The Scorpion's Mate (Iriduan Test Subjects #1)

by Susan Trombley

In truth, the romance novel depressed me because it reminded me of what I didn’t have—someone wholly devoted to me.

I’d sat by his bed and watched him take his last breath, abandoning me to the cold reality of a world that had lost all the magic he’d brought into it.

For me, he would do anything, even if it meant denying what he was—a monster I feared would never truly understand why I wanted him to care.

He pressed his face into my palm. “I am not.” His eyes met mine. “I would go through it all again, knowing you would be at the end of it.”

I was too happy for all of this to last.

I, on the other hand, overthought everything. I worried, even in these moments of peace, what would happen when they ended and reality came crashing down again to destroy this happiness.

No matter how much I know that you’re capable of defending me, I still worry about losing you.”

“You are the flower with the sweetest nectar that is worth risking the thorns.”

“Do you ever miss the before-time?” His upper hands stroked over my hair. “No. You weren’t there.”

You should know that sometimes the only way to fight a monster is to become one.”