Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness, #5)
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Read between May 21 - May 23, 2025
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“I have brought much upon this world, Eliné,” she replied. “You know this. My son has unknowingly done the same. Our time here has come to an end. It must. This world does not deserve to burn.
Natatia Grubb
Page 2 and I already have more questions. Her son?? Cethin?
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“You need me to free you. Saylah needs me to free her. This world needs me to free it,” Scarlett sneered. “You all need freedom, and yet I am the one who has been required to make sacrifice after sacrifice to ensure you receive it. I am the one who is being asked to give up her freedom for everyone else to have theirs.” She huffed out a harsh laugh. “I suppose asked is not the proper word, is it? It is simply assumed I will fulfill what everyone demands of me.”
Natatia Grubb
Oof
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The last person she locked gazes with before they disappeared was Callan. It had not escaped her that he hadn’t sworn to return with the others. She knew in the depths of her being he would not step foot in Avonleya again, and she prayed to the gods she had not just let him go to his death.
Natatia Grubb
Gods. WHY. D:
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“They spoke of wars. Past. Present. Future.” Her eyes opened then, sky blue irises landing on Sawyer. “They spoke of sacrifices to be made.” “Who?” Sawyer asked in a hushed tone. She held his stare. “Too many to name.”
Natatia Grubb
I'm not going to make it through this book without crying, am I?
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Wrapping around his upper bicep ran a Bargain Mark, blood red against his skin. The Mark was three winding ropes. Three sacrifices to keep his memories pure. One of blood. One of betrayal. One of time. “Will they want you back? Once they know what you have given me?” she asked curiously.
Natatia Grubb
Fuck
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“This is my cost to bear. Not theirs,” Talwyn replied. “You know this, Az. This is what is best for the Courts, the continent, the entirety of the realm.” “This is the sacrifice of a queen,” Sorin said quietly. “It is my choice what to do with the mercy I have been given,” she replied. Her voice did not tremble. She did not flinch or show an ounce of hesitation. Still holding her jade green stare, Sorin said, “So be it.”
Natatia Grubb
I wish this could have been different, but I love the redemption arc for her. The sacrifice of a queen for the good of her people, indeed.
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“Little whirlwind,” he said softly, and her eyes snapped to his. Tears pooled there. “Henna and Eliné would be so very proud of you.” A tear spilled over, sliding down her cheek.
Natatia Grubb
Tears are spilling over my cheeks too omg
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“Do not let the connection break,” he heard Saylah warn. Then she spoke again in that ancient language, and Talwyn screamed. He heard a roar echo around the arena, but he could not focus on it because his knees were buckling as power poured into him. He was gripping Talwyn’s hands, lowering to the ground as she sank to it, still screaming in utter agony.
Natatia Grubb
If Scarlett doesnt send Maliq back to her at least...I stg. D:
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She murmured something that was too low for Sorin to hear, even with his enhanced senses restored. Whatever she’d said had Luan’s eyes closing briefly, a look of grief crossing his features as he gathered her close to him. She was still trembling. Luan rested his chin atop her head, and when he opened his eyes, they met Sorin’s. And in that moment, Sorin understood just how much Talwyn had sacrificed.
Natatia Grubb
Already crying 25% of the way in. Lets goooooo. Bring the heartbreak and devastation. I came prepared this book, Melissa.
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Still holding his hand in hers, she looked up at him and said, “When I return, I will tell you all of it. I just needed time to come to terms with what I have learned.” He slid a hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head. “We will face it together, Scarlett.” She smiled weakly, and he felt her dread down the bond before she blocked it. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
Natatia Grubb
That's not ominous at all.
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this room was warded extensively so that no magic could be accessed. The only room in the entirety of the cliffs from what Alaric said.
Natatia Grubb
That's right! I had wondered how Alaric wouldn't be able to sense Talwyn had no magic and toss their negotiations out the window immediately. I forgot that HE was the one who requested the magic-nullifying room. Genius plot here. Truly.
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Another few moments passed before she said softly, “I’ll drown with you, Cyrus. Whatever he let her do to you… I’ll dive in and drown with you on the hard days.” He swallowed thickly. He didn’t deserve a queen, a friend, like her. He didn’t deserve to serve in her Court, let alone call her family.
Natatia Grubb
MY HEART
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Cassius leaned a shoulder against the wall. “I know what he does, Cyrus,” he said, voice low and rough. “I know how he breaks someone.” Cyrus finally looked at him. “I was already broken. He just made sure I remembered how thoroughly.”
Natatia Grubb
My shaylaaaaaa
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“How could you keep from me that I would need to leave this world in order to save it?”
Natatia Grubb
I'm sorry...excuse me?
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I knew of Sorin, of course. And Cassius, although I did not know his name until you found the mirror gate. I assumed they would come with us when the time came. But then you arrived on these shores with a number of ships. With children who adore you. With friends. With family. And I… I did not know how to tell you that you would need to leave them. Cyrus. Eliza. Rayner. The Water Prince. Juliette and Nuri. I did not know how to tell you that you—who has already been forced to give so much—were going to be forced to give even more. And the more I watched you and got to know you, I thought that ...more
Natatia Grubb
Nope. Sorry. I rebuke this.
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Replaying conversations. Sifting through information. Making adjustments to plans. Moves and countermoves. Dangerous games indeed. What would the gods and Fates do when they learned she did not play by their rules?
Natatia Grubb
Yesssssss. I rebuke yeeting yourself from the realm!
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We stand with the true Queen of the Continent.” Queen of the Continent.
Natatia Grubb
Chills.
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The beings were screeching, golden swords clattering to the ground as the shadowfire consumed them. And while he kept his focus on his fire, making sure it flared back whenever one of the beings cut through it, he could hear her laughing in delight. From her vantage point, she could see every one of them. “She is terrifying,” Rayner muttered again.
Natatia Grubb
The only way I wish to be perceived by men.
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Cyrus was about to announce he was going to return to his room when, in usual fashion, Scarlett broke the tension with an absurd statement. “I just want you to know that if I had met Rayner first, you and I would likely not be together.” Everyone’s head whipped to her. She was looking up at Sorin, batting her lashes. Sorin blinked back at her. “All I am saying,” she went on, “is that Death’s Maiden and The Reaper sound like they belong together.”
Natatia Grubb
Lol
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“You are deserving of being wanted, Cyrus. You are wanted.” The hand at his hip began moving, sliding along his abdomen. “I’ll tell you as often as you need to hear it.” His hand dipped beneath the band of his pants, and Cyrus stopped breathing entirely. “And when words aren’t enough, I’ll show you.”
Natatia Grubb
SQUEALING!!!!!! Cassius, you god of a man.
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“You deserve to be wanted without being required to give something in return.”
Natatia Grubb
Brb...sobbing
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“Can you promise me something, Cass?” “Depends on what it is.” They were both on their backs. Cyrus had a hand propped behind his head, the other resting on his stomach. “When you learn what I’ve done…” He loosed a long breath, trying to find the words. Cassius reached over, his fingers intertwining with the hand on his stomach. “It will not matter, Cyrus. We have all done things to survive.” Cyrus didn’t reply, and it was minutes later when Cassius said, “Cyrus?” “Yeah?” “If you break, we clean it up together.”
Natatia Grubb
Melissa! You saint! Thank you for this scene. Again, emotional intelligence is off the charts. This healed something in me. Thank you.
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“Where is your Alpha?” the male retorted. Arianna went utterly still, and Eliza realized in that moment, she may have to relinquish the male’s death to the Beta.
Natatia Grubb
The male audacity...am I right?
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“We need to go,” Arantxa said grimly. It was only then that Eliza realized everyone had formed a small circle around them. Arianna. Stellan. Jamahl, Sariah, and Ilyas. All the Shifters were on a knee, heads bowed for the sacrifice made.
Natatia Grubb
Gahhhhhhhh. The tears.
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Not wanting to dirty any of the furniture with her soiled clothing, she went straight to the bathing room. She did not undress. Instead, she climbed into the dry porcelain tub, curled in on herself, and finally let the tears come. It wasn’t long before she heard the door of her room open, the muffled footsteps on the ornate rugs. He did not bother undressing either as he climbed into the tub with her. Large hands pulled her to him, and she buried her face in his bare chest as he pulled the tie from her braid and unwound what was left of the plait.
Natatia Grubb
Sobbing. This is beautiful.
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Talwyn placed her hands over Ashtine’s, feeling the babes move beneath their fingers. “They will be protected more than any others.” “If Briar and I are not…” And Talwyn knew. She knew what the princess was asking her. Because they had both grown up without mothers and fathers. But they had grown up with each other. The gods knew she’d likely make a shit mother, but if Briar and Ashtine could not be there, those babes would never feel abandoned. Not for a single moment of their lives. “They will know love, Ashtine,” Talwyn said. “The unconditional kind. The kind you showed me. They will be ...more
Natatia Grubb
Godsdamnit, Melissa. This kind of foreshadowing gives me heart palpitations.
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And then Cassius was in his face, forcing him to look into his eyes. One brown, one pale and white. “I will never look at you with derision, disgust, or hatred. Never, Cyrus. Do you hear me? It is impossible when I love you.” Cyrus stopped breathing because he couldn’t have heard him right. “Say it again,” Cyrus whispered.
Natatia Grubb
My heart is in danger rn isn't it? Please, Cassius, for the love of Saylah, please stay true to this. Don't break my boy past the point of no return.
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“Apparently, Alaric had something that allowed him to communicate with another realm. He believes it was destroyed when the Fellowship was burned, but Gehenna said it couldn’t be destroyed. Not by starfire alone,” Cyrus explained. “I am to find it and bring it to her when I bring her the spell book.”
Natatia Grubb
Is this that nightstone dagger she nicked from his study? The one that swallows light? The one that is probably actually deathstone and I've been waiting for her to remember she has it so she can fight those dementor looking dudes?
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She stopped pacing, turning to face him fully. “We are a family. We choose each other. We claim each other. You said something. Now we face it together. You taught me that, Cyrus.” He swallowed thickly before nodding his head, eyes falling to his lap. “You deserve a family, Cyrus,” Cass said before the voices could start up in his mind again. “You deserve people who fight for you.”
Natatia Grubb
SO GLAD this didn't go as south as I thought it was going to go.
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“The being that created this world has the power to truly lock it. Something about their essence being so intertwined with the world they created, they have the power to keep others out if they wish. The only exception would be a god or goddess of equal or greater power.”
Natatia Grubb
Woomp there it is
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A fire dragon.
Natatia Grubb
AAAAHHHHHHH CUTE
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She coiled a tendril of starfire around his ear and heard him suck in a ragged breath as she whispered, “We are the gods now, Sorin.”
Natatia Grubb
Hot
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Raz! I need you! The roar that echoed from the cave shook the entirety of the mountain.
Natatia Grubb
This is very much giving, "not a shadow. An Illyrian warrior." vibes and I am HERE FOR IT
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And the last thing she saw through her blurry vision as she struggled to breathe was Razik plummeting to the rocky mountainside.
Natatia Grubb
NO MELISSA WHY
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Callan saw her hand lift, about to reach for her throat, before she crossed her arms instead.
Natatia Grubb
Get this girl a new necklace already, Callan. Damn.
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“I will not take another Source, Cyrus. It will be you or no one. It does not need to be tonight. It does not need to be tomorrow. It will be when you are ready, and if that day does not come? That is okay, too. We will figure something out. And if we do not? I choose a powerless existence with you over power with someone else. You deserve love, Cyrus. I’ll say it until you believe it, and then I’ll say it so you remember it.”
Natatia Grubb
Omg my heartttttt
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It was perfect when they were laying together later, legs tangled beneath blankets and facing each other in the dark of the room. It was perfect when Cyrus realized he didn’t have the slightest desire for a drink or mugweed, because this was enough to keep his thoughts at bay. It was perfect when, instead of hearing the Sorceress in his head as he drifted off to sleep, he heard Cassius’s words. What’s best for me is you. And he believed them.
Natatia Grubb
Crying again.
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But that had never been the real reason she had denied them his death. She didn’t need a male to avenge her or go after the Earth Fae. If anyone was going to kill Varlis, it would be her, and she would make damn sure she looked him in the eyes when she did it with her fucking fire.
Natatia Grubb
Yes....FEMININE RAGE!!!! My favorite!!!!
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The rumble became a roar, and she was grimacing around her own twinge of pain as her shoulder screamed at the movement. Razik’s head snapped up, his large snout coming close to her shoulder and inhaling sharply. Another growl came from him.
Natatia Grubb
This is so cute. Another mother hen.
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If we are right about the lock, Sorin, this means that⁠— I know, Scarlett. Let’s see what other answers she has.
Natatia Grubb
Melissa, you minx. Keeping me on the edge of my seat like this. Whispering half-revalations like the gods and goddesses you write...
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She stopped speaking when Razik lifted his left hand, turning it so she could see the back where the twin flame Mark stood stark against his golden skin. “Come here.” “But your injuries⁠—” “I swear to the Fates, Eliza, if you make me say it again⁠—” But she was already moving, all but running to him. When she was within reach, his hands grasped her face, fingers sliding into her unbound hair and his mouth crushing against hers. And this kiss— Gods, this kiss was everything the others had been and more. Hot and desperate and all-consuming. He didn’t wait for her to let him in. His tongue ...more
Natatia Grubb
Sweet Eliza! I am so happy about this! Omg
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She felt her cheeks flush, and she absolutely hated it. “I suppose we should figure out what we’re going to do then.” “The only thing I want to figure out is what you taste like,” he replied, reaching for the fitted undershirt. “Raz, we’re still healing,” she said, the argument as weak as her voice when she said it. “Me being on my knees is not going to affect any of our wounds,” he replied in that same matter-of-fact tone he said everything else in. “Arms up.”
Natatia Grubb
The charisma this man possesses...holy gods
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“Eyes stay on me, Eliza,” he said, nipping at her inner thigh. “I’ll stop every time they’re not.”
Natatia Grubb
Oh. My. God.
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His eyes flicked to hers for a brief moment. “People eat on this counter.” “Shut up,” she grumbled, drawing her sweeping curls over her shoulder.
Natatia Grubb
I love them so much omggggggg
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“My penchant for collecting treasure is nothing compared to a full-blooded dragon shifter. But their most valued treasure? It was called dragocen. Mai is a variation of ‘mine’ in that language, and while they do not have twin flames, they do have mates. They called their mates mai dragocen. My most treasured. It was a sacred term to them, only used between mates.”
Natatia Grubb
Ugh, my heart.
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“Are you saying that to truly end all of this, Drake, Hale, and I have to die?”
Natatia Grubb
To repeat this dear author's words that she has voiced countless times and SURELY will not renege on now..."there is always a work around". Please let there be a work around. D:
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His chest was heaving, head on the ground, avian eyes full of pain. “Don’t you dare,” she hissed at him. “Not after I’ve put up with all your shit. You don’t get to choose me then leave me. I can’t do that again.”
Natatia Grubb
Thorne!!!! Hold on sweet baby!
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Because there were warriors pouring out of the main gates. But not Fae soldiers. Avonleyan ones. That was a dark queen moving among ashes with arrows of deathstone flying from her bow three at a time. That was a mythical king, long thought dead, atop a horse as dark as the coming night. That was an Ash Rider moving faster than the smoke he commanded. Those were dragons flying up and out of the main gates. One of shadows and one of flames. A king and queen atop them. Scarlett was finally here. And she had brought an army.
Natatia Grubb
Hey siri, play Thundsrstruck. Also! Where are the gods-danged fire emojis when you need them?!?!?! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
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Scarlett straightened, turning in time to see an arrow coming for her. Her hand shot up, catching it by the shaft less than an inch from a clean shot to her heart. She blinked once, not quite believing it. Then she turned to Sorin, whose blades were currently locked between two seraphs. “I caught it!” she cried. Sorin’s gaze flicked to hers as he dropped a sword to wrap flaming fingers around one of the male’s throat. “Caught what?” he called back. She dropped low, sensing the seraph who was diving for her, her shadows coating his wings in black and snapping them clean off. “An arrow!” she ...more
Natatia Grubb
Omg lol
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A strangled cough rattled from the Maraan’s throat, and Cethin laughed. It was the same wicked laugh Scarlett had, and she found herself smiling when he said, “One would think your prince would have taught you to shield against this kind of power. Then again, I can feel you trying. Pitiful.”
Natatia Grubb
Awwww. Sibling bonding.
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