¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Thank God you showed your true colors again,¡± she said, her cheeks flushed. ¡°I was beginning to think you were human.¡±

¡°Ya'aburnee. As in you bury me. A rough translation for the way I want to leave this world before you because I can¡¯t imagine having to go through a single day without you in it.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll give you anything you want¡ªanything at all¡ªso long as you give me a chance to make you as happy as you make me¡±

Hoarsely, he said, "Jenny, please, please don't do this! Don't suffer so. Cry, for God's sake. Scream at me again, but don't look at me like a murderer.¡±

¡°that the selfsame woman who once tried to carve my initials on my face with my own knife would be so agreeable a wife?" Without waiting for an answer.¡±

¡°You are so enchanting when you insult me,¡± he said.

¡°You don't know me well enough to dislike me," he teased.
"Oh, yes, I do!" Alex replied darkly. "And I refuse to be your wife."
"You have no choice, sweetheart.¡±

¡° Are you taking care of yourself? You look terrible."
A flash of her old humor briefly lit her eyes. "Your memory is short, your grace. I was never more than passable-looking."

¡°My little sparrow turned into a beautiful swan."
"Empty compliments from¡ª"
"With teeth," Jordan amended, grinning.

¡°The fault for that must be laid at the door of men," she teased

¡°I¡¯m sure you are more than equal to it. After all, what does the will of your husband matter in the slightest? He might as well be a life-sized purse, for all the agency you would allow him.¡±

¡°Let me assure you that the view did not improve with proximity,¡¯ Radcliffe said.

¡°Thank you, Alec."
"A wife doesn't thank her husband.¡±

¡°Oh, for God's sake," Jamie interrupted. "Leave now or I'll hit you."
When the soldier on the left of the laird reached for his sword, Jamie pulled her dagger from the sheath in her belt. She turned to the soldier, took aim, and said, "You'll take your hand away from your weapon or you'll find my dagger in your throat before you draw your next breath. And when I cause an injury," she challenged, "I don't repair it.¡±

¡°Go inside now, Judith, while I still have enough discipline to let you.¡±

¡°Get your hands off her.¡±
Iain¡¯s roar filled the cottage. Agnes jumped at least a foot. She bumped into the priest; he jumped, too.
Judith was so happy to see Iain, tears filled her eyes. The urge to run to him fairly overwhelmed her.
He kept his gaze on her when he ducked under the overhang and walked inside.¡±

¡°Because,¡± he said, his voice tinged with sadness, ¡°I am in no hurry to throw you to the wind and watch you fly away.¡±

¡°To escape. To run back to your family and inform on us all.¡¯
Aaron turned his horrified look on Ruth. ¡®Much as I¡¯d love to be rid of your company, I don¡¯t desire it enough to catch hepatitis.¡±

¡°You think you¡¯re so untouchable, don¡¯t you?¡±
I barked out a laugh. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m touchable. Your ex-fianc¨¦e touches me all the time. Everywhere. She¡¯s delectable. Thanks for that, by the way.¡±

¡°Oli, I need you to listen to me right now, because I¡¯ve never been so fucking serious about anything in my life. You¡¯re my Bond. If you get stronger and burn the whole world to the ground, then I¡¯ll be there at your side, watching it burn. I¡¯m not the good guy, Oli. I¡¯m not one of the Dravens or Shores of the world. It¡¯s you and me, and nothing else matters to me.¡±

¡°Don¡¯t cry, Sweetness. Don¡¯t cry, because it makes me feel violent, and this whole town is going to end up rubble around us if I lose my shit right now.¡±

¡°I don¡¯t think I need to cower behind you, Kieran. I think you should really be behind me.¡±

¡°I¡¯m going to wipe the floor with this man by the time I¡¯m done proving myself to him and the rest of my Bonds.¡±

¡°You used your own tears,¡± he said, all but broken, ¡°to wash the blood from my face?¡±

¡°Yes,¡± he said softly, his gaze dropping, briefly, to her mouth. ¡°You are well aware of your beauty, I think. Much as I am well aware of the maneuvers of the devil, and the weakness of human flesh. You think me so ignorant of his schemes? From the very moment I saw you I suspected his game¡ªI knew he¡¯d sent you to me, specifically, to torture me¡ªas if I might be so tempted by the sight of you that I would bend in but a moment to your wishes, abandoning in the process an oath I signed with my soul, ensuring I am bound to him forevermore¡±

¡°She¡¯s going to want to wear your skull for a hat,¡± Oak warns. ¡°And Cardan is going to laugh and laugh when she does.¡±

¡°Heir to Elfhame,¡± I say. ¡°Get on your knees.¡±

It would be safer if I hated him. Since I cannot, perhaps it is good that he now hates me.

But I can¡¯t pretend that I don¡¯t like the sound of him screaming my name.

¡°Ca-caw, ca-caw,
My mother she killed me,
My father he ate me,
My sister gathered my bones,
And buried them beneath the apple tree.
Behold! I hatched as a young crow.
Ca-caw, ca-caw, how beautiful a bird am I.¡±

¡°No one¡¯s ever told me that I¡¯m a comfortable sort. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t like it. I¡¯ll have to do something diabolical soon to correct your impression.¡±

¡°You shouldn¡¯t do that,¡± he whispered. ¡°When you hide something from me, I want it all the more. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re filling my head with the most lascivious ideas¡­you¡¯d better take your hand away, sweet, or I might do something really depraved.¡±

¡°I want to fill every part of you¡­breathe the air from your lungs¡­leave my handprints on your soul. I want to give you more pleasure than you can bear. I want to make love to you, Evie, as I have never done with anyone before.¡±

¡°You hit me!¡± The fat man¡¯s cry was all too loud, nasal, and outraged.
She lifted her throbbing hand and pushed a loose strand of hair back from her cheek. ¡°Come near me again, and you¡¯ll get more of the same.¡±

¡°Of course,¡± he said, and she was off, leaving him to trail behind her like the tragic pup that he had become. He was never more grateful than when she led him back to the line of stall.

He would whisper her name, waking her with breath instead of sound.

¡°many tried
but failed to catch me
i am the ghost of ghosts
everywhere and nowhere
i am magic tricks
within magic within magic
none have figured out
i am a world wrapped in worlds
folded in suns and moons
you can try but
you won¡¯t get those hands on me¡±

¡°you are a mirror
if you continue to starve yourself of love
you¡¯ll only meet people who¡¯ll starve you too
if you soak yourself in love
the universe will hand you those
who¡¯ll love you too
- a simple math¡±

¡°to hate
is an easy lazy thing
but to love
takes strength
everyone has
but not all are
willing to practice¡±