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A low, humming sound came from deep within me, finally forming rough, guttural words. "It hurts."
"I know. You're hungry. But you can't eat Kieran. That would make me a little sad.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The βCrown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3))
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Heartmates," he choked out.
"Whatβ?β
Casteel kissed me again. Hard. Consuming. He kissed me as if he could draw me into him. When his mouth left mine this time, he didn't go far. "Gods. Poppy, I miss you so bad it hurts.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash, #4))
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But there was nothing to be done or found here other than what was most likely reality, and what did I believe about truth? That it often could be terrifying, yes. But with truth came power. And I was never one to hide from the truth.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1))
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Poppy," he breathed, kissing my cheek, the space below my ear, and then my shoulder. He pressed his mouth to the side of my neck. "My beautiful, brave Queen. I could stay here, holding you, forever."
Oh, gods, I knew this was ending. Panic exploded. I wasn't ready. I wasn't. "Don't leave me. Don't leave us. I love you. Please. I loveβ"
"Find me again." His head lifted, and his eyes... they were no longer bright, his features no longer clear. Things were hazy, and I couldn'tβoh, gods, I couldn't feel him. "Find me. I'll be waiting here. Always.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash, #4))
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Lust was not love, it was not loyalty, and it was not long lasting.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1))
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He exhaled heavily. "I don't think I've told you this. I didn't get the chance yet. When you asked me to kiss you under the willow? Deep down, I knew then that I would give you anything you asked for. I still will. Whatever you want," he promised roughly, his fingers tangling in my hair. "You can have it. Anything. Everything. You can have it all. I will make sure of it.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The βCrown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3))
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Cutting off the head does not work,β Emil shouted, and I turned to see a headless skeleton tracking the dumbfounded Atlantian. βI repeat. It does not work!
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The βCrown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3))
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You're more than a Queen. More than a goddess on the verge of becoming a Primal. You're Penellaphe Da'Neer, and you're fearless."
"And you run from no one and nothing.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash, #4))
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Casteel's head snapped down, his eyes feral and lost as they'd been the morning he woke from the nightmare. He caught one of the roots as it fell over my stomach and stared at it for a moment before he broke it, tossing it aside. "I cannot let you go. I won't. Not now. Not ever." His hand moved to my cheek, but I barely felt it. "Kieran, I need you to pull the bolt out. Iβ I can'tβ" His voice shattered. "I need you. I can't do that."
"You're going to..." Kieran rocked forward. "Fuck. Yeah. Okay." He tore through the roots. "Let's do this.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The βCrown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3))
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The hum in my blood grew, the buzz in my skin intensified, stronger than what I'd felt before, and that ancient sense of knowledge rose deep from my pain. The cords I could see so clearly rippled out from me, connecting me to each and every one of them. It gathered all their burning hatred and scorching loathing, their acidic bitterness and thirst for vengeance after years, decades, centuries of pain inflicted upon them. And I took it.
I took it all inside me, letting it pour into every vein, every cell until it choked me, until I tasted the blood, until I drown in it. Until I tasted death, and it was sweet.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, #2))
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And, if you're lucky, they'll go for your throat, and it will be a quick death," the Duke was saying. "Most of you will not be so fortunate. They'll tear into your flesh and tissue, feasting on your blood while you scream for the gods you've lost faith in."
"This is perhaps the least calming speech ever given after an attack," Hawke muttered under his breath.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1))
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Our relationship was never one of raw need. That doesn't mean I cared any less about her, but it wasn't like this. There was no constant need to be inside her in every way imaginable, and even ways not yet thought of. I never found myself constantly hungering, and I believe you need that to find yourself exploring those things with someone you're commited to," he said, and my breaths became shorter and shallower. "I never had what I have with you with her, Poppy.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The βCrown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3))
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When you call me Cas, it reminds me that I'm real."
"Cas," I whispered, blinking back tears.
"Don't," he pleaded softly. "Don't cry."
"I'm sorry. It's just that I want..." Gods, there was so much I wanted for him. I wanted him to never have experienced any of that, but I couldn't undo the past. "I want you to know that you are always Cas. You were never a thing, and you aren't one now." I rose, easing him onto his back. The buttery light of the gas lamp flowed over the striking lines of his face. "You are Casteel Hawkethrone Da'Neer. A son. A brother. A friend. A husband."
I leaned over him, and there was no mistaking the deepening of the color in his eyes as his gaze dropped to my breasts. Clasping his cheek, I guided his gaze back to mine. "You are a King. My King. And you will always be my everything, but never will you be a thing.
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Jennifer L. Armentrout (The βCrown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3))