bookswithdes's reviews
408 reviews

This was easily the best book in the Windsors series and the best Catharina Maura book I’ve read. Easily. Xavier is absolute perfection, none of the other mmcs, as much as I love them, can match up to Xavier. 

 

100% spoilers from here on out & pure chaotic thoughts 

 

Out of the gate, this man is provoking Sierra just to get her attention, so he can see her again 🤭👏. then in an interview, he called her his “sweet kitten”!!!!!! And called her fierce and beautiful (I started screaming 🤣🤭). This perfect, sexy man exudes smugness, temptation, and deviousness 😩😉. YALL THIS MAN!! He doesn’t like red wine but he keeps it at his house, just in case she ever comes over 😳. Plus, he ALLOWS her to break onto any of his properties and has a “Mrs. Kingston protocol” enacted that allows her to do whatever she wants 😳😳!!! Oh goodness, this man is DOWN BAD!! AAAAHHHHH!!! This man’s charm and dirtiness is OFF THE CHARTS 🥵🙌!! Y’all, sierra told him you should save these special moments for the women he’ll eventually marry and he said “Didn’t I?” 👏👏. Oh. My. Gosh. OHMYGOSH!! This man outdoes himself every time. He had her brother lex, specialize a car for sierra that instead of having a brand on the car it has her new initials S.K., and the license plants says Mrs. Kingston!! Not only that but their engagement was only for two months, but this car would’ve taken at least a year to make, so he’s been planning to marry her for OVER A YEAR!!! Oh lord. I am deceased. And then when she says she can’t drive it or else the media will go crazy over it, he sighs and whispers “someday” 😭😭. I didn’t think this man could get any better, but of course he outdid himself. This man not only has a two story library, but his has her favorite romance books there in either first or special editions 😳😳 *jaw dropped*. Then he got so jealous of Sierra and graham that he placed billboards across the country of Sierra in her wedding dress on her wedding day with his hand on her shoulder to show that she’s taken 🤭. He got her a signed and personalized unreleased special edition and highlighted the passages that reminded him of her and wrote notes in the margins 🥲. Then on a rainy day, he left work early so he can get her reading spot ready with a blanket, a fire and a travel mug so she won’t spill anything on her books 😭. And he said “I won’t bother you, baby. I just want to sit with you.” AND he got her an electric coaster because he knows she hates when her drinks get cold when she forgets about them while reading 🥹🥹. Like hello??? Who made him so perfect?!?!?! Then the craziest love declaration ever were the acquisitions. Each acquisition he took from her, he was getting them for her because all he wanted was her. And in order of each acquisition he took, the first letter of each spells out HER NAME!!! Y’all, I just knew the third act was going to hurt and it did.  I cried multiple times. But of course, as per usual of catharina maura mmcs, they know how to grovel. He MADE her a book of THEIR love story and got her favorite artist to design the cover page and interior art 🥺. 

 

The moments with both Sierra's family and Xavier’s family were top tier. Like I found it so funny and so cute that Xavier’s family were teasing him about sierra and because he talks about her so much, he assumes they’re dating 🤭👏. But then we find out, he’s talked about her for YEARS to his family 😳🤭. Another thing I loved was when he attended the monthly poker nights with Sierra's brothers and asked them for their help in getting their grandma to approve Xavier as a husband for Sierra!! And they were like “finally,” and said “Why did you think we kept inviting you to our poker nights? That seat at the table has always been yours, Xavier” 😭😭. Plus, the way Xavier’s family accepted Sierra so easily made my heart so happy. Like she felt so safe with his parents that she called them, mom and dad 🥹😭. And then to make it even better, during the third act conflict, they supported her the entire time and made her feel at home 😭😭. Like when they came over to make dinner and to spend time with her 🥹. Then y’all Valeria and Enzo?? Oh my gosh. I am so intrigued. I know I’ll go through it emotionally, but I’m so ready. Like just seeing the moment they reunite, I legit started to tear up, I need their book and their HEA right away. Then the moment Enzo saw Valeria? He immediately RAN to her and cupped her cheek and said “It’s you. It’s really you” 😭😭😭. The grandma 😩. 

 

Favorite quotes/scenes: 

 

 

“I’m not sure cute is the right word to describe my kitten. Fierce, perhaps. Beautiful, for sure.” 

 

“Are we here to talk about my love life, or our company’s performance?” 

“Love life is overstating it a little bit, don’t you think?” (Elijah) 

“I’d much rather talk about your performance—or lack thereof.” (Zach) 

“You’re all fucking insufferable.” (Xavier) 

“Insufferable? Did Sierra teach you that word?” (Hunter 🤣) 

 

“I should’ve brought the Lex-board.” (Lexington) 

“Shut the fuck up about that damn whiteboard.” (Zane 🤣🤣) 

 

“I’ll never want you. Not in a million years.” 

“Then I’ll wait a million years and a day, Kitten. I’ll wait forever if I need to, so long as you understand that you’re mine as much as I’m yours.” 

 

“She looks like my wildest dreams come to life, and my entire body reacts at the sight of her. Fuck. I can’t believe she’s about to become my wife. In what world does someone like me get to marry Sierra Windsor?” 

 

“If I look even remotely excited, it’s because I was planning how to kill you in your sleep. Do you have a preferred way to go? Poison, perhaps?” 

“I do, actually. I’d love to suffocate between your thighs.” 

 

“I suppose it’s time I return your jewelry, hmm?” 

“I thought you said you wouldn’t return it until you got what you wanted?” 

“I did. I got exactly what I wanted, Sierra. You.” 

 

“Don’t ever get hurt on my behalf.” 

“Then I suggest you handle me with care, Mrs. Kingston.” 

 

“What are you doing?” 

“Waiting for you to stop running. I told you, didn’t I? I’ll wait a million years and a day, if that’s what it takes.” 

 

“I love the sound of that.” 

“Of me cooking?” 

“Of you calling yourself my wife.” 

 

“Why can’t you always be this good?” 

“If I were, your life would be far too boring.” 

“But perhaps I’d have a shred of sanity left.” 

“I like you just the way you are.” 

 

“I initially started reading it because I wanted to know why you loved it, and as I was reading it, I highlighted all the passages that reminded me of you. I added some notes in the margins to let you know why something made me think of you, when it might not be obvious from the text.” 

 

“Xavier, you are no monster.” 

“I wish I weren’t. If I could wash my hands clean, I would, Sierra. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to become the kind of man you want.” 

“I only want you. It’s only ever been you.” 

 

“I had a feeling you’d rush home to read by the fireplace. So I thought I’d work on my laptop as you read. I won’t bother you, baby. I just want to sit with you.” 

 

“I’ve never before been jealous of cheese that I bought myself. You do the weirdest things to me, Mrs. Kingston.” 

“You did this to yourself. You married me, weird quirks and all.” 

“Best thing I’ve ever done.” 

 

“She became my lifeline. This incredibly beautiful, batshit crazy girl, became the highlight of my entire damn life. She gave me purpose, and she doesn’t even know it.” 

 

“We’ve come so far from where we started, all in a matter of months, and I just know… this story we’re writing together, it’s my favorite one of all time.” 

 

“I love you, Xavier. I love every single part of you, including the parts you wish never saw the light of day. Every experience, every regret made you who you are, and I wouldn’t change a thing about you. I love you just as you are, Xavier Kingston, and I always will.” 

 

“You genuinely don’t realize, do you?” 

“Realize what?” 

“That you’re the man of my dreams.” 

 

“I love you.” 

“I love you more.” 

“This is it, you know? I think this is our real life happily ever after.” 

“No, baby. This is only just the beginning.” 

 

“How would you feel about me retiring? It’s just… I’ve finally found my real passion in life, and I just don’t think I should be in real estate anymore.” 

“And what, pray tell, is your real passion in life?” 

“Figuring out how long I can keep you on the edge with my tongue, and how many times I can make you come once I’ve decided to stop torturing you.” 

 

“Life with Xavier is better than any romance novel I’ve ever read, and not even my favorite fictional book boyfriends can compete.” 

 

Sierra: If you ever, EVER, touch my cookies again, I will kill you. 

Xavier: I’m keeping this as evidence of premeditated murder. 

Sierra: I’m serious, Xavier. This isn’t funny. 

Xavier: Okay, I’m sorry, Kitten. ^-^ 

Sierra: Kitten????? 

 

Xavier: Is your coffee as bitter as the look on your face when you lost that project? 

Sierra: Screw you. 

Xavier: Hopefully someday, Kitten. 

Sierra: ????? 

 

“You know what? All my life, I’d been scared that no one would ever live up to the heroes I read about, and I guess it’s true. You’re better, Xavier. You’re more than my dreams come true—you raised the standard, and I fear I’m forever spoiled.” 

“Good. Because I love spoiling you.” 

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of kissing her, of being with her. She’s the light of my life, the love of my life, and every single day, I fall a little deeper in love.” 

 

“That’s what you do, you know? You make everything you touch better. You saved me, a thousand times over, with each little smile, each note scribbled in the margins of a notebook at a meeting. Each little action kept me on the right path—the path that led me here, to you.” 

 

“I wonder if he knows that the lucky one here isn’t him. It’s me.” 

 

“Somehow, our love just grows stronger every day, and I can’t wait to continue writing our story together, our happily ever after never ending.” 

I really liked this reimagining of Peter Pan. Like hook aka James is still the “villain”, but this time so is Peter and he still had tinker bell aka Tina as his sidekick 🤣👏. I loved Wendy and Jon. Like it made me so happy that Jon ended up living with Wendy after all 👏. But y’all, hook was putting me through it. Like I loved his charm, and then something crazy had to happen, and he decided to go crazy and turn on Wendy 😩. I felt so bad for her, like it all happened on her birthday 🥲. The only thing I wished was different was that she gave him a harder time after all of that, but it did make me happy that she was comforting hook when she saw he was uncomfortable. And hooks backstory made my heart hurt for him 😩. But y’all, I feel so proud of myself that I figured out what who betrayed hook and the family secrets that he had 🤭👏. But I loved the epilogue like they named their child after you know who 😭. 

 

Favorite quotes/scenes: 

 

“What would you like?” 

“A date.” 

“A… what?” 

“I think you heard me.” 

“I did.” 

“Fantastic. When do you get off work?” 

“I appreciate the gesture, but… I have plans tonight.” 

“That’s right. With me.” 

 

“Beautiful.” 

“You too.” 

“You think I’m beautiful?” 

“What, you think a man can’t have beauty?” 

“A man can have many things, darling. But the only beauty I hope to have tonight is yours.” 

“Your mouth should be illegal.” 

 

“She’s right, you know. You should relax, let me wine and dine you properly. And if you’re a good girl, maybe I’ll show you the real reason why my mouth should be illegal.” 

 

“I’m glad you’ve got my six, kid.” 

“Every night.” 

“And straight on ’til morning.” 

 

“Do me a favor, darling? When you come to the JR tonight, wear something blue. It’s such a lovely color, and I want to spend all night imagining the way it will look shredded on my bedroom floor.” 

 

“Can I touch you?” 

“You never need permission to touch me, darling. I’m yours just as much as you’re mine.” 

 

“I’m sorry. I’m crying so much around you. I promise I’m not like this all the time.” 

“Don’t apologize. I want to be the one you turn to when life gets hard.” 

 

All I have now is my faith. Trust. “Pixie dust.”(loved this 🤣👏) 

 

“I’ve never done a drug in my life, but I imagine it feels similar to the way it does when Wendy courses through my veins. All-consuming.” 

 

“But I regret, with every fiber of my being, that for even one moment you suffered under my hands. You are, without a doubt, the only good I’ve ever known. So don’t lie to me, Wendy darling. Because my heart won’t survive it if you do.” 

 

“For the record. I would give you the world. You simply have to ask. You want kids? Done. You want to stay here and never work again? Done.” 

 

“You’re beautiful.” 

“Am I?” 

“Yes. You’re dark and moody and mysterious. But beautiful.” 

“Darling, if I’m the dark, then you’re the stars.” 

 

“The greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life was to love you, Wendy darling.” 

 

“That’s my girl.” 

“Only yours, James Barrie.” 

“And always yours, Wendy darling. Every night.” 

“And straight on ’til morning.” 

 

“I never thought I would have this. A family. A life. But then Wendy swept through with her unfailing loyalty and her selfless way of forgiving even the worst of mistakes, and she showed me that even the most damaged of hearts can still learn to love.” 

 

“And to think, it all started with a little bit of faith. Misplaced trust. Missing pixie dust. And a villain who just needed to steal a little love.” 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars. Once again, I ABSOLUTELY love this world and the characters. This book follows drak and Anna, who we met in invasion of sorority z, which is an alien x human romance, fated mates, zombie apocalyptic world, and a one sided dislike to lovers. If you’ve read book 1 and loved Anna and drak, then you will 100% fall in love with them here. Drak’s loyalty, protectiveness, obsessiveness with Anna is so freaking amazing. I loved how he showed Anna that he is genuine about her and has zero intentions to leave her whether or not they’re in a relationship. Like this male loves her anger and ferociousness, whereas it can scare other people off, but he is in awe of her. It was so nice to see Anna slowly open up to drak once she recognized his genuineness , plus it was so sweet that she taught him human phrases when his brain chip couldn’t translate it. I cannot wait for more books in this world like Sarah and rem and possibly terum and brook and Caleb and lovan 👏👏.

Favorite quotes/scenes:


“Do something alien-like, and I won’t shoot you again.”
“Oh no,” I taunt, holding up my hands in surrender. “Not the tickles.”

“I believe I am happier than I have been in a very long time. And I am going to make that mean little hu-nim into my best friend.”

“An-nana does not like many things, it is adorable. Sometimes I wish she liked me more, but I am okay with her fiery spirit. Perhaps I would not have been so drawn to her if she did not try to assassinate me several times, and that is unimaginable.”

“I can smell my mean little creature. But even if I couldn’t, I would keep my eyes on her to know that she is safe. Sometimes knowing that An-nana is safe is the only thing that fuels me to continue my day. She has her small hu-nim fist around my soul seed, even if it will not glow for her.”

“You are welcome, An-nana. I enjoy helping you. You are my friend.”
“I am?”
“Of course. The best of friends.”
“You have terrible taste in friends.”
His head shakes, and he crowds me, leaning down to lift my chin with a single finger.
“I have the best taste, An-nana.”

“This is a beverage? It is sizzling, like acid.”
“It’s not acid, it’s carbonation. It’s just air bubbles.”
“Are you sure you’re not attempting to poison me, An-nana?” 

“What is this Magic Mike?”
“A man who takes off his clothes to get money from women.”
“These females pay to see him unclothed?”
“Do you owe me payment now, Mean One?”
“You wouldn’t know how to use money if I gave it to you.”
“Perhaps there is something else you might wish to give me instead?”

“An-nana smells like the best things. Like fresh air, sunshine, and anger.”

“You say it wrong all the time. It’s Anna. Not An-nana.
“This is what I call you. An-na is too short, it is not fitting for you.”
“And you think you know me well enough to rename me, do you?”
“I do not rename you. I call you An-nana, so I do not have to stop saying your name so quickly.”

“Drak?”
“Yes, An-nana?”
“It’s a good thing that you don’t want to kiss another female again.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Because if you do, I’ll kick your ass. No one else is allowed to touch you now.”

“Some humans like rougher stuff. Like being tied up or spanked.”
“Do you like this? What is sp-anked?”
“Being spanked is when you have someone hit you⁠—”
“I will not hit you!” he exclaims, practically shaking at the implication.

“Is that what you want, Drak? To be my mate?”
Considering my question carefully, he nods.
“I would have been your friend forever without complaint, An-nana. If that were all you wished to give me, I would still cherish it. Even as I have tasted you, I would yearn for you in secret, but I could not bear the thought of pressuring you in any way.”

“You set our pace, An-nana. You could offer me no more than longing looks, hugs, quick kisses, and your presence, and I will be more than content. You are a gift, Mean One, know this.”

“I am glad that she shot me with her hu-nim weapon before another one of the females caught my attention. An-nana is the perfect match for me, and I would be unhappy with any other. An-nana’s kisses taste like sunshine but any others would taste of poison.”

“I have conquered spanking. Of course, I have. I am an excellent learner.”

“How do I tell her that she makes me feel as if my life has only begun since laying my eyes upon her? How do I tell her that if her hu-nim weapon would have killed me that day, I would have died smiling while staring up at her?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been happier that I survived the zombie apocalypse. I used to think it was more bitter than sweet to have lived because of pure luck and circumstance. But now, with Drak? Nothing is bitter.”

“He is a bright light, constantly shining—now literally shining because of his soul seed—making every moment of hopeless searching feel not-so impossible.”

“There is no other way I wish to live than by living at your side for eternity.”
“That’s good. Since I should probably tell you, as a part of my new feelings communication, I love you so fucking much.”

“An-nana loves me. She did not mean to hurt me. She never wished to be without me. And AN-NANA LOVES ME!”

“I want you to know that I appreciate you, Drak. You make me feel like my life is full of meaning. I couldn’t see myself ever surviving without you.”
“Nor I without you, An-nana.”

“Gay means he wishes to mate with males.”
“You do?”
“Yeah? Got a problem with that?”
“N-no. I… it is nice.”

“If you didn’t show me that I deserved to be loved, I would have never believed it.”
“If you did not show me that I am a good mate, I would never have believed it either, my An-nana. My love for you knows no bounds.”

Oh gosh, I didn’t like this at all 🫣. Like it had so much potential for me to love it, but it was too much mafia (I know it’s a mafia romance, but it was like 99.9 % mafia and .1% romance), too much time apart with barely any interaction, and 26 chapters of barely anything happening but so much happening at the same time. And I know this is meant to be a duet, but I feel like there should have been more development between them and more interactions. 

Favorite quotes/scenes: 

 

“I only ever laughed like this with him. It burned my chest. Heartburn. A medical condition without a cure, and even if it had one, I still wouldn’t choose to numb the pain. It felt too good.” 

 

“Some days I think we might even be two broken halves of the same whole, where darkness meets shadow. You can’t let me go, and I . . . I would rather take my last breath than live even a second without you in it.” 

“Even in Hell?” 

“Yes, even in Hell.” 

 

“You left, and I have no idea when you’ll be back, or if you’re even still alive, and every day I think to myself . . . I would chain you to me, if I could I would be the monster under your bed. The villain who bides his time, waiting for when you least expect it to strike If I had my way, Kiryusha, I would never let you go” 

 

“Kirill was my home. Wherever he went, I’d fit myself there beside him even if it meant that I fed on days-old scraps.” 

 

“I want you more than I want my next breath.” 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars. this was a masterpiece, a work of art, the best kind of love. ellis and lucky are so pure, individually and together. it was so sweet that lucky was the one person who always understood ellis, never judged him, he wholeheartedly accepted him. this was definitely a unrequited requited love and friends to lovers. I genuinely can’t describe their love as anything other than true pure-hearted love. they are definitely soulmates, perfectly matched, destined to always come back to each other. 

Lucky was so cute, as soon as he heard about Ellis’ date, he immediately decided he needed to go back home 👏👏. Oh and sweet Ellis, he’s been making glass statues of the jars he’s been collecting about all of the adventures Lucky goes on. It was his way of being close to him 😭. AND he made glass fireflies in the silo—now his glass studio—they used to hang out in, to represent Lucky. ”They’re you. The closest I could ever come to capturing you”😭😭.

Y’all, that bonus epilogue in Luna's pov made me cry 😭. It was so cute, different, amazing, and sweet. It was their 10 year anniversary and there was a BLUE MOON!!! And the color blue represented their love. Through lucky's eyes, through the blue boutonnières, it WAS lucky 😭🫶. ”Blue is love. To me, it’s love. And that’s always been Lucky.” Ellis’ mom was still alive and well, and Riley and gabby are together and have a son, a nine year old son—not too long after they got together 🤭👏—all thanks to wingman Ellis 😊. 

“And… have you ever wanted other guys?”

“No.” 

“We’ll never be done. Me and you, we don’t have an ending.”

“Lucky has always heard me. From the very first time we met, he’s heard me. He knows me, unlike any other.”

“I was ten years old when I met Lucky. I knew it then, and I know it now. He’s a firefly. Luminous and wild. He was never meant to be trapped. Not here and not with me. And in a few days, I’ll finally watch him fly away.”

“Then there was Ellis, and he made me feel like everything was going to be okay. I was safe, and I had someone who was just mine, and… and he was always there for me. Even still, he’s always there for me.”

“He’s your anchor.”

“No. He doesn’t fight the tide. He controls it.”

“How would I explain my heart doesn’t know how to beat for anyone but him?”

“He is a mountain of a man but the gentlest soul I’ve ever met. And he’s…He’s beautiful; I can’t even deny that. He’s lovely in the way the natural world is lovely. Imperfect but vital. Roughly hewn and uniquely himself. He’s just… Ellis. He’s my Ellis.”

“It’s a million memories in one, that smile, and I’m swamped by them, overcome by the history we share. There are strings connecting us, so many of them. I don’t think we could ever be unraveled.”

“If I could, I’d bottle it in a jar—every glance of your hand on my arm, every small squeeze and brush of your fingers, every press of your chest to mine. I’d save them all so I could feel you when you go.”

“This… the glass… was supposed to be…Mine.”

My way to keep Lucky close. My way to keep him here with me, even when he was in New York or halfway around the world. It was—is—my coping mechanism. But it’s more than that, too. It’s my heart. A love letter I was too afraid to show Lucky.

“Have you ever wanted someone so much,” I say slowly, “that it feels like your atoms are vibrating when you’re away from them? Like you’re half of a whole, and your body knows it. And until you’re in their arms again, every single piece of you is straining toward them because… because they’re your home. They’re part of you. Your beginning and your never-ending.”

“I want him to splinter apart in my arms. I want to give him what he needs, want to be what he needs, what he wants, what he craves with every fiber of his being because he’s that for me. He’s not just a crush. He never was. He’s the man no one else has ever measured up to.”

“Gold,” he says, reaching up and twining a piece of my hair around his finger. “Sands and… sun. Light. Camels.”

“Is that all?”

“Here,” he says, touching the corner of my eye, his focus absolute. “Ocean. Sky and sea. Smith Falls. Great… Blue Hole. Sails,” he says, tracing the two arches of my lip. “Birds in flight. Palaces and… windmills. All the life in you. That’s what I see.”

“Lucky wasn’t mine to covet, mine to have. And yet here he is. Somehow, mine, by his own choosing. Mine to hold and treasure and cherish. Mine to love freely.”

“What is it?”

“Looking.”

“You’ve seen me a million times.”

“Never enough.”

“It’s that feeling of home I’ve only ever had with him. It’s the rumbling of mountains and the kiss of wind through the fields, and it’s love. God, is it love, wholly, pure, and absolute. I won’t ever love another the way I love Ellis, and I don’t want to. He’s it. He’s always been it. And for the first time since we’ve known one another, I know, as I look into his brown eyes, that whatever piece of me is tethered to Ellis has a counterpoint. An equal pull. Mrs. Cole was right. No matter what, nothing will keep us apart. We’ll always come back to one another, time and time again.”

“I could do nothing but kiss Lucky until the end of time, and I would be content. I’d swirl with him in the sky until we were one, binary stars gravitationally bound to one another.”

“There’s history here. You can practically feel it in the earth and the air, like an imprint left from those who came before us. I can’t help but wonder what imprints we might leave behind. Me. Lucky. Us.”

“What do you see for us, El?”

How do I tell him I see everything? In my most vivid waking dreams, I see everything he’ll give me. A life with him, in whatever form that might take. Years of loving him because I know I’ll do that no matter what. I see snippets of days just like this one, where we hike or share meals or simply enjoy one another’s company. I see him. Always him.

“Happiness.”

“I think about what we did have, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m so glad you’re my best friend, El. Even if it took us a few extra trips to get to where we are now, I’m so glad it was you. Is you. Will be you.”

“Always.”

“The memory of us will be left in the pictures we take, the glass we repurpose. It will be in the wind and the floorboards and the walls of the silo. We’ll leave our mark on this world, and we’ll do it together because we’ve always been tied.”

“Lucky came into my life at ten, but he’s not leaving. And when I think of it like that, I realize there’s nothing to fear when it comes to us. Adventure can call. Time can, too. But neither will take Lucky from me. He’s already written himself into my heart.”

“I break and bend old jars for you because I won’t ever trap you in glass. You’re my firefly, and you deserve the life you’ve always strived to live. You won’t lose me just because you’re gone. I’ll always be here waiting. I just ask that you come back to me. Keep flying back to me.”

“You beautiful man. I love traveling. I love my job. But at the end of the day, all I want is to share it with you. You’re the one I want to come home to. You’re the one I miss every time I’m back in New York. You’re the one who makes me happy, who makes my pulse jump like no other high.”

“I love you, too. I have for years. I loved you then, and I love you now, and I won’t ever stop. I’m not capable of it. You’re it for me, El. You’re my big goddamn romance. And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you.”

“We had so far to travel to get where we are, but maybe each step was one needed to perfect our song. Have we? Perfected it? I think, maybe, that’s a journey we’ll keep traveling together.”

“And every time I stayed away a little longer, it felt like I was losing my breath. Like I had less oxygen in my lungs. I was starved of it without you, El. You don’t make me feel trapped, okay? Never. You’re the air I breathe.”

“He told me he would have stayed for me, but I couldn’t have asked him to. Not then. He was just spreading his wings. I missed him while he was gone, the same as he missed me. But I’m not sure I’d change it. He was worth the wait.”

“His eyes are bright and on my person, looking at me as if I’m worth being his sole focus. As if, maybe, out of everywhere in this vast universe, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be than here with me.”

“Promise me something. Promise we’ll still do this when we’re sixty or eighty or a hundred. I want a lifetime with you, El. Me and you. ’Til the end of time.”

I draw an X over Lucky’s heart. Promise.

“Are you ready to get married?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been ready for a good long while.”

“You’ve only been engaged a month.”

“Dani. I would have married that man the day he asked.”

“I bend toward you no matter where on this Earth you are. I feel your pull, and if I am your moon, as you say I am, then I promise to always call you back home. You are my world, Luck. And even when all goes dark, I will look for you. I will find you, blinking for me in the endless night, and I will be with you always. My brilliant firefly. My love. My Luck. Forever, I’ll be waiting.”

“I like staying up late. Papa said I was named for the night, after all. He said the moon is his most favorite thing.”

“Happy anniversary, El. Did you ever imagine all this? It’s…”

“Everything.”

“It is. I’m so lucky I get to share this life with you, Ellis. I love you. More than I can say.”

“Love you always.”

“Yeah. Me and you, El. We don’t have an ending, do we?” 

After Jade was kidnapped from her home by reptilian aliens and transported to a planet called Clecania, she was able to escape from her new capture and found herself in the hands of the Intergalactic Alliance. This alliance forces her to stay at Clecania for a year, with zero ability to return to Earth, and must live with a Clecanian for three months which leads to her to follow their cultural traditions, a marriage. After a plague wiped out 70% of Clecanian women, this alien species is desperate to rebuild their population which led them to prioritize women of all species and marriage. In compliance with their traditions, jade chooses her husband, Theo, a clecanian made who is seemingly unwanted by the females of this planet. Will she enjoy her time on Clecania or will she still want to return home? 

 

I loved the world building, it was so thorough and honestly what made me enjoy the book the most. While the romance between jade and Theo wasn’t amazing, they found a home in each other they didn’t expect to find. I am definitely excited to read about theo’s brothers, Luka, Auzed, and Maxu. I’m not sure if Izor will get a book, but I liked the small scene we got with him. 

Favorite quotes/scenes: 

 

“I’ve only felt the soft curves of your body twice, but it’s been the highlight of my year, and I haven’t even seen all of you yet.” 

 

“I thought…” 

“That’s good. Otherwise you’d just be a handsome sack of meat.” 

 

“My life before, as I knew it, ended when I met you. Have a care for m life now.” 

 

“If he believed he’d be able to hold his sated female like this every night, then all the pain he’d been through in his life would’ve been worth it.” 

 

“You could betray me a hundred times over, and I fear I’d still fall at your feet.” 

 

“Jade, I want to be with you forever. No more marriages. You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours alone. You are my heart. Do you think you could be happy staying with me forever?” 

“Theo, I wanted to tell you after The Gathering. I love you.” 

“I love you too. More than you can know.” 

 

“You’ve given me so much. A mate, companionship, love, and now even a baby girl. I’m whole again because of you, Jade.” 

⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 stars. this book wasn’t amazing, but I didn’t hate it either. I liked it for the sake of it being a 2nd gen book, and we got to see mostly everyone from the off campus series. I just wished there was more romance between Gigi and Ryder because it went from mutually helping each other to friends w benefits for a long time to being in love. like I just needed more, but besides that, it was enjoyable. I liked Shane and Beckett, especially Beckett, that man was so hot. I need his book with will asap. i loved how close Hannah and Ryder got, he definitely deserves her as a mother figure. 

 

Favorite quotes/scenes: 

 

“You host a show with Jake Connelly, the most beautiful man in the world. Trust me, you’re going to get the views.” (Gigi) 

“Nope, nope, nope. You know how I feel when you talk about Connelly’s stupid looks. It triggers my crippling inferiority.” (Garrett) 

 

“You didn’t have to degrade yourself by bringing me apology flowers.” 

“Who says they’re apology flowers? Maybe they’re celebration flowers.” 

“Uh-huh. Really. What are we celebrating?” 

“It’s International Eat an Apple Day. Seemed like something we should celebrate.” 

 

“Hi.” (Beckett) 

“Hi.” (Gigi) 

“I kind of want to fuck you. Do you want to fuck me?” (Beckett 🥵) 

“I… think I might be impressed.” (Gigi) 

“Do you want to get out of here?” (Beckett) 

“Yes. I think I do.” (Gigi) 

“Oh, fuck this. No way in a million years would you react that way.” (Shane) 

 

“We would have been behind this curtain five minutes after we got here.” 

“Doing what?” 

“Getting you primed.” 

“Primed. Primed for what?” 

“For me.” 

 

“Before you get involved with any dude, make sure he’s not the slut of the group. And if he is, get him tested. Because there’s always one slutty boy in every crew.” (Dean) 

“Who was the slut in yours?” 

“Tucker.” 

“Tucker.” 

“Of course. Dude knocked up a woman on a one-night stand. Can’t get more promiscuous than that.” 

 

“Please, let me treat my dear uncles. Young people should always be kind to the elderly.” 

“Oh, I’m going to remember that.” (Dean) 

“I’m telling your father.” (Logan) 

“He knows he’s old. You don’t need to remind him.” 

 

“Why are you here?” 

“I came to kiss you.” 

“You… drove all the way here to kiss me.” 

“Yes.” 

“I… You…” 

“You won’t fuck someone you haven’t kissed. Isn’t that what you said?” 

“I…” 

“So. Are you going to let me kiss you, Gigi?” 

 

“Do you really think I’m jerking off in libraries like some creepy sex addict? I was covering for these assholes.” 

“Oh, thank God, mate. Because I’m the one who told Coach about your porn problem.” 

“That was you?” 

“Look, it seemed like a serious problem. The fact that you’re getting off to porn in a library and then just acknowledging it to a group of people like jerking off to porn in a library is a normal occurrence⁠—” 

 

“Sneak in when everyone’s asleep?” 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Come on.” 

“I already told you, I’m not touching you under your father’s roof. This situation is precarious enough.” 

“What about sexy texting?” 

“What if he and I accidentally switch phones?” 

“Why would that ever happen? Come on, just one dick pic.” 

“What is your obsession with me? Do I need Jensen to send you his PowerPoint on sex addiction?” 

 

“I’m not good enough for you.” 

“Ryder⁠—” 

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be. But I want to try.” 

And I do. I mean that. I know I have my flaws. But I need to level up to be with this woman. She forces me to be better. I want to be better for her. I want to be her hero. 

 

“I love you.” 

“Say it again.” 

“I love you, Gigi.” 

“I love you too, Luke.” 

The name I’ve loathed for so long, the name I’ve recoiled from, leaving her lips. Hearing it now, coming from that sweet voice and gorgeous face, accompanied by those three words, well, I guess I don’t mind being Luke. I’ll be whoever she wants me to be. 

 

“Nobody likes failure, G. But I maintain that this isn’t failure. This is just one moment in time.” 

“A moment in time.” 

“Yes, and right now, in this moment, you’re down. But that’s okay because I’m here to lift you up.” 

“Always?” 

“Always. You fall, I pick you up. Always.” 

 

“I don’t want anybody else. You know that, right?” 

“Where did that come from?” 

“I don’t know. I just need you to know I don’t want to be with anyone else. Ever.” 

“Me too. This is it, Luke. I think we both know that.” 

 

“I need to put something in my belly.” 

“I’ll give you something to put in your belly.” 

“I don’t know what that means, Ryder. Are you talking about a baby, or is it a semen swallowing thing?” 

“Why do you always have to ruin my jokes by digging too deep into them?” 

“Tell better jokes.” 

 

“All I was trying to say is, you’re family now. I know I’m not your real mom, but I think I did pretty well with my own kids.” (Hannah 🥹) 

“You did.” (Ryder) 

“So if you ever need anything, I’m a call or text away. I’ll always be here for you.” (Hannah) 

 

WYATT: Hurt my sister and I’ll hurt you. You feel me, Bill? 

ME: Bill? 

WYATT: Brother-in-law. Tried to write BIL but autocorrect didn’t like it. So you’re Bill now. Don’t hurt her and we’ll be good. 

ME: I won’t, and cool. WYATT: Welcome to the family. I figure we need to make an effort to get along. Now that we’re stuck with you forever. 

ME: Thanks, Bill. 

oh gosh, this novella made me appreciate and love these characters so much more. Like we got to see how hail and merissa met, how merissa met Gabriel’s father and how he sacrificed his life for the both of them 🥺. Then our sweet Geraldine, to see her undying love and devotion to Tory and Darcy was so precious and sweet, because little did they know that they gained the most loyal and fierce best friend simply because they existed. And looking back, I feel so bad for Geraldine that they first pushed her away, but I’m so happy they finally recognized and cherished her 🥲. Also, it felt so good seeing Elise, Leon, Dante, Ryder and Gabriel all together again, they are my absolute favorite in the solaria world, and I could reread their story a million times and never get tired of it. Y’all, that ending with each of the heirs pledging their lives to the twins 🤭🤭. I just know the final book is going to be so good 👏👏. 

 

 

“I saw myself enraptured with this woman, desiring her more deeply than I had ever desired anything. She looked at me the way no one had ever looked at me, with a love that seemed to defy everything I was and ever could be.” (Hail) 

 

“She looked exactly like I imagined a star would look if it shifted into Fae form.” (Hail) 

 

“The air between us was starting to feel impossible to breathe, like the only source of oxygen lay within her and I needed to draw it from her mouth into my very lungs to survive.” (Hail) 

 

“I was going to let her guide me into this madness, even if it led me down a doomed path, because whether she was a trickster or not, I was too far under her spell to turn back now.” (Hail) 

 

“Do you know what she said to me in Cardinal Magic yesterday? That I couldn’t even diddle a dandelion if it bloomed beneath my fiddlestick and told me where to put it. What the fuck does that even mean?” (Max) 

“Yeah, she’s nutso, man.” (Seth) 

“I could diddle a dandelion.” (Max) 

 

“I’m always good when you’re close, Cal. Don’t ever disappear on me.” (Seth) 

“I won’t.” (Caleb) 

 

“Oh glorious queens who were lost for so long, Where have you been all this time you were gone? I wished on a star for a miracle to come, And now you've returned, I know I got one. I missed you more than words can say, And I pledge my devotion to you on this day.” (Geraldine) 

 

“You're not drinking?” (Darcy) 

“No.” (Lance) 

<i>You free my mind more than any drink ever has.</i> 

 

“She was all my favourite summer delights, sunshine, strawberries and ecstasy.” (Lance) 

 

“What are you two whispering about?” (Seth) 

“I was just telling Darius how well your mom took it last night.” (Lance 🤣) 

“You motherfucker.” (Seth) 

“Yeah, that’s me.” (Lance) 

 

“She tasted of sunlight, igniting my world in colour again at last, and I never wanted to return to the grey.” (Lance) 

 

“She was a creature designed to ruin me, and in that moment, I would have let any fate befall me just to keep her.” (Lance) 

 

“Since when have you had a praise kink?” (Caleb) 

“Only when Darius does it. He has that whole dominant, ‘shove me around the bedroom’ vibe going, and sometimes I think he might even be able to do it to me if the mood took him.” (Seth) 

“I could shove you around the bedroom if the mood took me.” (Caleb) 

“Nah, Cal. You’re pretty and all, but you don’t scream ‘dominant daddy’ to me the same way that Dari-” (Seth) 

*caleb literally slams him down and grabs his throat* 

“Call me pretty again.” 

“So fucking pretty.” 

“Good pup.” 

 

“I was hers. I was all fucking hers and she had to accept me. She had to or I was going to shatter into a million pieces which would never be the same again.” (Darius) 

 

“I remember one time, our old professor locked me and him in a shed on campus for detention and cast a spell that meant we had to power share to get out. That was the first time Ryder admitted he loved me.” (Leon) 

“What? I did no such fucking thing, Mufasa. You kept trying to power fuck me.” (Ryder) 

“To what?” (Tory) 

“You kept telling me to put the tip of my power in you.” (Ryder 🤣) 

 

“Deep down, I knew why I liked this place so much. Even more than because I was a Werewolf and I worshipped her every night. It was because Cal had been the one to buy the moon for me. And somehow, I would find a way to buy him the whole world in return.” (Seth) 

 

“But I had no doubt now, that this had always been our destiny, to kneel before them and lay our lives in service to the Phoenix queens.” (Seth) 

 

“Long live the True Queens!” (Geraldine) 

spoilers 

 

You guys, I was ABSOLUTELY sucked into this book in just the first chapter. I was dying of laughter. Then the charisma and spiciness of Jaxon was so freaking much but AMAZING. But then we got to see his vulnerable side and being terrified of being replaced and I immediately fell in love with this man 😭. But then he just had to go and be so sweet, thoughtful, and considerate to Lennox 😩. Like he not only remembered she had a nut allergy from her bracelet in Cabo, but when she went into anaphylactic shock, he stayed with her for four hours in the hospital and offered her a place to stay when her apartment was in shambles. BUT THEN, he noticed all of her little struggles in his apartment like being too cold, struggling to reach the top shelves, not having enough shower space for her products, and getting emotional, he remedied all of that INSTANTLY. But the part that absolutely KILLED ME was when he created a guide for her on how to make coffee, how to use the coffee machine, different recipes and cereal pairings 😭😭😭. It’s just the first twelve chapters when this happens and I’m absolutely done for, Becka Mack has truly outdone herself 😩🫶. And then he makes sure she had the best birthday by giving her everything she wanted to see, especially to go see the Northern Lights. Then, I love how they’ve bonded with each others family 🥹. Then the best part of all, I’m so glad Lennon and everyone else, plus the kids, never gave up on Jaxon and showed him how much he was loved 

 

Then, the story about Bryce hurt my heart, but the way Lennon comforted him was perfect. And then what broke my heart and put it back completely was when Lennon helped Jaxon reunite with Bryce’s parents and they followed his career ever since his debut game and they kept the ticket stubs from each game they went from all the teams he’s been on 😭😭. Then Sarah, the kid that Jaxon spent time with at Second Chance homes is going to be adopted by Bryce’s parents 😭😭, so now Jaxon will always be in Sarah’s life 😭. 

 

<b> <u>Favorite quotes/scenes:</b> </u> 

I can’t believe I left my fucking cat for this. 

“Stop looking at me that way!” 

“What way?” 

“With your eyes!” 

“Sorry I have eyes on my face!” 

 

One thing about me? I’m gonna serenade my cat every chance I get so he knows how much I love him. “Silly kitty, chunky kitty, I kiss your tiny nose. Fluffy kitty, handsome kitty, I love your extra toes.” 

 

“You’re fucking naked, Jaxon! And while Magic Mike and his backup dancers are swinging about, you’re standing there, casually eating your cereal and talking about a fictional character getting DP’d in a parking lot!” 

“This is who I am, Lennon! If you can’t appreciate us”—another jab at his crotch, followed by one toward the door—“ then there’s the door! Don’t let it hit your ass on the way out!” 

“Oh my God. You are so fucking weird. Why do I like it so much?” 

“Gran says I’m endearing.” 

 

“Jaxon is . . . living. Fresh air. An endless sky dotted with possibilities. He’s the deep breath before a scary step, the thundering of your pulse as you close your eyes and jump. He’s life beyond four suffocating walls, where stepping outside is like seeing in color for the first time.” 

 

“I thought you liked quiet.” 

“Before you, maybe.” 

“And now?” 

“Now I like loud.” 

 

“Do you see those three bright stars in a straight line? That’s Orion’s belt. Follow it down, and just there, right above the horizon, do you see?” 

“The big, bright star?” 

“That’s Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. When you’re looking for Bryce in the stars, look there. He’ll light even the darkest nights.” 

 

“I’m looking at her like . . . I’m looking at her like she’s the sunset, and I’m seeing it in color for the very first time.” 

 

“Finding my best friend and soulmate in him was serendipitous, and he’s made me feel like sunshine every step of the way. I love you.” (Jennie) 

 

“Hey, Carter. Remember how I said I was looking for those Oreo cupcakes for you in the back ten minutes ago?” 

“Yeah . . .” 

“I lied. I was looking for your sister’s G-spot with my tongue.” He snickers. “Found it.” 

“You motherfucker!” 

“I believe sisterfucker is the word you’re looking for.” 

 

“You feel like Jaxon. Like Adam, and Rosie, and Connor too.” “Yeah? How’s that?” 

“Warm and safe. Like sunshine in a hug.” 

 

“Dance with me, honey.” 

“W-why?” 

“Because everyone else got a chance to spin you around today. Because I wanted to, but until right now, I didn’t have the courage to ask. Because I missed having you in my arms. Because I missed you.” 

“And the lights? The stars?” 

“You deserve to have the things you love most at the tips of your fingers, honey. This is for the cloudy days. The rainy days and the cold days. The lazy days better spent in bed, and the days I keep you there, if you’ll let me.” 

 

“Looking at you, knowing you exist in my world, that you could be mine one day and gone the next, is the most overwhelming thing I’ve ever felt.” 

 

“Lennon is mine. My best friend, the hand in mine, the weight lifted off my chest. She’s the sunrise when I spent too many years in the dark, and breathing easier for the first time since I was a kid.” 

 

“I’ll wait, Jaxon. I don’t care how long. Because this? This is a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. You’re a once-in-a-lifetime find. I’m not walking away.” 

 

“Oh, hey. My mom told me to tell you she can’t make your date tonight. She’s busy, and also, she doesn’t wanna.” 

“Oh, hey. Your mom told me to tell you she can’t make it to your place for breakfast tomorrow morning. She’s busy, and also, she’s my breakfast.” 

“How dare you! Holly Beckett is an angel!” 

“Holly Beckett is my angel!” 

 

“I wanna be the one who drives you out to the middle of nowhere at midnight just to fucking stare at you while you stare at the stars, because somehow, in this whole huge world, I got lucky enough to find you, not once, but twice? You want me to ask you to stay, Lennon? To tell you I’m in love with you? Here it is, honey. I love you. I am so goddamn, mind-blowingly in love with you, and the thought of losing you is killing me. I don’t want you to go. This place only feels like a home when you’re here.” 

 

“Where did you come from? How did you walk into my world out of nowhere and knock it off its axis? I took one look at you and started falling, terrified every damn moment, from the top right down to the bottom. But you were there. You were always there, honey. Thank you for falling with me. I don’t think I could’ve survived falling alone.” 

 

“Being with you feels like the first time I looked through your telescope. It feels like seeing fifty million stars when I’d only ever been able to see ten thousand. It feels like an impossible rainbow of lights dancing through a black night. Like a storm that’s been living for hundreds of years, and meteors falling from the sky. Love feels like looking at you and not understanding how something as beautiful as everything you are exists, but just accepting that it does, because a world without you means a world without light.” 

 

“Life was so tough for you as a hot, successful, single dad.” 

“You don’t know what it’s like out there, Len. Vultures everywhere, trying to get a piece of us. We’re lucky to have made it out alive.” He sniffles. “I could really use a blow job right now.” 

 

“I love you, honey. And loving you, being loved by you . . . it’s worth every fucking heartache. I’d do it all over again if it meant I got you in the end.” 

“You’ve got me. In this lifetime and the next.” 

“In every lifetime, honey.” 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. 5 stars. 

 

major spoilers ahead 

 

 

Tristian’s mom's death hurt my heart 😩. It’s so sad to think at the end of book 3 she was fussing over his looks before the ball, and Tristian was making comments about her taking pills to get high, but it was his father controlling her 😭😭. And that moment with her was probably when she was most lucid and then she did the one thing she could control, trade her life for his 😩😭. And then poor pip was sick with some magic sickness and was sleeping the whole time, but we got to see more of Pip and Renzo together 👏👏. And Renzo is the only person pip openly likes other than Rhianna and Winnie, so that’s how you know he is AMAZING (if you can’t tell I’m obsessed with Renzo, lol). And Rhianna and Renzo rode a dragon?!?! And the dragon didn’t even try to eat Pip, they only smelled each other. Y’all, there is something going on with these animals. But the mate bond between them is finally sealed 👏👏. I need much more Renzo content in the next book or I will riot. Because this man is so adorable when he’s around Rhianna and he’s getting a new outlook on life that he was never able to experience before 🥹. Plus, Tristan and Spencer being absolutely obsessed with her, especially since she’s barely had time with them other than the bullying. And y’all, I am so happy that this book didn’t end on a cliffhanger because I would not have been able to handle it. But I am so excited to see how the final book is going to go 👏👏. 

 

Side note, Winnie’s grandma better be alive, and Summer and Tristian’s father 🤢. 

 

“My beautiful boy.” 

“Mom, please.” 

“Be careful, Tristan. Of your father.” 

“Mom. Don’t. Give it back to me. It was mine. My time. My death. Not yours. Not yours!” 

She smiles warmly and I can see how proud she is of her son.
“I love you.” 

 

“She saved you, Tris. She gave her life for you.” 

“Why? I don’t deserve that.” 

“Because she loved you.” 

 

“The way I feel about this girl is like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life before. I’m aware I’m obsessed, infatuated, fucking insane about her. But can I share her? Share her with three other men? Would I want to? Yes. The answer is yes. I could do anything for this girl. I would do anything. I’ve already given her my life. Anything else seems inconsequential.” (Tristian) 

 

“I want her to be pleased with me. I want her praise, her thanks, her adoration. Mostly I want her.” (Renzo) 

 

“I think you’re fucking incredible, little rabbit. I think I’d follow you anywhere, do anything for you. I’ve never met anyone like you before.” (Renzo) 

“You mean … the crimson magic?” 

“Everything about you. The dark and the light. The shadows and the blaze. The way you get real mad at me, the way you scream, the way you’re always fighting. I’ve never wanted to consume anything as badly as I have you.” (Renzo) 

 

“Are you holding me captive?” 

“You’re free to go.” (Renzo) 

“And if I do? How far will I get before you drag me back?” 

“Depends how much of a fight you want to make it. I love a chase, little one. Do you want to run and I’ll catch you?” (Renzo) 

 

“It feels like … the room lights up when you’re with them. Like everything is brighter, more colorful and your heart beats so fast you can hardly breathe. And you want to be with them all the time, so much it hurts to be apart. But mostly you want them to be happy, to be safe. That’s more important to you than your own happiness, your own safety.” 

“Then I do care about you, little rabbit. Because that’s how it feels.” 

 

“Of course, I’ll help you. Rhianna is Winnie’s friend and besides, I like that girl. She has spunk.” 

“She’s certainly had a lot of spunk.” 

 

“Do you believe in fate?” 

“I’ve never really believed in anything before, little rabbit. Not the gods, not the stars, not fate. Not family or friends. Nothing. But I believe in you, little rabbit.” 

 

“Are they always so difficult?” 

“Yes, and in case you forgot, you did nearly kill me.” 

“Shit, yeah, I did! You should be honored, little rabbit. That’s practically a declaration of love from me.” 

 

“I love you, Rhianna Blackwaters, more than anything else in this world, in this galaxy, in this universe, more than all the stars in the heavens.” (Stone) 

“Wow.” 

“You know you can say it back.” (Stone) 

“Of course, I’d have to mean it.” 

“It generally helps.” (Stone) 

“I love you too, asshole.” 

 

“Renzo?” 

“Here.” 

“Can I talk to you next?” 

“You can do whatever you like to me, little rabbit.” 

 

“Because me and her, I want us to grow old together. Surrounded by litters of piglets. I like that idea.” (Renzo) 

 

“I’ve always wanted you. Only you. I can’t stop thinking about you. Day and night. All the time. I’m losing my mind.” (Tristian) 

“It’s the bond. It’s like that when you first seal it.” 

“I’ve been crazy about you since I met you. Long before the bond between us was sealed. You’re like no one I’ve ever met. You’re fucking entrancing. You mean the world to me, Piglet. And I’d do anything for you.” (Tristian) 

 

For a heartbeat, he simply stares. Then he smiles. He smiles like someone who just won the lottery. “Fuck me, little rabbit,” he laughs, “I fucking died.” And I fall backwards onto my behind and sob with relief into my hands. 

 

“How is he?” 

“If he’d hold still and let me check him over, I could tell you.” 

“I’m fine, little rabbit. Never been better.” 

Only Renzo, dead literally five minutes ago, would describe himself as ‘never better’. 

“What? We’re bonded now. And it feels fucking fantastic.” 

 

“But there was this one thing, this one thing, keeping me from that temptation. That kept me hanging on.” 

“What was it?” 

“You, Rhi, you. The thought of you was the only thing keeping me alive.” 

“You have so much to live for, Spencer Moreau. Captain of the dueling team. Winner of the transatlantic cup. Son of council members.” 

“No, the only thing that matters is you, Rhi.”