My Book Boyfriend: Ezekiel Crosse

For those of you who don't know, MBB is a weekly meme hosted by Missie over at the Unread Reader--if you're interested in making your own MBB post, check out the intro post here!  


Dear Julie Kagawa,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for creating so many swoon-worthy boys. 
Seriously. They're like fuel for my daydreams...
...but not in a creepy, X-rated way... Promise. 


Sincerely,
~Me

This week, I'm crushing on Ezekiel Crosse from Julie Kagawa's amazing The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) 

He is...

• Ezekiel "Zeke" Crosse
• human
• 17-years old
• named after the angel of death, apparently
• is very lean, with jagged blond hair that falls into his eyes and bright, piercing blue eyes
• is great with kids.... actually scratch that, he's great with everyone
• is a natural leader
• very handy with guns, machetes, arrows....
• is just a REALLY good person--sees the good in just about everyone, very patient, selfless, always keeps hope....etc.

“The mighty hunter,” I quipped as we snuck out the backdoor, escaping into the yard. “He can take down vicious rabids and rampaging boars, but one old lady can make him flee in terror.”
“One scary old lady,” he corrected me, looking relieved to be out of the house. “You didn’t hear what she told me when I got up — you’re so cute I could put you in a pie. Tell me that’s not the creepiest thing you’ve ever heard.” His voice climbed a few octaves, turning shrill and breathy. “Today for dessert, we have apple pie, blueberry pie and Ezekiel pie.” 

He smiled, a real one this time, though his voice remained teasing. “So, what do you think I am?” 
Naive, I thought at once. Naive, brave, selfless, incredible and much too kind to survive this world. It’ll break you in the end, if you keep going like this. Good things never last.

"I know you're scared," he continued in a quiet voice, still close enough that I could feel his breath on my cheek. The Hunger stirred, but it was weaker this time, sated for now. "I know we just met, and we're all strangers, and you keep yourself apart for your own reasons. But I also know I haven't...felt this way about anyone before. And I think...I hope...you feel the same , because that was really hard for me to say. So..." He reached out again, taking my hand. "I'm asking you to trust me."

“He suddenly leaned in, and his fingers brushed my cheek. Warmth flooded my skin, and I frozen, waiting for him to pull back. 
He didnt. The tips of his fingers lingered on my cheek for a moment. Then, very slowly, his hand slipped forward, the palm brushing my skin. Frozen, I stared at him, watching his face as his fingers moved from my cheek to my forehead to my chin, like a blind man tracing someone's features to see them in his mind. 
"What are you doing to me?" he whispered.”