Jeaniene Frost

“Just because you don't know how to do something doesn't mean it can't be done.”

“Now, you fuckers," I said as I rolled my head around my shoulders and palmed some knives. "Let me introduce myself.”

“Mencheres slid through the water toward her, drawn by the same inexorable compulsion that led moths to dance with flames. He'd had several lifetimes' worth of reason, cold machinations, and, ultimately, emptiness. Perhaps the moths knew what he didn't, that the joy of the flame was worth the price of destruction.”

“I opened my mouth-and had nothing to refute that with. Damn people who argued using logic. Talk about unfair.”

“Bones was in high spirits. Why wouldn't he be? He had just hypothetically fucked me into incomprehension.”

“Let me introduce my friend, Cat.’ The redhead, and for some reason, she looked familiar. ‘Her husband Bones’ – here Vlad smiled coolly at the short-haired brunet – ‘is not my friend.”

“Catherine. " She swept by me without a hug. Okay, that was familiar, too. "You really should wear something warmer, it's freezing out. " Hello to you, too, Mom. Or whoever the hell you are, because you sure don't look like the woman who raised me. 123 "You should talk, " I managed. "I can see all the way up to your thigh. My God, if Grandma saw you now, she'd come right out of her grave!" My mother opened her mouth, paused, and then smiled. "I won't tell if you won't. " I was going directly to the kitchen to fall to my knees in awe before Rodney. Lo and behold, he'd managed to give her a sense of humor, and here I'd figured that would take voodoo, several headless chickens, and a lot of gris-gris.”

“When I remember you, Randy, I'm going to smile, not cry. You're a part of me. One of the best parts. I just wanted to tell you that." She stopp up, brushing the headstone once more. "And if you meet someone called Giselda," she whispered, "tell her she's still part of Spade, too. A beautiful part. Please thank her for that.”

“Denise's first thought on seeing her blood stain Spade's lips was "oh shit". Then the fire that leapt into his gaze and the way he dominated her mouth in his next kiss made her decide that self-preservation was overrated.”

“Any situation was better faced with an empty bladder, a clean body, and a lack of morning breath.”

“Beautiful and diabolical. You make me impatient indeed to claim you.”

“Kitten." His voice was thick with something I couldn't name. "This is the part... where you don't have a choice.”

“«Ho detto che sono tutte sciocchezze. Tu stai giocando le carte che ti hanno dato come chiunque altro in questo mondo infame. Hai dei doni per cui la gente ucciderebbe, è inutile che tu li disprezzi. Hai una madre che ti vuole bene e una bella casa dove tornare. Quei villani dei tuoi vicini, che ti guardano dall'alto in basso senza sapere niente solo perché non hai un padre, sono soltanto dei coglioni, il mondo è grande, e a te è stato affidato un ruolo importante. Credi che tutti vadano in giro fischiettando felici della vita che fanno? Credi che a loro sia stato concesso di scegliersi il proprio destino? Mi dispiace, piccola, ma non funziona così. Ti attacchi a quelli a cui vuoi bene e combatti le battaglie che puoi vincere: è così che vanno le cose, micetta.»”

“I was sitting cross-legged in bed, trying without success to pretend I'd misunderstood the image I'd glimpsed. Yeah, right. Because Vlad had been between my legs looking for a set of keys he'd lost.”

“Cat, hmmm? From where I sit you look more like a Kitten."My head jerked around and I shot him an annoyed look. Oh, I was going to enjoy this, all right. "It's Cat," I repeated firmly. "Cat Raven.""Whatever you say, Kitten Tweedy.”

“You either trust me or you don't. I've never let you down, and I won't walk away unless you make me. Period. Now, unless you have a real emergency, I'd like to get back to my vacation. And my corpse, thanks.”

“Killing your rival doesn’t guarantee happiness. Sometimes it ruins any chance you have of it instead. Memories of dead men hold far more power than the annoyances of living ones.”

“If she were human, I’d judge her to be in her mid-forties. That didn’t sit in a negative column with her, though, because she gave off a smoldering, ripe sensuality that made youth look like a boring waste of time.”

“nobody could catch a vampire on a motorcycle.”

“He leaned over and kissed me. A long, deep kiss filled with promise and passion. I loved the way he kissed me. Like he was drinking in the taste of me and still coming back thirsty.”

“What had started out as a game was now an open challenge, as well as a direct threat. Any further action would bear results, it was clear from the way his gaze smoldered into mine. In that way, it was like an optical erection.”

“People can perfect whatever facade they want, but everyone holds their sins close to their skin.”

“I'd felt obligated to get Ian a Christmas present. A chunk of coal sat in a brightly wrapped box under the tree, his name written in big bold letters on the front of it.Ian might be family, but he still had been a very naughty boy this year.”

“Oh, yes, that feels so good," I moaned, and instead of punching Ian, pulled him closer.Breath tickled my neck as he laughed. "I know. I'm truly gifted.”

“You do that, and I take back every nasty thing I've ever said about you."He grinned, his mood changing from serious to wicked in an instant. "Why? I'm all those things and more."I shook my head. Ian was more proud of his depravity than anyone I'd met, but if he helped me pull Bones out from under four bespelled vampires and one demonically-enchanced vamp, I'd shower him with prostitutes and porn while swearing he was an angel.”

“He had black hair anybody could see was dyed, and even had one long piece wrapped around his head in that way some men did to fool no one into believing they weren't bald. I resisted a sudden strong urge to tug away that piece and scream peekaboo! at his bare crown underneath.”

“If only there was a way I could cover my tension with the scent of eau de brass valls instead.”

“Since this was a formal undead gathering, there would be food—all kinds—drinks, dancing, and festivities, while those in power pondered whether or not to slaughter half the people around them. In other words, like a high-school prom.”

“How could I possibly keep my cool while getting sweaty with him? What if I screamed out something horrifying, like "I love you?" What if I had an epileptic attack and started drooling or spitting right in the middle of things?”

“I hope it's the worst fuck you've ever had, you ruthless, manipulating bastard.""Pillow talk already?" he replied with a slight grin.”

“Bones leaned back, studying me. I felt so self-conscious. If only I had a shield of makeup, some perfectly arranged hair... and oh yeah. Some panties.”

“Where are we going? You never told me." "My home in Romania." Wow, this guy wasn’t kidding with his Dracula fixation.”

“What's in the cave, Russell?' Madigan asked with heavy sarcasm.I shrugged. 'Rocks. Lots of 'em.''Don't patronize me.' His voice lowered to a hiss. 'What else is in the cave?'I looked him straight in the eye and spoke one word.'Mud.”

“I needed his attitude like I needed an extra pair of tits on my ass.”

“Now that's worth the trip right there." He chuckled, pink starting to sparkle in his eyes. "How goes it, Gregor? Forgot your manners, did you? If I'd known you were balanced in such a precarious state, I might have taken even...longer."I'd yanked a sheet between us and made Gregor pick up his hips, but the rest of him stayed where it was so I could keept that knife close to his heart. It left Gregor with his ass sticking up in the air while his face stayed level with mine. I wasn't trying to be funny. Only practical.”

“Don’t take your hands off me even once tonight.” (Vlad)”

“He was also handsome in a too-pretty way that made me think with less muscles, a wig, and some makeup, he'd look great in a dress.Vlad's scowl vanished into a smile as the brunet's gaze swung in my direction as though he'd somehow heard that."Looks as though she's put you in your place as well, Bones," Vlad drawled.”

“Of course he wouldn't hesitate before trying something that had never been done before. He was Vlad Tepesh. How could he fail?”

“Leila, this is my friend and honorary sire, Menecheres, and his wife, Kira," he said, indicating the lopng-haired Middle Eastern man and the blonde. "Also let me introduce my friend, Cat." The redhead, and for some reason she looked familiar. "Her husband, Bones"-here Vlad smiled coolly at the short-haired brunet-"is not my friend.”

“You have visitors," Maximus stated...."Stop"I did at his commanding tone, and then cursed. I wasn't one of his employees-he had no right to order me around."No," I said defiantly. "I'm sweaty snd bloody and I want to take a shower, so whatever you have to say, it can wait."Maximus lost his impassive expression an looked at me as if I'd suddenly sproute a second head. Vlad's brows drew together and he opened his mouth, but before he could speak, laughter rang out from the hallway. "I simply must meet whoever has out you in your place so thoroughly, Tepesh," an unfamiliar British voice stated. "Did I mention they were on their way down," Maximus muttered.”

“All of you, leave," Vlad responded curtly."That's not nice," I mumbled. "You should talk to them before you bite them, too. Common curtesy.”

“...love him enough to give him this, even if it's at the price of your pride." (Annette to Cat)”

“How old are you?" Isa gasped. Okay, so she hadn't gotten around to asking some things."One hundred and forty-three," Chance supplied, giving her a quick kiss. "But don't worry, darling. I don't feel a day over the century mark.”

“Wasn't it time she risked getting hurt again, instead of just accepting the numbness of never letting anyone in?”

“He's clean," Ritchie announced.Chance wrinkled his nose with mild distaste. "Can't say the same about you. Really, man, soap is nothing to fear.”

“See this?" Isa pulled something dark and oblong out of her purse. Chance's mouth twitched. "Turbo Vagisil?""No, it's a taser!”

“Of course you are. Then you're going to give me multiple orgasms and pay off my mortgage too. I saw this movie, pal. It was in the fantasy section. (Isa)”

“He tasted like sin made into wine: dark, heady, and impossible to resist.”

“Sorry. You know I'm winging all of this, but even if I'd been through a dozen prior relationships... I don't know if any of them would've prepared me for being with you." "They wouldn't," he said with complete assuredness.”

“Then his mouth lowered in a hard, claiming kiss. A groan parted my lips and his tongue snaked between them to stroke mine with sensual dominance. He tasted like sin made into wine: dark, heady, and impossible to resist.”