R.L. LaFevers

“In the distance a wolf howls. Let it come, I think. Beast will most likely simply howl back, and the creature will either turn tail and run or fall into line behind him, like the rest of us have.”

“Jewels can be replaced, cousin. Independence, once lost, cannot.”

“Hate cannot be fought with hate. Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both.”

“I am left with the conviction that an avalanche would be easier to dissuade than that man.”

“And just as love has two sides, so too does Death. While Ismae will serve as His mercy, I will not, for that is not how He fashioned me.Every death I have witnessed, every horror I have endured, has forged me to be who I am -- Death's justice.”

“It is a good thing I no longer have a heart, because if I did, it would surely break.”

“I cannot tell her I have been moping over a broken heart when I have worked so hard to convince her I have no heart at all.”

“Truly, we are the gods' own children, forged in the fire of our tortured pasts, but also blessed with unimaginable gifts.”

“Every time he glances at me I feel it just as surely as if he has reached out and run his finger along my soul. It is all I can do not to smile at the sheer wonder of it.”

“Do you need anything before I go?I want you to return my wits, I long to say.”

“... then he offers me his arm. As I take it, I wonder what folly decreed that women cannot walk unassisted.”

“This is what I want to be. An instrument of mercy, not vengeance.”

“He smiles then, and even though it is well past midnight, its as if the sun has just come out.”

“A kiss for luck, demoiselle?"It is a magnificent, lusty kiss and I feel nothing but deep regret that it may be his last. Just before he pulls away, he whispers in my ear. "Duval said to give you that should I get a chance. It is from him.”

“Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf?”

“... while I am Death's daughter and walk in His dark shadow, surely the darkness can give way to light sometimes.”

“Surely He does not give us hearts so we may spend our lives ignoring them.”

“I am sorry,' he whispers. 'I am sorry I treated you so ill. I thought only to protect Duval.''It was not I who was poisoning him,' I say.'No, but you had stolen his heart and I was afraid you would rip it from his chest when you left.”

“There is no shame in scars, Ismae.”

“God's Teeth,' he says. 'I was only trying to wake you. You were crying out in your sleep.''I was not,' I say, then look from his neck to my knife.'When I tried to wake you, you stabbed me.' He sounds sore put out. and I cannot blame him.”

“... true faith never comes without anguish.”

“So.... You are well equipped for our service.''Which is?''We kill people.”

“I pause at the door, wishing I could find a corner and sleep until my head clears, but the sailor said the abbess is expecting me, and while I do not know much about abbesses, I suspect they are not fond of waiting.”

“Are men truly such idiots that they cannot resist two orbs of flesh?”

“I stare at him coldly. "I do not care for needlework." I pause. "Unless it involves the base of the skull.”

“Whenever you are ready, or if you never are, my heart is yours, until Death do us part. Whatever that may mean when consorting with one of Death’s handmaidens.”

“I will sit here but an hour or two, then leave."I yawn. "So very long as that?"When he answers, there is a wry note in his voice. "I do have my reputation to protect.”

“When one consorts with assassins, one must expect to dance along the edge of a knife once or twice.”