ŷ������

“I mean no offense in what I’m about to say—��

“I’m sure you mean absolutely no offense,�� he purred. “Just like you meant no offense when you stabbed me.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I know one thing, liessa. A monster wouldn’t care if they were one.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“He was…he was like the brightest star and the deepest night sky given mortal form.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“That is the very last thing I want,�� he said, and I started to smile. “Don’t do that.��
“Do what?��
“Smile at me,�� he murmured, the silver in his eyes swirling.
“W���?��
“Because when you do that, there’s utterly nothing I would not allow you to do to me.��
I smiled fully then.
“Fuck.�� He groaned. A laugh left me—a light and airy sound that felt good even as his eyes narrowed on me. “Don’t do that either.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“What truly scares you, liessa?�� he asked, and I thought…I thought I heard a hint of approval in his voice. “If I do not?”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“It stung,' he growled, head straightening. 'Deeply.'

'Sorry?'

His chin lowered. 'You are not sorry.'

I actually was. Sort of. 'You grabbed me.'

'Do you stab everyone who grabs you?'

'Yes!' I exclaimed. 'Especially when I'm in a home with a dead body and someone grabs me from behind without any warning!”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this,�� he said with a sigh that caused me to grit my teeth. “But I guess I’ll add this to the ever-growing list of things I end up regretting.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“While I’m not suggesting you don’t attempt to fight me—you do whatever you feel you need to—you should know that you will not win. Ever.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I doubt you will find me so amusing when you’re gasping for the last of your breaths.��

He became still again, and…good gods, the water coursing down his chest froze. The droplets ceased. “I’m already gasping,�� he whispered, his voice rougher, deeper. Confusion rippled along the flood of rage. Did he have some sort of breathing ailment? Could gods have health issues? If so, I doubted these cold waters would be good for his lungs. Not that I remotely cared for the condition of his lungs. Nor did I even know why I was wondering about their condition. A warm breeze lifted the strands of my wet hair and slipped over the chilled skin of my bare shoulders and my�� Oh. The water only reached my waist here.

"In case you're wondering,"- his voice was a kiss against my skin- "this me intentionally staring”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“But you spoke with no fear. You acted fearlessly. Each time I saw you,�� he continued. “You interested me, and I hadn’t expected that. I didn’t want that. But at that lake, you were just Seraphena,�� he said, and my breath snagged at the sound of my name spilling from his lips. It was the first time he’d said it. “And I was just Ash. There was no deal. No perceived obligations. You stayed simply because you wanted to. I stayed only because I wanted to. You let me touch you because that was what you wanted, not because you felt as if you had to. Maybe I should’ve told you, but I was…enjoying myself with you. I wasn’t ready for that to end.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“So, keep that in mind the next time you doubt the realness of my interest,�� he warned. “Because I won’t have you up against a wall. I will have you on your back, under me, and neither of us will remember our fucking names.�� He pressed a kiss to my pounding pulse. “Are we clear, liessa?”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“If you don’t leave, I’m going to feed from you, and I’m going to fuck you while I do it,”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“You underestimate me if you think I can’t do worse to you.�� The Primal smiled then, and my skin iced over. “I can smell her blood on your lips. There is nothing that I will not do to you because of that.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout

“You're a feisty little thing, aren't you?”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“I have a feeling I'm going to regret this,' he said with a sigh that caused me to grit my teeth. 'But I guess I'll add this to the ever-growing list of things I end up regretting.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“I did not ask for your help.'

'But you have it nonetheless.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“You,' he murmured, his voice sultry and thick. 'You were quite convincing.'

'So were you,' I said, a bit breathlessly.

'I know. I'm very skilled at pretending.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“My apologies. I should've elaborated. I'm very good at pretending to enjoy things I do not, but I was not pretending when I had your tongue in my mouth.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“If you're trying to intimidate or scare me into obeying you, you can stop. It's not working. I don't scare.'

'You should be afraid of many things.'

'I'm afraid of nothing, and that includes you.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“And you, liessa, are very brave.' His thumb moved, sweeping over the curve of my jaw. 'But, sometimes, one can be too brave.' The dusky silkiness of his words wrapped around me. 'To the point it borders on foolishness. And you know what I've found about the foolishly brave? There's a reason they often rush to greet death instead of having the wisdom to run from it. What is your reason?' he asked. 'What drowns out that fear and pushes you to run so eagerly toward death?”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“...an enemy is rarely one by choice,' he told me. 'They usually become such due to other people's choices, or they become enemies because of situations they have little control over.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“Perhaps you should look before stabbing?' the god argued. 'Or has that never occured to you?'

'Has it ever occured to you to announce your presence so you don't get stabbed?' I shot back.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“You may feel terror, but you're not terrified. And there is a kingdom's worth of difference between the two.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“That wasn't exactly what I was suggesting,' I pointed out. 'I meant that since you seem pretty-'

'Thank you.'

I shot him a bland look.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“I'm sure you mean absolutely no offense,' he purred. 'Just like you meant no offense when you stabbed me.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“What will you do, my lady?' Moonlight kissed the apple of his cheekbone as he tilted his head once more. 'You have no shadowstone dagger to threaten me with.'

'I don't need a dagger,' I said, my voice thready. 'And I'm not a lady.'

His head straightened. 'No, I imagine not, considering you're nude in a lake with an unfamiliar man, whose lip you bit upon meeting, and have seen the bare backs of many sailors. I was only being polite.'

My lip curled at the presumed insult. I knew I should let it go. Keep my mouth shut, but I didn't. I hadn't in three years, and my inability to do so had grown and festered into an incurable disease. The kind that provoked further, dangerous recklessness. 'What I am is a Princess who is nude in a lake with an unfamiliar man and has seen the bare backs of men,' I told him, speaking the forbidden. 'And you, with each passing moment, are getting closer to no longer having the ability to see anyone's unmentionable places ever again.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“In case you're wondering,' -his voice was a kiss against my skin- 'this is me intentionally staring.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“I'm still not afraid of you,' I replied, briefly glancing down. There was only a minor bit of relief when I saw several pale strands of hair plastered to my chest. They didn't hide nearly enough, but it was better than nothing.

'Well, I'm a little afraid of you,' he said, and he was somehow closer without seeming to have moved. He wasn't even a foot from me now, and an icy heat radiated from him, pressing against my flesh. His closeness heightened the sensitivity of every inch of skin. 'You want to claw my eyes out.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“I'm sure you say that to all the ladies you accost.'

'Only the ones I would be tempted to allow to try and claw my eyes out.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember

“But just because I can do something, doesn't mean I should.”
― Jennifer L. Armentrout, A Shadow in the Ember