Rachel Caine

“Stop being so...""Charming?Attractive?Irresistible?"I'm going with arrogant.”

“I added pieces the same way I’d constructed my body, from the inside out: boy-cut panties first (lacy), bra (sheer), stockings (thigh high), knee-length leather skirt (black), lime green midriff-baring shirt (polyester). David leaned against the wall and watched this striptease-in-reverse with fabulously expressive eyebrows slowly climbing toward heaven, I finished it off with a pair of strappy lime green three-inch heels, something from the Manolo Blahnik spring collection that I’d seen two months ago in Vogue.He looked me over, blinked behind the glasses, and asked, “You’re done?”I took offense, “Yeah. You with the fashion police?”“I don’t think I’d pass the entrance exam.” The eyebrows didn’t come down. “I never knew you were so…”“Fashionable?”“Not really the word I was thinking.”I struck a pose and looked at him from under my supernaturally lustrous eyelashes. “Come on, you know it’s sexy.”“And that’s sort of my point.”

“Porque soy una chica, pensó Claire. Casi no fue capaz de contener su alivio interior. Porque somos todas tontas e inseguras y creemos que nunca somos lo suficientementebuenas.”

“Well," he said, "I think we've found our way in. We just wait until they're duking it out, but trust me, these Humans First types don't have a lot of staying power or they'd have been at the gym with me before. I doubt Grandma Kent there is going to do a lot of damage." He pointed at a gray-haired, hunched lady in a shawl, carrying what looked liked a gardening tool. "It's like Plants Versus Zombies, and I'm not rooting for the zombies, weirdly enough.”

“His smile was bright and sweet and hot enough to melt solid steel. "Is this the part where I kiss you?""If you like.""Oh," he said, "I like.”

“Who's your daddy?'Myrnin stared at him as if he'd gone completely mental. 'Excuse me?”

“Jason: I'm all for hobbies, but you think this is the time for origami? Whatcha making, a crane?”

“Eve: Shut up, we have zero time for you and your bullshit dramaticsMonica: Or what, you'll bleed on me, Emo Princess of Freakdomonia?Claire: Fine. You come with us. If you get in my way, I'll kill you.”

“Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not sure I'm the one who lives through the movie.”

“And change isn't destruction. It's just change. ”

“I'd feel a whole lot better about the two of us if you didn't think I was the go-to guy for breaking and entering.”

“We're clear," she said. "You're kind of a psycho. I get that”

“At least you left out the oh-my-God sauce this time.""Made myself a batch with it," Shane said. "It's got the biohazard sticker on it in the fridge, so don't bitch if you get flamed.”

“Fire is always ready to burn the hand it warms.”

“That is disgusting, and I will never kiss you again." "Yes, you will," he said, and proved by pressing his lips to hers. She wanted to squirm away, just to prove the point but God, she loved kissing him.”

“--I lifted one foot from the brackish water, and the bunny slippers were soaked and drooped pathetically. Even the fangs seemed robbed of any charm."Don't worry," I told it. "Someone will pay for your suffering. Heavily. With screaming."I felt I should repeat it for the other slipper, in case there should be any bad feelings between the two. One should never create tension between ones's footwear.--POV is Myrnin, page 221”

“Sometime, somewhere, life always comes to a fight, and peace always comes to an end.”

“I wish the dryer were running, because man, I could use a good...tumble dry."-Eve Rosser”

“Bite your tongue. My boyfriend is a rock god,baby.”

“Meaning,you do nothing, Claire. That's an order.'"She gave him a cocked mock salute. "Yes, sir, sorry, sir.'"He sighed. "I liked you better when you were this timid little kid. What happened?'""I started living with you guys.'""Oh, right.”

“bite me. oh wait, you can't from way out there." - eve”

“Over my- I was going to say, 'over my dead body,' but- - michael”

“I've bowed to you for too long, and if I continue to do it, we will all suffer.”

“You did what was right for those who agreed with you, and that is all in the past. We are talking about our future. Oliver, we cannot live as we did.”

“And that was all of it. The machine stretched out in an endless, dizzying series of loops and whirls and weird mechanisms, sprouting wires like treeroots. It didn't look real to her. Neither did Myrnin, as he turned to her with a barely concealed red glow in his eyes.”

“I'll be your hands.”

“I've got a sense of self-preservation. OK, granted , it's still in the original shrink wrap but I've got one if I ever want to use it.”

“It's not the hair. You just--you're something else, Claire. It's like when all the rest of us don't know where to go, you ... just go. You're not afraid.”

“It's not just a miracle; it's a miracle with chocolate. Best kind.”

“Morley laughed. "You're trying to make me Amelie." "Goodness, no. You'd look terrible in a skirt.”

“Yeah? How's this?" Claire, in one smooth, fast motion, pulled an arrow from the bag on her shoulder, slotted it home on the string, and pulled the compound bow back to full extension. She was aiming the arrow straight at Morley's crossed hands, over his heart. He laughed. "You aren't serious--" She fired. The arrow went through both of Morley's hands, pinning them to his chest with the fletching at the end. He stared down in shock at the wood piercing his chest, stumbled, and went down to his knees. Then just down, face forward. The arrow stuck up out of his back, like an exclamation point. "I will," Claire said softly, and let the bow rock forward as she reached one-handed for another arrow and notched it home. "I'm not a really good shot, but this is a really small room, so let me make this very clear: the first vampire who tries to lay a hand on either of my friends gets a new piercing, just like Morley. Now, if you need food, I will figure it out. But you don't get to use my friends like vending machines. Are we clear?" Around the room, vampires nodded, casting disbelieving looks at Morley. Even Oliver was staring at her as if he'd never really seen her before. She didn't know why; he'd known she could do it--hadn't he? Or was she different, somehow?”

“As she was working out the calculations in her head, she forgot to really worry about all the physical things that were getting in the way--the balancing of the bow, the aiming, the fear she wasn't going to get it right--and suddenly it all just clicked. She felt it come into sudden, sharp focus, like a spotlight had suddenly focused on her, and she let go of the arrow. That instant, she knew it would hit the target. She let the bow rock gracefully forward on the balance point, watching the arrow, and it smacked into the exact center of her crudely drawn paper circle. Physics. She loved physics. Shane arrived just as she put the arrow into the center, and slowed down, staring from the target to Claire, standing straight and tall, bow still held loosely in one hand and ready to shoot again. "You look so hot right now," he said.”

“You know it's desperate," she said. "Shane is going to the library. ”

“Tempting. But you see, I can simply insist on a lifetime contract with none of your silly restrictions, or kill you right now.”“You won’t,” Shane said. That made Morley’s eyes open wide.“Why not? Jacob and Patience were quite specific—they’re concerned for Claire. Not for you, boy.”“Because if you kill me and Eve, you’ll make her your enemy. This girl won’t stop until she sees you all pay.”Claire had no idea whom he was talking about—she didn’t feel like that Claire at all, until she imagined Shane and Eve lying dead on the ground.Then she understood. “I’d hunt you down,” she said quietly. “I’d use every resource I have to do it.And you know I’d win.”Morley seemed impressed. “She is small, but I see your point, boy. Besides, she has the ear of Amelie, Oliver, and Myrnin; not a combination I would care to test.”

“Bite Me!-Shane Collins to Eve Rosser.The Morganville Vampire Series”

“He was yelling at them all to follow. Claire didn't want to; she didn't trust them, any of them. But the boy took her hand, and said, "Trust me, Claire," and she felt something inside her that had been howling in fear...go quiet.”

“I can't believe you did that.''Why?' I felt a little weak at the knees, and I wasn't at all sure it was due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. 'Why wouldn't I? With you?'He put his arms around me and kissed me. That was a whole different kind of hunger, one I understood way better. Michael backed me up against the car and kissed me like it was the last night on earth, like the sun and stars would burn down before he'd let me go.The only thing that slowed us down was Shane saying, very clearly, 'I am driving off and leaving you here, I swear to God. You're embarrassing me.'Michael pulled back just enough that our lips were touching, but not pressed together, and sighed. There was so much in that sound, all his longing and his fear and his need and his frustration. 'Sorry,' he said.I smiled. 'For what?'He was still holding his thumb over the wound on my wrist. 'This,' he said, and pressed just a little harder before letting go. It didn't bleed.I purred lightly, and nipped at his mouth. 'I'm Catwoman,' I reminded him. 'And it's just a scratch.”

“I know, he said. We are into the Bad Idea neighborhood and heading down I Have a Bad Feeling Street. (Shane)”

“Me and normal have never really been on speaking terms.”

“She didn't know what Liam made his coffee with, but it had to be magical sparkles and crack beans, because it was the most delicious stuff she'd ever tasted.”

“Claire watched as Shane hunted around and came up with a small crowbar, which he used to lever open the seals on the top of the barrel. The top was hinged in the middle, Claire realized, and he flipped that part over. "Score," he said, and raised the crowbar in triumph. "Who's your daddy?"Myrnin stared at him as if he'd gone completely mental. "Excuse me?""Figure of speech," Claire said hastily.”

“Pics or it didn't happen.""Dude, little busy for pics. You know, throwing flame.”

“Michael: 'Hey, remember when I almost didn't let you into the house that first day you came?'Claire: 'Yep'Michael: 'Well, I was dead wrong. Maybe I never said that out loud before, but I mean it, Claire. All that's happened since... we wouldn't have made it. Not me, not Shane, not Eve. Not without you.'Claire: 'It's not me. It's not! It's us, that's all. We're just better together. We... take care of each other.'Shane: 'Stop vamping up my girl, man. She needs coffee.'Michael: 'Don't we all. Vamping up your girl? Dude. That's low.'Shane: 'Digging for China. Come on.”

“Happy birthday,” she said. “And next time? Eat the stupid cupcake.”

“Follow my finger." He moved it around, tracking my eye movements. "Any blurred vision?""Well I think I'm hallucinating, because I see a big talking pile of crap." - Joanne Baldwin.”

“It's an illusion, control," Naomi said. "You ought to understand that by now, young Claire. We are never in control of our destinies, even the strongest of us. All we can hope to do is not be too badly damaged by events.”

“I think—I think it’s a big deal. Bigger for him and Eve than for most people.' Shane kept his eyes down, fixed on the sidewalk and the steps they were taking. 'Look, ask him, okay? This is girl talk. I don’t do girl talk.'She punched him in the shoulder. 'Ass.''That’s better. I was starting to feel like we should go shoe shopping or something.''Being a girl is not a bad thing!''No.' He took his hand out of his pocket and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. 'If I could be half the girl you are, I’d be—wow, I have no idea where I was going with that, and it just turned out uncomfortable, all of a sudden.''Jackass.''You like being a girl—that’s good. I like being a guy—that’s also good.''Next you’ll be all Me, Tarzan, you, Jane!”

“Marriage is a big word for all guys,” Shane said. “You know that. It’s kind of an allergy. We get itchy and sweaty just trying to spell it, much less do it.”

“You sound disappointed.” Shane’s voice came out faint and thready, and he put his head back against the cushions as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Damn, I hate this. I really do.”I know,” Oliver said. “Your blood reeks of it.”

“Eeek,” Shane said. Nothing. Right, Amazon princess, I got the point.”