Cursed (Gilded, #2)

by Marissa Meyer

“And if he didn’t want me to kidnap you, then he should have invited me to the feast. It was the least he could do.” “Gild, are you doing this because you felt left out?”

Gild squeezed her tighter, even as he let out a frustrated breath. “Damn bloodthirsty demon, always ruins everything.”

“I can find my own way from here, thank you,” she said, adjusting her leather tunic. “I had no intention of carrying you all the way. You needn’t have struck me.” “Believe it or not, it was the highlight of my evening.”

“It’s the only thing I’ve ever gotten from the Erlking, and I won it from him in a fair bargain.” He shrugged. “I’m never letting this go.” “A fair bargain? You traded me!” “Yeah, but … look at the quality of this spoon! It could be hung up on the wall, a piece of fine art.”

“Ah, so you do need my help?” She cast her eyes to the ceiling. “You’re insufferable.” “You seem to like me anyway.”

“Not much of a solution if it just makes a bigger problem to deal with.” “I’ll take my chances with the bear,” muttered Nickel.

Love grew out of shared memories, shared stories, shared laughter. Love was a result of knowing the many things a person did that annoyed you to the ends of the earth, and yet, somehow, still wanting to hold them at the end of every day and be held by them at sunrise every morning. Love was the comfort of knowing someone would stand by you, accept you, despite all your eccentricities, all your faults. Maybe loving you, in part, because of them.

“We are the old gods, Wyrdith. The world has gone on without us. Mortals have gone on without us. They may invoke our names and leave their offerings and whisper their prayers, but it is up to them, ultimately, to devise their destiny.”

“Fine. But if I see any opportunity to shove you into a pit you can’t crawl out of, believe me, I will be taking it.”

“I am a vicious thing,” she said. “The graveyard should fear me.”