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

by Carissa Broadbent

“I have plenty of self-control, Oraya,” he murmured.

And then I realized. I realized that fear, when embraced, hardens and sharpens. That it becomes rage. That it becomes power. I would not die here.

He was on his knees, staring up at me. And that—the way he looked at me—was the first thing that felt real. Real, and raw, and… and confusing. Because he looked at me in sheer awe—like I was the most incredible thing he had ever seen. Like I was a fucking goddess.

“I’ve lived through some injustices in the last couple of centuries. Seen some fucking travesties. But one of the biggest, Oraya, is that anyone taught you that you should become anything other than exactly what you are.”

“You might destroy me anyway.”

“That wasn’t how I’d imagined making you come for the first time,”