherly bonding

I grabbed a fistful of Bill’s mane and prayed to the gods I hated for the second time in less than a week.

Mood

“And the day you save me on a battlefield, I’ll put on a dress and dance a fucking jig.”

Im holding on to this

The universe could end and Carrion Swift wouldn’t have run out of questions.

I landed softly, but he still yelped. I could feel his bones through his fur. With a sinking heart, I saw that his paws were cracked and bleeding.

Lil dude fought so hard

I shrugged. “I can’t now. Not anymore, anyway. It wasn’t much, but I gave him what I had.”

“Don’t you know? There isn’t much I wouldn’t sacrifice to make you happy, Osha. A little healing magic is the least of it.”

A MAN

“Oh no,” I muttered softly. “I still think he’d made a great hat.”

Oh Fisher

“Stop.” His nostrils flared, his jaw working. “I can’t help it if he doesn’t want to live.”

“She doesn’t need a garrote,” Taladaius objected. “It isn’t a garrote. It’s a belt,” Fisher replied amicably. In my head, he said, It’s a garrote.

😂😂😂

“There’s no time for this!” “Oh, I don’t know. I think we might be able to spare a minute,” Carrion said.

“You should leave Nimerelle here. They’ll see you carrying a weapon as an act of aggression.” “Good.” My mate’s expression went dark with the promise of violence. “It is.”

“Your father was felled by his own hubris. He was too arrogant. He believed himself invincible, and I had the pleasure of showing him otherwise. A god sword will make worm food out of any of us, no matter who wields it.

My name is Saeris Fane, and I am your queen.”

TELL EM

“Do you think I can smoke in here?”

God I missed this man

My first instinct was to apologize for the interruption, but a queen did not apologize.

DILE AHI

“Come now, Taladaius. The girl’s a virgin—” “Excuse me?” I couldn’t stop myself. My indignation erupted from me before I could reel it back. “I assure you, I am not.”

😂😂😂

“Just do it, Osha.” “What?” “Bite me. Drink. Swallow twice and be done with it. They pursue this to undermine you because they’re sure you won’t do it. But fuck them. This is easy. We take care of this, and we get to leave this room.”

Don't have to ask me twice

“Block them out. Don’t pay them any attention. It’s just you and me, okay?”

thanked the gods, the stars, and all four winds because, for once in his life, Carrion Swift kept his mouth shut.

Oh I bet he was about to spontaneously combust

You can own your fantasies with me, Little Osha. There is nothing in this realm or the next that I won’t give to you if you desire it. All you ever need do is ask.

i missed this man

“Don’t even think about it, or I’ll take you right here,” he panted. Holy. Fucking. Gods.

Gods...

She was breathtaking as she turned and faced the hall, her eyes lit with a galaxy of stars. She was the center of that galaxy.

Oh to be yearned

“The damned thing has mood swings worse than a Faeling whose balls are about to drop.” Ren laughed, nodding up at me. “Funny you mention balls. Ask him how his are.”

More blue than the sky and sea

“How did you keep your shit together? Weren’t you…” He looked directly at my crotch. “Y’know…” “Yes, I was harder than that fucking steel in your hands. Is that what you want to hear?”

All this ball talk has me cackling

They were still as the dead—the actual dead, rather than the undead. They didn’t snarl at the Fae on the other side of the river watching them. They were like decomposing statues, so still that for a second, I wondered if someone had propped them up there.

Creepy

“They fed on our magic,” he whispered. It was so much worse than being bitten. Worse than them feeding on our blood. Blood was sacred, yes, but our magic?

“We have their heads in a sack down by the river. They’re currently trying to chew their way out.”

Jesus

“Do you have any experience with warfare?” Fisher demanded. “No, not really.” “Any experience whatsoever with necromancy?” “No.” “The walking dead?” “No.” “Blood curses?” “What do you think?” “Then you’re no use to us. Leave.”

Fisher dressed him down xD

“After the show you put on yesterday, Fisher,” he said, “he’ll probably be kidnapped and sold into slavery if he leaves this room alone.” “And we don’t want that to happen?” Fisher said,

He would so sell Carrion for a cornchip

“Oh, believe me. We know that.” Lorreth gave a hard laugh. “So how do we kill them?” Taladaius took a closer look, peering into the bag of heads. He wrinkled his nose. “Honestly, I couldn’t say. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this before.”

We're in the walking dead now

I will never come at you with everything I’ve got. You are my mate. I’m in love with you. I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to.

*bangs head on desk* I LOVE YOU FISHER

“The second clue that these feeders aren’t Yvelian is staring you right in the face,” Carrion said. My stomach rolled at the weightless, sick feeling that formed there. “Their ears.”

Inspector Carrion back at it

“Alchemist,” she said curtly. “Danya,” I answered. “Where’s the redhead?” “Who?” “The annoying male with witty comebacks.”

Oh she likes him

He’ll be here any moment, and I… I wanted to ask you about your new hairstyle. What prompted the dramatic cut?” She stared at me blankly. “A burning corpse set me on fire.”

Stop talking girl

“The length of a warrior’s hair is directly related to their skill in battle. Mine was longer than Ren’s and Lorreth’s put together. I would never have cut it to look… edgy.”

Burry me alive

Oh no. No, no, no. This wasn’t happening. Was she flirting with him? Knowing that he’d just come from having sex with at least one other person? That was just… right up Carrion’s street.

KNEW IT

“A Fae wedding ceremony is extremely sacred. It is the greatest commitment two lovers can undertake in Yvelia. Not because they swear to love and honor each other for all their days. Not because they give each other their hearts, either. It’s sacred because they give each other their names. Their true names. And I can give you everything else, Osha. But I can’t give you that.”

Oh baby boy ;-;

“There are too many pricked ears in this godscursed manor,” he groaned. “They aren’t going to like what they hear over the next few hours.”

HOURS?! Jesus

“Now, those scents are amplified a thousandfold. You smell like excitement. You smell like laughter. And peace. And love.”

UGH❤️

“Only… the past… three?” “I was praying you’d live all of the others.”

My heart ;-;

The sharp points of his teeth had broken my skin—I could smell the blood already—but he didn’t press further.

Payback hahahahahaha

“You taste like the end of the fucking world,” he purred. “Just kill me and be done with it. Nothing will ever be better than this.” Fuck!