“Ah, damn it, lass,'he called after her. 'I've busted my stitches wide open.''What?'she cried, hurrying back to him. 'Let me see!''Ah-ha!' He snared her around the waist, dragging her down with him to his lap.'You still care for me!”

“He stole credit for my research. And he was after the code I’m working on now."Cade went still, fury spiking through him. "Holly, I’m going to give you his throat for this.""Aw, you say the sweetest things, demon." She stood on tiptoe and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.Deciding he’d kill Tim for her anyway, he relaxed and said, "I know how to play those heartstrings, yeah?"She unbuckled Cade’s belt. "I called him a fuckwit tosser.""That’s my girl." He stripped off her top, then his shirt. "Are you coming on to me to get back at him?""Probably." Down went his zipper."I’m okay with that.”

“He found her not even a block away from the house, sitting on a curb.As he approached, he saw her wiping her face with her forearm.Sabine was...crying? "What are you doing out here, cwena?" Over the past week, Rydstrom had been pleased when she'd worried about him, and gratified when she'd felt the sting of jealousy. Was he a terrible man to hope she was crying about him?She glared at him with her bottom lip quivering, allowing him to see her like this instead of using a mask. "I d-don't have anywhere else to g-go." Another swipe of her forearm over her eyes. "Lanthe's gone, and I c-can't get to her for six days. And I'm in a strange t-town and land, and Vrekeners are everywhere."Sabine hadn't even mentioned what they'd just gone through-"And you br-broke up with me!" she said, her tears falling faster. "Is that supposed to make me happy?""Come inside, Sabine.""No! You t-told me not to." She sniffled, "You don't want me at your house."He swooped her up in his arms. "Will you shut up?" With his free hand, he brushed her tears. "I made it ten minutes before I came after you.”

“She scrambled to her feet. She knew her sisters were eyeing her strangely, knew that what she was feeling was undisguised. Right then, she didn't care. She turned and ran for him. Bastian! Standing at the door, so tall and proud.When he saw her, his lips parted, then he absently palmed the center of his chest.As she hadn't slowed, he opened his arms - she knew what this meant - but she didn't hesitate to run into them, leaping up and latching onto him. They would have gone reeling if he weren't so strong. The Valkyrie who'd flown down the stairs at the marked lightning saw her. All around them, she heard gasps. One muttered, "She ran to his arms. I saw it.""Bastian, I missed you!" Kaderin whispered."God, I missed you, too," he murmured, clutching her.”

“When Thad began nuzzling her neck, pressing his opened lips against her, she smacked him in the back of the head. "Don't go vamp on me now!""Whaa!" He shot upright, his fangs sharp. "Where am I?"She glanced at his fangs, then down. "Oh, my gods, when do you not sport wood? There are bathrooms in the back, so go burp the worm or whatever.”

“Declan and Regin:"Kiss you?" As he waited for the revulsion to seize him, he found himself wondering how she would react. Would she moan into his mouth?"It will help you remember me. Kiss me. Come on, you know you want to so bad. You want me so bad.""Never." Bloody get off her, get away from her. But he needed to be above her like this, to master her, overpower her."Never? That boner of yours just called you a lair.”

“Start being honest with her. Aidan always let her know what he was thinking. And he fairly much treated her like a queen.”Lothaire sneered, “That’s the worst bloody advice I’ve ever heard!”Brandr bowed his chest. “And why’s that, leech? She cared for Aidan once—she will again.”“Precisely. She cared for Aidan,” Lothaire said. “I knew of Aidan the Fierce—no mortal could kill that many of the Horde without my hearing about it. And I know that he was a bold, blond Viking who was like a god among men. Women wanted him and men wanted to be him.” He sighed.“Reminded me of myself.”