Richelle Mead

“She accused me of wearing pants from the salvation army.""Rose, your pants ARE from the salvation army.""That's SO not the point!”

“Wow. What'd he do to deserve that? Rescue orphans from a burning building? If so, you might want to make sure he didn't set the building on fire in the first place.”

“morois are born..but strigois are made..!”

“I'm backing down now. I really do love you. That's why I'm doing this.”

“Do you think I'm pretty?”He regarded me with utter seriousness, like he always did. "I think you're beautiful.”"Beautiful?”"You are so beautiful, it hurts me sometimes.”

“You can crawl back to whatever hole you live in and fuck your landlord for rent.”

“Life, unfortunately, doesn't seem to care what we want.”

“But I couldn't help myself, couldn't help the way I felt as I recalled the bliss and rush of a vampire's bite.”

“Only now, standing with him, I realized it wouldn’t be enough. It would only hurt more now, knowing exactly what I could never have again. I would never make love with Seth again, never have these intimate moments of comfort and rapport. He wasn’t mine anymore. He never could be again.”

“Was Deirdre right about me purposely wanting relationships that were impossible?”

“He stepped back and threw his arms out."I'm always crazy around you Rose. Here, I'm going to write an impromptu poem for you."He tipped his head back and shouted to the sky:"Rose is in redBut never in blueSharp as a thornFights like one too.”

“Dimitri is dead," she said. It was a statement, not a question, but she was looking to me for confirmation. I wondered if I'd given away something, some hint that there was still more to the story. Or maybe she just needed the certainty of those words. And for a moment, I considered telling them that Dimitri was dead. It was what the Academy would tell them, what the guardians would tell them. It would be easier on them...but somehow, I couldn't stand to lie to them—even if it was a comforting lie. Dimitri would have wanted the whole truth, and his family would too. "No," I said, and for a heartbeat, hope sprang up in everyone's faces—at least until I spoke again. "Dimitri's a Strigoi.”

“I wasn't fooled. He was avoiding looking at me. "There's nothing to talk about.""I knew you'd say that. Actually, it was a toss-up between that and 'I don't know what you're talking about.'"Dimitri sighed.”

“I know I’m not supposed to say this,” he said. “But I think I love you more than ever.”I took his hand and tried not to think about how happy his words made me.”

“We don't really have a song or anything." I pondered that for a second. "I guess we've failed as a couple in that regard."She scoffed. "If that's our biggest failing, then I think we're doing okay.”

“We can't..." he told me."I know," I agreed.Then his mouth was on mine again, and this time, I knew there would be no turning back. There were no walls this time. Our bodies wrapped together as he tried to get my coat off, then his shirt, then my shirt. ... It really was a lot like when we'd fought out on the quad earlier-that same passion and heat. I think at the end of the day, the instincts that power fighting and sex aren't so different. They all come from an animal side of us. Yet, as more and more clothes came off, it went beyond just animal passion. It was sweet and wonderful at the same time. When I looked into his eyes, I could see without a doubt that he loved me more than anyone else in the world, that I was his salvation, the same way that he was mine. I'd never expected my first time to be in a cabin in the woods, but I realized the place didn't matter. The person did. With someone you loved, you could be anywhere, and it would be incredible. Being in the most luxurious bed in the world wouldn't matter if you were with someone you didn't love.”

“She heard Adrian say to Christian, ʺYou know, your shirtʹs kind of grungy-looking. Seems like you could put in a little more effort since youʹre dating a princess.ʺ”

“Things on the essential list: vodka, Nine Inch Nails, a steady supply of mortal men, and an all-purpose bitchy attitude.”

“I'll find you. There is no place in this world you can hide from me. I'm watching.Love, Dimitri”

“I wished the kiss could have gone on forever. Breaking the embrace, he ran a few fingers through my hair and down my cheek. He stepped back toward the door."I'll see you later, Roza""At our next practice?" I asked. "We are starting those up again, right? I mean, you still have things to teach me.""Yes. Lots of things.”