To Kill a Kingdom (Hundred Kingdoms, #1)

by Alexandra Christo

“You are a little heartless today, aren’t you?” “Never,” I say. “There are seventeen under my bed.”

while the rest of my crew sleeps, I lie on the deck and count stars. I make shapes of them, and from those shapes I make stories. Of all the places I have been and will be.

There’s nothing in the world but pain and the rare moments that exist in between.

“Lies aren’t answers.” “But they sound so much better than the truth.”

it’s the land that steals away who I am and the sea that brings me back.

“I’m Elian,” he says, though I didn’t ask.

“there’s a difference between liking someone and trusting them.” “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never done either.”

Lira shrugs, unoffended, and I consider what it would take to get under her skin. She waves off each and every comment like they’re barely an annoyance. As though she has far better things to do than worry about what me or any of my crew thinks.

Unbothered queen

“I’m glad the captain agreed to let you stay,” Madrid says. I shake the thoughts of home and look at her questioningly. “Why would you be glad?” “We need to start outnumbering them.” “Who?” “The men,” she says. “Ever since we pulled down to skeleton crew, there’s been too much testosterone aboard.”

“Quit doing that.” “I’m not doing anything.” “You’re trying to meddle.” It seems like such a silly thing to be accused of in the grand scheme of things. I’m plotting to steal back my birthright, betray my mother, and then rip out Elian’s heart so no human can be a worthy threat to us. Yet somehow Madrid thinks my comments on her friendships are troublesome.

“You can’t just kill everyone you don’t like.” “I know that. Otherwise you’d be dead already.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask. He shrugs. “What I do best.” “Getting on my last nerve?”

A life for a life.

I WAKE AND THEN immediately wish I hadn’t.

Reflections of each other in a different kingdom and a different life. Broken pieces from the same mirror. There are worlds between us, but that seems more like semantics than tangible evidence of how dissimilar we are.

I was a siren and so I was a killer. It was never wrong or right; it just was.

“I suppose I’ll have to watch my back, then.” “No need,” I tell her. “I can see it perfectly.” Yukiko bites down on the corner of her lip, half-amused, half-curious.

How strange that instead of taking his heart, I’m hoping he takes mine.

“Do you remember when we first met?” he asks. “You said I was more charming when I was unconscious.”