“She stepped out of reach. “Go put on a shirt and get your mind out of bed.” “Impossible with you around.”“Pretend I’m holding a rifle. In fact, pretend I have you in the crosshairs.” Janvier sighed, rubbing at a jaw shadowed by morning stubble. “I love it when you talk dirty.”

“I think,” Sophia said as Max mock-scowled, “I’m going to like having a younger brother.” Reaching out, she slipped her arm into the crook of River’s elbow. “So, tell me all of Max’s secrets.”

“I love you,” she whispered.He stroked his hand down her back. “Yep, you do.”“You’re supposed to say it back,” she said, pretending to be offended because the silliness kept the fear/hope at bay.“Why?” He scowled down at her. “You know you’re my heartbeat.”

“No self-respecting wolf would eat a rodent - though we might've been able to use your teeth as decorations," Andrew said with a straight face.Teijan hissed out a very unratlike snarl. "Why the hell do I bother to talk to you?""Hawke thinks I give you cheese." He pulled a small, foil-wrapped wedge out of his pocket. "Here you go""*** you" But the Rat alpha was laughing.”

“You’ll hate me,” she said, her arms locked around him because she couldn’t not hold him when he was close. “One day, you’ll hate me.” It was the thing she most feared. Hand fisting in her hair, he pressed his forehead to her own, his eyes night-glow in the dark. “I will love you until the day they put me in the earth.”

“Ah baby, you know I do what I want.” Rubbing his chin on her hair, he squeezed her hip. “Man and wolf, we both adore you. No way am I letting you go after the hell you’ve put me through over the years.”

“I'm the best," Elena muttered to herself the next morning s she got out of the taxi in front of the magnificient creation that was Archangel Tower."Hey, lady, you gonna pay me or just talk to yourself?""What? Oh.... Keep the change."... "...you got a big hunt coming on?"Elena didn't ask how he'd pegged her for a hunter. "No. But I do have a high chance of meeting a horrible death within the next few hours. Might as well do something good as up my shot at getting into heaven.”