“
For anyone who has ever been told their spark shouldn’t burn so bright and for all the people who loved them precisely because it did.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man. Go be exceptional. If he’s worth it, he won’t judge you. And if he’s really the one, he’ll come along for the ride.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
You think I fear my own death?” he whispered in my ear. “Every day I draw breath is as much a curse as a gift. I’ve been living on borrowed time for longer than you can imagine. If you’re the way my fate finally catches up to me, I can’t fathom a more beautiful end.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Hope without reason is... it’s cruel.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
For every spark that has lost its light and needs a little help remembering how to glow.
”
”
Penn Cole (Glow of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #2))
“
Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man. Go be exceptional.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
If you cannot be stronger, be smarter. Choose both your battles and your enemies with care. Know when to flee a fight to win a war.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
You saw it too, didn’t you?” I stopped, but I didn’t look back. “Last night,” he said, “right before the roof collapsed. The vision. The battlefield.” I couldn’t move, my body paralyzed, my thoughts stunned to stillness. “What if our story isn’t over, Diem Bellator? What if it’s only beginning?
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Diem—you’re wearing the Crown. You’ve been selected. You are the new Queen of Lumnos.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
But I was made of swinging fists and rash words, my edges too jagged and my temper too hot. Nothing about me was delicate.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
We never needed to see all of each other to love all of each other.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Survive, my father’s words echoed in my ears. At whatever cost, to whatever end. Survive first, mind the consequences later.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
But I didn’t choose to be a healer, nor did I choose to take my mother’s role. And I didn’t want gentle or delicate. I wanted to burn.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
He was once again a marble-carved statue—pretty to look at, impossible to know.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I’d always been a spitfire, and proud of it. An unbreakable spirit in a world that wanted me to be quiet, small, subservient.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
What if our story isn’t over, Diem Bellator? What if it’s only beginning?
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
For every spark that has lost its light
”
”
Penn Cole (Glow of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #2))
“
Let me die with the taste of you on my lips.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Harder, Your Highness. Wilst thou give me permission to come, Your Highness? Let me kneel for you and show the Prince’s little prince a good time, Your H—
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
She was my constant lantern when, like now, the world was dark and I didm't know which way to go.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Does your little tree club even take women as members? I didn’t see any last night.” “My little tree club is run by a woman.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
The stories say the goddess Lumnos and her siblings wanted the Descended to protect the mortals.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I am not afraid, Devourer of Crowns. Ravager of Realms. Herald of Vengeance.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
He’s gone, she reminded herself. Dead. You killed him. You’re safe, and so is she.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
the King of Lumnos was finally, finally dead. Which could only mean one thing... In thirty days, Auralie Bellator was going home.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Every day I draw breath is as much a curse as a gift. I’ve been living on borrowed time for longer than you can imagine. If you’re the way my fate finally catches up to me, I can’t fathom a more beautiful end.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
War is death and misery and sacrifice. War is making choices that will haunt you for the rest of your days. You fight to protect, or to survive, but never for the joy of killing, no matter how brutal your enemy.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
To beat your enemy, you have to know your enemy—intimately. And there’s no better place to do that than in their own home.” The calculating tone in his voice sent ice creeping up my spine. He sounded more like a soldier preparing for war than the goofy, carefree friend I’d grown up with. “You’ve been spending too much time around the Commander,” I teased, a little nervously. “Your father didn’t teach me that. Your mother did.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
It’s never the enemy who attacks outright who will strike your killing blow, he’d taught me. It’s the one who hides in the shadows and waits. The one who strikes when you’ve finally looked away. Those are the true predators to fear.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
And soft. I was surrounded by softness. A nest of it, tucked into me on all sides. It smelled heavenly. Masculine. Fresh, earthy moss and damp cedar. Old, tanned leather with a peppery musk. It smelled like my beloved forest. It smelled like home.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
What if I don’t want to sit back and do nothing anymore?” I said. “What if I want to fight back?” He cupped my face in his hands, his skin rough against my jaw. “I cannot tell you what to do with your life, my darling Diem. But whatever you choose—be smart. And above all, survive. Your life is far too precious to me to be wasted.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
As so often happens with a parent’s hope-filled dreams for their children, things did not go exactly to plan.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
A fragment of memory ripped through me. A man, standing outside the healers’ center, his profile softly lit by the glow of a lantern. Not a patient—a visitor. Whispering with my mother.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
You’ll stay with her until I’m back?” “Lumnos herself couldn’t pull me from her side.” More silence. “Cousin... who is this woman to you?” A pause, and a long, heavy sigh. “Eleanor, I... I think she...
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Second, a message from the Blessed Mother. I know not what it means, only that it is essential you heed these lines: Eleven must fall for one to rise. Share the gift to pay the cost. A dying star will rekindle the spark. What is forgotten is not lost. Remember my sister’s words. Beware my brother’s wrath. Good luck, Daughter of the Forgotten. May you strive to seek virtue in all things.
”
”
Penn Cole (Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3))
“
I fumbled for my training, racking my brain for some pertinent lesson on how to fight off an enemy you couldn’t seem to resist, but the only words of my father’s that surfaced were utterly useless and horrifyingly mad: The truth is that I just knew.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I’d never met any other Descended whose power could match mine, but with her, it wasn’t even close. If my magic was a spark, hers was the gods-damned sun.
”
”
Penn Cole (Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3))
“
For a moment so ephemeral it might not even have lasted a heartbeat, the stony fortress he’d built around himself lowered its gates, allowing a fleeting glimpse at the man who lived within. A man who might be something far different than I had once believed.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
He finally let his guard down with me that day. He showed me his smile, his laugh, his doubts, his trust. I hadn’t realized it then—and I would have fervently denied it for weeks that followed—but that was the moment the spark between us became a flame, the beginnings of our inevitable blaze.
”
”
Penn Cole (Heat of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #3))
“
It was only the thought of living without her that scared me. Everything else felt trivial in comparison.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Love you, Commander.” His shoulders shook with laughter. “Love you too, soldier.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Those are the true predators to fear.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Suit yourself. But whatever you do or don’t do, sweetheart, do it for yourself. Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man. Go be exceptional. If he’s worth it, he won’t judge you. And if he’s really the one, he’ll come along for the ride.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
There was something about the imminent terror of losing a loved one that coated our bones in steel and injected our veins with fire, giving us the will to face Death with defiance and push our bodies beyond anything we ever thought ourselves capable of.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Close enough to smell the cedar and leather of his woodsy musk.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I snorted softly. Another thing I had no real knowledge of. I’d never had anything resembling power in my life.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
No commentary?” he asked, sinking to his knees. “I’m disappointed.” “I’m too busy enjoying the view.” I risked a glance down, expecting to see the same obnoxious smirk his guard had worn, but for once, Luther looked as flustered as I felt. If I didn’t feel like my skin was about to spontaneously combust, I might even have enjoyed watching him squirm. And on his knees, no less.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
What do you call a trout wearing a ball gown?” I asked as I peered beneath a bandage on his knee. The boy beamed a gap-toothed grin at me. “What?” “Very so-fish-ticated.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
An unbreakable spirit in a world that wanted me to be quiet, small, subservient. But no longer was that spark manifesting in courage or innocent mischief. Now, it had become something destructive. Something deadly.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
our souls calloused from life and loss.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
What’s the problem?” I bit back. “Scared of a little mortal woman?
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
ancient, something profound passed between us. It was a primal force that transcended word and thought, as powerful as a crack of lightning, a child’s first breath, the endless depth of the sea. It was not of this world but entirely woven within it. It warmed my blood with a calming peace I’d never known, yet filled me with the terrible dread of a fate I could not avoid.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
If the death of innocents is a cost we’re willing to pay, then we don’t deserve to be powerful.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Those small idiosyncrasies littering his body were signs of his life and character, a map of his soul that only those who truly knew him could read.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Through the Forging spell, Emarion was broken up into nine realms, each named for one of the Kindred and infused with its patron god’s or goddess’s respective magic.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I think,” he said, tugging it from my grasp, “it’s safe to say, Miss Bellator, you’ve already won me over.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I should pull away. Why wasn’t I pulling away? The warm grip of his hand was infuriatingly distracting. I started to speak again, and his eyes dropped to my lips. My mouth went dry. Gods, I really, really hated him.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Do it,” he said again. “Kill me, if that’s what you think I deserve. But if you do, give me one favor before I go.” His pulse throbbed against my blood- soaked hand, his heartbeat racing to match my own. “Favor?”
His eyes rose to mine. “Let me die with the taste of you on my lips.” Our lips collided, and I was lost.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Go ahead,” he breathed. “Lie to me. I already know the answer. I know you feel my power.” His chin rose, our lips so very, very close. “Because I can feel yours, too.” No. No. He smirked. “You’re no more mortal than I am.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Then, I spotted him. With his raven hair and night- black clothes, he cut an ominous silhouette against the raging wall of flickering orange. I couldn’t make out the details of his face, and his imposing body was shrouded by the crowd clustered around him, but somehow, even among the pandemonium, I knew him. More than that— I felt him, his strange aura sweeping across my skin. Luther.
As if he’d heard my thoughts, his head snapped in my direction. Even tucked as I was among a sea of onlookers, his glowing blue eyes found mine in an instant.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I cannot tell you what to do with your life, my darling Diem. But whatever you choose— be smart. And above all, survive. Your life is far too precious to me to be wasted.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
But my mother had held me close, calmed me with soothing words and a tender touch, and broke the news that the man who had sired me had suffered from similar delusions that had driven him to his demise.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
My darling Diem, you asked how I knew your mother was the one? The truth is that I just knew. There was never a decision to make. Whatever path she was on, that was where I belonged. By her side, and by yours. Any other option was unthinkable.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
But,” he went on, “sheltering you doesn’t keep you safe forever. To beat your enemy, you have to know your enemy—intimately. And there’s no better place to do that than in their own home.” The calculating tone in his voice sent ice creeping up my spine. He sounded more like a soldier preparing for war than the goofy, carefree friend I’d grown up with.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Only one thing is certain: my mother’s disappearance on that hot, cursed afternoon set off a chain of reactions so unexpected, so far-reaching, that even the gods themselves could not predict the consequences that would later come to pass. And so it’s there that my story begins.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Our worlds were too distant, our goals too aligned with each other’s destruction. If we ever met on a battlefield, surely it was destined to be as enemies, not allies.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
We both froze in place as something ancient, something profound passed between us. It was a primal force that transcended word and thought, as powerful as a crack of lightning, a child’s first breath, the endless depth of the sea. It was not of this world but entirely woven within it. It warmed my blood with a calming peace I’d never known, yet filled me with the terrible dread of a fate I could not avoid.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
She looked at me with genuine pain in her eyes. “If she doesn’t fulfill the bargain, then her life would be forfeit. She would be executed by the Crown.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Oh, that's not love, he's just imagining me tottering around in my knickers.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
My bloodied hands bore a great gold-handled broadsword whose onyx blade was veined with scrollwork that seemed almost illuminated from within. I swung the blade around me in slow, menacing circles that dared my enemy to approach. A shadowed figure stood nearby, and lifeless bodies—Descended and mortal—lay in a broad ring at my feet, as if they’d been thrown back by the force of a massive explosion. My face was grim, undaunted. Sad, I think—but strong. Unbreakably strong.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Other times I imagined braving the shadowy alleys of Umbros, tasting all of life’s vices and learning how to bring a man to his knees in every possible way.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Men sold the strength of their bodies as sellswords and assassins, bricklayers and carpenters. Why should it be any less acceptable for women to sell the softness of theirs?
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Touch her, and I’ll rip off your fucking arms.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
whatever you do or don’t do, sweetheart, do it for yourself. Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man. Go be exceptional. If he’s worth it, he won’t judge you. And if he’s really the one, he’ll come along for the ride.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I braced in anticipation of being seized by the throat, but what he did unsettled me far more. His touch was strikingly gentle as he examined the wound. I didn’t even feel pain, only the slow, careful stroke of his thumb beneath my jaw and down the curve of my neck, pausing at an old scar on my collarbone. A shiver rolled through me.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Luther,” I yelled, waving my arms in the air. “Over here.” He made no move toward me, not even a glimmer of a reaction. “LU-THER!” He shook his head and mouthed go home, then began to turn away. “Luther, you arrogant prick, come over here and talk to me!
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Let me die with the taste of you on my lips.” Our lips collided, and I was lost.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
The hum of his magic was a sword swung in the darkness, an ominous storm you couldn’t yet see but felt brewing in the wind. It was everywhere and nowhere, infusing the very air itself, holding me in its grasp and caressing my skin like a thousand hands.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
His lip quirked again—higher this time. “That, Miss Bellator, is why we call it magic.” Despite the mile-long list of reasons I had to hate him, his answer was so unexpected, so uncharacteristically charming, my grin spread from ear to ear.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
War is death and misery and sacrifice, my father had warned me. War is making choices that will haunt you for the rest of your days.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
That’s what family is all about. Standing by each other’s side, even when you make the worst mistakes.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I do like it when they fight back,” the shorter one taunted. He took a swig of wine and ran a tongue across his grimy teeth, and I nearly lost my lunch.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Survive, my father's words echoed in my ears. At whatever cost, to whatever end. Survive first, mind the consequences later.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Hope without reason is... it's cruel.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
If you’re the way my fate finally catches up to me, I can’t fathom a more beautiful end.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
the sensation that thrummed along my skin was unlike anything I’d ever felt—like starlight made solid, like holding a shaving of the moon in my hands.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
There was something about the imminent terror of losing a
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
But whatever you do or don’t do, sweetheart, do it for yourself. Don’t choose a mediocre life for a mediocre man. Go be exceptional. If he’s worth it, he won’t judge you. And if he’s really the one, he’ll come along for the ride.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
No commentary?” he asked, sinking to his knees. “I’m disappointed.” “I’m too busy enjoying the view.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
He snorted. “Big words for a little girl.” “Better a little girl than a little...” My gaze briefly dropped to his crotch, and I clicked my tongue sympathetically.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Those are some heavy blades you got there. Too heavy for a little lady like you to handle. I think you should hand those over to us.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Then Blessed Mother Lumnos can go freeze in the glaciers of hell with the rest of her kin.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
My lip curled. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to wash up. Seems I made a mess while saving your people.” I whipped on my heel and stalked away.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
In a minute, you’ll be called up to confess the worst things you’ve ever done so the group has leverage on you if you try to quit. Then we’ll all strip naked and put a drop of blood in a chalice, and you have to drink it. It’s the second test of loyalty.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
I always knew what it was to be cherished, to be given a soil of unconditional love to nourish our growth and keep us rooted no matter the world’s storms.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
What’s wrong with your eyes, girl?” I squinted in a feeble attempt to conceal them, but the damage was done. “Fortos’s balls, she’s one of them.” “You’re a Descended?
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
He towered above her by more than a foot, a feature he wielded over her like a weapon, drawn and waiting to strike. He appeared a few years older than me in age, and his face was strikingly handsome, though angular and severe, made even more so by raven-black hair, pulled back low and tight, and the scar that slashed across his olive skin. Its pale, jagged lines splintered like lightning, up from his collar and across his full lips and narrowed eyes. Cold, emotionless eyes. Blue-grey eyes. Descended eyes.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))
“
Out of the question,” the man’s voice rumbled, low and deep. Something inside me stirred at the sound of it, like a yawning dragon emerging from slumber.
”
”
Penn Cole (Spark of the Everflame (Kindred's Curse, #1))