The Wrath & the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)

by Renée Ahdieh

“I’d like to introduce you to the Mountain of Adamant.”

“My queen.”

‘A woman is faithful, or she is dead. There is no in-between.’

The more a person pushes others away, the clearer it becomes he is in need of love the most.”

“You have a beautiful laugh. Like the promise of tomorrow.”

“What are you doing to me, you plague of a

girl?” he whispered. “If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.” The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest. “No.” His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”

She was drowning in sandalwood and sunlight. Time ceased to be more than a notion. Her lips were hers one moment. And then they were his. The taste of him on her tongue was like sun-warmed honey. Like cool water sliding down her parched throat. Like the promise of all her tomorrows in a single sigh. When she wound her fingers in his hair to draw her body against his, he stilled for breath, and she knew, as he knew, that they were lost. Lost forever.

“No. I want someone who sees beneath the surface—someone who completes the balance. An equal.” “And how will you know when you’ve found this elusive someone?” Shahrzad retorted.

“I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe.”

joonam,”

"My soul"

“Am I not dangerous enough, Shahrzad?” Salim asked in a chillingly thoughtful tone. “Perhaps too forgiving of the women in my past? Too willing to let them live?”

“No, Uncle Salim. You are simply too old.”

“As silver-tongued as a viper.” He laughed. “Tell me, my lady, do you ever miss a moment to strike?” Shahrzad smiled, and it was brilliant and biting, all at once. “I fear that would be unwise, my lord. Especially in a den of snakes.”

Shahrzad and the boy-king shared an understanding that did not require words.

ghalyan

Hookah

When he was met with nothing but steely judgment, his face fell to the soundless specter of shame.

I dont like how he treats her father, he is not the only one who can save her.

“It’s a fitting punishment for a monster. To

want something so much—to hold it in your arms—and know beyond a doubt you will never deserve it.”

“You must love her a great deal, Khalid-jan.” After a beat, Khalid lowered his sword, his brow marred by pain and consternation. “Love is—a shade of what I feel.”

She was a dangerous, dangerous girl. A plague. A Mountain of Adamant who tore the iron from ships, sinking them to their watery graves without a second thought. With a mere smile and a wrinkle of her nose.

“Get up, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. You kneel before no one. Least of all me.”

Khalid stayed resolute in his course. “I took her from you. Nothing I do, nothing I say will ever fix what I’ve done. If there has to be a choice between us, there isn’t one to make, joonam. Not for me.”

“My soul sees its equal in you.”

Shazi, I prefer the color blue to any other. The scent of lilacs in your hair is a source of constant torment. I despise figs. Lastly, I will never forget, all the days of my life, the memories of last night—

For nothing, not the sun, not the rain, not even the brightest star in the darkest sky, could begin to compare to the wonder of you. Khalid

them. As always,

“Murderer, monster, madman . . . Khalid may very well be all of those things. But he’s also loved. By me and by my father. But, most of all, by Shazi. With her, he is as fiercely loved as he loves.”