The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)

by Carissa Broadbent

Hundreds of years later, historians and scholars would look back upon this moment. This decision that, one day, would topple an empire.

You are going to be so fucking impressed. I swear it.

climb your cage until you are so high no one can catch you. Break its bars and make them your weapons.

Nothing is sharper.

That is the time for dreaming. But this? This is the time for conquering.”

Now is the time for conquering,

But all living creatures desire. Is that weakness?

The little serpent was so very lonely. She slithered right into those lovely, elegant fingers. She did not even see the claws.

My humanness had been the reason why I’d spent a lifetime dimming myself. For these people, it was the reason they burned brighter.

Even if he had the pain tolerance of a statue. Statues would fucking crumble at that.

He smelled like the sky. He smelled the way air felt as it rushed around you, freeing and terrifying and the most beautiful fucking thing you’ve ever experienced.

I had to resist the urge to lick his touch from my fingertips.

“Give me one honest thing,”

My anger made everything certain and easy. My love made everything complicated and difficult.

Her voice was a million shades of a million sounds, painted over each other in exquisite layers.

Such a pure love, distilled forever in its innocence. A flower frozen in bloom.”

Anger made things easy. Love made things complicated.