Ilona Andrews

“The first rule of etiquette a boy learns when he's about to entersociety is that civility is due to all women. No provocation, nomatter how unjust and rudely delivered, can validate a man who failsto treat a woman with anything less than utmost courtesy."The boys hung on his every word. He glanced in her direction."I have met some incredibly unpleasant women, and I have never failedin this duty. But I must admit: your sister may prove my undoing.”

“My youngest brother killed a lynx yesterday,” Rose said. “Apparently it came into his territory and left some spray marks. He skinned it, smeared himself in its blood, and put its pelt on his shoulders like a cape. And that’s how he came dressed for breakfast.”Cerise drank some beer. “My sister kills small animals and hangs theircorpses on a tree, because she thinks she is a monster and she’s convincedwe’ll eventually banish her from the house. They’re her rations. Just in case.”Rose blinked. “I see. I think we’re going to get along just fine, don’t you?”“I think so, yes.”

“How did the hearing go?” she asked.“We won, sort of,” Kaldar said. “We die at dawn.”“The court gave the Sheeriles twenty-four hours,” William corrected.“Yes, but ‘we die at dawn the day after tomorrow’ doesn’t sound nearlyas dramatic.”“Does it have to be dramatic all the time?” Catherine murmured.“Of course. Everyone has a talent. Yours is crocheting and mine ismaking melodramatic statements.”

“If she died as a result of this journey, it wouldn't be because of slavers. It would be because Richard's inability to communicate would give her a heart attack.”

“In that case, it's good that you're a human Cuisinart," she said."I'm sorry?""A Cuisinart. It's an appliance from the Broken. You put vegetables into it, push a button, and it chops them into tiny pieces."Richard frowned. "Why would you need an appliance to chop vegetables? Wouldn't it be easier to chop them with a knife?""It's meant to save time," she explained."Does it?""Well, cleaning it usually eats up most of the time you save on chopping.""So you're telling me that I'm useless.""It's a neat gadget!""And I'm hard to clean, apparently."She checked his face. Tiny sparks danced in his eyes. He was pulling her leg. Well. If that's how it is... "Considering last night's argument, I think that you're remarkably difficult to clean.""There probably is a retort to this that's not off-color," he said. "But I can't think of one.”

“I think of you a lot. Do you think of me, Andrea? Don’t lie to me.”“Yes!” I snarled, my face burning. “Yes, I do! All the time. I can’t get you out of myhead. I wish I could!”He hugged me so hard, my bones nearly crunched. “You’ve made yourself into anew person and so have I. We deserve a fucking chance. I want you and you wantme. Why aren’t we together? I’ll deal with your hang-ups if you’ll deal with mine, butif you’re still too scared to even try, then you’re not worth waiting for. I have somegoddamn pride left and I won’t wait forever.”

“I'd appreciate it if in the future when you come up with a plan that makes a hardened criminal pause, you could at least give me the gist of it ahead of time. In broad strokes.”

“Do you ever think of anythingbut sex?”“Yes, I do. Sometimes I think of waking up next to you. Or making you laugh.”

“Would you say the shapeshifter was in distress?”“Hell yeah, he was in distress. His tail was on fire.”“He ran like his tail was on fire?”“No, his tail was on fire. Like a big, furry candle on his ass.”

“The idiot had shot their own dog. That’s what happened when the destructive potential of a man’s weapons exceeded his intelligence.”

“Having a fling with you doesn't appeal to me. You're handsome, but you're too inexperienced to be good in bed. Having ridden many horses doesn't make you a good rider; it just proves that you can't recognize a good one or don't know how to keep her.”

“You could buy a car for fifty thousand dollars. A really nice car.” Ascanio’s eyes lit up. “A Hummer. You could buy a converted Hummer.”“You don’t need a Hummer.” I said.“Chicks dig the Hummer.”“You don`t need any chicks either.”He gave me an injured look. “I have needs.”“I have needs too and right now I need you to concentrate on tracking down Jamar`s collection. Get to it.”- Andrea & Ascanio”

“Come back to me. Don’t leave me all alone. Don’t die on me, you stupid sonovabitch. You goddamn fuckingidiot. I told you to stay out of the damn fight! Why the hell don’t you ever listen? I fucking hate you. I hate you,you hear me? Don’t you dare die on me, because I need to kill you with my bare hands.”

“The dark scary servant of all evil was on his way to rescue me. Somehow that thought failed to make me warm and fuzzy.”

“She was beautiful and radiant. He remembered the concern in her eyes. The same concern drove her now, pushing her toward acts of violence. On the surface, he'd be a fool to turn her down. She was driven by tragedy, just like him, and she would be incorruptible, just like him. He needed a blade to kill, but she could kill dozens at once empty-handed. She was Death, and she had just asked to be his ally.”

“Congratulations," he said, his voice dry. "You finally managed to find a woman as tragically noble as yourself. I didn't think one existed.""I'm not tragic."Kaldar held up his hand. "Spare me. Some children are born wearing a silk shirt; you were born wrapped in melancholy. When they slapped you to make you cry, you just sighed heavily and a single tear rolled from your eye." He dragged his finger from the corner of his left eye to his cheek. " Your first words were probably 'woe is me.'""My first words were 'Kaldar, shut up!' because you talked too much. Still do.”

“He caressed my cheek."You came for me," I whispered."Always," he told me.”

“What is he doing here?" Curran growled."He's Roland's Warlord. He's here for me." He was here for the woman who had broken his master's blade."Tough luck. You're mine.”

“Where you worried about me?""No, I'm ranting for fun, because I'm a disagreeable bitch!"He smiled."You're a moron!" I told him.He just looked at me. Happy golden lights danced in his eyes. I'd learned exactly what those sparks meant. Fury fled, replaced by alarm."Kiss me and I'll kill you," I warned."It might be worth it," he said softly.”

“The universe shrank to Curran and his pain. I had to break him free. Nothing else mattered.”

“Eat slowly," the blueblood said. "Don't cut your food with the fork. Cut it with the knife, and make the pieces small enough so you can answer a question without having to swallow first." Why me? "Right. Any other tips?" Her sarcasm whistled right over his head. "Yes. Look at me and not at your plate. If you have to look at your plate, glance at it occasionally." Rose put down her fork. "Lord Submarine..." "Camarine." "Whatever." "You can call me Declan." He said it as if granting her a knighthood. The nerve. "Declan, then. How did you spend your day?" He frowned. "It's a simple question: How did you spend your day? What did you do prior to the fight and the pancake making?" "I rested from my journey," he said with a sudden regal air. "You took a nap" "Possibly." "I spent my day scrubbing, vacuuming and dusting ten offices in the Broken. I got there at seven thirty in the morning and left at six. My back hurts, I can still smell bleach on my fingers, and my feet feel as flat as these pancakes. Tomorrow, I have to go back to work, and I want to eat my food in peace and quiet. I have good table manners. They may not be good enough for you, but they're definitely good enough for the Edge, and they are the height of social graces in this house. So please keep your critique to yourself." The look on his face was worth having him under her roof. As if he had gotten slapped.She smiled at him. "Oh and thank you for the pancakes. They are delicious.”

“When I got a bad grade in my old boarding school, Kate would make a trip to the school to chew me out. When I got homesick, I'd flunk a grade on purpose. Sometimes she came by herself. Sometimes with other people. Boy kind of people. Of whom I promised myself I wouldn't be thinking about, because they were idiots.”

“If the sky could dream, it would dream of dragons.”

“True strength isn’t in killing—or ignoring—your opponent, it’s in having the will to shield those who need your protection.”

“One look at Rebecca and Aunt B would have an instant apoplexy.Raphael’s eyebrows furrowed. “My mother’s approval isn’t necessary.”Aha. “Does she know that?”

“So we have giant super-smart vipers who slithered in here, killed our people, opened the vault, stole something from it, and slithered out, undetected?”“Appears so.”“Okay. Just wanted to make sure it wasn’t something dangerous.”

“PARTY STARTER.”

“This is embarrassing,” Mr. Haffey informed me. I winked at him. “What, Mrs. Haffey never carried you over the threshold on your wedding night?”

“I see Kayla dragged you into this.”I smiled at him. “No, sir, I just came to borrow a cup of sugar.”“Heh.”

“Sometimes, when you crave certain feelings, you'll trick yourself into thinking the other person is something other than what he apears.”

“Since when do you give a crap about my welfare anyway? I think you're confused as to the nature of our relationship. You and I, we don't get along. You're a psychopathic control freak. You order me around and I want to kill you. I'm a pigheaded insubordinate ass. I drive you mad and you want to strangle me.""Once! I did it once!""Once was plenty. The point is, we don't play nice. We-"He jerked his arms out from under my knees, pulled me to him, oblivious to the dagger, and kissed me.”

“No. I don't go through your things. I just come once in a while to make sure you're in one piece. I like knowing you're safe, asleep in your bed. I haven't stolen anything...”

“You're screening your calls?""Why not? It saves me from conversations with idiots.""Is that an insult?" His voice dropped into a deep growl."You're not an idiot," I told him. "You're just a deadly psychopath with a god complex.(...)”

“The pervert.""He prefers to think of himself as sexual deviant.""Semantics.”

“I want in,” the boy said.“In on what?”“You’re the Hunter. You’re hunting the slavers. I want in.”“And how would you know that?” If someone had opened their mouth, he would be really put out.Jack gave a one-shouldered shrug.“We overhead you and Declan talking.”“Declan’s study is soundproof.”“Not to reanimated mice,” Jack said.”

“Oh my gods. The alpha of Clan Cat just got smacked with a rolled-up newspaper."Mom!”

“Still think she is worth it?” Mahon asked quietly.“Of course. She is my mate.”Mahon sighed. “So you decided then.”“Do you think we’d be laying here bleeding in the snow if I wasn’t sure?”“Good point.”

“Me acerqué a pedirle al encargado que me diera la nueva llave, me arrastré hasta mi apartamento y estudié mi nueva cerradura. Grande, metálica y brillante. No tenía ni un rasguño. Incluso la llave tenía grabada una muesca extraña, que le proporcionaba un sistema a prueba de ladrones. Chúpate esa, Su Majestad.Abrí la puerta, entré y la cerré de nuevo. Me descalcé, estremeciéndome por el dolor en el estómago. Iba a tardar mucho tiempo en curarse por completo, pero al menos ya había dejado de sangrar.Me había relajado. Mañana ya me preocuparía de Hugh d'Ambray, Andrea y Roland, pero de momento me sentía muy contenta. Ah, mi casa. Mi hogar, mis esencias, mi querida alfombra bajo mis pies, mi cocina, mi Curran sentado en la silla de la cocina... ¡Espera un momento!-¡Tú! -Miré la cerradura, lo miré a él. Era demasiado bueno para la puerta a prueba de ladrones.Con mucha parsimonia, acabó de escribir algo en un trozo de papel, se levantó y se dirigió hacia mí. Mi corazón se desbocó. Unas pequeñas chispas doradas danzaban en sus ojos grises. Me tendió el trozo de papel y sonrió.-No puedo quedarme.Me quedé mirándolo como una idiota.Inhaló mi aroma, abrió la puerta y se marchó. Entonces miré el papel.Voy a estar ocupado las próximas ocho semanas, así que lo dejamos para el quince de noviembre.MENÚQuiero un filete de cordero o de venado. Patatas asadas con mantequilla dulce. Mazorcas de maíz. Panecillos. Y una tarta de manzana, como la que preparaste la otra vez. Me gustó muchísimo. La quiero con helado.Me debes una cena desnuda, pero no soy un completo animal, por lo que puedes llevar sujetador y braguitas si lo deseas. Las azules con lazo me encantan.CurranSeñor de las Bestias de Atlanta”

“Acarició mi mejilla.-Viniste a por mí -susurré.-Siempre -respondió.-Eres un maldito idiota, ¿intentabas desperdiciar tu vida?-Solo intentaba ponerme a punto. Tenerte a salvo me mantiene en forma.”

“-No siempre existe un noble propósito. A menudo, hay una razón, la necesidad de salvar a alguien o algo: tu amigo, tu amante, un inocente que no merece resultar herido. A veces es una razón puramente egoísta. Uno puede luchar por fortalecer su cuerpo, por su buen nombre o por su cordura. A veces, es solo un trabajo, pero decidir luchar y hacerlo son dos cosas bien distintas.”

“-Creo que otorgas demasiado crédito a nuestra relación. -Hice cuanto pude para cambiar de tema-. Yo lo irrito hasta sacar lo peor de él y Curran ha encontrado el modo de darme la lata. Eso es todo.-Quizás tengas razón.-De todos modos, Su Majestad necesita una chica- puedo. Y yo no lo soy.-¿Una chica-puedo? -Andrea enarcó las cejas y yo me incliné sobre el respaldo.-¿Puedo traerle la comida, Su Majestad? ¿Puedo decirle lo fuerte y valiente que es Su Majestad? ¿Puedo quitarle las pulgas, Su Majestad? ¿Puedo besarle el culo, Su Majestad? ¿Puedo... ? -Caí en la cuenta de que Rafael estaba sentado rígidamente, inmóvil como una estatua, con la mirada fija en algún punto sobre mi cabeza-. Está detrás de mí, ¿verdad?Andrea asintió lentamente.- Técnicamente, debería ser podría -dijo Curran, con una voz más grave de lo que recordaba-, ya que estás pidiendo permiso. (...)-Para responder a tu pregunta, sí, puedes besarme el culo. Normalmente, prefiero conservar mi espacio personal, pero tú eres una amiga de la Manada y tus servicios han demostrado ser de utilidad en una o dos ocasiones. Mi única pregunta es, ¿me besarías el culo por obediencia, por acicalamiento o como un preliminar del acto sexual?”

“-¿Desde cuándo te importa una mierda mi bienestar? Creo que estás confundido en cuanto a la naturaleza de nuestra relación. Tú y yo no nos llevamos bien. Tú eres un monstruo psicópata del control. Pretendes darme órdenes y yo deseo matarte. Soy una idiota insubordinada y cabezota. Te vuelvo loco y tú quieres estrangularme.-¡Una vez! ¡Solo lo intenté una vez!-Una es más que suficiente. La cuestión es que no jugamos limpio. Nosotros...Liberó sus brazos de mis rodillas, me atrajo hacia él, ignorando la daga, y me besó.”

“-¿Cómo has conseguido entrar?- Tengo mis recursos.Caí en la cuenta. Él había reemplazado mi puerta hacía dos meses, porque yo estaba bastante ocupada intentando no morir.- Te quedaste una llave de mi apartamento. Capullo. ¿Cuántas veces has entrado?- De vez en cuando.-¿Por qué?- Para saber que estás bien. Me ahorra el tiempo de sentarme junto al teléfono a esperar una de tus llamadas de auxilio.-No tienes por qué preocuparte: no va a haber más llamadas. Prefiero morirme a llamarte otra vez.-Eso es lo que me preocupa -replicó.(...)-¿Has venido alguna vez mientras dormía?-Ocasionalmente.- Te habría oído.-Trabajas doce horas al día y vienes hecha polvo. Además, soy muy silencioso.(...)-No, no reviso tus cosas. Solo vengo de vez en cuando para asegurarme de que sigues de una pieza. Me gusta saber que estás a salvo, durmiendo en la cama.”

“Me acerqué para guardar el expediente en mi cajón y mis dedos rozaron un libro en rústica. La princesa prometida. Aquella noche en Savannah, cuando casi me besó, lo estaba leyendo, y cuando le dije que nos fuéramos, me contestó: «Como desees».”

“-Ya veo... ¿Jim está contigo en este momento?-Sí. Nos lo estamos montando a lo bestia y nos has interrumpido.Colgué.(...)Volvía a sumergirme en el mundo de los sueños, con la almohada eh la cabeza para bloquear el persistente y molesto haz de luz, cuando oí que una llave giraba en la cerradura. La puerta se abrió. La única persona que tenía llave de mi apartamento era el encargado, y nunca entraría sin avisar. Me levanté rápidamente y lancé una patada directa. Mi pie golpeó al intruso en el abdomen, lo que provocó un gemido claramente masculino, y este cayó al suelo. (...)Una mano de acero me agarró el tobillo. Me apoyé sobre la espalda y le propiné una patada en el hombro con toda la fuerza que pude reunir.Volvió a gemir y entonces vi su cara.-¡Curran! -Hubiera preferido a un homicida lunático. Oh, espera...(...)Me envolvió como si fuera un paquete. No podía moverme ni un milímetro.-¡Pensé que eras una especie de maníaco! -gruñí.-Lo soy.-¿Qué estás haciendo aquí?-Busco a Jim en tu cama.-No está aquí.-Ya lo veo.”

“I saved the baby. I saved her. For you."- Bran”

“Superstitions add texture to life.”

“The Beast Lord walked out of the warehouse. The screen went dark.My knight in furry armor.Saiman opened his mouth. "This is why I didn't. Personally, I think your smile is inappropriate.”

“I’d give him a cup of coffee and a big helping of a knuckle sandwich. Generosity was a virtue and I was in the mood to be extremely virtuous.”

“People think I built the Pack, because I'm the guy who has the welfare of all shapeshifters in mind. They're wrong. Everything I built, I did so that when I mate and have children, nobody can touch my family. (...) I built all this so I can protect you.”