SH

“We make a right down a smaller corridor and head to the very last door on the left. He grips the handle and swings it open, revealing a bedroom beyond, lit only by the moonlight streaming through the window.
If I thought my room was magnificent, it pales in comparison to this. It's easily twice the size of my own, making it seem more like a house than a single bedroom. Though it's filled with a four-poster bed, dresser, and a desk-just as mine is-this room seems lived in. The shelf is overflowing, books stacked at odd angles to make them fit. Several of their worn covers tell me they consist of strategy, combat, and...poetry.
Interesting.
Everything filling this room is nicer than my own, yet used and worn.
This is his room-his real room.”
― Lauren Roberts, Powerless

“His voice is lower than before when he says, "You're a vision."
"She is, isn't she?"
My heart skips a beat. The voice coming from over my shoulder is so cold I nearly shiver. Kai brushes my arm as he steps around me, facing the stunned boy still clutching me to him.
"I'll be stealing her now," Kai says simply,...
He feels too familiar.
We fit together perfectly, pieces of a puzzle snapping into place. I shouldn't let myself relax into his touch. Shouldn't let the tension ease from my body when he holds me. But I can do nothing to stop it. Utterly and completely powerless.
His palm is flat and firm against my exposed back, calluses brushing my flushed skin. "You looked like you needed saving," Kai says, and I catch a glimpse of his smirk before he spins me.
"For once," I sigh, "I'm going to have to agree with you."
"I'm sure I could think of other things we agree on."
"Oh really? And what would those things be?"
"That he was right," Kai says softly. "You are a vision. I'm sure we can both agree on that.”
― Lauren Roberts, Powerless

“I'm swept from my thoughts when Kai spins me and my eyes dart to his without my permission.
Mistake.
His midnight hair falls over his forehead in messy, silky waves. Smoky gray eyes meet mine, captivating, chilling. His set jaw loosens, pulling his lips into a cocky grin as he watches me take him in.
Dimples. Both of them mocking me.
"Like what you see, Gray?" he croons, knowing that will get a rise out of me. I huff, looking away from him to fight the flush that's finding its way to my cheeks. Rough fingers glide from my back to catch my chin, gently guiding my face back to his as he mutters, "By all means, carry on. I'll never deny myself the chance of watching you watch me."
"And why is that?" I ask with a nonchalance I don't feel.
His smile is wicked. "Because it is far more fun to admire you when the action is mutual.”
― Lauren Roberts, Powerless

“Do you wish it was you?" He blinks, dark lashes fluttering. "Do you wish you were the future king of Ilya? The heir?"
It's not at all the question I thought I would be asking, but here we are. "No," he states simply, holding my gaze.
I raise my brows in a silent question. When he doesn't continue, I say, "That's it? 'No'?"
"You got your answer, and I got my dance. That was the deal, darling.”
― Lauren Roberts, Powerless