A Queen Comes to Power (An Heir Comes to Rise #2)

by C.C. Peñaranda

The bond they shared and the love he felt for her was real—that had never been a question in his mind—and it had only strengthened with time.

All he could do was hope that when he did find the courage to bear all to Faythe, she could find it in her heart to forgive him. Because romantic or not, it pained him horribly to imagine the void that would hollow his chest if she decided he wasn’t worth her friendship either.

He was warm and kind, and being around him was like being in a constant embrace.

“It’s not the act but the intention that separates the good from the evil.”

“I guess I’m telling you this because I know how it feels…to think you’re a burden and unwanted, even to the people who are close to you. It’s like we always feel as if we have something to prove—to others, to ourselves—perhaps in a longing that our twisted existence will count for something in this world.”

“Your differences only make you weak if you let them, Faythe. It’s when you embrace them that you start to live the life you were meant to lead. Not everyone has that strength.”

“You have me,” he whispered against the tender spot below her ear. “Until the last star in the sky winks out, you have all of me.”

“All we can do is never surrender. Never bow to fear, never yield to odds, and always be ready. Until the end comes.

Yet in that moment, by his own hand, the prince…became the king.

“You don’t have to thank me. What use is my ability if I can’t use it to steal immense power from ruin-wielding humans?”

“I thought you were insanely brave. Gods, Faythe, you have far more resilience than even some of the best warriors I know.”