"I breathe fire. The only fire-breather in the pride for more than four hundred years. It's made me more popular than I want to be" (Chapter 1).

"I know an apology is expected, but I would rather swallow nails. It's this I'm running from - a life of disappointing my mother, of stifling my true self" (Chapter 3).

"Mom deliberately killed her draki years ago, let it wither away from inactivity once it became obvious Tamra would never manifest. I guess she did it so my sister wouldn't feel so alone" (Chapter 4).

"Before, this afraid, I would have instantly manifested. It's an instinct a draki is powerless to resist. That I'm still clinging to my human form can only mean I'm dying, weakening" (Chapter 12).

"Back home, I only ever felt safe, protected, and revered. Even with Cassian, I never felt like he liked me for me, but rather for what...