Threads That Bind (Threads That Bind, #1)

by Kika Hatzopoulou

But Io could wield patience like a weapon.

She wasn’t nervous. She was excited

What a silly reaction, that she should feel guilty of taking the lead on something she was clearly more skilled in. Guilt was an old habit, one she thought she had kicked. Gods, she was a bundle of anxiety tonight.

This city, her mother had often said, is going to try to steal the good out of you, Io. But you’re not going to let it, are you?

But Io wasn’t Thais. Her envy wasn’t the noxious kind. Her heart just craved. The softness, the calm, the intimacy. To know what it’s like to be loved.

“If he seizes you, remember that you feel fear every day and yet you keep going.” “Feel your fear and keep going anyway. By Edei Rhuna.” Chimdi said it as though she was quoting from a great wordsmith.

Her chin trembled as she whispered, “Is our comfort so important that you’ll let people keep dying for it?”

Ava’s voice tendered. “I don’t think you can save those women, Io.” “I probably can’t. But I must at least try.”

Opportunity. Gods, Io hated it when she thought like that. Like they had lived in gloom and misery, thirsting for a chance to go someplace better, be someone better. Their life had been hard, but whose wasn’t? And life could be hard and happy at the same time, couldn’t it?

“What kind of person are you,” Edei whispered, “if you love someone who is cruel?” It was a question Io had often asked herself. She opened her mouth, closed it. Tried again. “You’re someone who loves. That’s it. That’s the only part that’s yours to give and yours to take.”