Claimed by Fangs and Darkness (Everlasting Possession, #2)

by Maggie Sunseri

If you don’t grieve properly, that pain will leak out in far less desirable ways. Feel it, Kylo.

“I always suspected you hailed from the stars,” Kylo said softly. He stared down at me, Idris between us.

“What are my shadows for, Evie?” Hekate asked. I walked to her. In her outstretched hand, a heavy brass key rested. The old me would’ve said violence. Destruction. Oblivion. Chaos. “Revolution,” I answered.

My fingers closed around the key. The protector of the downtrodden, the mother of witches, the keeper of the keys, and the guardian of the crossroads—Hekate in all her forms formally invited me to become her daughter.

“You know what’s better than being feared?” He paused, turning to lean over the island between us as he pinned me with his gaze. “Being respected. I want to worship you, Evie. I don’t fear you. I only fear losing you.”

“Men need a higher power, or they will become their own. Whether that higher power is group consciousness, the spirit of the revolution, or devotion to one or more gods—there has to be a system of meaning that exists beyond their own egos. Greatness is derived from connection. A man’s unchecked ego breeds alienation, profound spiritual loneliness, and insecurity. And instead of self-betterment, those lost souls will falsely believe that conquering, dominating, and stealing others’ light is the only way to fill the bottomless voids they themselves created.”

“It is a revolutionary act to stay in your home despite the threat from oppressors. To continue to laugh and take strolls and steal joy and orgasms and acts of indulgence, small and large. To refuse to live in fear is radical. I will dance and make art. I will fill vases with freshly cut flowers, and I will make my bed every morning. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Violent oppressors cannot be fought with peaceful tactics.”