Maria V. Snyder

“Flea stared at us, "I can't decide what's worse. Losing family members or not having a family member to lose.”

“So who gave him his name?" I asked."Kerrick," Belen answered.Not who I'd expect. "Why 'Flea'?"A full-out grin spread across Flea's face. "Cause I'm fast and hard to catch.""Because he's a pest and hard to squash," Belen said."Because he jumps about three feet in the air when you scare him," Loren added."Because he's annoying and makes us itch with impatience," Quain said."Thanks, guys. I love you too." Flea made exaggerated kissing noises and patted his ass.”

“The heart is a strange beast and not ruled by logic.”

“Nice Kerrick was scarier than Mean Kerrick.”

“And clay-caked clothes are so last year.”

“No," I said. "I'm not safe, Belen. Who is going to tear Kerrick's arm off if he hits me again? Come on," I urged. "Stay with us".”

“Sorry. An overdeveloped nurturing instinct comes with being a healer.”

“Right before I was escorted to the jail, Fawn waved bye bye to me. I smiled. My empty, pointless life for hers. Not bad.”

“One, and two, and three, four, five. Keep fighting like this and you will die," Janco sang.”

“Oscove?" Valek paused. "He didn't have the stomach for it.”

“Your life is like this snake's coils. No matter how many turns it makes, you'll end up back where you belong.”

“I found a few springs of rosemary and returned. Ignoring the collective sigh when I appeared, I stripped off the leaves and handed them to Loren.He sniffed them in suspicion. "What's this?"I guess it would take more than my word for them to trust me, "Rosemary." No glimmer of recognition. "It's to make your stew taste better. Don't you know the basic herbs and spices?""No. I took this job in self-defence. Quain burns everything. Belen thinks jerky is all we need to survive. Flea's idea of good meal is something that hasn't been in garbage can first. And Kerrick poisoned us---""Not on purpose." Kerrick said. "The meat looked done.”

“Trust, Kiki said, Trust is peppermints.”

“I stepped closer to him and lowered my voice. 'If you could change one thing, what would it be?'He pulled the sheep pendant from his pocket. A question filled his eyes. I held out my hand. Riley placed it in my palm and I curled my finger around the necklace, pressing the metal into my skin.”

“I am Trella the victorious leader of the Force of Sheep rebellion. Yes the name sounds ridiculous, and I still can't believe we named a major life changing event after livestock—or actually a stuffed animal—but it made sense at the time.”

“I did what any good rat would do. I bit down on the guard's hand until I tasted blood.”

“followed a step behind. My thoughts churned as my emotions seesawed”

“with a touch of sarcasm. “Glass is an amazing material. Versatile,”

“Love trumps logic?”“Every time,”

“When we reached the door, Belen stepped in the way. 'If any harm—''Comes to her, you’ll rip out my arms. Got it,' Kerrick said.'I’m serious,' Belen said.'I know. Do you really think I’d put her in danger?''Not on purpose, but things happen that are out of your control.'Kerrick gave him a tight smile. 'You mean I'm not omnipotent?''You're not even semi-potent.''Is that even a word?' Kerrick asked.'He probably means you're impotent,' I offered.”

“I reached out blindly, clasped a warm hand, faded from life and into peace.Well, that was what was supposed to happen.... Except an annoying, distracting tug kept pulling and yanking....When I woke, I thought I had overcome the pull and stayed in the afterlife. Whiteness billowed over me in soft waves. My body was cushioned and cocooned in warmth. I stretched my legs and then tried to raise my arms, but my left arm wouldn't budge. Rolling over, I encountered a number of very unpleasant realities.I was alive. I was in a room. I was naked except for a blood-stained bandage wrapped tight around my stomach. Kerrick lay beside me. And his hand trapped mine.Kill. Me. Now.”

“I remembered my little brother, Allyn, had appeared so innocent and angelic when he slept--similar to Kerrick. It must be a survival tactic. If Allyn hadn't looked so sweet, we would have killed him while he slept. He had been pure evil when he was awake--similar to Kerrick.”

“No hope, is worse than fear.”

“It's the effort, not the results that matter.”

“Fear causes the dog to bite and Roze was one bitch.”

“Valek coalesced from the shadows and wrapped me in his long lean arms. I soaked in his musky smell, listening to his heart beat. Strong and steady. No indication that he had been sneaking around.”

“You had lots of visitors, but they were all quiet.""Oh real funny. Tease the blind man." ~Trella to Logan, pg. 114-115”

“I took three steps and was wrapped in his arms, where I belonged. No confusion here. No worries here. No troubles here.”

“You're right. And so was my snake."Snake?"He pulled my arm out to expose my bracelet. "When I carved this my thoughts were on you, love. Your life is like this snake's coils. No matter how many turns it makes, you'll end up back where you belong. With me.”

“The uniform enhanced his athletic body, and my thoughts drifted to how magnificent he would look with his uniform puddled around his feet.”

“Bad dreams are ghosts of our fears and worries, haunting us while we sleep. I doubt Valek is in trouble.”

“Many have tried to kill us. All have failed.-Valek”

“When I carved this, my thoughts were on you, love. Your life is like this snake's coils. No matter how many turns it makes, you'll end up back where you belong. With me.”

“Everyone makes choices in life. Some bad, some good. It's called living, and if you want to bow out, then go right ahead. But don't do it halfway. Don't linger in whiner's limbo.”

“Your mother sounds like a formidable woman," Valek said into the silence."You have no idea," Leif replied with a sigh."Well, if she's anything like Yelena, my deepest sympathies," Valek teased."Hey!"Leif laughed and the tense moment dissipated.Valek handed Leif his machete. "Do you know how to use it?""Of course. I chopped Yelena's bow into firewood," Leif joked.”

“Another relative?” Valek asked.A broad smile stretched Moon Man’s lips. “Yes. I am her mother’s uncle’s wife’s third cousin.”

“Why did Mother ask you to help me rescue Gelsi?” I asked Leif.“She thought I could assist you in some way. Instead, I had tried to—”“Kill me? You can join the ‘I Want to Kill Yelena Guild.’ I hear they have six members in good standing. Valek is president since he had wanted to kill me twice.”

“Everyone grieves in different ways. For some, it could take longer or shorter. I do know it never disappears. An ember still smolders inside me. Most days, I don’t notice it, but, out of the blue, it’ll flare to life.”

“Before he turned away, I asked, 'What do you need?''I need you. I need to give you a proper kiss. I need you to be my mate.”

“I never said it would be easy. Giving up is easy.”

“When the effort fails, is it worth the cost?”

“His words sliced through my heart, cutting it into little pathetic pieces.”

“Maximum damage. It was the beginning of the end. Either we would fail or not. At least we could say we tried.”

“You should know what happens when you play with fire, Cahill. Eventually, you'll get burned.”

“Nothing like having a warrant for your execution to get a girl motivated.”

“Lief. That's not nice, considering all your sister has done for you," admonished Perl."Oh right. How could I forget that she made me bait for a snake, left me on house arrest in Ixia, and smuggled me into the Keep in a coffin.”

“I'd wish you luck, but I don't think it would help.''Why not?''My lady, you make your own luck.”

“I'd like you to make a commitment to me as well. Will you be my mate?”

“Yes, I thought I'd try electrocution next. Since a bomb, a fire, Vinco's knife and a brief encounter with outer space didn't kill me.”

“Sleep? What's that? A new type of casserole?”