SWOON Thursday (#35): The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter

Hosted by YA Bound

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! We want to know :-)

Here's mine:

"Are you sure about this?" she asked shakily. "Last chance to--"

He took the knife and slashed himself in the center of his chest, exactly as she had done. No hesitation. Blood ran in both directions, raining down his ribs, up to his neck. "I've never been so sure of anything in my too-long life. Now come here."

Scarlet eased down until she was lying on top of him, their blood mingling. She was trembling.

He stared into her eyes, those perfect dark eyes. "I am yours, and you are mine."

"I--I am yours and you...you are mine," she repeated.

He claimed her free hand and flattened it over his pounding heart. "From this moment on, until the end of time."

Her fingers jerked against him, but she didn't pull away. "From this moment..."

Come on. Say it. Ancient power swirled around them, as thick as the silence had been. Waiting...

"From this moment...until the end of time."

Yes. Yes! Finally.

A stream of fire slammed into him, and he cried out. The same must have happened to Scarlet, because her shout blended with his. That fire blazed along his soul, tearing it in two. But then, a sweet, cool ice crystallized, filling the wounded void. Making him whole again. Making him more than Gideon. Making him Scarlet's man.

"And so it's done," he said, voice trembling with his satisfaction. So simple, so easy. And yet, she was his. She was his wife. Now...always. Every bone in his body, every cell, vibrated with the knowledge. "To part is to die," he added, sure now that he'd come across the phrase when she had entered his dreams all those centuries ago. They'd been connected, even then.

"I hope you never regret this," she whispered.

"Never." He urged her closer for a soft, quick kiss, then smiled. "Now don't you have something else to say to me?"

"To part is to die," she repeated. "And I want you to know...I was never with another man. After I came down here and saw you. I lied to you."

He hadn't expected the confession and his eyes closed for a moment, exhaling a warm breath. "I'm glad. I understood why you'd done so, but I'm glad you lied. So damn glad. You're mine."

"Yours," she said brokenly, as if the word was impossible to believe.

One day she would. Completely. Two of his fingers stroked the ridges of her spine. "So, who are you today?"

"Scarlet...Lord."
- The Darkest Lie SWOON #YABound

Teaser Tuesday (#34): The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) 
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

My Teaser:

Satisfaction belonged only to her.

Which meant it was time to throw him for another loop.

As she strolled to the bathroom, stripping along the way, she said over her shoulder, "Oh, and, Gid. I've been lying to you all along. We were never married."

- The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter, Page 43

Teaser Tuesday (#19): The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Danika had been cold for so long that the blazing-hot blanket draped over her shocked her out of the death-sleep. Her eyelids popped open, and a gasp shoved past her lips. Remnants of her nightmare refused to fade, however, preventing her from seeing what surrounded her. She saw only a darkness slashed with crimson, the night bleeding from lethal wounds. She heard swords clanking, demons laughing evilly, and the whoosh of heads as they rolled. 

Death, death, her every breath proclaimed. 

- The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter, Page 71

Teaser Tuesday (#18): The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

The sword was pulled out of Lucien and black cobwebs wove through his vision, giving him limited eyesight. But he was able to see Anya with that sword in hand, a dark storm blanketing her lovely face. He saw William square off with her, determined, resolved.

They would battle to the death.

"No," he ground out. He couldn't let that happen. Couldn't let her fight the warrior. "No!"

- The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter, Page 350 

SWOON Thursday (#17): The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

Hosted by YA Bound

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! We want to know :-)

Here's mine (this one isn't from a YA book, but I really loved this SWOON from the book I'm currently reading, so I decided to use it for this meme):

"I don't want you to have to watch. I won't be alone, sweet. Pain and Death will be with me."

"Yeah, but they won't snuggle you."

He contained a grin. "You are mine, woman, and I am yours. Until you, my life was desolate. I existed, but I didn't truly live. Now I live, even in my death." The words were as close to marriage vows as he would ever come, he was sure. She would be his, and he would always be hers.

-The Darkest Night SWOON #YABound