Eldritch (The Eating Woods, #2)

by Keri Lake

“How can I convince you that the only thing that could possibly force me away from you is death? And even then, I’d find a way to get back to you.”

“My grandfather insisted on it. He always said a well-read woman is a beautifully fearsome creature.”

“They call you a witch, Maevyth. Give breath to their worst fears.”

You were not meant to become a delicate flower, but the frost that wilts the vine. It is your strength in a world that seeks warmth and frailty in a woman. Steel your bones, and do not bend, or break to their will. Accept what you are and what you will become.”

The smile on his face faded for something more serious. “Beautiful is too ordinary a word for you.” “Ordinary?” I breathed a laugh. “And what would the mighty assassin call me if not beautiful?” He trailed his fingertip down my temple. “I would call you the soft glow of moonlight in a pitch-black world. A prayer I never spoke aloud, but somehow the gods answered anyway. The strike of lightning I dare to behold without flinching.” His brow flickered as he ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “The reason I breathe.”