Iron Gold (Red Rising Saga, #4)

by Pierce Brown

Sharing a life threads more than flesh and blood together. It weaves her memories in and around and through mine.

My wife is not as fickle as a flame. She is an ocean. I knew from the first that I cannot own her, cannot tame her, but I am the only storm that moves her depths and stirs her tides. And that is more than enough.

“I know it may be impossible to believe now, when everything is dark and broken, but you will survive this pain, little one. Pain is a memory. You will live and you will struggle and you will find joy. And you will remember your family from this breath to your dying days, because love does not fade. Love is the stars, and its light carries on long after death.”

Sometimes, little one, it’s best if the worlds think you a little mad.” He winks. “Inspiring what they’ll let you get away with.”

Then I feel something cold and metal against the back of my spine. I turn slightly and see the girl holding a solid razor to my back, which she must have fetched from the stack. I laugh at the size of it in her hands, but there’s no humor in the pale girl’s eyes. I’d call her bluff if I didn’t know who her psychotic parents were. The kid is feral.

“Watch him for a moment. Stick him if he gets out of line.” “Immobilizing strike or just a flesh wound?” the girl asks. “Goryhell. Just watch him. Little psycho.”

The boy is a model of concentration. He paled when he saw the bodies I left on the floor, but now he’s lowered his head in anger. Same dead-set jaw as his father, but his hands shake as they hold the too-large razor. Pretend to be spawn of the Reaper all he likes, he’s just a terrified boy.

“You, peek out there,” I tell the girl. Her eyes widen. “What?” “You’re the most expendable, look out there and tell me what you see.” “Slag you.” “Fine.” I grab the Duke and shove him out, then jerk him back. “What did you see?” “Fuck you.” “Will no one cooperate?!” “I’ll do it,” Pax says. Before he can move, the girl shoves him back and darts her head to look through the holes in the door, then dips back to shelter. “Four Obsidian braves, six Grays, three Browns. Six EFC-37 rifles, two GR-19 pistols, two Eaglefor PR-117s, a Vulcan 8k pulseFist. Couldn’t make out the rest.” I stare at her. “So, no dolls for you, huh?”