A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers, #3)

by Brigid Kemmerer

Then my fingers settle over the harsh edges of his scars. I can’t tell if he freezes or if I do. Either way, my hands slow. Stop. Slip away. Grey has drawn back a few inches. His eyes are dark and inscrutable now. I’ve only seen his scars once, when we were on the run from Emberfall. We’d taken shelter in a cave in the mountains, and he didn’t realize I was looking. Even then, it was only a brief glance, a tiny glimpse of something terrible. Noah has seen the worst of it, from before Grey was healed, but otherwise, he’s kept the marks hidden. Even when Princess Harper first brought him clothes, he refused to let her see what had been done to him. Maybe the scars make him feel vulnerable, or maybe they’re a reminder that someone he once trusted could cause such torment, but the air between us has shifted. There’s a shadow where a moment ago there was light. I don’t know if it’s pity for his anguish or awe at his strength or rage for what was done to him—or some emotion I can’t even identify. Whatever it is, I reach for him again, sliding my hands under his shirt. He’s tense now, but he doesn’t move. When my fingers drift across the marks, he shivers, his breath catching the tiniest bit, but he doesn’t pull away. I push off the wall and step into him, pressing my lips to the skin at the base of his neck, letting my hands travel up his back, holding him against me. I can feel his heart beat against mine, quick and fluttering like a trapped bird, but as I hold him, as my finge...

this is so incredibly powerful and beautiful