Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I love you," I said, our lips brushing. "I love you so very much.”

“A certain bone-deep understanding occurred and my hand tightened around the smaller one I held. It weren't stars we were staring at. The sky was falling.”

“As close as you’re riding me, man, I feel like I need to take you out to dinner or something. At least, I should get your name.” He punched in a floor number, smirking.“People call me Archer.”

“Then I realized he didn't know who I was. Part of me relaxed, because if they were playing for Team Evil, I was sure they would have pictures of my face plastered across their bedroom walls.”

“You two should really get a room," Apollo said from out of nowhere."My poor eyes..."I groaned. Even in his true identity, he still had impeccable timing."Gods," Aiden spat. He pulled back, casting Apollo a disgusted look over my head. "Do you get off on sneaking up on us?""You probably don't want to know what I get off on.”

“Eso me hizo feliz. Tú me hiciste feliz. Y todavía me preocupo por ti. ¿Bien? Significas algo para mí, algo que realmente aún no puedo poner en palabras porque todo parece demasiado pobre en comparación. Siempre te he querido, incluso cuando te odiaba. Te quiero aun cuando me llevas a la maldita locura”

“¡Dulces bebes extraterrestres!”

“-... Pero ¿sabes en que pense todo el día ayer? un pensamiento que no me puedo evitar no importa cuan disgustado estoy contigo.-No.-Que tengo suerte porque la persona que no puedo sacar de mi cabeza, la persona que significa más para mi de lo que puedo soportar aun está viva, ella está todavía allí, y esa eres tu.”

“— Más libros. —Sus ojos se ensancharon—. Tienes como diez libros que acabas de decir que no has leído.—Eso no significa que no voy a conseguir más libros —sonreí ante su expresión de incredulidad”

“Sabes, no estoy realmente sorprendido. —Su sonrisa era mitad conocedora y mitad amarga—. Nos besamos. Dos veces. Pasaste la noche usándome como tu almohada corporal... y disfrutándolo. Estaba seguro de que enloquecerías al momento que me fuera. Corriste directamente hacia Boris, porque él realmente no te hace sentir nada. Y sentir algo por mí te asusta como el infierno.”

“— Lo encontraste? —le pregunté adormilada.Su mano se deslizó sobre su pecho. —¿Encontrar qué, Kitten?—¿Lo que buscabas?Los ojos de Daemon se abrieron y me sostuvo la mirada. La hinchazón regresó en mi pecho, extendiéndose a través de mi cuerpo. Hubo un aumento de algo ¿entusiasmo? en mi bajo vientre mientras el silencio se prolongó durante lo que pareció una eternidad. —Sí, a veces, creo que lo hice.”

“Esa clase de amor debió haber sido capaz de vencer enfermedades. Esa clase de amor debió haber conquistado cualquier cosa.”

“Alex fainted—""I didn't faint," I grumbled, feeling my cheeks flush.Aiden's lip curved up on one side. "Okay. She was suddenly not walking or talking anymore. During that time, she saw Seth. Apparently he used Hermes to pull her in.""Hermes?" Apollo hissed—actually hissed like an angry lion. "That little, punk-ass bitch."My brows rose.”

“Other than an apparant Underworld gate, I had no idea what was in Kansas. Hay bales? Dorothy?”

“A smug, satisfied grin stretched Apollo's lips. "I took Hermes' helmet, melted the mother down, and here you go. An invisibility charm just for you."Apollo dropped the necklace into my palm. It was a reddish-gold color, and a crudely shaped wing was etched into it. "Ha," I said. "It's like Harry Potter and the invisibility cloak."Everyone stared at me.”

“Apollo's lips spread into a smile. "Sorry. I'll try to come after dinner next time." The bowl disappeared from his hands, and I wondered where it went. "Well, it's good to see the Scooby gang all in one piece. Warms my heart and all that jazz, but let's get to the point.”

“His eyes were burning a liquid silver and his arm tightened around me. "I would never give up on you, Alex. Never.""Then why are you being such a—""What?" his voice dropped low. "I'm being what?"Infuriating. Stubborn. Thick-skulled. Freaking sexy. "Good gods, can we stop arguing and just, I don't know, make out?”

“I dropped down on the cushion beside Lea and picked up the book she'd been reading. Turning the book over, my brows flew up as I got an eyeful of the hottie on the cover. "Wait. Is this book about aliens?"She snatched it back from me. "Yes.""Really?""But they're hot aliens." She tapped on the guy's face with one thin finger. "And he can be my ET any day.”

“Something in what Deacon said caused Aiden to string together an atrocity of f-bombs. My brows flew up. Aiden rarely cussed or lost his cool, but boy, he was a grenade whose pin had just been pulled.”

“Apollo was still a no-show and the cabin out in the middle of nowhere had become a god-free zone. A good thing, but I figured one would just pop in, most likely in Deacon's bed or something, where we'd least expect them.”

“Era un problema que había llegado a nuestra puerta, envuelto y con lazo.Y lo peor de todo es que era del tipo de problemas que me gustaban.”

“Aquella figura era Daemon, y gruñía enfadado mientras se ponía de pie como un ángel vengador bañado en una luz celestial”

“Dee, creo que si me mira es porque está tramando un plan para asesinarme y esconder mi cuerpo.—No es verdad. No te mira así.Tiró el libro fuera de la cama y se puso de rodillas, colocándose las manos sobre el pecho.—Te mira como diciendo «te odio pero te quiero…»”

“Kat, no voy a hacerte daño —me hablaba con suavidad, pero había un matiz de rabia en su voz mientras intentaba que me tranquilizara sin hacerme daño—. Nunca podría hacerte nada malo.”

“¡ Esto sí que es química y no lo que estudiamos a tercera hora!”

“— Ya estás acosándome otra vez, ¿no? ¿Tengo que llamar a la poli para que te ponga una orden de alejamiento?—Ni en sueños, gatita. —Sonrió—. Ah, espera, que ya salgo en ellos, ¿verdad?Puse los ojos en blanco.—Más bien apareces en mis pesadillas, Daemon.”

“— Estaba por aquí y punto.—Y yo que pensaba que erais atentos y encantadores.Frunció el ceño.—¿De quienes hablas?—De los caballeros de brillante armadura, esos que salvan a las damiselas en apuros. —Me calle. Creo que me había dado un golpe en la cabeza.—Yo no soy tu caballero andante.—Lo sé —susurré.”

“Pasara lo que pasara, siempre me quedaban los libros. Eran mi válvula de escape, a la que recurría sin dudarlo”

“Aquel chico no iba a traerme nada bueno… pero no podía respirar. Nuestros labios estaban tan cerca que quería aproximarme para que se encontrasen a medio camino. Quería saber si eran tan suaves como parecían…—¡Hola, chicos! —exclamó Dee.Daemon se echó hacia atrás rápidamente, dejando un buen trecho entre nosotros, para que pasara el aire.”

“Necesitaba recuperar la compostura. O conseguir una cámara e inmortalizar ese momento: seguro que me pagarían un buen dinero por un vídeo de él. Seguro que me haría rica… Siempre que Daemon no abriera la boca, claro.”

“Tenía una risa ruidosa y grave. Bastante sexy. Ay, Dios. Tuve que apartar la vista. Seguro que era de ese tipo de chico que iba rompiendo corazones por ahí. Tenía mucho peligro. Y no de ese peligro que es divertido, porque además era un imbécil. Y a mí los imbéciles no me van. No quiero tener nada con ellos. En realidad, no es que yo tenga nada con nadie, pero…”

“Bueno, disculparse y no sentirlo digamos que anula el sentido mismo de la disculpa.”

“— Mamá, hay una cosa que se llama privacidad.—¡Cielo —exclamó desde la cocina—, eso no existe!”

“I remembered all the little things. My Seth? Oh, yuck. I wanted to scrub out my brain with detergent.”

“No." I backed up, running my hands along my hips. "You told me to not give up on Seth. And now you want me to?""I don't want you to give up on him," he said, voice taking on a pleading edge. "There's still hope for him, but only if you can truly reach him. And being the head of Seth's fan club isn't going to do it."I laughed then. "That was so you when you were... you know, around. You totally had a boy crush on him.”

“What is that?" I asked, pointing at the ceiling.Part of me didn't expect Aiden to answer, but he did. "It's Phoebe's symbol.""Phoebe? Obviously you don't mean a Charmed one."He snorted.”

“all he’s done since then is poke me with his pen.” “Probably because he wants to poke you with something else,” she said dryly. My eyes bugged. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“Daemon scratched his chest, his expression doubtful. “And how are wegoing to get her to exert energy.” Andrew grinned from across the room. “We could take her out to a fieldand chase her around in our cars. That sounds fun.”

“Ayağa kalkıp yüzümü buruşturdum. "Of ya, belki de kıçımı kırmışımdır. ""Umarım kırmamışsındır. Kıçının hayranıyım.”

“Good gods, can we stop arguing and just, I don’t know, make out?”

“I was more of a ‘run into things head-first and face-plant a wall’ type of fighter.”

“I can’t believe Apollo hit me with a god bolt.”“I can’t believe Aiden punched him.”

“There’s nothing creepier than having a psychotic Apollyon caged in the basement.”

“He was there. Like always, holding me up when I couldn’t’ stand and letting me go when he knew I needed him to. He was more than just a shelter. Aiden was my other half, my equal.”

“It’s okay. Everything is okay, agapi mou. You’re here now and I have you.”

“Before I could even raise a hand, he spun around like the wind, letting go of the dagger. It smacked into the chest of the white-garbed Guard sneaking up on him. Darting forward, he pulled the blade free before the Guard collapsed, and then threw it again, taking out the other Guard who’d cornered Solos.Damn. Aiden was a badass ninja.”

“Wait. Is this book about aliens?”She snatched it back from me. “Yes.”“Really?”“But they’re hot aliens.” She tapped on the guy’s face with one thin finger. “And he can be my ET any day.”

“We were enemies to the core, more so now than ever, but my loss was his. When I suffered, he suffered. It was the way we were built, and even the death that he had indirectly caused couldn't breach that or shatter what lay between us.Nothing could.”

“The Hummer hovered there a second, and then flipped over the second vehicle. Through the air it tipped over and over--something was flung from one of the windows, perhaps a person. Seatbelts save lives.”

“Springing into the air, I spun and delivered a nasty I-hope-someone-sees-this spin kick.”