Lady of Shadows (Lady of Darkness, #2)

by Melissa K. Roehrich

“True strength, Lady of Darkness, is being brave in the hard seasons. True strength is getting back up one more time. True strength is believing you were made for such a time as this and fighting against all odds. True strength is having hope even when the stars go out.”

“And when the storm is unending? When the waves are unrelenting?” Scarlett asked quietly. “Rage, Scarlett. Rage and scream and cry and fall apart. You are allowed to feel and do all those things, but you do not stop fighting. You do not give up. You become a bigger storm,”

All stars are born in the dark, Scarlett. The darkness allows us to see them. You decide if they are worth fighting for.”

“I think you might be mine though,” she said, as sleep finally overtook her. “Your what?” she heard him press, but sleep pulled her under before she could reply.

“It is okay if some days the only thing you manage to do is survive. That is okay.”

will never stop telling you that you matter and that you make a difference. I will never stop telling you that you are a necessity in my life, and I sure as shit will be sure and say it extra on the hard days.”

“Today I’m going to do more than just survive.” The arm wrapped around her squeezed gently. “But on the hard days, promise me that you’ll pull me from the river.”

“I promise I will always pull you from the river and help you find the stars.”

“My home is wherever you are. If you demand I go home, I am already there. Let me in.”

“You promised you would not leave me alone in the darkness. You came for me, and I have come for you. I am yours, and you are mine. Let me in!”

“Some days are hard. Sometimes simply making it through the hard days is enough,”

The knowledge that sometimes just surviving was enough for one day almost made her sigh in relief.

“You are a Queen. You do not need permission to do anything and certainly not from a male. You make the choices that will affect you and your people, and you make them without regret. You choose, and you handle the consequences, whatever they may be. You do not look back, only forward. Now make your choice.”

“I am someone who has faced the darkness and found the beauty it had to offer. I am someone who can create stars in the void when the light has gone out. I am someone who cares for those the realms have forgotten. I am someone who can bring beauty from brutal ashes. I am a fucking Queen.”

“Scarlett, I love you like the stars love the night. All the way through the darkness,”