Maria V. Snyder

“Knowing and believing are sometimes hard to combine.”

“There, that's better. Now you look like the wild scrub that fell into my life.""Because you loosened the vent's screws.""Best. Decision. Ever.”

“I’ll have you know that the most delicate flowers often produce the strongest scent when crushed.”

“In the war room, love? What if someone comes in?”I stood and removed his shirt. “Then they’ll have a good story to tell.”“Good?” He adopted the pretense of being offended.“Prove me wrong.”

“You asked how I can be so calm. I don't have time not to be. I would like to grieve and worry and carry on, but that doesn't achieve results.”

“I offer my heart, entrust my soul and give my life to you.”

“Exactly. You can shoulder all the blame and become a martyr. Provided anyone knows what or who you're martyring for. Or you can accept that some things are important enough to fight for and realize there will be sacrifices along the way.”

“Nothing says you care for me better than offering to torture my enemies.”

“Yippee. I’ve been promoted from fire lighter to delivery boy. I’ll write a letter home to Mother. She’ll be so pleased.”

“I hate a mystery. I would have let the identity of the Commander’s successor remain a secret, as I have for fifteen years, but tonight’s opportunity was too tempting. With eight drunken Generals sleeping it off, I could have danced on their beds without waking them."- Valek”

“But it seems there is more than one way to poison a person's heart, and it doesn't require a meal.”

“In fact, he's never taken an interest in a woman before. I was beginning to to suspect he might prefer one of his male sneaks, but now..." She paused dramatically. "Now, we have the lovely, intelligent Yelena to get Valek's cold heart pumping.""You really should get out of your sewing room more. You need fresh air and a dose of reality," I said knowing better than to believe a word Dilana said, but unable to control the silly little grin on my face. Her sweet, melodious laughter followed me into the hallway."You know I'm right, " she called.”

“There are certain people I trust no matter what. Even when it seems like they've turned into monsters, you need to stay true to them. Because, in the end, they'll be the ones backing you up.”

“Lying to yourself is easy, too. I know. It's much harder to stay and deal with consequences.”

“Being a scrub was undesirable and hard work, living in crowded conditions with no privacy and just being one of many. Undistinguishable.”

“Some Queen of the Pipes, I thought. I'd believed I was better than a mindless drone. But I was the mindless one, hiding away. Even now I referred to them as if I didn't belong.”

“At first, it feels as if she has vanished forever, and all traces are destroyed. But later, when the pain of loss doesn't overwhelm all your other feelings, every time you think of her, or hear her voice in your head, or remember a happy time together, you realize she's still a part of you and will never be totally gone.”

“There is a reason for everything, Opal. You might not be able to figure it out, and time might have made us all forget it, but the reason is there all the same.”

“I do know I felt as if my heart had been shredded when I found you in our storeroom, unconscious and bleeding. And leaving you with Vinco in the holding cells was the hardest thing I've ever done." - Riley to Trella”

“We talked through Gillie's life from start to finish, including all her accomplishments and major life events. The woman fell asleep with a dreamy half smile still on her lips.I remained by her bedside. Cog would be amused by my efforts to comfort an upper. No. Not amused. Proud. I liked Ella. She was a good sort, much nicer than Trella, and I hoped she managed to survive the next thirty hours.”

“[Riley] slapped his hands to his face and then dropped them as if in surrender. 'I always say the wrong thing around you. Look, can we start over?'Over?"Yes. Over. Wipe the board clean.'But I would have to go back to hating you and not trusting you' I saidOh, well don't do that.' He paused and chewed his lip. 'Does that mean you like and trust me now?' "- Riley and Trella”

“For the first time, I was the center of attention. Everyone watched me as if I were a bomb. Would I explode and cause a disaster or would I pop and cause a miracle?”

“What have I earned from you, Valek? Loyalty? Respect? Trust?""You have my attention. But give me what I want, and you can have everything.”

“Valek smiled. “Good. First, send Kade a reply, askinghim not to come.” He pointed at the unopened letter on the table. I had forgotten about it. Sealed with wax, the message appearedto be secured. Valek shrugged. “I was bored.”

“Every person has the latent ability to read minds and influence the physical world without touching it, but they don't have the ability to connect with the power source.”

“Pushing magic toward the candle, I willed it to light. Nothing happened.Irys made a strangled sound and the candle burned. “Are you directing your magic to the candle?”“Yes. Why?”“You just ordered me to light the candle for you,” Irys said in exasperation. “And I did it.”

“Poisoned, pursued and living with a psychopath. Not what I would consider the good life. Death has its perks.”

“You put on such a brave front. But I know if I took another step toward you, you'd wet your pants.''With your blood.' I brandished my knife. But I couldn't keep a straight face; the boast sounded ridiculous even to my own ears. I snickered. She laughed. The release of tension made me giddy, and soon I was laughing and crying.”

“Let's go. We're supposed to rendezvous with the Captain at the lake. Oh, and try to keep the noise down. You sound like a panicked moose crashing through the woods," the smarter man chided."Oh yeah. Like you could hear me over your specially trained 'woodland-animal footsteps,'" Rough Voice countered. "It was like listening to two deer humping each other.”

“Out of nowhere, Valek appeared before me, yelling in my ear, shaking my shoulders. Stupidly, belatedly, I realized he was the drunk. Who else but Valek could win a fight against four large men when armed only with a beer mug?”

“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." His sapphire eyes held a promise. - Valek”

“Don't feel ashamed for having those feelings and those memories. What happened in the past can't be changed, but they can be a guide for what happens in the future.”

“How did you-"Fool your guards? They're not very good, the forgot to check the ceiling for spiders."Valek grinned. His angular face softened.”

“No need to act, i let my fear show "He killed himself," i whispered.Eve raised an eyebrow. "Fourteen times?""He had bad aim.”

“Life is like molten glass. It flows, it's flexible, it can be molded and shaped and...what do you say? Ah, yes. It holds vast potential. You have a number of uncertainties in your melt right now. But they will always be there in one form or another. Always. Unlike molten glass, life can't be fixed or frozen into a pretty vase and placed on a shelf to gather dust.”

“The past shouldn't be forgotten. It should be used as a guide for future situations and not used as a reason to avoid making difficult decisions. There was always a choice.”

“Living with your decision must be hard. Nothing I or anyone can say will give you any peace. You must reconcile your actions in your heart.”

“Her amber eyes burned into mine with all the hate and loathing she could muster. Underneath, though, she was terrified. Hate and loathing didn't bother me, but fear was a powerful emotion. Fear causes the dog to bite and Roze was one bitch.”

“But you've slipped under my skin, invaded my blood and seized my heart.”

“He made a weak attempt to look innocent, but I knew better. 'Should I guess how many concealed weapons you have or should I strip search you?''A strip search is the only way to be absolutely certain.' Valek's deep blue eyes danced with delight.”

“Living is a risk,” I snapped at him. “Every decision, every interaction, every step, every time you get out of bed in the morning, you take a risk. To survive is to know you’re taking that risk and to not get out of bed clutching illusions of safety.”

“Yalena: Could you always open your door?Kiki: Yes. Fence, too.Yalena Why don't you?Kiki: Hay sweet. Fresh water. Peppermints.”

“Don't worry. I'm only your escort tonight. I would offer to protect you from the drunken attentions of the other men, but I know all to well that you're quite capagble of holding your own. You're probably armed. Right?"Always.”

“When we reached the beach, Leif fell to his knees with a dramatic cry. "Solid ground! I'll never take you for granted again.""Are you going to kiss the sand?" I asked."Don't be ridiculous.""Now I'M the one being silly?""Yes.”

“Yelena, you've driven me crazy. You've caused me considerable trouble and I've contemplated ending your life twice since I've known you...but you slipped under my skin, invaded my blood and seized my heart.”

“I'm glad you're here. We've had some...interesting developments." Leif groaned. "That's Yelena-speak for life-threatening danger.”

“The others had taken Valek's return in stride, although Janco made a comment about Valek's lack of hair. 'You ever notice how couples start to look alike?' he asked. In a deadpan, Valek replied, 'Yes. In fact I was just thinking how much you and Topaz resemble each other. It's uncanny.”

“I know I hated magic for a reason," Janco said. "Congratulations. This is the first time you've had a VALID reason to hate something," Ari countered. "Remember your campaign against sand?""Sand! Horrid little stuff. Gets everywhere. I had a perfectly good argue--""Janco." Ari's voice rumbled deep in his throat.In a heartbeat, Janco switched gears. "Well, this blood magic sounds worse than sand.”

“Don’t knock the power of a pest,” Leif said. “Persistence and stubborness can be useful in many situations.”

“Why is she convinced Ambrose is out to get her" Leif asked"Ambrose?" Yelena raised a slender eyebrow. She carried a tray of tea and fruit. "You're on a first name basis with the Commander now?" "I usually call him Amby, but not in mixed company.”