J.R. Ward

“From out of nowhere, Phury felt an overwhelming tide of guilt, like someone had popped the lid off allhis deepest concerns and his fears for the future of the race. He had to respond to it, couldn't bear thepressure. Riding the wave, he found himself saying in a rush, "We live and die for our kind. The species is our firstand only concern. We fight every night and count the jars of thelessers we kill. Stealth is the way weprotect the civilians. The less they know about us, the safer they are. That is why we disappeared.”

“Vishous: "...we both would slaughter anything that so much as startled you."Jane: "I'm scared of mice and spiders. But you don't need to use that gun on your hip to blow a hole in a wall if I ran into one, okay? Havaheart traps and rolled newspapers work just as well. Plus, you don't need a Sheetrock patch and plaster job afterward. I'm just saying.”

“It was a universal truth among males that anytime you saw a guy get it in the nuts, you experienced a shot of phantom pain in your own croquet set.”

“For shit’s sake, it wasn’t like there was a twelve-step for being the Scribe Virgin’s kid:Hi, I’m Vishous. I’m her son and I’ve been her son for three hundred years.HI, VISHOUS.She’s done a head job on me again, and I’m trying not to go to the Other Side and scream bloody murder at her.WE UNDERSTAND, VISHOUS.And on the bloody note, I’d like to dig up my father and kill him all over again, but I can’t. So I’m just going to try to keep my sister alive even though she’s paralyzed, and attempt to fight the urge to find some pain so I can deal with this Payne.YOU’RE A STRAIGHT-UP PUSSY, VISHOUS, BUT WE SUPPORT YOUR SORRY ASS.”

“When he heard light, rushing footfalls, he turned his head. Someone was racing along the second-floor balcony. Then laughter drifted down from above. Glorious feminine laughter. He leaned out the archway and glanced at the grand staircase. Bella appeared on the landing above, breathless, smiling, a black satin robe gathered in her hands. As she slowed at the head of the stairs, she looked over her shoulder, her thick dark hair swinging like a mane.The pounding that came next was heavy and distant, growing louder until it was like boulders hitting the ground. Obviously, it was what she was waiting for. She let out a laugh, yanked her robe up even higher, and started down the stairs, bare feet skirting the steps as if she were floating. At the bottom, she hit the mosaic floor of the foyer and wheeled around just as Zsadist appeared in second-story hallway.The Brother spotted her and went straight for the balcony, pegging his hands into the rail, swinging his legs up and pushing himself straight off into thin air. He flew outward, body in a perfect swan dive--except he wasn't over water, he was two floors up over hard stone.John's cry for help came out as a mute, sustained rush of air--Which was cut off as Zsadist dematerialized at the height of the dive. He took form twenty feet in front of Bella, who watched the show with glowing happiness.Meanwhile, John's heart pounded from shock...then pumped fast for a different reason.Bella smiled up at her mate, her breath still hard, her hands still gripping the robe, her eyes heavy with invitation. And Zsadist came forward to answer her call, seeming to get even bigger as he stalked over to her. The Brother's bonding scent filled the foyer, just as his low, lionlike growl did. The male was all animal at the moment....a very sexual animal."You like to be chased, nalla, " Z said in a voice so deep it distorted.Bella's smile got even wider as she backed up into a corner. "Maybe.""So run some more, why don't you." The words were dark and even John caught the erotic threat in them.Bella took off, darting around her mate, going for the billiards room. Z tracked her like prey, pivoting around, his eyes leveled on the female's streaming hair and graceful body. As his lips peeled off his fangs, the white canines elongated, protruding from his mouth. And they weren't the only response he had to his shellan.At his hips, pressing into the front of his leathers, was an erection the size of a tree trunk.Z shot John a quick glance and then went back to his hunt, disappearing into the room, the pumping growl getting louder. From out of the open doors, there was a delighted squeal, a scramble, a female's gasp, and then....nothing.He'd caught her.......When Zsadist came out a moment later, he had Bella in his arms, her dark hair trailing down his shoulder as she lounged in the strength that held her. Her eyes locked on Z's face while he looked where he was going, her hand stroking his chest, her lips curved in a private smile.There was a bite mark on her neck, one that had very definitely not been there before, and Bella's satisfaction as she stared at the hunger in her hellren's face was utterly compelling. John knew instinctively that Zsadist was going to finish two things upstairs: the mating and the feeding. The Brother was going to be at her throat and in between her legs. Probably at the same time.God, John wanted that kind of connection.”

“I would do anything for you. Anything."With that, he pushed his way out...and as the door eased shut, she realized that I love you could indeed be said without actually uttering the phrase.Actions did mean more than words.”

“Without his mate to share his life, he was but a screen for events and circumstances to pass through. He was npt even empty, for he was no vessel to hold even the thinnest of air.He lived, though was not truly alive”

“Wrath was in a bad mood, and he knew this because the sound of the doggen waxing the wooden balustrade at the top of the main staircase was making him want to light the whole fucking mansion on fire.”

“He tasted each one of them. The raw power and majesty of Wrath. The vast strength of Rhage. The burning, protective loyalty of Phury. The cold savagery of Zsadist. The sharp cunning of Vishous.”

“Algumas coisas estão destinadas a ser - Apenas nos leva um par de tentativas chegar lá.”

“Proprio non capisci, Ehlena?" Con delicatezza le accarezzò il polpaccio e le sollevò il piede, posandolo sulla propria coscia. Poi, slacciando le stringhe della misera ballerina di tela Keds, mormorò: "Qualunque cosa indossi... per me sarai sempre una regina.”

“I always root for the monster.”

“Leaning down onto his arms, he prowled up the bed to her body, his eyes fixated on her secret skin as if he'd never seen anything like it. When he got in range, wide hands smoothed their way up the insides of her thighs, opening them even farther.But then he frowned and looked up at her. "Wait, I'm supposed to kiss you on the mouth first, aren't I? I mean, males start at the top and work their way down, don't they?"What and odd question... like he'd never done this at all?Before she could reply he began to move back, so she sat up and captured his face in her hands."You can do whatever you like to me."His eyes flashed and he held his position for a split second.Then he lunged at her, taking her down onto the bed. His tongue shot into her mouth and his hands tangled in her hair, pulling on her, arching her, trapping her head. The hunger in him was ferocious, a warrior's thick-blooded need for sex. He was going to take her with all the strength he had, and she was going to be sore when he was through using her. Sore and utterly blissed out. She couldn't wait.”

“I brought us all Big Macs,” he said happily. “I know you dig ’em, remember?” “What the…” Tohr tightened his grip on his shellan, just in case . . . well, shit, with the way things were going lately, anything could happen. “What are you doing here?” “It’s your lucky day, motherfucker.”

“I can’t… I find that I can’t concentrate. On anything. I can’t really…” Rhage’s eyes drifted to Zsadist. “How do you live with it? All the anger. The pain. The…”

“You want to poof it or ride back with me?”

“Abruptly, she yanked the covers over her crippled one, hiding it from him. Tohr marched right back over to her, and resolutely pulled the duvet back where it had been. Tracing the badly healed wounds with his fingertips, he met her squarely in the eye."You're beautiful. Every inch of you. Don't think for a moment there's anything wrong with you. We clear?""But-""Nope. I'm not hearing that." Bending down he pressed his lips to her shin, her calf, her ankle, tracing the scars, caressing them. "Beautiful. All of you.""How can you say that," she whispered blinking back tears."Because it's the truth."Straightening, he gave her a final squeeze. "No hiding from me, okay. And after I feed you, I think I'm going to have to show you just how serious I am."That made her smile....then laugh a little."That's my girl." he murmured.”

“No podía recordar exactamente cómo había entrado en su apartamento, o lo que le había dicho. Pero todo lo que habían hecho en posición horizontal era endiabladamente vívido.”

“Grandioso. Allí estaba, desnuda bajo una bata, sola con más de quinientos kilos de vampiro. Intentar hacerse la indiferente era imposible (...)”

“Voy a pasar eso por alto, Z. Pero sólo porque sé cuánto te gusta que te golpeen, y no estoy de humor para hacerte feliz.”

“The rejection didn't faze him. "Fine. If I can't have you, then you do the taking. Have all of me, part of me, a small piece, whatever you want. Just please, have something.”

“Mary frowned. A vampire doctor. Talk about exploring your alternative therapies.”

“As that fucking chandelier twinkled overhead, Blay said roughly, "I'm still in love with him."Saxton dropped his eyes and brushed a the top of his thigh, as if there might have been a tiny piece of lint there. "I know. You thought you weren't?"As if that were rather stupid of him."I'm so fucking tired of it. I really am.""That I believe.""Im so fucking..." God, those sounds, that muted pounding , that audible confirmation of what he had been ignoring for the past year--On a sudden wave of violence, he pitched the brandy snifter at the marble fireplace, shattering the thing."Fuck, Fuck!" If he'd been able to, he'd have jumped up and torn that goddamn cocksucking light fixture off the goddamn cocksucking ceiling.”

“Word of advice. These have a kick, so don’t suck too hard—”Holy hypoxia, Batman.”

“Holy hypixia, Batman”

“Man, that did his ego good. Matter of fact, she hit him with anything like that again, he was going to feel like he could bench-press a city bus. With a jet plane on its roof.”

“Up ahead about two blocks, a massive figure stepped out into her path. She halted. Took a deep breath. Felt a prickling in her eyes. On the breeze drifting down to her, John's unmistakable bonding scent was a dark spice that wiped out the stink of the city and the wretched sting of her unhappiness.She started walking toward him. Fast. Faster...Now she was running. He met her halfway, falling into a jog as soon as he saw her pick up the pace, and they slammed into each other.Hard to know whose mouth found whose, or whose arms were cinched tighter, or who was the desperate one. But then, in this they were equals.”

“Wow," she breathed."I know, right? Hung like a horse.""If you're really nice-and you live through this-I'll promise not to tell V.""About my size."She laughed a little, "No, that you assumed I'd look at you in any fashion other than professionally.”

“He was having an illicit affair... with his own mate.”

“End of the day, the quick and the dead are the same. Everyone's just looking for a home.”

“Staring down at his button fly, he tried to find another explanation. Maybe he'd thrown a clot? A cock clot... or maybe... shit... There was no way he could be attracted to another female.”

“Lassiter came in alone, likely because Doc Jane had returned to the Pit. And the angel was naked as a jaybird… and just frickin’ fine. No bullet holes, no scars, no contusions.“You keep looking at me like that and you’d better buy me dinner afterward.”

“What the f*ck do you want from me?”He had to laugh. “Please. If I were running this show, you’d have had her back down here months ago and I’d be long f*cking gone.”Tohr laughed a little in surprise.“Aw, come on, my man,” Lassiter muttered. “I don’t want to screw you. You’re too flat chested, for one thing—I’m a boob man. And for another, you’re a good guy. You deserve better than this.”Now Tohr looked downright shocked.”

“From across the dark bedroom, Lassiter stood in the corner next to the highboy, feeling like crap while Tohr whispered to the dress.Scrubbing his face, he wondered why … why in the hell, of all the ways he could have gotten free of the In Between, did it have to be this one.The shit was starting to get to him.”

“His thumb went back and forth over the satin, as if he were rubbing her hip as he had when they’d been together, and he moved his leg over so that it was on top of the skirting.It wasn’t the same, though. There was no body underneath, and the fabric smelled like lemons, not her skin. And he was, after all, alone in this room that was not theirs.“God, I miss you,” he said in a voice that cracked. “Every night. Every day…”

“As soon as he was free from the library, he raced away from the Sanctuary, returning his faithless body to his bedroom at the mansion. He was still erect when he got there. Duh. Staring down at his button fly, he tried to find another explanation. Maybe he’d thrown a clot? A cock clot … or maybe … shit… There was no way he could be attracted to another female.”

“Al rallentatore, Vishous chinò la testa bruna e Butch sentì come una carezza vellutata quando il pizzetto gli sfiorò la gola. Con precisione millimetrica, V premette le zanne contro la vena che saliva dal cuore dell'amico, poi lentamente, inesorabilmente, lo trafisse. I loro petti si toccarono.Butch chiuse gli occhi, assaporando quella sensazione, il calore dovuto alla vicinanza fisica, la morbidezza dei capelli di V sulla mascella, la potenza del braccio virile che gli scivolava intorno alla vita. Quasi animate da volontà propria, le sue mani si staccarono dai pioli posandosi sui fianchi di V, stringendo con forza quella carne soda, unendo i loro corpi dalla testa ai piedi. Un fremito percorse uno dei due. O forse... merda, forse erano rabbrividiti entrambi.E poi basta. Chiuso. Finito. Da non ripetersi mai più.”

“No Last Meal for you guys, either. Guess we have that in common.” Someone bust out the pom-poms and cheer for the team. Yay.”

“He didn't say anything. Didn't try any of the hugging bullshit, either, which was just as well.Instead, he placed a wooden case next to Tohr on the bed, exhaled some Turkish smoke, and went back for the exit like he couldn't wait to get out of the room.Except he stopped before he left, "I gotchu, my brother," he said to the door."I know, V. You always have.~Vishous and Tohrment Lover Reborn”

“And bottom line, without John by her side, everything seemed to be just a big, resounding meh.”

“With his fantastic mane of multicoloured hair, Phury should have been in Hollywood's league with the ladies, but he'd stuck with his vow of celibacy. There was room for one and only one love in his life, and it had been slowly killing him for years.”

“Do you think I haven't noticed? You can't wait to be free of me. I drink and then you bolt up, as if you've had to force yourself to endure my presence." She'd started to sob then. "I've always tried to be clean when I come to you. I spend hours in the tub, washing myself. But I cannot find the dirt that you see."-Marissa to Wrath”

“I… What are you saying, Zsadist?" she stammered, even though she'd heard every word.He glanced back down at the pencil in his hand and then turned to the table. Flipping the spiral notebook to a new page, he bent way over and labored on top of the paper for quite a while. Then he ripped the sheet free.His hand was shaking as he held it out. "It's messy."Bella took the paper. In a child's uneven block letters there were three words: I LOVE YOUHer lips flattened tight as her eyes stung. The handwriting got wavy and then disappeared. "Maybe you can't read it," he said in a small voice. "I can do it over." She shook her head. "I can read it just fine. It's… beautiful.""I don't expect anything back. I mean… I know that you don't… feel that for me anymore. But I wanted you to know. It's important that you knew.”

“You keep showing up here? Being who you are?' There was a pause. 'I'm going to fall in love with you.' -Rehvenge”

“But by God, he was going to stop running from his cowardice. He had to own his shit - even if it made him hate himself to the core. Because maybe if he did, he'd stop trying to distract himself with sex and drinking, and figure out what he did want.Apart from Blay, that was.”

“Wait", Butch said, thinking about the glymera. "Marissa's mated now, right? I mean, even if I die, she will have had a mate right?""Death wish," V said under his breath. "Fucking Death Wish Boy we got over here."The Scribe Virgin seemed flat-out amazed "I should kill you now.”

“I have peanut M&M's up there.""Not my style""Raisinets.""Feh.""Sam Adams."Thor narrowed his eyes. "Cold?""Downright icy."Thor crossed his arms over his chest and told him self he was not pouting like a five-year-old. "I want Milk Duds.”

“The quick and the dead are all the same. Everyone's just looking for home.”

“Trust me, son. The pair of you are going to do this from time to time, and you might as well start to deal with it rationally now. Took me a good fifty years of making shit worse till I figured out a better way to handle arguments. Learn from my mistakes.”John’s head cranked over, and he started to mouth, I love her so much. I’d die if anything happened to h—When he stopped short, Tohr took a deep breath through the pain in his chest. “I know. Trust me … I know.”

“Don't make me flip you off""Why would I deprive you of a favourite hobby?""Because my finger's getting sore.”