Mila

“Fortune finds those who leap, my Tru. Whatever yours is—riches or love or adventure—you make it yourself. Nothing is predetermined. Not by the gods, not by the lines on your palm or the creases on your brow.”
― Elizabeth Lim, A Forgery of Fate

“It seems the Slummer taught you some manners. How ironic.” “Don’t, Blair,” I warn. “So will you share her with Kitt the rest of your life? Or find another Ordinary on the streets?”
― Lauren Roberts, Fearless

“I know how you refuse to thank the Plague. It is understandable, admirable, even, how valiantly you despise the thing that made your survival so difficult. But I do thank the Plague. I whisper my gratitude for it when you are sound asleep in my arms, when your fingers flick the tip of my nose. In the quiet moments, I thank the Plague for you. If it weren’t for the dividing of Ordinaries and Elites so many years ago, I would have never found my way to you. My coins are always at risk in your presence, but no saving of my life would have been necessary that day. No Silencers. No Purging Trials. No stolen moments under the willow. When I thank the Plague, it is not for the power it has gifted me, but for the privilege of you. Nothing makes me stronger than the weakness that is you, Paedyn Gray. And if, in the next lifetime, you choose to steal from me again, I would happily give you my soul if it meant a place beside yours. But until then, I will watch you become another’s reason to thank the Plague. You, Pae, are my inevitable. (I love you.)”
― Lauren Roberts, Fearless

“And you are forever my undoing, Paedyn Gray." My knee mes te cobblestone, and her mouth opens in a gasp. "Marry me, Pae. marady on one knee, but I'll get down on both and beg for you, if you like." I lift that ring toward her, the one Kitt pressed into my palm with dying wish.
"Love each other for me."
Tears well in those blue eyes above. She knows of Kitt's final moments, every word uttered, every hope laid bare. Now the sight of that familiar ring is freeing. I can see the flood of relief washing over her features, because Kitt Azer— the boy she cared so deeply for—did not hate her in the end. The hurt she felt when he aimed a sword at her chest has begun to melt away beneath the truth of his motives.
"Pae," I breathe. “I'll kneel here all day, so long as your answer is yes.”
A hand falls from her mouth to reveal a wide grin. Good. I quite like the sight of you beneath me."
“Vicious little thing…” I murmur with all the admiration she deserves.
Her voice grows choked as she spits my own words back at me. "You forgot the 'my' in front of that endearing nickname." And then she is falling to her knees before me.
Her hands shake against my face before a pair of smiling lips have found mine. She kisses me like forever is fleeting in the face of this moment. My hand finds her hair, tangling in the uneven strands I'd cut in that cave. Her lips taste of love and longing, and I beg for more.
"Is this—" I kiss her deeply. "Is this a yes?"
She laughs against my lips. "This is inevitable."
I slip Kitt's gold band onto her thumb, opposite that steel ring of her father's. "I'll get you something better—"
"No," she insists. Her eyes shine as they take in the rings hugging each thumb. "It's perfect. This is perfect."
"Good." My rough palms graze the sides of her neck. "Because I love you, Paedyn Gray. And I will happily spend the rest of my life trying to deserve you."
"I love you," she says, suddenly stern. "And I will spend the rest of my life shouting it until even Astrum hears, because it is Death who should fear me if he ever tries to take you away."
We hold each other atop that uneven cobblestone. Forget-me-nots blow in the warm breeze, encircling us in a hug that feels like our past meeting our forever. Tears sting my eyes for the bittersweetness of this moment.
Paedyn Gray is finally mine. But only because my brother is no longer here.
"We will love for him," she whispers in my ear.
A tear slips down my cheek.
"You and me.”
― Lauren Roberts, Fearless