Kim Harrison

“I have to save the world tomorrow, and I don't even know what I'm going to wear yet.--Rachel Morgan”

“Even a superhero needs a place to be normal.”

“Maybe he'll go away if we don't answer," I said, and Jenks rose - sixty feet in a mere second. In another second, he dropped back down."He's coming around back," he said, his gold dust looking black through my sunglasses.Damn it back to the Turn. "Pix the sucker," I said, then waved my hand in negation when Jumoke clearly thought I was serious. The small pixy looked about six, and he took everything literally.[...]"Let him come back," I finally said. "If this is about that paper of his, he can suck my toes and die.”

“The demon had trouble remembering what she was doing, but she was powerful, sort of the crazy Wendy of the lost lord-of-the-flies boys.”

“My impulse to pull away vanished. As I stood there, my shoulders became damp. I searched his expression, too jaded to believe in white knights. Happy endings were never handed out. You had to fight for them, earn them with bruised hearts and sacrifices. And I just couldn't do it right now. It hurt too much when it fell apart. "Don't make me promises", I whispered, and the earnest glow in his eyes tarnished.”

“Sunt qui discessum animi a corpore putent esse mortem. Sunt erras,”

“Chubi, rhymes with booby, which you don't have, or doodie, which your face looks like," she said smugly, leaning back and making her chair squeak.”

“A clipboard and a hard hat could get you just about anywhere.”

“Al's red eyes slid past me to Pierce. "Play?" he said, his voice dripping with interest. "Gordian Nathaniel Pierce's quirks are legendary. Why do you think I want the runt so badly? Size truly doesn't matter if you can do what he can." ~ Algaliarept, Black Magic Sanction, Kim Harrison”

“The demon's eyes flicked to mine, his smile widening. "This is Nicholas Gregory Sparagmos's room," he said, and my breath caught. "Delightful, just delightful! What are you doing in Nicky's room, Rachel? Ooooh, he summoned you to the West Coast, didn't he? Did you kill him? Good for you for taking care of that little problem! I should give you a bunny. Where is he? Stuffed in a closet?" ~ Algaliarept, Black Magic Sanction, Kim Harrison”

“I ought to file charges of uncommon stupidity against you for letting her try this alone." ~ Newt, Black Magic Sanction, Kim Harrison”

“I am yours," Trent gasped through clenched teeth, and my hand sprang from him, thinking I was betrayed. Trent fell to a knee, looking up at me, pleading. "I. Am. Yours. Claim me, Rachel! Damn your morals and claim me!”

“I pushed him back with a finger. “Your accent stinks. Go away until you get it right.”

“Piss on my daisies, we have to save the demons!”

“What do you want me to do?Marry you?People grow up! Move away! I’m going to college, not the moon!”

“Will your dad freak if I kiss you good-bye?” he asked.”

“I'm going back!" I shouted, standing to put some distance between us in case I was yanking her chain too hard and she came after me. "I'll show him," I said, waving an arm. "I'll sneak in. I'll steal his freaking glasses and mail them back to him in a freaking birthday card!”

“You cannot thrash the person who makes you coffee. It's a rule somewhere.”

“Of course I’m shielding her, you broken feather!”

“I said school starts tomorrow. I didn’t say I was going to be there.”

“And I’m not spying! I’m evaluating!”“It’s the same difference!”

“For all his sourness, he was ruled by his heart.”

“Ivy shook her head with a look of disgust. "So you got caught. Big freaking deal. They knew who Rachel was, and you don't see her whining over it."Actually, I had thrown my tantrum on the way home, which might have accounted for the odd noise Francis's car was making when I left it in the mall parking lot in the shade of a tree.Jenks darted to hover three inches before Ivy's nose. His wings were red in anger. "You have a gardener trap you in a glass ball and see if it doesn't give you a new outlook on life, Little Miss Merry Sunshine."My bad mood slipped away as I watched a four-inch pixy confront a vamp.”

“If he betrays you, I will finish what I started with his fingers," he said, and I shivered. "Tell him that.”

“We could've done this anywhere, but I wanted you to see me, to see this," he said, gesturing at the room. "I wanted you to know where I come from, what I am under the choices I make.”

“How many mistakes can one life survive?”

“I sighed. "And what am I to you, Al?""My maid," he said brightly. "Shall we do this?”

“Did something happen to the sanctity of your church again?"My eye twitched. "Newt broke it so she could look in my closet." Again.”

“Jenks squinted at me, and when Trent nodded, the pixy gestured sourly to Bis to get on with it. A four inch man ruled us all.”

“[Jenks]"I think you're all screwy in the head," he said when Bis nodded his encouragement. "But go ahead. I've got Quen's number in my phone. I'll call him if you both explode in a flash of black underwear and money so I won't have to fly all the way home.”

“Al's voice was faint but resolute. "Stand up. Try to look sexy.""In a bedsheet?" I complained, running my hands down it. "How can I look sexy in a bedsheet?" He cleared his throat, and I grimaced. "Never mind.”

“But I knew Nick. He was too ugly to die.”

“I'd give anything if you'd kiss me." I said. "I mean," I said when he tilted his head to look at me, his eyes wide in shock, "I've kissed guys before. It's like a handshake these days," I lied, just wanting to know what his lips on mind would feel like. "Almost required if you're leaving.”

“You are the devil to talk to, Rachel," he said curtly. "Will you shut up and listen?”

“What are you doing now?" Al questioned "Seeing if your circumcision is gone? It is.My expression went blank, and Trent hesitated.He looked at me, and I put a hand to my mouth, face flaming. "Oh. My. God. Trent. I'm sorry""Um" Trent said, clearly at a loss."Call me tomorrow," Al said seriously, "I've got a curse that will take care of that. Unless you like the snake in a turtleneck look”

“His eyes met mine at the soft touch, and a chime seemed to shake the ley line, realigning the universe. He was mine.”

“I will compensate all your one-inch, two-inch losses because I know how important every inch is to you aged, decrepit men.”

“She was only a year old, but elves grew up fast. Not like witches, who Jenks swore were not able to be on their own until they were thirty. Ahem.”

“Life ended, a soul to save,” Grace said mournfully. “Decisions age-old are made. Is it choice? Is it fate? Forgiveness or hate? When love is what all of us crave.”

“Avoiding me, Quen downed a swallow of wine. "Trent is a fine young man," he said, watching the remaining wine swirl."Yes... " I drawled, cautiously. "If you can call a drug lord and outlawed-medicine manufacturer a fine young man.”

“I didn’t mean now,” he protested. “I’m not going to raise the child. I’m having enough trouble with Rachel.”

“I think she suspects something, though. We’ve had cherry pie for dessert five nights in a row.” His voice drawled, and my smile deepened.”

“I got it this time, Daddy Warbucks,” I said,”

“Inside Junior’s it was peaceful. I can change that, I thought dryly,”

“Wayde yelled, and I hit him again, adrenaline pulling a scream of outrage from me. He went quiet, and I held my breath to make sure I could hear him breathing. I suppose I could have used my magic on him, but this was a lot more satisfying.”

“I didn’t know what I was going to say, a feeling that was compounded when the line clicked open and Trent’s very muzzy voice murmured, “Rachel? Mmm, hi.”

“Boots and leather jackets were strewn on her bed, and what looked like a new knife set. She’d taken a class last winter and was dying to try them out legally on someone.”

“You want to play the winner?” I called out to Ivy, lounging on a chair with her back to the wall as she pretended to read a magazine and watch us without being obvious about it. She’d put herself right in the sun, which told me she’d had a rough morning. She sat in the sun only when she was frustrated.”

“So I’ve seen my boys do that a hundred times with the neighboring pixy girls. Give her their favorite seed and be too flustered to tell her what it was.”

“Say what?” Jenks blurted out. “You think those moss wipes are coming back?” “I wish,” I muttered. “I’ve got some serious hurt with their name on it.”