Richelle Mead

“You'll be eighteen soon, but even so…" He sighed. "When this comes out, a lot of people aren't going to be happy.""Yeah, well, they can deal." Rumors and gossip I could handle."I also have a feeling your mother's going to have a very ugly conversation with me.""You're about to face down Strigoi, and my mother's the one you're scared of?”

“When we were almost to the other campus, I felt the weird nausea hit me. I called a warning to Christian, just as a Strigoi grabbed him. But Christian was fast. Flames wreathed the Strigoi's head. He screamed and released Christian, trying frantically to put the flames out. The Strigoi never saw me coming with the stake. The whole thing took under a minute. Christian and I exchanged looks.Yeah. We were badasses.”

“I, had an excellent instructor. One that you currently have locked up. If you want to talk about skills going to waste, then go look in your own jail.”

“It's not my fault so much as my genius,”

“What were good and evil, really, but stupid categories? Stupid categoriesthat restricted people and punished or rewarded them based on how they responded to their own natures, natures they really didn't have any way to control.”

“Love doesn’t stop people from betraying each other”

“Then, as one hand tightened on me and his other ran gently over my hair, I noticed something. He didn't smell right.”

“That's ridiculous." Especially the part about Christian being manly.”

“It’s easy to want peace and love in hypothetical situations—then reality sets in, and sometimes we have to do what’s ugly.”

“Are you kidding? He's arrogant, sarcastic, likes to intimidate people, and—oh." Okay. Maybe she had a point.”

“I'm glad you're better," he said. His mouth sounded like it was almost in my hair, just above my my ear. "When I saw you fall...""You thought, 'Wow, she's a loser.”

“ARE YOU CRAZY?" I ASKED. He gave me the same wordless look he always did when I asked that question.”

“Some people read books for fun.”

“Je t'aime Roza...je serais là pour toi. Je ne laisserais jamais rien t'arriver.Et je ne laisserais jamais rien t'arriver non plus. Je t'aime.”

“It's worth it. It's worth giving up the sun and magic.”

“I loved Aeson. You have no idea what love is.”“Oh, I do. I know that it’s the best high and the worst hurt all at the same time—not to mention confusing as hell.”

“He thought there was no hope for him. Me? I can't imagine a world without hope.”

“It occurred to me that I was standing face to face with the hero of a love story nearly as dramatic as my own.”

“I felt my heart breaking all over again. Why? Why had this happened to us? Why was the universe so cruel?”

“It matters to me. That's what you don't get. You can't understand. You can't understand what it's like knowing what I did. That whole time being Strigoi...It's like a dream now, but it's one I remember clearly. There can be no forgiveness for me. And what happened with you? I remember that most of all. Everything I did. Everything I wanted to do.”

“Dimitri must have grown tired of waiting for me. He leapt out, hand again going for my neck. And again I evaded, letting my shoulder take the brunt of the hit. This time he held on to my shoulder. He jerked me toward him, triumph flaring in those red eyes. In the sort of space we were in, this was probably all he needed to kill me. He had what he wanted.Apparently, though, he wasn't the only one who wanted me. Another Strigoi, maybe thinking he'd help Dimitri, pushed toward us and reached for me. Dimitri bared his fangs, giving the other Strigoi a look of pure hatred and fury."Mine!" Dimitri hissed.”

“I tilted my head and tossed my hair back, baring my neck. I saw her hesitate, but the sight of my neck and what it offered proved too powerful. A hungry expression crossed her face, and her lips parted slightly, exposing the fangs she normally kept hidden while living among humans. Those fangs contrasted oddly with the rest of her features. With her pretty face and pale blond hair, she looked more like an angel than a vampire. As her teeth neared my bare skin, I felt my heart race with a mix of fear and anticipation. I always hated feeling the latter, but it was nothing I could help, a weakness I couldn't shake. Her fangs bit into me, hard, and I cried out at the brief flare of pain. Then it faded, replaced by a wonderful, golden joy that spread through my body. It was better than any of the times I'd been drunk or high. Better than sex—or so I imagined, since I'd never done it. It was a blanket of pure, refined pleasure, wrapping me up and promising everything would be right in the world. On and on it went. The chemicals in her saliva triggered an endorphin rush, and I lost track of the world, lost track of who I was.”

“Unbelievable," I said. "First you wanted to hide her away to keep you alive. Now you actually want her out in the world to use her compulsion for your own psycho plans.”

“Fine" I said icily. "I'll do this. but i want it noted that I'm doing this against my will.""I think we already figured that out, Miss Hathaway.”

“I'm sure. But it doesn't work with me. for one thing, you won't look me in the eye. As for the other...I don't know. I can just tell.”

“Mentor’s Official and Complete Procedural Handbook on Initial Succubus Intake and Probationary Period (Abridged).“Abridged?” I spun toward Jerome. “Tell me you’re getting back at me for the time I accused you of wearing Old Spice.”“That one’s still coming,” said the demon. “This one’s for real.”

“Това е много странно, а когато АЗ кажа, че нещо е странно, значи работата е много сериозна.Ейдриан към Роуз”

“His dark eyes were on the road ahead, thoughtful. “No. I was hoping to go back to Tucson and see if I could get this hot chick I know to go out with me. I hear she’s in demand, though. She keeps putting me off each time I try to plan something romantic.”“Yeah, well, maybe if you come up with a good itinerary, you could lure her out.”“I was thinking dinner at Joe’s.”I made a face. “If that’s the case, maybe you’d better brace yourself for rejection.”“Red Pepper Bistro?”“Okay. Now you’re in the zone.”“Followed by a long massage in the sauna.”“That’s pretty good too.”“And then indecent things in the sauna.”“I hope you mean you’ll be doing the indecent things—because I more than did my share last night.”Kiyo glanced over at me with a mischievous grin. “Who says I’m talking about you?”

“Love fades. Mine has.”

“Since I’m presuming you don’t mean you finally bought him a leash, let me say simply that there is a big difference between allowing an animal to ravage you and allowing yourself to be ravaged. One is common. The other is art. It is planned. Crafted, even. Only capable of being done by a master.”

“You see something you like?”

“And than suddenly he was there, charging down the hallway like death in a cowboy duster.”

“I steeled myself for the next response. I knew it was going to be one of the Zen life lessons. [...]Instead he kissed me.”

“I find more peace with you.”

“Do you think I'm pretty?I think you're beautifulBeautiful?You are so beautiful, it hurts sometimes.”

“At the same time, we both pulled back briefly still oh so close. Everything in the word rested on that moment."We can't..." He told me."I know," I agreed.Then his mouth was on mine again, and this time I knew there would be no turning back.”

“...as I watched all the problems you were struggling with, I realized how much you meant to me. It changed everything. I was worried about you—so, so worried. You have no idea. And it became useless to try to act like I could ever put any Moroi life above yours. It's not going to happen, no matter how wrong others say it is. And so I decided that's something I have to deal with. Once I made that decision...there was nothing to hold us back." He hesitated, seeming to replay his words as he brushed my hair from my face. "Well, to hold me back. I'm speaking for myself. I don't mean to act like I know exactly why you did it.""I did it because I love you," I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. And really, it was.”

“Do you love him?"There were only a few people in the world who could ask me such insanely personal questions without getting punched. Dimitri was one of them.”

“Carter leaned toward me and brushed the hair away from the side of my face. "Don't look down then," he whispered.”

“It's okay," said Adrian breezily. He rested his arm casually on the table. "I don't really need a job or extra money. After Rose and I get married, the kids and I'll just live off of her guardian paycheck.”

“She turned back to the cards and tapped the Ace of Cups. "You're on the verge of a new beginning, a rebirth of great power and emotion. Your life will change, but it will be change that takes you in the direction that, while difficult, will ultimatley illuminate the world.""Whoa," I said.Rhonda then pointed to the Empress. "Power and leadership lie ahead of you, which you will handle with grace and intelligence. The seeds are already in place, though there's an edge of uncertainty-an enigmatic set of influences that hang around you like a mist." Her attention was on the Moon as she said those words. "But my overall impression is that those unknown factors won't deter you from your destiny."Lissa's eyes were wide. "You can teel that just from the cards?"...After several moments of heavy silence, she said, "You will destroy that which is undead."i waited about thirty seconds for her to continue, but she didn't. "Wait, that's it?"...Her eyes flickered over the cards, looked at Dimitri, then looked back at the cards. Her expression was blank. "You will lose what you value most, so treasure it while you can." She pointed to the Wheel of Fortune card. "The wheel is turning, always turning.”

“The three cards were the Moon, the Empress, and the Ace of Cups. Ambrose leaned over my shoulder to peer at the cards. "Ooh,' he said. "Very interesting."Rhonda glanced up at him. "Hush. You don't know what you're talking about.”

“I don't like cages,”

“Smug, I looked back at Tatiana. "Isn´t eighteen the legal voting age?" Checkmate, bitch.”

“Dreams, dreams. I walk them; I live them. I delude myself with them. It's a wonder I can spot reality anymore.”

“He exhaled loudly and raked a hand through the sable brown hair he always kept stylishly messy. "Look, Rose. You don’t have to keep up with the hard-to-get thing. You’ve already got me.”

“You need to come with us right now," one of the queen's guards said. "If you resist, we'll take you by force.""Leave him alone!" I yelled, looking from face to face. That angry darkness exploded within me. How could they still not believe? Why were they still coming after him? "He hasn't done anything! Why can't you guys accept that he's really a dhampir now?"The man who'd spoken arched an eyebrow. "I wasn't talking to him.""You're...you're here for me?" I asked. I tried to think of any new spectacles I might have caused recently. I considered the crazy idea that the queen had found out I'd spent the night with Adrian and was pissed off about it. That was hardly enough to send the palace guard for me, though...or was it? Had I really gone too far with my antics?"What for?" demanded Dimitri. That tall, wonderful bod of his—the one that could be so sensual sometimes—was filled with tension and menace now.The man kept his gaze on me, ignoring Dimitri. "Don't make me repeat myself: Come with us quietly, or we will make you." The glimmer of handcuffs showed in his hands.My eyes went wide. "That's crazy! I'm not going anywhere until you tel me how the hell this—"That was the point at which they apparently decided I wasn't coming quietly. Two of the royal guardians lunged for me, and even though we technically worked for the same side, my instincts kicked in. I didn't understand anything here except that I would not be dragged away like some kind of master criminal. I shoved the chair I'd been sitting in earlier at the one of the guardians and aimed a punch at the other. It was a sloppy throw, made worse because he was taller than me. That height difference allowed me to dodge his next grab, and when I kicked hard at his legs, a grunt told me I'd hit home.[...]Meanwhile, other guardians were joining the fray. Although I got a couple of good punches in, I knew the numbers were too overwhelming. One guardian caught hold of my arm and began trying to put the cuffs on me. He stopped when another set of hands grabbed me from the other side and jerked me away.Dimitri."Don't touch her," he growled.There was a note in his voice that would have scared me if it had been directed toward me. He shoved me behind him, putting his body protectively in front of mine with my back to the table. Guardians came at us from all directions, and Dimitri began dispatching them with the same deadly grace that had once made people call him a god. [...] The queen's guards might have been the best of the best, but Dimitri...well, my former lover and instructor was in a category all his own. His fighting skills were beyond anyone else's, and he was using them all in defense me."Stay back," he ordered me. "They aren't laying a hand on you.”

“This isn't over. I won't give up on you.""I've given up on you," he said back, voice also soft. "Love fades. Mine has."I stared at him in disbelief. All this time, he'd never phrased it like that. His protests had always been about some greater good, about the remorse he felt over being a monster of how it had scarred him from love. I've given up on you. Love fades. Mine has.I backed up, the sting of those words hitting me as hard as if he'd slapped me. Something shifted in his features, like maybe he knew how much he'd hurt me. I didn't stick around to see. Instead, I pushed my way out of the aisle and ran out the doors in the back, afraid that if I stayed any longer, everyone in the church would see me cry.”

“That," I told Tatiana, "is the most fucked up law I have ever heard."[...]"You could change the quorum law if you wanted, you sanctimonious bitch!" I yelled back.”

“I threw myself against the bars, so rapidly that even Mikhail flinched. "But I love you!" I hissed. "And I know you love me too. Do you really think you can spend the rest of your life ignoring that when you're around me?"[...]"...All my feelings...my emotions for you...they changed. I don't feel the way I used to. I might be a dhampir again, but after what I went through...well, it's scarred me. It altered my soul. I can't love anyone now. I can't—I don't—love you. There's nothing more between you and me.My blood turned cold. I refused to believe his words, not after the way he'd looked at me earlier. "No! That's not true! I love you and you—""Guards!”