Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)

by Rebecca Yarros

We break off from the crowd headed to the fourth floor, and I stash the dragon in my bag, then reach out and give him a hug.

“But keeping me safe is keeping me from growing, too.”

I know you don’t want to hear this, but sometimes you have to know when to take the death blow, Mira. It’s why you have to be sure that Violet enters the Scribe Quadrant. She’ll never be able to take a life.

“Taking over what?” My eyes narrow. “Everything when it comes to you.”

I’m my father’s daughter.

Tairn’s chuff sounds suspiciously like a laugh, and she snaps at him, baring her teeth and coming within inches of his neck.

“Dragon relationships are absolutely incomprehensible,” I murmur. “Yeah? You should try a human one sometime. Just as vicious, but less fire.” He mounts with an ease I envy. “Now let’s go.”

I swear, the bruises on my ass from landing in the hard divot hurt less than Tairn’s scoff that I’d humiliated his entire family line as we crossed the finish line last.

“Scribes freak me out. Quiet little know-it-alls, acting like they can make or break someone by writing something down.” I grin. There’s more truth to that statement than most people realize.

Xaden tilts one corner of that beautiful mouth and tips an imaginary hat to me, bowing his head for a heartbeat before bringing his gaze back to hold mine. Satisfaction fills every ounce of my being as I smile up at him. It doesn’t matter how the vote comes down. I’ve already won.

We might be hundreds of miles from Basgiath, but I’ve never felt more at home.

“Leave for me, Violet.”

“He cares for you. That’s already hard enough for him.” I scoff. “He cares about keeping me alive. There’s a difference.” “Not for him there isn’t.”

You have worked just as hard—if not harder—than every rider in this quadrant. Just because your body is built differently than the others doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to keep your seat. It takes more than a few strips of leather and a pommel to define a rider.”

I am the sky and the power of every storm that has ever been. I am infinite.

“Because I only want you, Xaden.”

All I ever want to do is kiss you, even when you piss me off.”

“And both times were the result of emotional reactions?” Tairn snorts, and I smack his foreleg with the back of my hand. “Yes.” “Well, then start there. Ground in your power and try to feel whatever it was you were feeling.” He goes back to his notebook. “Should I get the wingleader?” Tairn flat-out laughs in my head.

There’s nowhere in existence you could go that I wouldn’t find you, Violence.”

I’m only looking at you.”

“And you want to do this?” I hold my breath. He sighs, long and hard, then admits, “Yes.” His hand slides up, and he caresses my cheek with his thumb. “I can’t make you any promises, Violence. But I’m tired of fighting it.” “Yes.” One word has never meant so much to me.

“You are absolutely delicious. I never should have waited this long to get my mouth on you.”

I’m so damned in love with that man.

“People talk. Let them.”

I never lied when I said I can’t live without you, Violence.”

“One generation to change the text. One generation chooses to teach that text. The next grows, and the lie becomes history.”

“Why would you risk it?” Gods, if anything happens to them… His gaze collides with mine. “That thing was going to take a chunk out of Tairn. You’ve saved my life and now it’s my turn. No matter what you think of me for keeping secrets, we’re friends, Violet.”

“And I know you feel betrayed, but Xaden needs you. And I don’t just mean alive, Violet. He needs you. Please hear him out.”

“Thank you, Liam. Thank you for being my shadow. Thank you for being my friend.”

“There is no me without you,” he says against my skin.

“I will bet my life on you as I have from the first day,”

In the event that you come across a poison you do not recognize, it is best to treat with any and every antidote. Either way, the patient will die, but at least this way you would have learned something.

You can’t make me fall for you and then die. None of this is worth it without you.”

I should have grabbed on to her after that first kiss the way I wanted and kept her at my side, should have let her all the way in.

And when she smiled at me after mastering her shield in mere minutes, her face lighting up as the snow fell around us, I fucking fell. We hadn’t even kissed, and I fell.