“Hatsumomo's lovely smille grew... until her lips were as rich and full as drops of blood beading at the edge of a wound”

“She ran her tongue over his bottom lip,took the drops of blood she'd called forth with her quick bite into her mouth,then blew on the tiny wound."That's all the healing you get from this veana tonight.Feel better?”

“The love of my life came not As love unto others is cast;For mine was a secret wound-- But the wound grew a pearl, at last.”

“And her sweet red lips on these lips of mineBurned like the ruby fire setIn the swinging lamp of a crimson shrine,Or the bleeding wounds of the pomegranate,Or the heart of the lotus drenched and wetWith the spilt-out blood of the rose-red wine.”

“He loved her eyes. They were always changing, and Lucas liked to catalogue all their different colors in his mind. When she laughed, her eyes were pale amber, like honey sitting in a glass jar on a sunny window. When he kissed her, they darkened until they were the rich color of mahogany leather, but with strips of red and gold thread shot through. Right now they were turning dark—inviting him to lower his lips to hers.”

“She was battered and beaten up, and not smiling this time. Liesel could see it on her face. Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from the words. From Liesel's words.”