Belle

“She liked to see the roses bloom for the first time in her garden, by her hand. It was proof that she could nurture as well as destroy.”
― Melissa Bashardoust, Girl, Serpent, Thorn

“Sometimes the princess is the monster.”
― Melissa Bashardoust, Girl, Serpent, Thorn

“In the dungeon, I used to like making you angry,” Parvaneh said. She reached down to scoop up one of the moths and held it up to her face, brushing its wing against her cheek with a tenderness that only worsened the fluttering in Soraya’s stomach. Parvaneh let the moth fly away and looked Soraya in the eye. “But I think I like making you laugh even more.”
“Why did you like making me angry?” Soraya asked in mock offense.
Parvaneh grinned and swept aside Soraya’s hair, her fingers brushing Soraya’s cheekbone. “To see your veins, of course,” she said. Her hand moved down to trace the full claw mark on Soraya’s collar bone with her fingertips. “I always thought you . . . I thought they were beautiful.”
― Melissa Bashardoust, Girl, Serpent, Thorn

“Once hope was gone there was no point in fighting, and so she had no need for anger anymore.”
― Melissa Bashardoust, Girl, Serpent, Thorn