欧宝娱乐

“I cannot afford to lose you, too"
"You cannot lose something you do not own. Take me with you”
― Kiersten White, And I Darken

“In the spirit of friendship, I must tell you that I am bitterly jealous of the time you spend in the Janissaries' company. I want you to stop training with them."
"And in the spirit of friendship, I must tell you that I do not care in the slightest about your petty jealousies. I am late for my training.”
― Kiersten White, And I Darken

“She would walk into that tent, and she would stab her first friend, her first lover, her only true equal through the heart. She did not want to, she found. But she would do it anyway. It was what Wallachia needed, what it demanded, and Wallachia came before Mehmed. It always would. It had to.”
― Kiersten White, Bright We Burn

“None of them are real to me.鈥� He paused again, placing a hand flat against the door. 鈥淵ou are the only real thing in my life.鈥�
Radu gasped with the sheer physical pain the words sent through him. But the sound of his agony was covered by that of the door opening. Mehmed reached in and pulled Lada out to him, and then his mouth was on hers and his hands were in her hair and he was holding her so tightly, so tightly, and they stumbled back into Lada鈥檚 room and closed the door.
Radu tripped forward, feet dragging, until he stood outside the room. He wanted to be inside it. He wanted to be the only real thing to Mehmed, just as Mehmed was the only real thing to him.
He wanted鈥�
No, please, no.
Yes.
He wanted Mehmed to look at him the way he had looked at Lada.
He wanted Mehmed to kiss him the way he had kissed Lada.
He wanted to be Lada.
No, he did not. He wanted to be himself, and he wanted Mehmed to love him for being himself. His question, the question of Mehmed, was finally answered, piercing him and leaving him shaking, silent, on the floor.
He did not want this answer.”
― Kiersten White, And I Darken

“You are precious to me. What is so wrong with wanting to take care of you?鈥�
鈥淚f I needed or wanted to be taken care of, I would be no better than the women in here! I am nothing like them.鈥�
鈥淣o, you are not! I love you, Lada.鈥� He closed his eyes and lowered his voice, trying to regain control. 鈥淧lease allow me to love you. You are the most important person in my life. You and your brother are the only people who truly know me.鈥�
Lada flinched, and Mehmed鈥檚 eyebrows raised as he noticed her reaction. He did not understand why, though. Lada had not told him about her last fight with Radu, nor that she had heard nothing from him since they parted. Mehmed remained blind to the true depths of Radu鈥檚 love鈥攁nd to how much Lada missed her brother.
鈥淧lease,鈥� Mehmed said. 鈥淚 have already lost Radu to my father. He rarely writes, and when he does it is as though he addresses a stranger. I cannot afford to lose you, too.鈥�
鈥淵ou cannot lose something you do not own. Take me with you.”
― Kiersten White, And I Darken

“No!鈥� Lada shook her head, eyes still wild. 鈥淚 cannot go in there! If a woman enters the harem complex, she belongs to the sultan!鈥�
Mehmed peered out the window they had climbed through, to make sure their path was clear. 鈥淚 would not hold you to that, Lada, and鈥斺€�
鈥淚t would not matter! Everyone would know, I would be labeled your concubine, and鈥斺€�
Radu took her hand, which still hung in the air pointing accusingly at Mehmed, and squeezed it in his own. 鈥淎nd you would be unmarriageable? What a tragedy. I know how dearly you treasured the hope of marrying some minor Ottoman noble, dear sister.鈥�
She finally met his eyes, hers still feverish and frenzied. 鈥淏ut I would be his.鈥�
鈥淚 think our Mehmed is smart enough to know he could never claim you. Right?鈥�
Radu鈥檚 tone was light, and he turned to Mehmed with a playful smile. Perhaps it was the dimness of the room, or the stress of the night, but Mehmed鈥檚 face was clouded with鈥isappointment? Hurt? Then a tight, false smile took its place, and he nodded. Radu鈥檚 own chest felt equally tight with anxiety and fear and a twisting, bitter sense of jealousy.”
― Kiersten White, And I Darken

“What is wrong with you?鈥� Radu sounded on the verge of tears. 鈥淲hy do you have to destroy everything good we have here?鈥�
鈥淏ecause,鈥� Lada said, voice flat with the sudden wave of exhaustion pulling her heavily to the ground. 鈥淲e have nothing. Can you not see that?鈥�
鈥淲e have Mehmed!鈥�
Lada looked up. The stars were static, still and cold in the night, all the fire gone from the sky. 鈥淚t is not enough,鈥� she said.”
― Kiersten White, And I Darken