Arrows and Apologies (Monsters & Muses, #4)

by Sav R. Miller

Something unreadable flashes in her eyes, and I see tiny orange flecks around her pupils. They spark like little fires, and I find myself tempted to get burned.

Perhaps that’s one of the things that draws me to her; there’s a fire that lives in her, fueled by determination and spite, that can’t be doused with water or sand. It’s the kind of fire you smother. The kind others have tried. Me? I have no desire to put it out. I want to watch her burn.

Reaching out, she pinches a strand of my hair. “Well, that explains the piano and floor. And the wall in his office.”

not him obsessed w blue bc of her hair, so sweet

“My son isn’t a very… colorful person. Well, he wasn’t, but recently he seems quite enamored with the hues of blue.”

Hunting is just something I do. Something to pass the time. Now, though, it feels necessary. Like I might wither away if I don’t search for her.

“You’re so beautiful,”

Pressing my lips together, I don’t reply because what am I supposed to tell her? That I’m completely enamored by her existence and there probably aren’t any lengths I wouldn’t go to, to make sure she’s comfortable?

“You’re building a pool.” I nod, threading my fingers through her hair. “Why?” Closing my eyes, I consider not answering this question either. Swimming has never appealed to me. The water leaves you vulnerable, which is why I’ve always simply avoided it. My lips are dry when they open again. “Because you said you like to swim.”

STOPP THATS SO SWEET

the art of the kiss is so much more than that. It’s an experience, where you study your partner and find the little things that make them tick.

It feels inappropriate for the star of our galaxy to be out shining, as if the earth isn’t plagued with complete and utter disaster on a regular basis. Then again, I suppose the sun can’t shy away for every shitty situation. Otherwise, it’d never come back out.

“M’eudail.” Pressing my ear against the door, I stand completely still, listening for even the slightest hint of her inside. “Please open the bloody door.” I’m not sure how I’ve resorted to such a state of pathetic want, but here I am. Desperate, just the way she likes it.

Aplana doesn’t have an animal shelter, so I thought she could start one. It’s not her dog, but it’s something, right?

aw

Even in just a pullover sweatshirt and leggings, she’s so fucking beautiful that it makes my chest ache.

Cora Astor knows how to get under my fucking skin, and here I am, letting her because for some reason, I want her there. I want her existing beneath my surface, like some sort of parasite, taking up residency in my veins. I wish to break open my rib cage and stuff her inside, so I can keep her safe from the rest of the world. Keep her mine.

I’m not used to being affected by anyone so viscerally, but I suppose that’s what love is—soul-deep and catastrophic. The kind of thing that has the power to effectively ruin you, but that you trust isn’t going to.

As I get closer, I see a piece of paper pinned to the center circle, a bullet hole through the top, and I reach up, yanking the arrow free. The air expels from my lungs in a single exhale, and I freeze in place as familiar gold eyes stare back at me from the printed page. Lucian?

stretch but is lucian (her brother) hollis? (his ex)

Our eyes meet, and for a split second, I’m back in the bar, seeing her for the first time ever. Completely captivated by her elegance, something soft yet entirely terrifying that I’ve not seen in another soul before. I’m following her out into the alley, desperate to get as close as she’ll allow. To see if her hair is as velvety as it looks and if those eyes might actually steal my soul away if I let them.

I feel loved, and it’s now that I realize nothing’s ever remotely touched me the way a single look from this man does.

“I’m going to fucking marry you, Cordelia Astor.”

Alistair kneels in front of me, kicking the knife and his friend away, scooping me into his lap. His hands are everywhere, brushing the hair from my face, pulling his shirt closed so my body’s covered, assessing the wound on my neck.

But just because someone doesn’t love the same way as you doesn’t mean they love you any less.

“Infinitely, and with every fiber of my being, Cora Astor. I’ve loved you since the second you walked into my life, and I’ll love you every second after, until I have no more to love you with.”

If it were possible, I’d crack myself wide open and stuff her inside. Let her live in my veins since she’s pretty much the only thing running through them these days anyway.

“Marry me,” I say again, wondering if muttering the words into her mouth will make her think they were hers.

So with the Lucian Astor Memorial Tree, I want us to look ahead, prepare for the future, and accept what it throws at us with open, waiting arms.”

“Is that a yes?” She glances at the tree behind me, nodding her head and biting her bottom lip. I pluck it with my thumb, and she lets out a dramatic sigh. “It’s an absolutely.”