Nyx Triskelion Quotes

“Most of all, I wanted to forget my mission and lose myself in the embrace of the one person who had ever seen my heart and claimed to love me after.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“And he smiled the wild, vicious smile that had made me fall in love.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“Then he whispered— so softly I barely heard it— “Please stay.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“And that was how I ended up with the Gentle Lord in my bed, his head resting in my lap. He looked even younger when he slept— and since his eyes were closed, he looked human. I stroked his hair lightly; it was soft and silky as the fur of our old cat Penelope, and I wondered if he ever purred.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“He’s a monster,” I said. “Maybe I’m a monster to pity him. But I can’t leave him.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“He was my enemy. He was evil. He wasn’t even human. I should have been disgusted, but just like the last time, I couldn’t help myself any more than water could stop itself running downhill.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“But I can’t . . . I can’t leave anyone to the darkness.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“I’m your wife! I burn for your touch! I thirst for your love!”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“I remembered Ignifex's smirk and his confident words: I can wait all I want and still have you.
And I thought, Here is one thing he isn't getting. Standing on my toes, I kissed Shade on the lips.
It was just a bump of my face against his. Despite Aunt Telomache's lecture, I had no idea how long to prolong a kiss, and his lips startled me, foreign and cool as glass. But then he caught me under the chin and gently kissed my mouth open. Though his lips were still cool, his breath was warm; as he kissed me. I breathed in time to him, until I felt like my body was only a breath of air mixing with his.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“You are entirely too pleased with your own sayings sometimes. I suppose you even have a quip prepared for your death?"
"Are you planning to find out?"
I trailed my fingers through his hair. His scalp was warm and dry beneath my fingertips. It startled me, as it still did sometimes, that he was solid and alive; that this wild, unnameable creature was not a phantom but sat still beneath my hand. That the demon who ruled all our world was mine.
"I don't know," I said. "Have you come up with any reasons why I shouldn't?"
He sat up straighter and kissed me. I leaned forward, kissing him back, until I lost my balance and we both tumbled to the ground, with me, landing on top of him.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“Of course he's evil and unforgivable." My voice felt like it was coming from the far end of a long tunnel. "But he is the only reason I ever honored Mother with a clean heart. And if I hadn't learnt to be kind with him, I would never have come back to beg your forgiveness and choose you over him. So gloat all you want-- you deserve to watch us both suffer-- but don't you dare say I will ever be free of him. Every kindness I show you, all the rest of your life, that's because of him. And no matter how many times I betray him, I will love him still.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“This is real," he whispered, sitting up.
"Yes," I said.
"You're real. I thought-- I started to think--" He was shaking now. Shame burned through my body, but I pulled him into my arms, and still holding on we rolled back down to lie on the grass.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so sorry."
For an answer, he only buried his face in the crook of my neck, and we lay still together for a long time, until at last he whispered in my ear, "At least you're not as shy as when we met."
I was about to say, Do I need to remind you how much I am used to you?-- and then I bolted upright, skin burning. Because I remembered everything we had done together, remembered being this woman at ease in his embrace, yet I knew bone-deep that I had never even held hands with a man, let alone kissed one. Memories tangled in my throat and I couldn't breathe.
Then I realized I had thrown him to the ground. "I'm sorry," I blurted, hoping I had not hurt him.
But he was sitting up now too, leaned back with his hands behind him, his head tilted to one side. It was exactly the sort of posture that Ignifex might have sat in.
"You saved me," he said quietly. The cadences of his voice were uncanny: entirely familiar, but not exactly like either Ignifex or Shade. "You saved me, and I think that covers almost half your sins."
I snorted. "I was more than a little late."
"Better than never," he said. "Besides, I did deserve it. I wronged you. Both of me." His mouth tightened, and then he said, whisper-soft, "I'm sorry too. Please forgive me."
Neither one of them would ever have apologized so desperately. It was a new person staring back at me with blue eyes-- but I was a new person too. And if he, so long divided, could gather himself together and remember how to love me, then I could do the same for him.
"Well, you were at least both handsome, too." I took his hand again; our thumbs rubbed together, and then suddenly we were kissing.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty

“Come on." I took his hand and stood, pulling him up with me. "Let's go home. Aren't you tired of being in this house?"
meant the words lightly, but he looked around the sunlit ruins with solemn eyes. "It's strange," he said softly. "I think I'll miss it."
And I realized that in every life he had lived, this was his only home and he had never left.
"I miss hating my sister," I said, pulling him toward the gateway. "She's a little bit more wicked now, so I can't even hate her for being too kind."
But when we were almost at the threshold, he paused again, and this time there was naked fear on his face.
"You do realize," he said. "I don't remember how to be anything but a demon lord and his shadow."
"I'm still not very good at being anything but a wicked sister." I took his other hand.
A handful of kindness, the sparrow had said, and now we each had two.
"We'll both be foolish," I said, "and vicious and cruel. We will never be safe with each other."
"Don't try too hard to be cheerful." His fingers threaded through mine.
"But we'll pretend we know how to love." I smiled at him. "And someday we'll learn."
And we walked out through the gateway together.”
― Rosamund Hodge, Cruel Beauty