More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Just like a decadent dessert, I’d never turn down an orgasm.
Same girl. Same.
A.V.H. was inked just above the middle knuckles on his pointer, middle, and ring fingers, respectively. My initials. Me—Alina Van Helsing, on Andrei Deluca’s fingers.
“Baby girl, don’t say you don’t care ever again because you fucking own me,”
I want to feel like I own you, too, body and heart.
Whether it was fated or not, thank you for giving Lo back to us. My heart wouldn’t have survived losing another family member.
I was so jealous of the people who could fall asleep every night the second their head hit the pillow. Most nights, I was one of the lucky ones that got to spend a lot of quality time with my racing thoughts and anxiety as I stared up at the ceiling.
He’d once told me that I no longer had any problems—we had problems, and I needed to make it clear to him that the sentiment went both ways.
Show me how much control you have, then, I challenged. Let your monster come out right now. Let him play.
Trust in us.
“You aren’t a failure. You’re a survivor, and I think that makes you incredibly strong.”
Trust us to hold you together when you can’t do it yourself, baby girl. I’ll fight every damn demon that haunts you if you can’t do it yourself, Spitfire,but you can’t keep running from them.
It’s not weak to open up your wounds, Alina. It takes a hell of a lot of courage to stop pretending like everything's okay and face it, even when it makes your knees tremble and your heart hurt. Even when you feel like it’s going to swallow you whole.
“You have my sword, Queen Alina. This is a future that I will fight to the end for.”
“My sword is yours. May we build a future that we can one day leave behind without fear for those who come after us.”
“There is nothing more I could ask for than the ability to one day say that I helped bring about peace and prosperity to these great lands. I’m honored to be in this room with all of you, and I truly believe we can achieve what might feel impossible right now.”
Mom? Dad? They’ll always be watching over you. Continue to make them proud, Alina.
It wasn’t about vengeance. It was about justice.
“Your lives come first. Do not hesitate, even if excessive force is needed. Do you understand me? We are all coming home after this.”
“The woman who just commanded this room believed in this plan. She believed in this vision for the future. She believed in all of us to help her achieve these unprecedented plans.” His hand moved to lay over my heart. “Where did she go? Because the last time I checked, that woman was you.”
“What I didn’t know was that you were not only going to change my life but the lives of everyone in Sanguis as well. I’m honored to have been chosen to be fated for a soul such as yours. To stand by your side as you strive to leave this land better than you found it is something I will never take for granted.”
I would never cower away from who I was. Make them know your name, Soul Bond.
What would I do without you, Dev? I’m not sure what I did to deserve you, but I do know I couldn’t have achieved everything I have without you. It’s not what you did to deserve me but what you’re fated to do with me, Soul Bond. We were always fated to change the world.
I dreamed of a society where no one had to live in fear.
Everyone attending this meeting is a warrior, Alina. If someone falls today, on either side, they will have peace in knowing it wasn’t worthless. It was for a cause they believed in until the end.
“You know he’s doing something right when I lose track of the days and can’t even surface to send a text.”
For the first time since my life was turned upside down with the loss of my family, I feel like I’m learning how to live for myself. I’m no longer living the way I thought I had to, forcing myself to suffer to somehow justify that I got to live when none of them did. I wouldn’t say my guilt for surviving is entirely gone, but I’m working on it.”
“Did you get that all out of your system, or did you need to waste a few more minutes of our time by acting like you have any idea of what we are here to propose?”
“Do not mistake our silence as acceptance for the way you are speaking to our mate right now. I strongly suggest you monitor your words moving forward before our decorum and politeness fly out of the window right behind your own.”
With the loss of my family and Skye, I'd somehow been blessed with a path that led me to my mates, Lo, Alexandra, and now Serena. They were my found family, and yet my heart still claimed Jade as a part of that group.
“I’m not leaving this meeting until I hear these questions and answers. You have evaded me at home for far too long now.”
She hadn’t given up on me.
“Unless you’d like us to assume your guilt in whatever Alina wants to ask you about. We would have no choice but to withdraw our support of your House.”
He owed me everything. My back straightened, and I squared my shoulders as I cut him off before he could continue his indignant tirade. “You do actually owe me this. You owe me a hell of a lot more than this, and what I want more than anything, you can’t possibly give me. I want my family, Alix.”
“Did you use your daughter as a pawn to get me exactly where you needed me in order to fulfill your goal that night?”
“If anyone tries to help Laura or Alix, I won’t hesitate in taking your head. Please, show me who dared support them in their heinous crimes. I’d love to rid this world of a few more monsters today.”
Just then, the scent of cherry blossoms flowed through the air despite no trees being present here, and my eyes watered. Jade sniffled, her own eyes watery with emotion. “Skye,” I whispered, glancing around for her despite knowing it wasn’t possible. I can sense other souls, and hers is here with you now, just as your parents were briefly the other night.
She wants you to live a life full of love and laughter and to honor her memory with smiles, not tears.
The only person you still need forgiveness from is yourself, Alina. Are you ready to do that once and for all?
“I just want everyone to know that Professor Lincoln is my very best friend and wears my friendship bracelet every day!”
I wanted to feel everything—hard. I’d wasted too much time trying to fit into the mold of the perfect slayer, and all I wanted to be now was me.
“The truth is that our love can’t be defined by words. It can’t be contained and trapped in a little ball for me to describe. The love that we share is something our souls were destined for, just waiting for the perfect moment for us all to come into existence and together at the same time.”
“Our love is one that will follow us beyond this life and into the next because it’s a love so great it can’t possibly be explored and felt to the deepest extent in just one lifetime.”
“So how does one sum all of that up into words?” I asked, shrugging gently and sniffling. “I can’t. And I’m so damn happy that I can’t because I don’t want a love that fits into a mold. I want our unique love for the rest of eternity.”
