The Atlas

“She soared above the ground, and he kept her tethered to the earth. Without him she would be lost among the clouds.”

“There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love.”

“He knew in the way that she was a part of him, the way her breathing was his breathing, and her dreams were his dreams, and her blood was his blood, and when her heart stopped he knew that his would too, and he would be glad, because he wouldn’t want to live one second in a world that didn’t have her in it.”

“He can touch your soul. And there is a difference between having your heart break and having your soul shatter.”

“It was hard to live normally when you were constantly pretending you didn't see what was going on in front of your face.”

“When no one you know tells the truth, you learn to see under the surface.”

“These pictures are my heart. And if my heart was a canvas, every square inch of it would be painted over with you.”

“And if my heart was a canvas, every square inch of it would be painted over with you.”

“Is this the girl?” Kieran’s voice was very different: It sounded like waves sliding up the shore. Like warm water under pale light. It was seductive, with an edge of cold. He looked at Emma as if she were a new kind of flower, one he wasn’t sure he liked. “She’s pretty,” he said. “I didn’t think she’d be pretty. You didn’t mention it.” Iarlath shrugged. “You’ve always been partial to blondes,” he said. “Okay, seriously?”

“Then why are you here?” Emma demanded. “Oh, is this one of those missed-connections things? We met the other night, you felt a spark? Sorry, but I don’t date trees.” “I am not a tree.” Iarlath looked angry, his bark peeling slightly.”

“We are bound together, Emma, bound together—I breathe when you breathe, I bleed when you bleed, I’m yours and you’re mine, you’ve always been mine, and I have always, always belonged to you!”