the dreamer trilogy

He couldn’t tell if he was letting himself idolize this place or Ronan, and he wasn’t sure there was a difference.

There was nothing inside Ronan. Glorious nothing, and behind that, more nothing.

They were both hungry animals, but Adam had been starving for longer.

𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦? 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 – 𝘩𝘢𝘩𝘢 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘺. 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺.

Ronan convinced the staff to turn the overhead speakers up and Blue laughed for the first time at something Gansey said and they were loud and triumphant and kings of Henrietta,

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Ronan was looking at him, as he had been looking at him for months. Adam looked back, as he had been looking back for months.

If Adam was stupid about his pride, Gansey was stupid about Adam.

MURDERED And again, again, again, across each other: MURDERED MURDERED MURDERED

When Adam kissed him, it was every mile per hour Ronan had ever gone over the speed limit. It was every window-down, goose-bumps-on-skin, teeth-chattering-cold night drive. It was Adam’s ribs under Ronan’s hands and Adam’s mouth on his mouth, again and again and again.

He imagined Adam, ever the scientist. Ronan, ferocious and loyal and fragile. “Don’t break him, Adam.” Adam continued peering out the window. The only tell to the furious working of his mind was the slow twisting together of his fingers. “I’m not an idiot, Gansey.”

“I’ll take care of it.” She echoed, “Take care of it?” “Yeah. How much do you make in an hour? I’ll take care of it. And I’ll talk to your manager.” For a moment, Blue was actually lost for words.

It was one thing to say it and another thing to see Ronan Lynch standing among the trees he had dreamt into being, looking of a piece with them because he was of a piece with them. Magician – no wonder Ronan was all right with Adam being uncanny. No wonder he needed him to be.

Ronan kept going, his voice louder. “No. Do you hear me, Cabeswater? You promised to keep me safe. Who are we to you? Nothing? If you let him die, that is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦. Do you understand? If they die, I die, too.”

Blue said abruptly, “We’re your magicians, right?” Yes, his magicians, his court, him their pointless king, nothing to offer but his pulse. How 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 it had felt at each moment that he met them all.

Ronan shook his head, but then, with a wicked smile, he began to sing, “Squash one, squash two, s —” “𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦,” both Adam and Gansey said.

Adam had the sick feeling that his father had managed to knock something crucial askew. And then he said what he couldn’t say before. He asked, “Can I … can I press charges?”

He closed his eyes and let the storm soak him. That was this kiss. They kissed again. Adam felt it in more than his lips.

Right after he spoke, Blue threw her arms tightly around his neck. Right after he spoke, she pressed her face into the side of his. Right after he spoke, she held him like a shouted word. 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. He fell quietly from her arms. He was a king.

“Ronan,” he said. The gentle way he said it nearly made Blue cry. Ronan did not turn his head. His feet rested on the pedals; his hands rested on the bottom of the steering wheel. His face was quite composed. How miserable it was to imagine that he was the last Lynch left here.

Ronan more than made up for Adam’s calm, though — he took up enough room for three people with his restless pacing. Orla came down for the gossip but stared so admiringly at Ronan that Calla yelled at her to leave and give everyone more space.