A Heart So Fierce and Broken (Cursebreakers, #2)

by Brigid Kemmerer

And underneath it all, so tiny that I almost don’t acknowledge it, a kernel of pride that instead of magic bringing fear and torment, the way Lilith did, or pain and death, the way my sword would, my magic brought healing and trust, and that is not a small thing at all.

“I am crying because you are a prince,” I say softly. “And I …” I let out a breath. “I am not a princess.”

One day in Syhl Shallow, and I wish I could find solutions to every problem at the end of a sword.

But I would much rather learn about Syhl Shallow from its people than its rulers.”

That is what makes you dangerous. Not because you would ride in with a blade and take control, but because you could quietly sit in this chair, in the dark, with your book”—the corner of his mouth turns up—“and you could determine the best way to achieve what needs to be done.”

“Choices are never easy. There are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is to not make any choice at all.”

I don’t know which of us is more committed to honor and duty, but I was ready to rappel down the castle wall with her on my back, so I think it is not me.

“Please, Grey. We knew what was at the end of this road.” I wish for more time. There is none. My life is full of wishes that never come true.

“If I am to be king,” he says, his expression fierce and determined, “I must stop taking orders.”

YAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! we ride for grey

For the first time, there are no expectations for her to fulfill. She can just be a girl who loves her sister.

I don’t want to be at odds with Harper either. “If I learned anything about your sister in the time we were friends,” I say, “it is that we should not underestimate her.”

I shrug free of my jacket and draw it around her shoulders. The same motions I went through before, but everything is so different now.