Wendy Higgins

“Spend the night with me.” (...)“I’m tired of living like I’m not alive.” He dropped his hands from my face to grip my shoulders. “I’m bloody sick to death of it. I want one night to be alive. With you.” He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead on mine.“Please, Anna. One last night and we’ll go back to being safe again. I need this. I need you.”

“I was more myself with you during those three days than I’ve ever been with anyone in my life. It’d be easier if I could be fake with you, but you bring out everything in me, little Ann. All of it.”

“Human girls always take love for granted. They want things to be wild and carefree all the time. And when it gets too comfortable or requires a little work, they just toss it off. I’d give anything to be loved by a guy like Jay. But I suppose the grass is always greener on the other side, right?”

“Supposedly Kaidan’s having a difficult time ’cause he can’t say swear words in every sentence,” Marna said with a smile. “He’s determined to find signs for cursing or make some up himself.”

“Well,” I said, needing to lighten the mood for him, “next time Kai tries to, um, bust your balls, you can give it right back to him, because he's got a girlfriend now, too.”

“I stole glances at Kaidan's bare skin while the others were busy talking. That's my boyfriend right there, I silently announced.”

“I'm not really heaven material anyway, chickie babe. Sign me up for your team.”

“I love you,” I whispered.“I've loved you longer,” he said.”

“Ready to s-snuggle?” he asked Kaidan, a slight clatter in his voice. Only Blake could joke on a night like this and get away with it.Kaidan shook his head and undressed down to his boxers, too, the tension finally shedding away from his frame. “I swear, mate. If I feel something poke me in the back. . .”Blake's laugh was dry. “I'm pretty sure my junk froze off, man, so don't worry.”

“You should go then.” Don’t go. Don’t bloody leave me. Throw your arms around me. I don’t care if you smear my face with paint, Anna. Tell me you love me. Show me you still want me. Torture me at bit more.Oh, God...she was walking away from me.”

“I'm going to marry you someday, Brooke.”

“That's not going to happen, because I love you. If anyone's getting their heart broken here, it's me. Not you.”

“You could tell me anything." You could tell me everything, and I'd want to heart it,”

“Wow, you got a car!" she said, surveying the toy box. "it's so cute!"Cute. He was starting to hate that word."I think the word you're looking for is manly," he said.”

“That's okay," she told him."It's cute."Cute. Ryan wanted to die. In a painful, gory, noncute way.”

“But even the worst earthly pain and heartache doesn't last into the heavenly realm. And it all serves a higher purpose.”

“My mother was an angel,” I blurted. “A guardian angel.”Kaidan began to chuckle.“What's so funny?” I asked.“You. You're a walking contradiction. Horns and a halo. I don't believe it.”

“It's a poem, for crying out loud! The beauty of poetry is that it can mean different things to different people at different times. But you know they're expecting one specific, so-called correct answer, and any other thoughtful response will be counted off. It's wrong to dissect poetry like this!”

“I jumped and let out an embarrassing squeak when two hands came around my waist.“Just me, luv,” he said, close to my ear. “Aren't you the picture of domestication? Do you cook as well?”

“You told some human kid?”I coughed, buying time. “He's Neph, too.”Jonathan LaGrey went rigid and his ruddy cheeks paled. I squirmed as his eyes bored into mine.“Which one's his father?” he asked through clenched teeth.“Richard Rowe. I guess you'd know him as Pharzuph.” Oh, boy. He wasn't pale anymore.“You came across the country—”“Shhh!” I warned him as people looked over. He lowered his voice to a shouted whisper.“—with the son of the Duke of Lust?! Son of a—”

“Dear God!”I screamed and buried my face in my pillow.“What?!” I heard him ask. “Did you see a roach?”“Why are you naked?!” I did not dare to lift my red face.“Huh. Is that all?” he asked. “I always sleep in the buff. I don't know how you can stand all that clothing.”“Unbelievable.” I said, and without looking at him I pulled myself up and stomped to the bathroom.”

“How's your orange juice, Anna? Does it have a touch of lime?”The glass paused at my lips as I processed his innuendo, and I took a second to make sure my embarrassment stayed hidden inside. I let the drink swish over my tongue a moment before swallowing and answering.“Actually it's a little sour,” I said, and he laughed.“That's a shame.” He picked up a green pear from his plate and bit into it, licking juice that dripped down his thumb. My cheeks warmed as I set down my glass.“Okay, now you're just being crude,” I said.He grinned with lazy satisfaction.”

“—¿Por qué estás intentando con tanta fuerza el hacerme pensar que eres una mala persona? —pregunté.—Porque sería mejor para ti tener un sano temor hacia mí de modo que no puedas decir que no fuiste advertida. No soy como los chicos de tu escuela. Piensa en la atracción que sientes hacia las drogas. Así me siento respecto al sexo.Oh.—¿Comienzas a comprenderlo ya? Déjame ser aún más claro. —Su voz bajó mientras me guiaba a través de su trabajo—. Puedo entender a alguien en solo cinco minutos de conversación para saber qué tendría que decir o hacer para atraerlas a la cama. Eso te incluye, aunque admito que estaba fuera de juego anoche. Con alguna personas basta con simple adulación y atención. Con otras toma más tiempo y energía. Hago lo que se necesite para quitarles la ropa, y luego intento hacerlo de modo que nunca estén con otra persona sin pensar en mí. Sé secretos del cuerpo humano que la mayoría de las personas ni siquiera sabe de ellos mismos. Y cuando me voy, sé que están arruinadas cuando comienzan a suplicarme que me quede.”

“There was nothing healthy about desperately wanting something you couldn't have.”

“—¿Conoces la pequeña voz en tu cabeza? preguntó—. ¿La que a los humanos les gusta llamar su “conciencia”? —Asentí—. Son en realidad los mensajes que la gente está recibiendo de sus ángeles de la guarda. Verás, los espíritus demoniacos susurran pensamientos a la mente de una persona, y los pensamientos de demonio pelean con los propios sentimientos del humano, junto con los mensajes que sus ángeles de la guarda tratan de inculcar. El viejo cliché acerca del demonio sobre un hombro y un ángel en el otro no está tan lejos.”

“I marvelled about the nature of humanity, and how something as lovely as friendship could stem from something so hideous.”

“What are you doing?”“I...” He appeared to have no idea himself. “I wanted to see your freckle.”A vulnerable tenderness flashed across his face, more painful to see than the coldness. It took every ounce of strength I had not tobeg for one last kiss. As fast as his expression had softened, it was back to stone again.“What do you want from me, Kai?”“For starters?” His voice lowered to sexy, dangerous depths. “I want to introduce myself to every freckle on your body.”

“Wait,” Kaidan called from behind me. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, but kept walking. Then I felt his hand around my wrist, spinning me in a half circle and pulling me to his chest. His face was so close. He reached down and cupped my face with onewoolly hand, and wiped the top corner of my lip hard with his thumb. I flinched back. “What are you doing?” “I...” He appeared to have no idea himself. “I wanted to see your freckle.” A vulnerable tenderness flashed across his face, more painful to see than the coldness. It took every ounce of strength I had not to beg for one last kiss. As fast as his expression had softened, it was back to stone again. “What do you want from me, Kai?” “For starters?” His voice lowered to sexy, dangerous depths. “I want to introduce myself to every freckle on your body.” A powerful shiver ripped through me.”

“I felt you come alive when we kissed, and I know you’re afraid of that. Afraid to unleash that other side of yourself.”

“Kope!” the other guy yeled. “What the frick?! You got some cheetah blood in you or what?”“Seriously!” insisted Blake. “How did you run so fast?”“I am African.” Without taking his eyes from mine, Kopano eased himself off me, and I sat up.”

“Because all I could think about was you, Anna, and how good you are, and what you'd think of me. You put thoughts into my head a Neph shouldn't have!”

“Seriously,” I whispered, unable to look away. “You're doing the bedroom-eyes thing again.”

“Those two need each other like a bullet needs a target”

“I can't believe I'm about to drink with my father- this is wrong on so many levels.”

“This little thing" making a triangle between the three-"ain't gonna fly”

“I'm too old for this.”

“A:I just want to talk,you dont have to try and scare me.K:There's hardly any room for fear when your so bloody turned on.”

“We have to face difficulties to find out what our true strengths are. How we come back from failure is a very valuable test.”

“I knew I hated straight shots of anything except tequila. I was definitely a tequila girl.”

“Good gracious, he was sexy—a word that had not existed in my personal vocabulary until that moment. This guy was sexy like it was his job or something.”

“...there is no way of truly knowing one’s heart until one is put to the test.”

“Besides, unrequited love is one of those things that all teen-agers have to go through, right?”

“Oh, dear Lord. I was in love with him. And there wasn’t a thing on earth, in heaven, or in hell that could have stopped me.”

“The beauty of poetry is that it can mean different things to different people at different times.”

“My whole life I’d fooled myself into thinking I didn’t need his love, but I’d been wrong. Everyone needed their father’s love.”

“The purpose of life is to find your way back to a spiritual way of thinking and living—to be able to get past the physical stuff.”

“I want to introduce myself to every freckle on your body.”

“Hey, princess of Popsicles! Queen of curlicue cones.”

“Would you like me to drive so you can manage your social life?” I asked. It came out much snippier than I’d intended, but he was oblivious to mytone, still looking at his newest message.“No, no, I’m fine.”“We’d better not get in an accident because you’re busy sexting and driving,” I said. He burst out laughing”

“I know I’m just a human woman, but so help me, if anything happens to her while she’s with you—”“I assure you she’ll be in good hands.”“Mm-hm, that’s part of what I’m worried about.” She pointed at his hands. “Hands off, mister.”