1
This should never have happened, Brishen. We were unimportant, you and I. We weren't supposed to mean anything to anyone."" Woman of day, " he said slowly. "You mean everything to me.Grace Draven
2
I will stand beside you through all of this, ' she said when she could finally speak. “And welcome you home with gladness when it’s over, and you return triumphant.Grace Draven
3
There’s more.”“ Of course there is, ” Brishen said flatly. It had started badly; it turned worse and hinted at becoming ruinous.Grace Draven
4
Wouldn’t it have been better to conserve your strength and rest?” Ildiko mused after a moment. “I’ll sleep long and hard when I’m dead. You defy death by celebrating life.Grace Draven
5
She sighed. “I can’t help it. I worry for you when you lead these patrols. I don’t sleep until you return." His features softened. “Then you don’t dream of me when I’m gone,Grace Draven
6
A wash of relief poured through her, along with a kindling of hope. Her bridegroom wasn't Gauri; he wasn't even human. He was, however, congenial and gracious. She had proclaimed his appearance ghastly and his honesty handsome. Ildiko still stood by both opinions. She could have done infinitely worse. More than a few Gauri women had the misfortune to marry human men with handsome faces and ghastly souls. .Grace Draven
7
Come in, Martise." Silhara's voice was almost sibilant in the darkness as he tagged on her hand. "There are no soul eaters here." No, she thought. Only heart thieves.Grace Draven
8
Resting beside her, he seemed to Ildiko a living statue, carved from dark granite into a form of supple elegance and power. He was beautiful, and the tremor change in her perception of him robbed her lungs of air. He opened both eyes suddenly, making her jump. Two shimmering gold coins stared at her unblinking. "Good evening, wife, " he said in a voice raspy with the remnants of sleep. A closed-lip smile curved his mouth upward and deepened the tiny lines that fanned from the corners of his eyes. "You're staring. Do I have a fly on my nose?" Fighting down a blush at being caught gawking at her own husband, Ildiko lightly tapped the tip of his nose with one finger. "I was trying to find a way to kill it without punching you in the face. Lucky for you, it flew away. .Grace Draven
9
My dear, treacherous mother, ” he breathed. “What have you done?Grace Draven
10
I’ve always been under the assumption that death is a one-time, encompassing event.” “Why would you ever think that?Grace Draven