ŷ������

“What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?�� he whispered.
“If I’m a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed.�� The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
“No.�� His hands dropped to her waist. “Destroy me.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“My soul sees its equal in you.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“Shazi,

I prefer the color blue to any other. The scent of lilacs in your hair is a source of constant torment. I despise figs. Lastly, I will never forget, all the days of my life, the memories of last night��
For nothing, not the sun, not the rain, not even the brightest star in the darkest sky, could begin to compare to the wonder of you.

Khalid.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“You have a beautiful laugh. Like the promise of tomorrow.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

“Love is—a shade of what I feel.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“There is no one I would rather see the sunrise with than you.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“Get up, Shahrzad al-Khayzuran. You kneel before no one. Least of all me.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“This dangerous girl. This captivating beauty.
This destroyer of worlds and creator of wonder.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“So you would have me throw Shazi to the wolves?��
“Shazi?�� Jalal’s grin widened. “Honestly, I pity the wolves.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“You are not weak. You are not indecisive. You are strong. Fierce. Capable beyond measure.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“It’s a fitting punishment for a monster. to want something so much—to hold it in your arms �� and know beyond a doubt you will never deserve it.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“She was a dangerous, dangerous girl. A plague. A Mountain of Adamant who tore the iron from ships, sinking them to their watery graves without a second thought. With a mere smile and a wrinkle of her nose.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“Her conviction wavered further. “I told you; don’t try to own me.��
“I don’t want to own you.��

She swiveled her neck to meet his gaze. “Then never speak of sending me away again. I am not yours to do with as you will.��

Khalid’s features smoothed knowingly. “How right you are. You are not mine.�� He dropped his palm from the door. “I am yours.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“Shahrzad,

I've failed you several times. But there was one moment I failed you beyond measure. It was the day we met. The moment I took your hand and you looked at me, with the glory of hate in your eyes. I should have sent you home to your family. But I didn't. There was honesty in your hatred. Fearlessness in your pain. In your honesty, I saw a reflection of myself. Or rather, of the man I longed to be. So I failed you. I didn't stay away. Then later, I thought if I had answers, it would be enough. I would no longer care. You would not matter. So I continued failing you. Continued wanting more. And now I can't find the words to say what must be said. To convey to you the least of what I owe. When I think of you, I can't find the air to breathe. And now, though you are gone, there is no pain or fear. All I am left with is gratitude.
When I was a boy, my mother would tell me that one of the best things in life is the knowledge that your story isn't over yet. Our story may have come to a close, but your story is still yet to be told. Make it a story worthy of you.
I failed you in one last thing. Here is my chance to rectify it. It was never because I didn't feel it. It was because I swore I would never say it, and a man is nothing if he can't keep his promises.
So I write it in the sky-
I love you, a thousand times over. And I will never apologize for it.
Khalid”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“A true plague of a girl. And yet a queen in every sense of the word.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“No. He was not here to wreak revenge.
For revenge was trifling and hollow.
No. He was not here to retrieve his wife.
For his wife was not a thing to be retrieved.
No. He was not here to negotiate a truce.
For a truce suggested he wished to compromise.

He was here to burn something to the ground.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

“So you intend to go through life never loving anyone? Just �� things?��
“No. I’m looking for something more.��
“More than love?��
�Ԩ���.��
“Is it not arrogant to think you deserve more, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid?��
“Is it so arrogant to want something that doesn’t change with the wind? That doesn’t crumble at the first sign of adversity?��
“You want something that doesn’t exist. A figment of your imagination.��
“No. I want someone who sees beneath the surface-someone who completes the balance. An equal.��
“And how will you know when you’ve found this elusive someone?�� Shahrzad retorted.
“I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“I know love is fragile. And loving someone like you is near impossible. Like holding something shattered through a raging sandstorm. If you want her to love you, shelter her from that storm…And make certain that storm isn’t you.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“When she wound her fingers in his hair to draw her body against his, he stilled for breath, and she knew, as he knew, that they were lost. Lost forever. In this kiss. This kiss that would change everything.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“When I was a boy, my mother would tell me that one of the best things in life is the knowledge that our story isn't over yet. Our story may have come to a close, but your story is still yet to be told.
Make it a story worthy of you”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“It does not take courage to kill. It takes courage to live.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

“And only those watching very carefully saw the Caliph of Khorasan lean back against the cushions and toy with the bangles on his wife’s arm.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“Tonight is a night to turn heads. Make them remember you. Make sure they never forget. You are the Calipha of Khorasan, and you have the ear of a king." Despina put her hand on Shahrzad's shoulder and grinned at their shared reflection. "More important, you have his heart." She bent forward and lowered her voice. "And, most important, you are a fearsome thing to behold in your own right.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“As always. As ever. As a rose to the sun.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

“The darker the sky, the brighter the stars.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger

“And how will you know when you've found the elusive someone?
I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“She shook her head, though her shoulders trembled and her nails dug into her palms. “You are ridiculous, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid. I am just one girl. You are the Caliph of Khorasan, and you have a responsability to a kingdom.��

“If you are just one girl, I am just one boy.��

Shahrzad closed her eyes, unable to hold the fierce light in his gaze.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn

“For nothing, not the sun, not the rain, not even the brightest star in the darkest sky, could begin to compare to the wonder of you.”
― Renee Ahdieh

“It is a great gift to find lasting love - one that gives for every bit it takes.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Wrath and the Dawn