Mary Calmes

“And I knew that. Male panthers, all of them, were a very Neanderthalish lot. They liked their mates at home when they were, around, underfoot, close enough to touch at all times. Semels were twice as possessive, twice as protective, and three times as caveman-inclined.”

“I smiled at Logan, so very pleased with him for seeing that Domin, too, needed a slice of Logan cake, needed his attention, validation, trust, and to be told, once and for all, that he mattered, that he, too, was necessary.”

“Silence heals nothing, fixes nothing, and unlocks nothing. Just because you don’t say something doesn’t make it any less true.”

“Lighten up.” I yawned, pointing across the street to the diner. “If I got upset every time someone beat me, or chased me, or tried to rape me, I’d be crying in my cereal every morning. No one likes a whiner.”

“I want you back here now. I want you next to me now. I cannot believe that my family, your brother, all our friends, and an entire police force can't keep tabs on one twenty-six year old graphic designer who thinks he's fuckin' B”

“Sometimes the choices others make take ours from us. Do you understand?”