Melissa Marr

“I don't know if you realize it or not, but your sudden devotion to her is creepy.”

“That's what the court needs-a happy king, a king who can't stop dreaming of being lost in someone who wants to be just as lost. Tell me you'll let me get lost in you.”

“I still dream that it was you. No matter how many times I've looked, in my dreams it's always been you who were meant to be my queen.”

“But you didn't need me, did you? You'd already got yourself to safety.""Sometimes, I sleep better knowing you . . . and Niall . . ." She faltered."Love you from a safe distance," he finished."Yes.”

“What would I do without you?""You'll never find out.”

“She turned so they were face-to-face and gave him back the words he'd offered her their first night together: "I survived. Isn't that what matters?”

“Leslie?" Irial whispered. "What are you doing?""Choosing."Tears were soaking the blanket under Leslie's face."I'm mine. Not anyone else's.""I'm still yours, though. That won't ever change, Shadow Girl." And then he was gone, and her emotions crashed over her.”

“-"Leslie? What are you doing?"-"Choosing. I'm mine. Not anyone else's."-"I'm still yours, though. That won't ever change, Shadow Girl.”

“-"You won't like me if I'm cruel."-"I don't like you now."-"We don't lie."-"I'm mortal, Irial. I can lie all I want to.”

“And sometimes you meet someone who doesn't see you any differently if you tell them. That is everything.”

“You are the one who gives me reason to wake in the mornings, who infuriates me, who enrages me, who enthralls me. You are my passion, my fury, my soul. Shall i explain further?”

“He tipped her head up. "Don't give up. Don't leave me before you're even here.”

“Good night, Seth.""So you're running again, then?" One of his boots thudded on the floor."I'm not running."The other boot hit the floor. "Really?""Really. It's just—" She stopped; she didn't have anything that would finish that sentence and be honest. "Maybe you should slow down, so I can catch you." He paused, waiting.”

“With a strange half-mocking tone, Aislinn said, "It's not just guys like those today. Even the pretty ones can be awful. Don't trust them just because they're pretty."Donia laughed, coldly, sounding every bit Beira's creature in that moment. "Where were you when I needed that advice? I've already gone out with the biggest mistake a girl can make.”

“The girl's kind, good. . . . Totally too good for you.""So were you." He kissed her cheek, singed it with his lips. "You still are.""Bastard." She shoved him, ignoring the burning in her palm from touching him.He put a hand on his shoulder, metling the ice that formed where she'd pushed too hard. It crackled under his touch. "Only because Beira murdered my father.”

“A clear division between good and evil, right and wrong, would simplify everything, but life was rarely simple.”

“Creative vision creates art" - he motioned around the gallery - "that shows the rest of the world a new angle. That's beautiful thing.""Or some sort of madness", she said.”

“Maybe the girl would get strong enough to withstand an ink exchange with one of the chosen faeries. If not, he could always give her to one of the weaker fey. It seemed a shame to waste a lovely broken toy.”

“but it's not always as set as that. Some things, though, feel like they're right. You and me? It's one of those things. I don't know why they see or why things are such a mess, but in the middle of it all, I do know that being around you is one of tue best things that happened to me in, well, ever.”

“Pride goeth before the fall....but you've already fallen, haven't you?”

“Some things are more important than safety.”

“Trust your instincts, trust your judgment.”

“Faeries are equally loyal and deceitful.”

“Seth: "You're what matters"Ash: "Hold me? If you still want to, I mean."Seth: "Every day, I want to hold you every day. Nothing will ever change that.”

“She was afraid, but she couldn't just sit around waiting for someone to save her. She had to try to save herself, try to figure it out.”

“Life is too short to read books that I'm not enjoying.”

“They've been stealing mortals away for centuries, but they can't have you.”

“Love can give a person strength to break through glamours and magicks.”

“You don't have to do those things. You don't have to become a hero, Seth.”

“We are what stands between the living and the dead. Being an Undertaker is an honor, son.”

“Sleep well, and stay where I put you.”

“His face was pale, and he dropped to the floor so that he was half kneeling, half sitting before her. "Please. I can...help you.""No." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Her mind felt clearer now. Everything made more sense when she wasn't so hungry. "I don't think I want the help you have."He cradled his bloody arm and tried to stand. "This isn't right. You aren't right. You aren't suppose to be here.""But I am.”

“He pulled something out of his pocket and tried to stick it in her arm. A needle. He'd offered her hope, but then he was trying to hurt her. Poison. She pushed him away. "That wasn't nice.”

“We can end this before anyone gets hurt." William held his hands out to sides as if to show her he was unarmed. "You don't want to hurt people, do you? You will if you don't come away with me. You know that.""I'm not bad," Daisha whispered."I believe you." He held out a hand to her. He curled his fingers toward him in a beckoning gesture. "You can do the right thing here. Just come with me. We'll go meet some people who can help us.""Her. The new Graveminder.""No, not her. You and I can fix this all on our own.”

“It's okay. You're going to save me, Miss Maylene." The girl gave her a genuine look of happiness. "I know it. I knew if I found you everything would be okay.”

“The girl's arms jutted out at awkward angles, not quite hands on the hips belligerent but not relaxed either, as if they weren't all the way under the girl's control. "I came to find you.""I didn't know. If I'd known...""It doesn't matter now." The girl's attention was unwavering. "This is where you are.”

“Do you remember those days? Back porch, sunshine, mason jars" - she paused at remembered sweetness - "we were so foolish then...thinking there was a big ol' world out there to conquer.”

“Everything I could want in eternity is possible because of you," he thought, and then he stopped thinking and simply enjoyed being in the arms of the one person in all of forever who made his life complete.”

“When I told you I wanted to try, I spoke the truth. When I turned away, it was for my former court, and when I tried to make another faery love me, it was for that court. I’ve lived for my whole life trying to bring the Summer Court back to the strength it once was. In all of those years, in centuries , I’ve only wished myself free of duty because of one reason. You.”

“You are the single most amazing person, faery, woman in this world or the other. Because of you, I am a part of this strange new world, have a second mother, and . . . eternity. I have almost everything I could want.”

“You are my queen. I’ve spent nine centuries seeking the mortal who would free this court, who would save my best friend’s son, who would save the lives of the rest of the girls who were not you. I’d die before I’d allow harm to you.” He bowed his head.”

“She stretched up on her tiptoes, tilted her head, trying to get even closer. Seth slid a hand around her waist and kissed her like she was the air, and he was suffocating. And she forgot about everything: there were no faeries, no Sight, nothing €”just them.”

“Can I join you at lunch?" She paused. "You have every other day." He laughed, a sound as musical as the chiming song of the lupine fey when they ran. "Yes. But you resented it every other day." "What makes you think I won't resent it today?" "Hope. It's what I live on...”

“Discord says it's a good idea. That's comforting.”

“Going backwards is never an option.”

“Were you hoping for a quest? A seemingly impossible task that you could relay to your queen afterward? Would you like to tell her that you found and slayed the dragon for love of her?-Queen Sorcha”

“Tell me i'm not losing more of you to him every fucking day. -Seth”

“I was thinking it was worth the risk if it meant forever with my faery girlfriend.”

“you're @ home?"She could hear him moving around..."I'll let you go then.""What if I dont want you to?"he said.She heard the music as he walked toward his room, some sort of jazz.her heart sped up, thinking of him stretched out on his bed too, "Good night, Seth.""So ur running again, then? One of his boots thudded on the floor."I'm not running.".."Really?""Really.Its just--"She stopped."Maybe you should slow down, so i can catch you."He paused, waiting.He seemed to do that more & more lately, make statements that invited her to admit something dangerous to their friendship.When she didnt answer he added, "Sweet dreams, Ash.”

“I waited here while you talked to Sorcha, who, by the way, is crazy. Now you are off to the mortal world where the crazier one is? ... I was there, Devlin. Bananach could've killed you, and really? We've been bound together for like five minutes and you're suddenly darting off into danger without me. I don't think so.”