欧宝娱乐

“I hate you."
"Only because of the way I make you feel."
My fingernails eat into my palms. "Only because you bring out the worst in me."
"Oh no, luv. I bring out the life in you.”
― A.G. Howard, Splintered

“You crave chaos. You're happiest when the world is in an uproar. You thrive on madness. Even when your magic is at its best when it's the catalyst to confusion. You still can't admit this?”
― A.G. Howard, Splintered

“My precious Alyssa, share reality with me. Give me forever. We will wreak such beautiful havoc together.”
― A.G. Howard, Ensnared

“Shh." I squeeze his hand. His palm feels clammy. "We have to keep it down, okay? We don't want my dad coming in."

He grits his teeth against more shivers. "Always knew I'd end up in your bed . . . and hear you say those words one day." He manages a smirk.

Jeb snarls. "Unbelievable. Even when he's at death's door he's a tool." He arranges a pillow beneath Morpheus's neck. "Why don't you keep your mouth shut while we help you."

Morpheus laughs weakly, his skin flashing with blue light. "What say Alyssa"--his breath rattles--"give my mouth something else to do?”
― A.G. Howard, Unhinged

“I coax my palm into his lapel in search of my wish, returning his feverish kisses.
"Checkmate, you son of a bug," I say against his mouth two seconds before my fingers find an empty pocket.
"Sleight of hand, blossom," he says right back. " 'Tis in fact in my pants pocket, if you'd like to search there.”
― A.G. Howard, Splintered

“Morpheus reaches out to catch a teardrop on his fingertip. He holds it up in the pale glow that radiates from the few remaining sprites above us. A curious frown curves his lips. 鈥淵ou cry for him yet bled for me. One must wonder which is more powerful. More binding. I suppose we shall one day know.”
― A.G. Howard, Splintered

“He pulls free before we make contact. 鈥淎 moment, please. Allow me to bask in your devotion.鈥� He鈥檚 referring to my ankle tattoo.
I blush. 鈥淚鈥檝e told you a hundred times. It鈥檚 only a set of wings.鈥�
鈥淣onsense.鈥� Morpheus grins. 鈥淚 know a moth when I see one.鈥�
I groan in frustration, and he surrenders, letting me press our markings together. A spark rushes between them, expanding to a firestorm through my veins. His gaze locks on mine, and the bottomless depths flicker鈥攍ike black clouds alive with lightning. For that instant, I鈥檓 bared to the bone. He looks inside my heart; I look inside his. And the similarities there terrify me.”
― A.G. Howard, Unhinged

“One thing more: Wonderland and I are the same. You love one of us, you love the other. You are Wonderland, too. Which means we are the perfect fit, in more ways than you can even imagine. On our day together, I鈥檒l take great pleasure in showing you all of them.”
― A.G. Howard, Unhinged

“Morpheus is not his true name. He is glory and deprecation鈥攕unlight and shadows鈥攖he scuttle of a scorpion and the melody of a nightingale. The breath of the sea and the cannonade of a storm. Can you relay birdsong, or the sound of wind, or the scurry of a creature across the sand? For the proper names of netherlings are made up of the life forces defining them. Can you speak these things with your tongue?”
― A.G. Howard, Splintered

“Nothing about you or Wonderland makes sense. And the 鈥榦ne abiding truth鈥� is that life was so much easier when I鈥檇 forgotten your massive ego and that other world ever existed.鈥�
A tremor shifts through his features, first fragile, then severe. His muscles twitch under his T-shirt, sending a tingling sensation through my knuckles. 鈥淵ou want me nonexistent?"

Before I can respond, he steps back and flips the hat from his head. Then he drags off his vest and his T-shirt, dropping them all on the floor at my feet. Once he鈥檚 peeled off his necklace and bracelets, he stands there facing me in only jeans and boots.

I watch him warily. 鈥淲-w-what are you doing?鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 clearing the way for my massive ego.”
― A.G. Howard, Unhinged

“I鈥檓 in control.
But it鈥檚 a lie, because now I鈥檝e tasted him. His lips are salty-sweet with yesterday鈥檚 laughter 鈥� digging in the black sands beneath Wonderland鈥檚 sunshine, playing leapfrog atop mushroom caps, and resting in the shade of black satin wings.

I try to shake off the spell, but he angles his face and deepens the kiss. 鈥淓mbrace me 鈥� embrace your destiny.鈥� He breaks the barrier of my lips, touching his tongue to mine, a sensation too wickedly delicious to deny. As our tongues entwine, his lullaby purrs through my blood and bones, carrying me to the stars.

Behind closed eyes, I鈥檓 floating against a velvet sky, lungs filled with night air. On some level, I know I鈥檓 still in the middle of a fire-warmed chamber, yet my wings pantomime flight on a cool breeze. I鈥檓 dancing with Morpheus in the heavens, no longer imprisoned by gravity.
Fluttering our wings in unison, we twist and whirl a weightless waltz among stars that coil and uncoil in feathery sparks high above Wonderland鈥檚 warped and wonderful landscapes. Each time we spin, then return to each other鈥檚 arms, I laugh, because at last I鈥檓 me.

I鈥檓 a me I鈥檝e longed to be in my innermost fantasies鈥攕pontaneous, impetuous, and seductive.”
― A.G. Howard, Splintered

“I move from dreamer to dreamer, from dream to dream, hunting for what I need. Slipping and sliding and flickering through the dreams; and the dreamer will wake, and wonder why this dream seemed different, wonder how real their lives can truly be.”
― Neil Gaiman

“Jeb is an anchor; he holds me grounded to my humanity and compassion. But Morpheus is the wind; he drags me kicking and screaming to the highest precipice, shoves me off, then watches me fly with netherling wings. When Jeb's at my side, the world is a canvas--unblemished and welcoming; when I'm with Morpheus, it's a wanton playground--wicked and addictive.”
― A.G. Howard, Ensnared

“芦He grins and straightens, wings high and regal behind him. I glare at his costume. It鈥檚 so typical him. A mix of medieval and rock star: brown leather forearm guards with studs over a ruffle-cuffed white shirt, and a cavalier doublet in burgundy with a gold lace overlay. The hem hits above his muscled thighs, so the skintight burgundy hose taper smoothly into knee-high brown boots, leaving nothing to the imagination. Worst of all, he has a crown.
He dressed as a fairy king. The irony doesn鈥檛 escape me.
I scowl.
鈥淧roblem, luv?鈥� He looks down on me from behind a gold lace half mask while adjusting the ruby-jeweled crown over his blue hair with velvet-clad hands. Tiny moth corpses are suspended in the rubies, like stained-glass fossils.
I shake my head. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure you鈥檒l be the only one wearing anything tight enough to need a codpiece. Always have to be the showstopper, don鈥檛 you?鈥�

鈥淥h, I assure you, what I chose to show is only the start.禄”
― A.G. Howard, Unhinged

“Morpheus snatches both of my necklaces from my fingers, holding the delicate links taut enough that I can鈥檛 struggle without breaking them. 鈥淲ere he to pay more attention to you instead of his precious career鈥濃€攈e drapes the charms over a palm and, using his gloved forefinger and thumb, positions the tiny key in place atop the heart鈥檚 keyhole鈥斺€減erhaps then he would be attuned to your needs and desires.鈥� Holding my gaze, he makes a show of how the key鈥檚 teeth aren鈥檛 the right shape for the heart鈥檚 opening. 鈥淎s it stands, he鈥檚 just not the right fit.”
― A.G. Howard, Unhinged

“I gasp. The profoundness of such a gesture, from a self-seeking fae, touches my soul. The only thing predictable about my future king is his unpredictability. 鈥淵ou once told me you wouldn鈥檛 be a gentleman. You lied.鈥� ”
― A.G. Howard, Ensnared

“ 鈥淪hut up!鈥� I say, laughing hysterically. Alice transforms back to an inanimate jade piece as I toss her. My aim is off and she plops into Morpheus鈥檚 tea, splattering him and the chessboard.
With a graceful sweep of his hand, he retracts his magic. Tea drizzles down his face as his inky eyes turn up to mine, alight with something both dangerous and daring, shifting moods faster than I can blink.
鈥淐areful, plum.鈥� It鈥檚 his deep cockney accent now. He wipes his face with a napkin. 鈥淒on鈥檛 start something you have no intention of finishing.鈥�
鈥淥h, I鈥檒l finish it,鈥� I say鈥攕purred by the dark confidence fluttering at the edge of my psyche. The side of me that knows I鈥檓 his match in every way. 鈥淎nd you know I鈥檒l win.鈥� I rise from my chair to scope out the room for weapons, vaguely aware of the prisms of glittery light reflected off my skin onto the surroundings.
鈥淚 know I鈥檒l let you win,鈥� Morpheus says, standing up. 鈥淚 won鈥檛 even put up a fight.鈥� His white-toothed smile spans to something forebodingly provocative, as though mimicking the spread of his wings. 鈥淲ell, perhaps a small one, just for sport.鈥� ”
― A.G. Howard, Ensnared

“ "I鈥檓 not trying to lead you on. Or him, either.鈥�
Jeb鈥檚 frown deepens. 鈥淚 know you鈥檙e not playing games. I also know you鈥檙e not the kind of girl who kisses a guy for no reason.鈥�
鈥淵ou鈥檙e right. The first time was to get my wish back. And the second . . . it was supposed to be a peck on the cheek. He changed it to something more.鈥�
鈥淥h, come on!鈥� Jeb shouts, causing me to flinch. 鈥淭his is what makes me crazy. That you can鈥檛 admit it to me or yourself. You kissed him because you have feelings for him.鈥� ”
― A.G. Howard, Ensnared

“It may not seem much when compared to your mortal's gallantry. But for me - self-seeking, arrogant prig that i am - that is the sincerest form of sacrifice. Letting you go.”
― A.G. Howard, Ensnared

“I am coming through the barriers you have erected in this mind. I am coming, though the way be ardous and strange. Nothing will stop me. As I travel, I admire the craftsmanship in the construction of this maze, admire the traps and pitfalls they have wrought. You have learned well, my servants. To force the child to construct these barriers insides its mind, in its effort to escape the physical world; to build an island of dream alone and untouched by the true Dreaming... This takes skill. My admiration does not lessen my anger. I am dream. I am coming.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House

“Long ago, there was a dream within a dream that allowed joy to reign, but that youthful breath drifted away as swiftly as a summer rain. There was nothing left after the dawn, except for a world darkened by a King鈥檚 broken heart. Now only Morpheus induced silhouettes dance in these lightless plains. They dance in sequence to the sound of time 鈥� unmoved by existence 鈥� trapped in a single thought I hope lies within you.”
― H.S. Crow, Lunora and the Monster King

“What power would Hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of Heaven?”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes & Nocturnes

“What power have dreams in hell?"
"What power would HELL have if those here imprisoned were NOT able to DREAM of HEAVEN?”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman #4: Hope in Hell

“禄Hast du das hier schon mal gesehen?芦 Morpheus deutet auf das nachgiebige rote Zeug, das mich fast umgebracht hat.
Friedrich betrachtet es einen Moment lang ratlos, dann geht ihm ein Licht auf. 禄Das ist Wackelpudding!芦
Er steckt ein kleines bisschen von der Masse in seinen Mund, was echt eklig ist, wenn man bedenkt, wo sich das Zeug vor Kurzem noch befunden hat.
禄Himbeere芦, stellt er fachkundig fest.”
― Nicole Gozdek, Murphy: Rache ist s眉脽

“In The Matrix, Morpheus says, 鈥淚f real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then 鈥榬eal鈥� is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.鈥� And what are electrical signals made of? What is 鈥渕atter鈥� made of? If you can鈥檛 answer that then you can鈥檛 possibly know what matter is. The fact of feeling pain and the hardness of things does not in any way prove that 鈥渕atter鈥� exists. Sheez, Descartes explicitly refuted this nonsense centuries ago. You feel pain and hardness in your dreams, but there鈥檚 no matter in your dreams, so we know for an absolute fact that mental experiences in no way prove the existence of non-mental matter. In fact, they prove that matter does not exist and everything is mind!”
― David Sinclair, The Church of the Serpent: The Philosophy of the Snake and Attaining Transcendent Knowledge

“As she watched him in respite, she wondered what the Lord of Dreams dreamt of. She rather hoped it was her." - Web Of Lies - D.A. Henneman”
― D.A. Henneman, Web Of Lies: A Goddesses In Love Novella

“The curse had fallen upon her shoulders, one that she had taken willingly at the time. But her regrets increased with time, much like the threads she added to the tapestries she wove.”
― D.A. Henneman, Web Of Lies: A Goddesses In Love Novella

“From a certain age onwards, sleep never came easily to me and, the more problems kept piling up, the less I mingled with Morpheus.”
― LUMI, Eleanora's Sundown

“I am a dream of endless hope and a nightmare of bottomless fear.”
― A.G. Korecka, Pillar of Dreams: Book One: Dreams and Nightmares

“It is a cycle of humanity. Birth and death. Creativity with development and destruction of everything. Everything has beginning. Everything has the end. Civilizations rise and fall, followed by the cycle of revolution and growth. It took years to build Rome, an empire so great that many feared, and yet it fell in its glory. Destruction is inevitable.”
― A.G. Korecka, Pillar of Dreams: Book One: Dreams and Nightmares