The Scars Within (Twisted Thorn, #1)

by Ang T. Dalton

This one is for those who have ever felt abandoned. Life owes you a dragon.

Please, nobody hug me.

Elementals are humans who can wield one essence of magic: air, earth, fire, or water. Mages, now extinct, were humans who could wield two or three essences of magic at a time. The only entity more powerful than a mage was the archmage. Archmages were said to wield all four essences,

I glared at him. He winked. Yes. He was definitely trying to die today.

While Shayde is a calm, steady breeze. Rhodes is a storm strong enough to wipe out the world. While Shayde seems like an easy-going romantic comedy, Rhodes is a thrilling romance with an emotionally devastating ending. With Rhodes, I can see myself being lost. But with Shayde, I can see myself being found.

Then he turned to face me... and I realized what his eyes reminded me of. My beacon. Before I had given up on myself, I saw my beacon as a sign of hope. My light within the darkness around me.

“There’s no point wasting energy on negativity. No matter how much you hate something or someone, it won’t change your situation. Only you can do that. Change your mindset, change your life.

This is the Wylder boy I’m shipping for you.”

You are the only person that’s ever made me want to start living again. I’ve been broken for so long that I don’t think my edges can be molded back together. But you, Scarlet, make me want to try. You are my light.”

Maybe life isn’t about fixing yourself so that you’re perfect on the surface. Maybe it’s about finding the ones who see you for who you are, see you for the darkness you’ve survived, and still choose to keep you anyway.

It’s time to wake up from this nightmare you’re living in and recognize that you are a fucking warrior. You weren’t just freed of those iron shackles. You broke the damn chain that held you down.”

“And it is not the scars on the surface that prove that,” he said softly. “It is the scars within that show the fight in you.”

And don’t you dare try to hide this scar or deny the fire behind your crimson eyes. They are fierce. A force to be reckoned with. My favorite shade of red.”

“What is this?” I whispered, letting Rhodes tower over me. “This is me fighting for the girl.”

“Oh, baby. You are not the storm that breaks me. You’re the storm that set me free.”

home isn’t just a place. It’s wherever you feel safe, where you find comfort. Where you feel as if you belong.