He is beauty, inside and out.He is the silver lining in a world of darkness.He is my light.

I don't know if anyone's ever told you this", he begins. He doesn't blush, and his eyes don't dart away. Instead I find myself staring into a pair of oceans - one perfect, the other blemished by that tiny ripple. "You're very attractive." catches me off guard. But it startles me so much that without thinking I blurt out, "I could say the same about you." I pause. "In case you didn't know."A slow grin spreads across his face. "Oh, trust me. I know.

Forever and ever, kid, until you're sick and tired of seeing me.

Love is illogical, love had consequences--I did this to myself, and I should be able to take it.

Day leans in toward me. He reaches up to touch my face. I can tell it still hurts him to use his fingers, and his nails are dark with dried blood. "You're brilliant," he says. "But you're a fool to stay wish someone like me."I close my eyes at the touch of his hand. "Then we're both fools.

Now, as we stand three feet apart and stare at each other, I feel the full distance that comes with spending so much time apart, a moment filled with the electricity of a first meeting and the uncertainty of strangers.

I scream for everything that has gone wrong. I scream for everything broken in our lives.

I always knew, on some level, that I wouldn't live long. It's simply not written in my stars.

The irony of life is that those who wear masks often tell us more truths than those with open faces.

Where I come from, we're more about efficiency,' he replies. 'A knife like this'll skewer food, smear butter, and slit throats all at the same time.

Well enough,” I reply. “Remember, you’re drunk. And happy. You’re supposed to be lusting over your escort. Try smiling a little more.” like I’m lusting? This is me, lusting.” His lashes flutter at me. better.

Tell me there is still good in the world. Tell me there is still hope for all of us.

To those who, in spite of everything, still choose goodness.

We are the children of gods and angels.

Time heals all wounds. But not this one. Not yet.

June laughs. "I have to say, you look better than most people I see. I've heard a lot about you.""I hear about you a lot too," Eden replies in a rush, "mostly from Daniel. He thinks you're really hot.

Fear motivates, more than love or ambition or joy. Fear is more powerful than anything else in the world. I have spent so long yearning for things—for love, for acceptance—that I do not really need. I need nothing except the submission that comes with fear. I do not know why it took me so long to learn this.

Fear is your sword

Don’t be afraid,” he says with a half smile. “You’re with me.” His hand tightens around my wrist, tugging me down again playfully. And this time, I feel safe enough to take a deep breath of my own and do as he says.

If I’ve learned anything from my past and my present, it’s the power of fear. You can give your subjects all the generosity in the world, and still they will demand more. But those who are afraid don’t fight back. I know this well enough.

Like fear and fury. It is energy from another realm, threads from beneath the sur­face, an immortal place never meant to be disturbed. Raffaele trembles.Something is poisoning the world.

You think me cruel.”“No.” Magiano hesitates for a long moment. “Maybe a little.”“I’m not branding them because I am cruel,” I say calmly. “I’m doing it as a reminder of what they’ve done to us. To the marked. You’re so quick to forget.”“I never forget,” Magiano replies. This time, there is a slight sharpness to his tone. His hand hovers near his side, where his childhood wound continues to plague him. “But branding the unmarked with your crest will not make them any more loyal to you.”“It makes them fear me.”“Fear works best with some love,” Magiano says. “Show them that you can be terrifying, yet generous.” The gold bands in his braids clink. “Let the people love you a little, mi Adelinetta.

If you want to rebel, rebel from inside the system.That's much more powerful than rebelling outside the system.

We might not return from this voyage. None of us. We might all lay down our lives when we reach the end, and not ever know whether our sacrifice changed anything for the better.”“It will be for the better,” Magiano replies. “We cannot just die, not without trying. Not without fighting.”“Do you really believe that?” I ask. “Why are we doing this, anyway? To preserve my own life, and yours—but what has the world ever done for us in order to deserve our sacrifice?”Magiano’s brows furrow for a moment, then he leans in closer. “We exist because this world exists. It’s a responsibility of ours, whether or not anyone will remember it.” He nods at me. “And they will. Because we will return and make sure of it.

June has never looked more beautiful than she does now, unadorned and honest, vulnerable yet invincible.

Why can’t I be like that? Why can’t I be the father who just shrugs off the love of his daughter? Why can’t I be the Lead Inquisitor who enjoys watching his pleading victims burn at the stake? Why can’t I be the one who befriends a lonely, lost girl and then casts her out? Why can’t I be the one to strike first, to hit so early and with such fury that my enemies cower before they can ever think of turning on me? What is so great about being good?

My heart's been torn wide open, just like I feared it would be, and I have no willpower to close it back up.

You cannot harden your heart to the future just because of your past. You cannot use cruelty against yourself to justify cruelty to others.

The king is dead. Long live the queen.

No. I cannot let him control me.You are mine, Adelina, Enzo growls. Turn your powers against your own fleet.

Enzo inherited a throne. Giulietta relied on her royal blood. Queen Maeve rules Beldain because she was born to it. But true rulers are not born. We are made.

I have spent my entire life thinking of the Inquisitors as things, soulless creatures. But they are just men. Men can be swayed, and I have the power to do it.

You have goodness in your heart, but your darkness overwhelms it all; your desire to hurt, destroy, and avenge is more powerful than your desire to love, help, and light the way.

Through the whirlwind, I hear my father's harsh whi

I laugh with him. I imagine mixing poison into his tea, then watching his face turn purple and anguished; I picture myself leaning over him, looking on patiently, with my chin resting in my hands, admiring his dying, writhing body as I count out the minutes.

I belong to no one. On this night, I swear to you that I will rise above everything you’ve ever taught me. I will become a force that this world has never known. I will come into such power that none will dare hurt me again.

Few people ever kill for the right reasons.

I laugh at him, and behind us, several Inquisitors stir in surprise at the sound. Only Magiano can coax joy out of me so easily.

In the mirror, I look the same. But I am a different person inside.I am a prodigy who knows the truth. I know exactly what I'm going to do.

So, when I thought June might take you away, I didn’t know what to do. I felt like she was taking everything that mattered to me. I felt like she was taking away from you all the things that I didn’t have. That’s why I’m sorry. I’m sorry because you shouldn’t have to be everything to me. I had you, but I’d forgotten that I had myself too.

Your strengths might make you hard to approach, and might make your words sound uglier than what you actually mean, but they also make people look up to you.

After a lifetime of darkness, I want to leave something behind that is made of light.

Said the man to the sun, "How I wish you could shine your light on every day of my life!"Said the sun to the man, "But only with the rain and the night could you recognize my light."---Domaccan poem, translated by Chevalle

He was the last thread suspending me in the light. Without him, I can feel myself spiraling downward, falling to a place where I can no longer pull myself back up.

One heroic act doesn’t make a man trustworthy. What if he decides to turn his blade on you?

Trusting me,” Teren murmurs, “is a dangerous game, mi Adelinetta.”“I’m doing more than that,” I reply. “For the rest of this journey, you will be my personal guard.”At that, Teren’s eyes flare with surprise and anger. “I’m not your lackey, Your Majesty.”“And I’m not Giulietta,” I fire back.

Make no mistake—we don’t trust each other, not by any stretch of the imagination.

It's strange being here with you. I hardly know you. But...sometimes it feels like we're the same person born into two different worlds.

After she was gone, I sheathed her sword at my belt, draped her cloak over my shoulders, carried her heart in my arms, and, somehow, went on.

He's right. I can't deny it. I am the reason Day lost everything that matters to him.

Maybe his nightmare had been about me.

He doesn't know who I am.

All they're going to see is a wealthy man who has no idea how to heal their suffering.

I can taste the good-bye on his lips.

There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

I never saw her again. But even now, as an old man, I remember her as clearly as if she were standing before me. She was ice personified. There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a que

I never saw her again. But even now, as an old man, I remember her as clearly as if she were standing before me. She was ice personified. There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

Desperation brings out the darkness in everyone," the man said with a shrug.

They were the flash of light in a stormy sky, the fleeting darkness before dawn. Never have they existed before, nor shall they ever exist again.

I looked into those eyes and I saw nothing. It was like staring straight into the Underworld. Like he aches to return to where he came from.

The darkness seeps in a little more every day. What have I done? How can I be like this?

Everything's science fiction until someone makes it science fact

He loved you.

Hi, I'm Day. Hi, I'm June.

My wandering has led me to the beginning of our journey together. I suppose it's only fitting for me to be here at that journey's end.

But every now and then, when I steal a glance at the Girl, or feel her eyes on me, I helplessly drift back to thinking about her.

I'm supposed to hate you for what you did, I think. But her eyes linger on me in a way that refuses to let me.

I see pieces of memories in his eyes. Pieces of us. They are broken, and scattered, but they are there, gradually coming together again at the sight of me.

Without emotion, what's the point of being human?

She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, easily the most breathtaking girl in the room.

Without his father's shadow in a way, he's beautiful.

Her sadness makes her impossibly beautiful, like snow blanketing a barren landscape.

She's pretty in a way that distracts me just like she did in the Skiz ring. No, pretty's not the right word. Beautiful.

What's the point of keeping in touch with the girl you're crazy about, when you're dying?

My heart is ripped open, shredded, leaking blood. I can't let him leave like this. We've been through to much to turn into strangers.

And the book (#7) is for whenever the hunt involves a lot of waiting around. Entertainment that won't eat up my batteries is always worth bringing.

How many times have you been called an abomination?” he whispers. “A monster? Worthle

So long as I remain in Day's life, I will hurt him. Any other alternative is impossible.Now, he is free.

No. I will never let you hurt Day like that. Not the way I've already hurt him.

I'm prouder of him than I've ever been of myself - I'm proud of him for standing up to me

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, so she destroyed them all.

You risked an awful lot for someone you hardly know.' I narrow my eyes. 'THAT doesn't say much about your character. Perhaps you should wait until someone's about to be executed for a mistake YOU made.

Dust everywhere... and out of that emerged this beautiful boy with the bluest eyes I'd ever seen, holding his hand out to help me to my feet.

When Compasia took pity on me, she reached down into the Underworld, touched the shoulder of Moritas, and asked her forgiveness. Then Compasia took my sister in her arms and placed her in the sky, where she, too, turned to stardust.Magiano looks at me, his eyes wide. It seems as if he already, somehow, understands.“My goddess made me a promise,” I whisper.Only now do I realize that I have never seen him cry before.In the stories, Compasia and her human lover would descend each night from the stars to walk the mortal world, before vanishing with the dawn. So, together, we stare at the sky, waiting.

Before I can say anything else, he steps forward and takes my face in his hands. Then he's kissing me one last time.

At this moment, all I'm thinking about is what I'd give up for the chance to kiss her or to run my fingers through her dark hair.

I ALMOST KISSED THE GIRL LAST NIGHT.

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

I have never known the mind of a wolf hunting a deer, but I imagine it must feel a little like this: the twisted excitement of seeing the weak and wounded cowering before you, the knowledge that, in this instant, you have the power to end its life or grant it mercy. In this moment, I am a god.

Can one mistake really destroy a lifetime together?

I suppose you come in here often, then,” I say, half teasing. “Bringing your maids and admirers?”Magiano frowns at that. He shakes his head. “You think I’m bedding every maid I speak to?” he says and shrugs. “Flattered, Your Majesty. But you are very wrong.”“So, what you’re telling me is that you come to this secret space alone?”He tilts his head in a flirtatious way. “What’s wrong with a thief wanting a little private time now and then?” He comes closer. His breath warms my skin like the fog that hovers over the water. “Of course, here you are. I suppose I’m not alone, after all.

I'd gotten someone killed.The price people seem to pay for crossing my path.

Already, I'm starting to forget the face of the man I killed.

I am still alone, broken and small, the butterfly fighting for life in the grass.

The world’s deadliest mercenaries choose to serve you, the whispers say, because they have yet to meet me.

I have earned my revenge on everyone who hurt me. My father, who tortured me every day - I crushed his chest and his heart. Teren, sick and twisted and mad - I took away his beloved just as he took away mine. Raffaele, who betrayed and manipulated me - I seized control of the prince he loves, and I made sure he watched his prince destroy in my name. And Violetta, darling, dearest sister who turned her back when I needed her the most. I cast her out. I finally said everything to her that I wanted to say. I have hurt back.

I will hunt you down. I will scour the streets of Los Angeles for you. Search every street in the Republic if I have to. I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat and steal to find you, tempt you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere else to run. I make you this promise: your life is mine.

Well enough,” I reply. “Remember, you’re drunk. And happy. You’re supposed to be lusting over your escort. Try smiling a little mo

No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like

The fire in you burns as fiercely as it did when I first met you.

I love you," I whisper over and over again. "Don't go," I close my eyes. My tears fall on his cheeks.

How can the boy who stirred an entire nation be dying?

I don't want--to go--I don't want--to leave you--Eden--

It means, Day, that you're dying.

Let go of me,” I choke out, clawing blindly at Teren. The sharp tang of blood suddenly fills my nostrils, and I realize that it is from his wrists, spreading a film of scarlet around us. Somewhere ahead, the silhouette of our ship looms. We are getting closer.“I wish I could,” Teren spits, dripping venom. “There’s nothing I’d like to see more than you in the Underworld, Adelina.”His words spark my fury. He never intended to finish this journey with you. Teren grips my arm again so hard that I scream in pain. He is pulling us both toward the ship, his face set in grim determination.Then I hear him shout, “But I won’t.”But I won’t. My fury wavers, turning into bewilderment.

I stare at him, trying to comprehend what he’s done. He saved Magiano from falling overboard. He saved me. He is taking this mission seriously, however much he loathes us.“Maybe next time,” he says to me with that smile, “you won’t be so lucky.

Metias is gone again. He is always gone.

If Metias joined the Patriots, he'd be a Hacker too. If he were alive.

But you can’t give them everything they want—they will always want more than they have.

Sorry, always sorry. What in the world can you buy with an apology?

Logic will save you when nothing else will.

I'm not loyal enough to the Republic to stamp that loyalty right on my face. Leave that to June.

What if you are wrong? What if the gods sent you, and indeed the rest of us, not because we were never meant to be, but because we were always meant to be?

What is the point of searching for love, when love is nothing but an illusion?

I smile bitterly at him, then weave an illusion of his face across my own. Raffaele’s expression flickers in surprise for a moment before settling back into its pool of calm. “They may have a hard time finding me,” I reply.Raffaele gives me a tight smile in return. “Do not underestimate your enemies, Your Majesty,” he says.

I lean my head against my knee and close my eyes. Even the illusion of June is enough to send a stabbing pain through my chest. Hell. I miss her so much.

I have everything I could ever want here, Adelina,” he finally says. “You’ve handed me what feels like the world’s riches, a palace, a life of luxury.” He draws closer. “I get to be at your side. What more do I need?

A free state is a corporate state.

Hi, I'm Day.Hi, I'm June

Then Day reaches out and touches my hand with his. He encloses it in a handshake. And just like that, I am linked with him again, I feel the pulse of our bond and his- tory and love through our hands, like a wave of magic, the return of a long-lost friend. Of something meant to be. The feeling brings tears to my eyes. Perhaps we can take a step forward together.“Hi,” he says. “I’m Daniel.” “Hi,” I reply. “I’m June.

What a joke! Poor little rich girl's fallen in love with the Republic's most famous criminal.

Sometimes, the sun sets earlier. Days don’t last forever, you know. But I’ll fight as hard as I can. I can promise you that.

I’ve been searching a long time for something I think I lost. I felt like I found something when I saw you back there.

You're brilliant,"he says."But you're a fool to stay with someone like me."I close my eyes at the touch of his hand."Then we are both fools.

You should have taken me with you," I whisper to him. Then I lean my head against his and begin to cry. In my mind, I make a silent promise to my brother's killer.I will hunt you down. I will scour the streets of Los Angeles for you. Search every street in the Republic if I have to. I will trick you and deceive you, lie, cheat and steal to find you, tempt you out of your hiding place, and chase you until you have nowhere else to run. I make you this promise: your life is mine.

I hope,” he replies softly, “to get to know you again. If you are open to it. There is a fog around you that I would like to clear away.

You threw everything away."I bring a hand up to touch her face,to wipe the rain from her eyelashes."Your entire life-your beliefs...Why would you do that for me?"June has never looked more beautiful than she does now,unadorned and honest,vulnerable yet invincible.When lightning streaks over the sky,her dark eyes shine like gold."Because you were right,"she whispers."About all of it.

Day, the boy from the streets with nothing except the clothes on his back and the earnestness in his eyes, owns my heart. He is beauty, inside and out. He is the silver lining in a world of darkness. He is my light.

We can heal. Perhaps we can return to that same place we once stood, when we were both young and innocent.

Yeah, something was wrong. That was the understatement of the year.

The boy who walks in the light

I turn even more flustered when I remember that I have actually pistol-whipped him in the face before. Romantic.

Then I realize from the hollow sound of her gun's click that her gun isn't loaded. Apparently she just wants to slap me around with it.

It’s you,” he whispers. There is wonder in his voice. “Is it?” I whisper back, my voice trembling with all the emotions I’ve kept hidden for so long

A crack of lightning, an explosion of thunder, the sound of pounding rain.

You still belong on the other side of the looking glass. Someday, when you're ready to take the step over to our side, I'll come see you again. Live well, Daniel. Make that final step count.

I want to fall into the purity that is Day, soaking in his simple honesty, his heart that sits open and beating on his sleeve.

Day, the boy from the streets with nothing except the clothes on his back and the earnestness in his eyes, owns my heart.

Day will move on and live his life. So will I. We will be okay. Someday, perhaps in the far and distant future, we'll find each other again.

I've never thought of describing her beauty as delicate, because delicate just isn't a word that fits June... but here, now that she's sick, I realize just how fragile she can be.

Someone's going to be very pleased to see you.""I don't think the Elector will be as excited as you think.""I wasn't talking about the Elector."My heart jumps at that.

June will break your heart. I can see it already. She'll shatter you into a million pieces.

Stay safe. I want to see you again when all this is done.

I'd forgotten that a boy from the streets is no match for the future Princeps.

I need to let him go.

You led the soldiers right to my family's door. You're the reason they're dead.

I'm so sorry. I am so sorry for everything.

I certainly don't understand all these strange new feelings inside me--am I here because I love him, or because I owe him?

Goodnight, June.

Money is the most important thing in the world, you know. Money can buy you happiness, and I don't care what anyone else thinks.

My heart's been torn wide open, just like I feared it would be, and I have no willpower to close it back up. Any barrier I might've succeeded in putting up around myself, any resistance I might've built up against my feelings for her, is now completely gone. Shattered.

June," Day murmurs. I feel a strange warmth at the sound of my name on his lips.

I find myself pausing to admire her face.For a brief moment, I'm lost to my surroundings.

He returns my smile. His teeth are beautiful, the loveliest I've seen so far on these streets.

The Republic is weak and broken." I narrow my eyes. "But it is still your country. Fight for it. This is your home, not theirs.

Day, the champion of the people, the one who can't bear to see those around him suffer on his behalf, who would gladly give his life for those he loves.

The Republic's most wanted criminal is just a boy, sitting before me, suddenly vulnerable, laying all his weaknesses out for me to see.

As you can see, I keep my word,” I call to the rest of the crowd. “Do not take advantage of my generosity, and I will not take advantage of your weakness.

I enlarge the photo again. Nope, too blurry

Watch your back, little wolf, they say. Enemies arise from unexpected places.

It will be impossible to catch all the rats, my love,” he says. His hand brushes against mine. “Sooner or later, one will squeeze through the cracks. You need to be more careful.

I want to run. To do what I always do, have always done, for the last five years of my life. Escape, flee into the shadows. But this time, I stand my ground. I'm tired of running.

I shake my head. “I know,” I reply. “You are searching for her too.”We stand for a moment, staring out at the stars mirrored in the calm seas. I know why Magiano doesn’t look at me. I remind him too much of her.“I’m sorry,” I whisper, after a long pause.“Don’t be.” A small, sad smile touches his lips. “She chose it.