Alyson Noel

“I guess by now I should know enough about loss to realize that you never really stop missing someone-you just learn to live around the huge gaping hole of their absence.”

“Well, it's nice to have a dream. But it's even nicer when there's a remote possibility of it coming true.”

“True character is revealedby the way people react to the bigger challenges in life.”

“Everything passes. Everything experiences the birth and death cycle.”

“Mine. I'm on my side.”

“Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.”

“Hating requires caring. In which case, I couldn't possibly hate you.”

“Love never dies.”

“He pulls me into his arms, his touch calm and soothing, but unable to erase the truth. "I have to go," he finally whispers. "But Ever, if you want to love me, if you truly want to be with me, then you'll have to accept what we are. I'll understand if you can't.”

“Today's worries are yesterday's fears and tomorrow's stories.”

“Si fuerzas a alguien a escoger, no debería sorprenderte que no te escojan""No es gracioso cómo los chicos y las chicas siempre mienten en sentidos opuestos? Los chicos añaden, las chicas restan”

“So cute how you called out for Damen after conjuring that chaste little love scene in your head.”

“Haven's warm, clammy palms press hard against my cheeks as the tarnished edge of her silver skull ring leaves a smudge on my skin.”

“Elephants? Really? My God, what does he see in you? Certainly not your intellect or wit, since we’ve yet to see any evidence it exists. And your idea of a love scene? So Disney, so Family Channel, so dreadfully boring. Really, Ever, may I remind you that Damen’s been around for hundreds of years, including the free-love sixties?”

“Gone surfing. Be back soon. -D”

“One more sign of how perfect Damen is—he keeps a pair of trunks in his car.”

“But the moment our eyes meet, I'm right back under his spell, a helpless hunk of steel to his irresistible magnet.”

“I swear he's just so freaking smoldering, you have to see him." She shakes her head, annoyed that I can't join in on the fun. "He's like combustible!”

“Didn't I promise I'd always look after you and keep you from harm?”

“Explaining that I'm faced with a choice between being with the love of my life, or saving four lives that were never meant to end.”

“Ever, can't you just relax and enjoy the view? When was the last time you were in Paris anyway?""Never. I've never been to Paris. And I hate to break it to you, Ava, but this—is not Paris. This is like some cranked up Disney version of Paris. Like, you've taken a pile of travel brochures and French postcards, and scenes from that adorable cartoon movie Ratatouille, mixed them all together and voila, created this.”

“Have I ever told you how much I love you, Ever? Have I? Ever, Ever?”

“Family dinner. Seven-thirty sharp. Tie optional. Straight-jacker required.”

“Aw, now look at that, you're being sarcastic, aren't you?”

“undying love.....”

“You're strictly a tulip girl—a red tulip girl.”

“...in the end, all I want is to be with him. It's the only way my life feels complete.”

“Six hundred years is an awfully long time, Ever. So long it's impossible for either of us to imagine. Though it is more than enough time to rack up a few dirty skeletons for the old metaphorical closet, right?”

“But my attention’s elsewhere, drawn to that warm wonderful pull, the familiar loving essence that only belongs to one person—only belongs to him—Watching as Damen cuts through the water, board tucked under his arm, body so sculpted, so bronzed, Rembrandt would weep. Water sluicing behind him like a hot knife through butter, cleanly, fluidly, as though parting the sea.My lips part, desperate to speak, to call out his name and bring him back to me. But just as I’m about to, my eyes meet his and I see what he sees: me—hair tangled and wet—clothes twisted and clinging—frolicking in the ocean on a hot sunny day with Jude’s tanned strong arms still wrapped around me.I release myself from Jude’s grip, but it’s too late. Damen’s already seen me.Already moved on.Leaving me hollow, breathless, as I watch him retreat.No tulips, no telepathic message, just a sad, empty void left behind in his place.”

“I'm with him, and he's with me, and that's the way it's meant to eternally be.”

“Knowing that wishes don’t always come about in the way that we think, but if you believe and keep your mind open, there’s a really good chance they will manifest in some way.”

“Ever, if I’ve learned nothing else in my six hundred years of living, it’s that people hate change almost as much as they hate for their beliefs to be challenged.”

“Maybe." I shrug. "But what I meant was, can't you use the makeup to cover it?"Miles rolls his eyes and scowls. "Oh, so I can sport a huge flesh-colored beacon instead? Would you look at this thing? There's no disguising it. It's got it's own DNA! It's casting shadows!”

“i love purple and blue!!!!!”

“Our past may shape us, but it doesn't define who we become.”

“What is going on with you?" she says, shaking her head and pushing me away. "What's up with all the love and affection? I mean, you of all people, you of the eternal iPod-hoodie combo.”

“Foolish Ever, don't you realize there's no longer any difference between you and your-monster? You are the monster. It's your dark side, your shadow self, and you've now joined as one.”

“Dogs are a gift to mankind. They are happy and joyful and loyal by nature. They are pure, positive energy and teach by example. That is all that's required of them.”

“Where's your car? Miles asks, glancing at him as he slams his door shut and slings his backpack over his shoulder. "And whats up with your hand?""I got rid of it," Damen says, gaze fixed on mine. Then glancing at Miles and seeing his expression he adds, "The car, not the hand.""Did you trade it in?" I ask, but only because Miles is listening. [...]He shakes his head and walks me to the gate, smiling as he says, "No, I just dropped off on the side of the road, key in the ignition, engine running.""Excuse me?!" Miles yelps. "You mean to tell me that you left your shiny, black, BMW M6 Coupe—by the side of the road?"Damen nods.But thats a hundred-thousand-dollar car!" Miles gasps as his face turns bright red."A hundreds and ten." Damen laughs. "Don't forget, it was fully customized and loaded with options."Miles stares at him, eyes practically bugging out of his head, unable to comprehend how anyone could do such a thing—why anyone would do such a thing. "Um, okay, so let me get this straight—you just woke up and decided—Hey, what the hell? I think I'll just dump my ridiculously expensive luxury car by the side of the road—WHERE JUST ANYONE CAN TAKE IT?"Damen shrugs. "Pretty much.""Because in case you haven't noticed," Miles says, practically hyperventilating now. "Some of us are a little car deprived. Some of us were born with parents so cruel and unusual they're forced to rely on the kindness of friends for the rest of their lives!""Sorry." Damen shrugs. "Guess I hadn't thought about that. Though if it makes you feel any better, it was all for a very good cause.”

“Close your eyes and picture it. Can you see it?"I nod, eyes closed."Imagine it right there before you. See its texture, shape, and color—got it?"I smile, holding the image in my head."Good. Now reach out and touch it. Feel its contours with the tips of your fingers, cradle its weight in the palms of your hands, then combine all of your senses—sight, touch, smell, taste—can you taste it?"I bite my lip and suppress a giggle."Perfect. Now combine that with feeling. Believe it exists right before you. Feel it, see it, touch it, taste it, accept it, manifest it!" he says.So I do. I do all of those things. And when he groans, I open my eyes to see for myself."Ever." He shakes his head. "You were supposed to think of an orange. This isn't even close.""Nope, nothing fruity about him." I laugh, smiling ateach of my Damens—the replica I manifested before me, and the flesh and blood version beside me. Both of them equally tall, dark, and so devastatingly handsome they hardly seem real.”

“I was a beautiful vampire princess loved, worshiped and admired by all. I lived in a luxurious gothic castle and I have no idea how I ended up at this fiberglass table with you losers.”

“So you’ve made a friend. How sad for them.”

“Now, now." He smiles, "Don't you worry 'bout a thing. Damen's right where you left him. Though I must say I can't believe that you left him. I underestimated you. I had no idea. Though I can't help but wonder how Damen would feel if he knew. I bet he underestimated you too.”

“You can’t go back, Ever. You can’t change the past. It just is. . . . This is our destiny. Not yours.”

“He looks at me, the light in his eyes fractures into millions of bits—a kaleidoscope of darkness that may never be fixed.”

“But while everything around us seems to be in a constant state of flux- people at their very core remained exactly the same. All of us still seeking the things we've sought all along—shelter, food, love, greater meaning—" He shakes his head. "A quest that's immune to evolution.”

“We meet the people we’re supposed to when the time is just right.”

“I'm after something far more esoteric than a virginal shag. Though, if you'd like, darlin', I'm certainly up for the task.”

“But I've strayed so far from normal now, I'll never find my way back. And the truth is, I no longer want to.”