Melissa Marr

“I've read Reverend Kirk, in fact. My uncle's library has quite a few books of your people. I have read Mr. Lang's fairy tales as well. (Katherine Rae O'Flaherty)"Books are not the same as reality," Devlin stared at her. "My world is not always kind to mortals.”

“You cannot force me to make my wishes now" She squared her shoulders and looked at him. "I've read texts.”

“Once upon a time there was a girl.""Not a princess?!""No, definitely not! She was too smart to be a princess. Tough too...Stronger than anyone realized.""Does she live happily ever after?""Shouldn't there be something in the middle?""I like to read the ending first." (Wicked Lovely)”

“You're an idiot," she whispered tearfully.Finally, he opened his eyes and stared up at her; by then, she had moved on to stroking his hair and crying. She sat beside him on the edge of the bed, trying very hard not to bump him or let her cold tears fall on his bare chest and arms.For a moment he blinked at her. Then he asked, "Are you dead too?”

“He leaned back for a moment to tug her shirt down her arms, with the same wicked, lovley smile that had first stolen her breath years ago.”

“Choose to be happy. It is what we have all done.”

“In the end mortals always expired before faeries. They were such finite creatures. Their first heartbeat and breath were but a blink from death. To add the weight of nourishing his insatiable court in a time of peace was to hasten that unconscionably.”

“Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.”

“She stepped closer to one of the statues. It looked wide-eyed, almost afraid as she reached out her hand.One of the women reached out and snatched Aislinn's still uplifted hand. "No."The women spoke all at once, not to her or to Keenan, but softly-as if to themselves-in a sibilant whisper. "He's ours. Fair exchange. Not yours to interfere.”

“Keenan was staring at her, too intently for comfort. "I don't know why certain people shine for others. I don't know why you and not someone else." He gently pulled her forward and whispered, "But it's you I think of when I wake each morning. It's your face in my dreams."Aislinn swallowed. That would seem odd even if he were normal. And he wasn't. What he was-unfotunately-was completely serious.”

“After a steadying breath, Aislinn turned to Keenan. "I'm sure you can figure out lunch without help. So, umm, go make friends or whatever."And she walked away. He sped up to stay beside her as they entered the cafeteria. "May I join you?""No."He stepped in front of her. "Please?""No." She dropped her bag into a chair next to Rianne's things. Ignoring him-and the stares they were attracting-she opened her bag.He hadn't moved.With a shaky gesture, she pointed. "The line's over there."He looked at the throng slowly progressing to the vats of food. "Can I get you something?""A little space?"A flare of anger flashed over his too-beatiful face, but he said nothing. He just walked away.”

“I'd stop anyone from taking that smile from you. I would, if I were allowed.”

“Will you be my forever, Donia?”

“Catch me, Seth," she invited.He paused."Faeries chase," he said, an then , with a flirtatious smile, he turned away, but before he could take a second step, she was behind him, arms around him, lips pressed against his neck."I seem caught," he murmured.The Summer Queen whispered, "Me too."And They fell together in a bed of flowers that now covered the floor”

“...Bananach sits on your throne, has declared herself Dark Queen.""She WHAT!?" Niall- or perhaps Irial-asked.”

“If you get killed. I'm going to be furious.""I love you too. Come On.”

“Chase away sorrow by living”

“You're killing me here, Ash. Good, she said. She'd bend a few rules, but they both knew she wasn't going to push him beyond where he chose to go. Love wasn't to be based on trickery. But reminding him what he's refusing isn't trickery.”

“I'm not bloodthirsty, but...seriously, she killed you. She needs to be dead.”

“Not 'Don' in that I-m-sorry-and-now-you'll-forgive-me-like-you-always-do-way. Not this time, Keenan."(Donya)”

“Trust me, you're not my first choice to fight next to, Sunshine, but as as much as it would simplify things, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left you to her tender mercies." (Seth to Keenan as he comes to his aid against Bananach)”

“Stab one or two healers, and everyone overreacts.”

“It was the only way he knew to protect the court, the faery, and the only mortal who'd ever mattered to him.”

“I don't know why certain people shine for others. I don know why you and not someone else”

“He didn't slam the door, didn't rage, didn't weep, he simply left.”

“Writing is not just the technical act of your fingers on the keyboard. Writing is living.”

“Just be you-strong and honest. The rest falls into place if you do that. It always has. It always will. Remember that. No matter what happens over the . . . centuries ahead of you, remember to be honest with yourself. And if you fail, forgive yourself. You'll make mistakes. The whole world is new, and they have so many more years in the then you.”

“He looked good, like sin in a suit.”

“Irial!”“Still here.” Irial didn’t open his eyes, but he smiled a little.“You’re an ass,” Niall said, but he kept his hands on Irial’s chest so that he could feel both pulse and breath.“You too, Gancanagh,” Irial murmured.”

“He was an answer to a question she'd forgotten to ask.”

“Then he kissed her, not just a brush of lips as she'd done, but a kiss a kiss that scalded her tongue. The tree burst into full blooms. The garden fluttered around her. A riot of flowers shot out of the earth. She was mud-covered as he pulled back.”

“Love makes you foolish. It makes you throw every bit of logic away, do stupid things, dangerous things.”

“He reached out and caressed her face. With a serious expression, he traced the edge of her jaw with his thumb. "You‘re beautiful, Ani. In all of eternity, there‘s never been another faery who could make me want to forget everything and everyone else.""Because you like the way I look?" She rolled her eyes. "Apparently, my dream mind is shallow.""No, not the exterior. You… the tempers and follies and passion… even the way you care for that infuriating steed."Devlin gazed at her like she was precious. "Even knowing you could be fatal, I would‘ve said yes."Her chest hurt like she had held her breath too long as she asked, "To?""Whatever you wanted." He didn‘t reach out and pull her into his embrace. Instead, he took one step forward, leaned down, and kissed her.”

“Like many faeries she knew, he was sculpture-perfect, but instead of being wrought of shadows like those in her court, this faery had a tangled feel to him. Shadow and radiance. He didn‘t look much older than her, until she saw the arrogance in his posture. Then, he reminded her of Irial, of Bananach, of Keenan, of the faeries who walked through courts and crowds confident that they could slaughter everyone in the room. Like chaos in a glass cage.”

“Do you ever wonder if what you look at is the same thing everyone else is seeing?'He went even stiller at her side. 'Sometimes I'm sure it isn't the same...but that's not so bad is it? Seeing the world in a different way?'Creative vision creates art' he motioned around the gallery 'that shows the rest of the world a new angle. That's a beautiful thing.”

“Like chaos in a glass cage.”

“Seth gave her that: a private space to believe in the illusion of normalcy.”

“I am Devlin, brother and advisor to the High Queen, assassin, and keeper of order.”

“In all of eternity, no faery born has overcome me in anything.'Aaah. Pride goeth before the fall, my friend"--Irial stood and clasped Devlin's hand--"but you've already fallen, haven't you?'And to that, Devlin had no answer.”

“Have you ever tried?''No.''Then don't tell me I can't.”

“What does it mean when nightmares dream of peace? When shadows wish for light?”

“¿Qué significa que las pesadillas sueñen con la paz? ¿Que lassombras suspiren por la luz?”

“Happiness is a choice.”

“We are what we are, neither a good or as bad as others paint us. And what we are doesn't change how truly we feel, only how free we are to follow those feelings.”

“[Keenan] 'What am I going to do?' He sank to the floor.[Donia] 'Hope that some of us are kinder to you than you've been to us,' she whispered. Then, before she could soften again, she walked away and left the Summer King kneeling in her foyer.”

“Sometimes being human sucks.”

“And he smiled at her, truely smiled- wicked and lovely...”

“As if fixing the little errors would made the big stuff manageable.”

“The reality was that while they might have eternity, there was violence on the horizon. And in the present. She wasn't intending on ignoring it. She couldn't. But she wasn't going to ignore them either. Just kiss me, ---.”A look of hesitation crossed his face, but he didn't push her away. He swept her legs from under her and lifted her into his arms. " -Darkest Mercy (p 28)”

“Talking won't change it. But sometimes it was what she wanted most, to tell someone; often, though, she just wanted to escape those horrid feelings, to escape herself, so there was no pain, no fear, no ugliness.”