Joy

“I’m afraid I have not gotten over my resentment of him for saving me from the snow king’s court in Ljosland earlier this year, and have made a solemn vow to myself that I shall be the one to rescue him from whatever faerie trouble we next find ourselves in. Yes, I realize this is illogical, given that it requires Wendell to end up in some dire circumstance, which would ideally best be avoided, but there it is. I’m quite determined.”
― Heather Fawcett, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

“Other women snore, or talk in their sleep. I don't recall ever being woken up by the sound of vigorous pencil scratching."
"You could always ask one of those other women to marry you," I said. "Though it may not be easy to find one who is quite so tolerant of faerie assassins and strange quests as I am.”
― Heather Fawcett, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

“But if fairies and monsters were real, so were the women who defeated them.”
― Ava Reid, A Study in Drowning

“Would you prefer to wait?”
In answer, he kissed me—much more slowly than the kiss I had given him, and more skillfully too, I’m afraid. Afterwards he didn’t lean back as I expected, but trailed his lips down my neck, sending a shiver skittering through me.
“You can begin by removing your clothes,” I said. “If you would like to. To clarify, this is a suggestion, not a demand.”
“Oh, Em,” he said, laughing softly against my neck. I had my hands in his hair, which was now quite mussed, something that made me absurdly happy.
“I’m sorry,” I said, self-conscious now. “Perhaps I shouldn’t talk.”
“Whyever not?” He drew back, examining me with a perplexed smile. “I like the way you talk. And everything else about you, in fact. Is that not clear by now?”
I felt laughter bubble up inside me, but I hid it behind a mock-serious expression. “I’m not sure.”
His smile changed, and he trailed his hand down the side of my neck. “Let me show you.”
― Heather Fawcett, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands