Broken Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac, #4)

by Caroline Peckham

“She’s a beautiful girl and a perfect mate for you. You needed to be challenged and pushed out of your comfort zone to grow into the Lion I always knew you could be and now I can see nothing but the brightest future before you.”

Whatever other doubts I may have had about what had happened with this bond, I knew for certain that the stars had been right about one thing: he was meant for me and I was meant for him. I could feel it in the tightness of his arms around me and the heat of his flesh on my skin. And I could feel it in the way my heart was pounding and the way my soul scratched at the surface of my flesh like it wanted to be joined with his.

Someone rammed their shoulder into mine and I looked around as Ryder Draconis headed up into the ring.

“Ethan Shadowbrook, soon to be Ryder’s second. So if you’re looking for a bite of the forbidden fruit then I’ll happily be more accommodating than our King seems to be feeling right now.”

“We’re not attached at the hip, Rydikins, I don’t mind if you have a turn with her.”

For the love of the moon, am I trying to praise his performance? Is this the way I die? Kneeling at Ryder Draconis’s feet while I tell him how hot he looked fucking the life out of our old teacher? I bet they won’t carve that into my headstone.

"I could get you one," he whispered conspiratorially. "It could say Gabe the Great on it beneath a picture of a great crested grebe."

"You’d better drop the grumps if you wanna be a papa then," he taunted and my eyes narrowed. “No one wants an angry daddy.”

“One of these days I know he’ll gift me a vision of him tossing me from a cliff Mufasa and Scar style and then I know we’ll be bros for life.”

This is why I love Leon :)

“There is only one person who can run rings around a king, Elise,” he said slowly. “Let alone four of them at once.”

“A queen. So maybe it’s time you started thinking about what good you want to do now that you’ve been crowned.”

Maybe I missed hanging out with them all. And maybe it was time I reunited us Avengers style. It was kinda exciting. Tummy flutters and all.

Come on, Rydikins, show me your heart.

One day soon we were going to be having sleepovers and pillow fights and he'd giggle like a school girl at my jokes. If it wasn't written in the stars already, I was going to get my Sharpie and scrawl it up there to make it so.

"She's not nothing," he said after a moment of silence, his gaze fixed on the wall. "You're not either," I said, my heart beating harder. "I miss you."

Leon Night: Me and @EliseCallisto are playing a game of hide and seek. The first girl to find her and bring her to our room will be my favourite forevermore. P.S. Bring snacks for bonus points ;)

Natalie Brooks: I will find her even if I have to gouge my eyes from my face and throw them into the sky to spot her!

Lauren Lockwood: I’ll smother her in chocolate so that she IS the snack.

“I’ll do whatever I have to to ensure we win this war, Rosa. Anything it takes.”

Ryder Draconis wasn’t a man who would ever be told what to do. But if he did decide to come back to me, I was never letting him leave me behind again.

Two flames, one anchor. You'll find them when they need you most.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll come crawling back to you after you've killed her Elysian Mate. Great plan, asshole."

I wasn't her one, but I could be her someone...

Where we used to watch the sky, you’ll find the wings you need to fly...

"Elise, baby! You're home. I was beginning to worry I'd never see you again after the summer - let me see those eyes of yours."

I'm coming, baby. I'm done fighting, done waiting, done hurting. Just say you want me too.

"You're my snakelet," I blurted. By the fucking stars, what the hell was that?

"I spent years in the dark, living in an endless expanse of emptiness. Where I felt nothing but the words I branded on my knuckles. I thought I was broken, but maybe my soul was just lying dormant, stopping me from experiencing anything good in this fucked up world. But you’ve awakened me, Elise, and I can't go back to sleep."

"I'll always be a monster, baby. I'll be the reason Fae lock their doors at night in Alestria, I am branded on the inside of my enemies' skulls and my name will always strike fear into their hearts. But I will also be your monster, if you'll have me. If you deem me worthy. I don't have much to give but a blackened heart and a tarnished soul, but they're yours because...” I took a breath and expelled my deepest truth, “I love you."

Omg ryder ughhh

"I want all of you, Ryder," she whispered directly into my soul. "The dark and the light, and everything in between."

"We need someone with power, speed, confidence, we need a fucking miracle," Mars snarled.

Wait a fucking lickety split of a second…

Power? Check. Speed? Double check. Confidence? Triple fucking check.

"Hey Gabe, come over here!" I called excitedly and for some reason he actually jumped to his feet and started walking to...

Mars pointed him to the Water Hole. "If you get one ball from there into the Pit, I'll give you a fucking medal, Nox. These three are out for blood today."

"Best blowie ever right after the game for whoever takes him down," I offered.

🤣🤣

"Marry her?" he called mockingly. "Can't see you in a tux, Ryder."

"I won't fall. I'm the Lana - Laynar - Loo-naar King."

Some loves leave a scar on your heart which you never want to heal.

"Make the Nights proud, boys," he said, looking from me to Roary with an emotional smile.

Tonight was the night.

"The enemy of our enemy is our friend,"

"The dream team is about to unite and I want a front row seat to seeing the Rydikins and Dantesaurous bromance kicking off officially."

"The stars put us together for a reason, little monster. You and me are as unstoppable as the rising sun. So let's go show them what happens when they try to fuck with our boyfriends."

"With me!" he bellowed, beckoning to a crowd of the Brotherhood who were moving up behind him. "Kill them all!"

Let's go Lunar Brotherhood! Let's go!!

"You're asking me to betray everything I am."