Kl Quotes

One of the greatest tragedies in life is to lose your own sense of self and accept the version of you that is expected by everyone else.

It's one of those special places where you feel like time doesn't exist. Where it will always be summer, where I'll always wake up with you.

Claire never went anywhere without a book, and she’d taught me to do the same.

You are affectionate without even thinking about it. You let me talk for hours, and you listen for hours. You make me feel absolutely golden.

The sea air—I loved that smell. I’d missed that smell.

Sometimes the sound of silence is the most deafening sound of all.

Taylor Swift’s early albums that summer, and there was this one song

Powerful words come with powerful intent. Where you have passion, strength, courage, and determination you can accomplish anything!

And I do know how much you adore me,” he whispered. “I just wish it was as much as I adore you.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel!” I whisper-yelled. “Get your ass down here!

I love you, Stephen. I adore you, but I love you even more. 'I love you, too, Killer,' he'd said one night on the phone... 'I adore you, but I love you even more.

Of course, Sarah’s was not complete without quoting Taylor Swift, a line from the classic “Lover.

While he was the sun that lit your world, you were the darkness that shadowed mine.

For in looking at evil, we are more easily tainted by it. In using power, we are more susceptible to its use.

And this last year I also realized there are different kinds of love. There’s the dreamy kind you always thought you wanted and then there’s the steady one you never understood but the second you let yourself feel it…it’s nothing like you could have imagined in your wildest dreams.

It was like Taylor Swift was coming to town.

Never trust the green M&Ms. The aren't very nice.

It always amazes me how it is so easy to appear one way to the people around you but to live inside as someone else entirely.

I’ll tell you when I have my arms around you, he said.

Just remember, rain doesn’t seem all that threatening at first, but too much rain can turn into a flood.

Walking into the bookstore.” He sighed. “Which means he’s a reader, and whoever I date has to be a reader.

When life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade. That's for pantywaisters. No. You pucker up, suck them dry, then throw the used rinds back in life's face with a giant fuck-you and a gesture for more.

Wit was too smiley around me, and I found myself too smiley around him.

If you witness evil men committing evil deeds and do nothing, what does that make you?

Dammit, Wit!” Michael’s best man shouted. “It’s not even seven!” Pause. “But, like, good for you, man.

Okay,” the kid said when he had the camera positioned. “Smile.” And I did smile—a smile so filled with happiness, happiness I hadn’t been sure I’d ever be able to feel again.

You will never know how high you can climb until you reach the top.

I like to think we all end up in the place we’re supposed to be eventually. The sum total of our choices carries us to our destiny.

I shall either find a way or make one.

Enough with this pretending nonsense. If you want him, go get him. Don’t miss your shot.

Whats ironic,” he adds, shaking his head, “is that everyone’s so busy trying not to look like they’re looking at you that they’re really not looking at you.” Wait. So what you’re saying…” I pause. “What you’re saying is…people aren’t really looking at me?

I know you don’t like hearing this,” I heard him say, “and I know I promised not to tell you, but you are pretty, Killer. You’re pretty, beautiful, stunning, mesmerizing.” He paused. “But that’s not all you are. You’re everything Claire said and more. Clever, funny, caring, lively, strong, brave—all of it. You are all of it.” He kissed the top of my head. “And I do know how much you adore me,” he whispered. “I just wish it was as much as I adore you.

- I hate you! - I don't believe you. - Why not? - Because you've got my favorite smile on you face-

Let’s pretend that time doesn’t exist. Let’s pretend that this week isn’t ending. Let’s pretend that we will always be us—happy, sunburnt, and tangled up together.

I have found that the less expectation you put on others, the more happiness you will find with them and yourself.

It was Klan custom, for instance, to append a Kl to many words. (Thus would two Klansmen hold a Klonversation in the local Klavern.)

We danced the entire time and belted out Taylor Swift songs.

It’s the way I’ve imagined you looking at me my entire life, Maverick.

People will underestimate you. That is one of your greatest strengths.

Imagine if I hadn’t gone to class five years ago.” He gestured to Sarah. “I could’ve missed my chance. She saw me that day. There were two hundred people in the room, and somehow, she saw me.” He shrugged. “Any other day, maybe she wouldn’t have. But she saw me, she did, and now here we are. Here we all are.” He glanced at Wit, then gave me a look. “Enough with this pretending nonsense. If you want him, go get him. Don’t miss your shot.” *

It slipped my mind,” Wit said as I traced the bridge of his nose. “I was busy.” “Yeah, being a serial killer.

That’s the great thing about love … it finds you. And when it’s true love, it doesn’t go away, and you just know. You don’t have to wonder or guess, because it just … is.

Yes" I nodded. "That was Claire. She dazzled." She just had no idea she dazzled, what big things awaited her.

You can't create love, Liam. You just have to take it wherever you find it.

I was losing friends too quickly, whether by having them stolen or by having them give up on me. It was a terrible feeling.

When we made accidental eye contact, he blew me a kiss…and I swear I felt it hit my cheek, a light tickle followed by a rush of heat.

Sarah talked about her for months before her visit,” Wit said quietly. He chuckled. “It was like Taylor Swift was coming to town.” I half smiled. Sarah was the most devoted of Swifties.

The sheets and pillows smelled like the sea and citrus. “Oranges,” I murmured. “My shampoo,” Wit murmured back. “I love oranges.” “So you love me.” I giggled. He hadn’t phrased it as a question, and for some reason—lack of sleep, probably—that made me giggle. Really giggle. “You have a nice laugh,” Wit commented. “A nice laugh?” I asked, giggles gone.

This place…” He trailed off to gaze up at the moon. “It’s one of those special places where you feel like time doesn’t exist. Where it will always be summer, where I’ll always wake up with you.

No matter what happens to me, I'll always find you. In every lifetime. In every realm. Because it's always been you for me.

Inner strength of character cannot be measured by any means but performance in the time of need.

Comparisons get you nowhere. They only make you ashamed of what you should be grateful for.

The people we hurt aren’t obligated to unburden us with forgiveness or even with understanding. Some things, we just have to carry.

I miss her too - we all do. My heart aches everyday. But being here this week, it's ached a little less. As impossible as it might sound. I feel her presence. I feel it all around us.

You could say it feels a bit like dressing up in the brightest party clothes so nobody sees how low and lost you feel underneath. You'd be surprised how easy it is to hide your true feelings with a smile and a kind word.

Hope is a torturous thing. It wrenches one from despair just long enough to allow one to take a breath before plunging her back beneath the icy waters. If it wasn't for those breaths, it would be easy to let ice claim the soul. Easy to let surrender swallow the struggle. But hope - cruel mistress that she is - is not satisfied with so neat an ending. Like a house cat with a tiny prisoner, she wants only to torment the soul again, and again, until it dies from a burst heart.

Let’s pretend that time doesn’t exist. Let’s pretend that this week isn’t ending. Let’s pretend that we will always be us—happy, sunburnt, and tangled up together. It would hurt. It would really hurt, but it would be wonderful, too—one last perfect day with him.

He’s brought you back to us. The Farm and him. You’ve been in this sleepy haze this last year and a half—I know we all have—and I don’t think I’ve seen you so awake and alive since that awful day. When the two of you are together…” She shook her head.

You've been dragged through the mud so many times, and your eyes are still fixed on the stars

But just like the sea air, there was nothing like the wind whipping through your hair as the island came into view.

The Fearless album flashed through my mind.

A Sheerio,” I replied. “For example, Sarah is a Swiftie because she’s part of the Taylor Swift fandom, so Michael’s a Sheerio because he loves Ed Sheeran.

And then I did it. “Hey, Stephen!” I called, and two seconds later, I was right next to him. I grinned, took his hand, and said, “Tell me more about New Zealand.

You don't always know how you're going to react to a sudden tragedy breaking your life into little pieces.

You mean you don't wear thongs?" I ask, feigning exasperation. "Hell no! I'd be digging that thing out of my ass all night long.

She’s the honey trap I fall for. Every. Fucking. Time. Without fail.

I like to think we all end up in the place we’re supposed to be eventually,” Sheila answers wistfully. “The sum total of our choices carries us to our destiny.

Life is precious and all too short. So I laugh, sing and dive into things heads first with the hope that I don't scrape my ass on the bottom. And when I do I break out the bandaids

I’m not going to break. Just because I broke before doesn’t mean that I’m fragile.

We don’t have the luxury of fallin’ apart, for someone else to come picking up the pieces.

The thing about allies is that they never end up being the people you expect. The same is true for enemies. Which makes them hard to distinguish.

I didn't want to talk. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be.

You make me feel absolutely golden.

Not everyone is abused by getting hit or slapped around, no child. Some people get put down by being called names, or the abuser makes them feel like they crazy and that the abuse ain’t happening.

Sarah had introduced us to Taylor Swift’s early albums that summer, and there was this one song I played from dawn till dusk and even sang in the shower. I just couldn’t get enough of it. Now I hummed the tune softly as if I still listened to it daily.

She has a carpet rake, for God’s sake. A. Carpet. Rake. Who rakes their fucking carpet? It’s carpet.

Running from ourselves never ends well. It's only when we come to embrace our whole selves that we find any sort of peace.

Come on out little savage. I wanna see you play.

Always, time is our worst enemy, stealing away what is most precious to me.

When you're fat, people naturally assume you aren't committed. They think you're not disciplined because if you were disciplined you wouldn't let yourself get fat. A + B = C.

There is no shame in being afraid.

Okay, I promise. As long as you always apologize, I’ll always forgive you.

The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives."-Albert Einstein.

Well, in the words of Keith Sweat, whatever you got, you should ‘make it last forever,

I know it seems like it, dear, but you’re not alone. You can let go. I’ve got you.

He really wanted that monster dick.

Meredith made quite the first impression,” he added now and motioned to his bruise. “The next Picasso.

Pot, meet kettle

I didn’t want to live life as an invalid. I wanted to live it as an adventurer.

Don’t look like that. Anything worth doing is worth risking for. Now, let’s get to work.

Katie,” he says, cutting me off. “You’re my home. I’m coming home to you. Where you are, that’s where I’ll be.

I've never been so happy to be awake.

I wasn’t clinging to him; it was more like we were tangled together, an invisible string connecting us.

Yes,” Wit said. “He’s noticed me, I’ve noticed him, we’ve noticed each other.” He paused, then added in a softer voice, “And now I want an adventure.

Maybe it’s time you explained yourself, Dark Prince,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “If I’m going to keep your secrets then I think it’s time that you shared them with me.

I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped my lips. “You’re so right. I really need to say something else when people are getting my goat.” “Who’s getting your goat? You’ve got a goat?” she asked excitedly, her eyes big as saucers and her face full of expectation.

Doesn't it bother you that people don't get it?' Pete starts to shake his head then he catches himself and holds still. Nope,' he says. 'If you know what you love, it doesn't matter what other people think. Besides, people are challenged when they're uncomfortable.

If I were being quite honest– which I probably wouldn’t be no matter what the circumstances entailed– he was almost exactly like the fantasy man I’d envisioned falling passionately in love with. The one I was currently trying to mentally murder in my psyche. That one.

There's something in there," Matt said. "Something alive. It punched me." "Punched you?" Baldwin's face screwed up. "Are you sure a bat didn't fly into you? I bet there are a few in there." Matt rubbed his tender jaw. "Unless its name is Bruce Wayne, that wasn't a bat.

When life hands you lemons, you don’t make lemonade. That’s for pantywaisters. No. You pucker up, suck them dry, then throw the used rinds back in life’s face with a giant fuck-you and a gesture for more.

Look. What do you see? Me? I see a beautiful woman any man would be lucky to have. The only thing you need to change is what's going on in your head. Your mind is crippling you from the best life you could have.

Wars weren't won in a day, they required diplomacy, negotiation, and tactical strategic thought. But I suspected the trickiest battles weren't fought between tough highly trained men in combat. They were those of the quick-witted mind pitched against stubborn, nine-year-old girls!!

Should I put it in my mouth?” “If you’re feeling brave enough.” “How much of it?” “I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that before. My answer to that question will always be the more the fucking better, Sweetheart.

No man, no matter how pretty or fascinating, was worthy of having me for just a time. I wasn’t a trinket to be enjoyed for an evening and discarded. I was more like a marriage sword, to be worn with honor for all your life.

Darleen studies her drawing, then she looks up. 'It's not that I don't believe you can get a B,' she says. 'I don't think you're half as dumb as you think I think you are.' If I was smarter, I'm sure I could figure that out.

It was for him that I searched in every whisper of speech I heard, in every gentle touch, in every small glimpse of a face. It was for just one more glimmer of him, one more of his words passing like fine silk through the ring of my mind, one more sweetly bitter kiss searing my lips like fresh ginger.

You have very nice lips,” I said. Amused, he put down his glass to encircle me in his arms. “I do?” “Yes,” I nodded, then whispered, “I kind of want to kiss them.” “Kind of?” He laughed. “Only kind of?” My breath caught. That was it. That was the cue.

Being asked why you're gay is like being asked why you were born human!

Sometimes, that's all we need. Just one kind person to show us things differently. To perhaps give a perspective shift, even if it's a small one.

Sarah was the most devoted of Swifties.

I just kissed him, and then he just kissed me.

I was weak and vulnerable as a hare in the snare. My only protection, a madman and murderer.

How’d you get Michael’s cousin? I’ll tell you when I have my arms around you, he said.

washboard abs.

I didn’t get to tell her I loved her, and she didn’t get to tell me. We called each other every night and said it before hanging up.

Thank you, my lobster, for the recommendation! #HurrayShesADupré. I immediately DMed him: WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT PICTURE?!?! And then: You watch Friends?

I’d probably sleep like an angel but dream like the Devil, if the images of Reed didn’t leave my sinful mind.

I am just a broken soul wearing a person as a costume.

The more I aimed to please other people, the more I hid who I really was. The more I hid who I was, the more depressed my soul became. It

You're so much more than I deserve, than I dared to want. This isn't about saving me, is it? It's about saving you too.

Fat Kid Proverb #52: Never miss an opportunity to dissect a compliment.

no matter who you are or where you come from, everyone is born with the power to change

You’re more than my best friend— you’re it for me, Dev. You’re my soul mate. You hold my heart in your hands.

If she only knew that my heart has ached for her since the day I left. I’d give the world to change what I did. Horrible decision? Try the biggest regret of my fucking life.

We can’t help who we love, Maverick,” he

Just give yourself permission to feel it all, Jenny. The sadness, the anger, the heartbreak… let it come. All your feelings are valid. You don’t have to choose between them.

Taylor Swift’s

Babe in public, babe in private, babe always.

Nah, stay,” Wit said, his eyes fluttering open. His impossibly turquoise eyes. “I promise I won’t call you baby again.

His prospects had gone from soaring to plummeting and there was nothing I could do for him to fix the hole that had torn in who he was.

It was hard to choose between good and best.

Revenge wasn’t what I had in mind. Protection was." "We can only do what is in our power to achieve." "In that case, we were going to have to find more power.

We were the Colors of our dragons whether we lived or died. There were no other choices for us.

To you,” he said. “To you, my son. You are a stronger man than I will ever be.” We clinked glasses. “I love you, Charlie,” he told me. “I love you very much.

Abuse can mean so many things, like threatening someone, hitting them, or controlling them by making them feel worthless.

Big thing to know is that if you don’t want to do it and they make you, it’s sexual abuse.

that’s something that happened to you. It’s not who you are.

Maybe you misunderstood.” “Maybe you have more enemies than you think.

Sometimes it’s the ones tempered by fire who are strongest when you really need them.

Honors, just like difficulties, were to be faced with courage and strength.

Foreign princes rarely ask to see Initiates by name. And by ‘rarely’ I mean ‘never.

Why is that everyone can forget about physical ailments quite easily, but when it comes to mental illness, it sticks to you like glue for the rest of your life?

He might think he's fucked up, but he's my kind of fucked up, my mess, and I want him just the way he is-a little crazy and a whole lot of passionate.

To truly change your stars, you must first be willing to risk everything.

Let me tell you the story of my struggles with constipation for years as a reflection on how I dealt with the problem and finally solved it.

- 'I feel like I'm in a dream' - 'But it's not' ... 'I've never been so happy to be awake

You’re affectionate, too,” I murmured, and when Wit looked at me, I smiled. “Just an observation

I kind of want to kiss you, too,” he murmured. “Would that be all right?” “Yes,” I murmured back. “Definitely all right, and preferably soon.

We’re more than hot,” Wit said. “We’re stunning.

The sheets and pillows smelled like the sea and citrus. “Oranges,” I murmured. “My shampoo,” Wit murmured back. “I love oranges.” “So you love me.” I giggled.

You’re very affectionate,” he said, gaze catching mine. “You know that?

Now I didn’t want to let go of those fingers. I couldn’t let go of those fingers.

I leaned in and kissed him, kissed powdered sugar off his lips. “I like you,” I whispered. “I really like you.” “I really like you, too,” he said back, grinning. “I like you quite a lot.

Stay strong, beautiful. I’ll be right here waiting for you when you wake up. I love you so much. Forget everything else and concentrate on you and our baby. Don’t worry, we’ll work out the rest.

I want you to be so fucking deadly that no one dares to look at you the wrong way. You're my equal in every single way. No one can come close to challenging me like you do. And I love it so fucking much.

You’re like a bright flame in a dark night. Like a red flower in a field of dead grass.” ... “Stop thinking of me as a flower and start realizing I can be a help to you. The world isn’t going to let me be a delicate, closely guarded thing. I don’t have a choice but to be tougher than I ever wanted to be.

I don’t care how fast and how far you run, I’ll run faster and farther. I’m not letting you go. Ever,” I say, between brushes of my mouth on hers. “Run to me, Livvy, not away. I can’t live without you again.

A day is a precious thing. Who can say how many you have been allotted? It is easy to spend them like water for trinkets, only to realize too late that you’ve used up all your precious days on nothing at all.

We were fifteen months apart in age which meant everything was a competition; who could read all the Disney books the fastest, ride their bike further or know all answers to the universe both large and small.

You’re going to eat yourself alive. Like Draakuna who bit off his own tail, and finding that he tasted very good, quickly devoured the rest of himself. I really hoped that was some sort of dragon legend and not something true. It sounded awful. No more awful than what you’re doing to yourself. Set it aside. Raise your chin high. You are Amel Leafbrought, rider of Raolcan the Purple. Your value does not lie in your leg.

There was so much I didn’t know, and I longed to know it all. Even the long life of a dragon is not enough to teach everything that is. Be content with what you have while always learning anything you are offered.

And then what? "And then I will show you a trick that dragons have." A tiny flicker of hope sprang to life in my heart. "Oh, it should be more than a flicker. Haven’t you heard? We dragons can light anything ablaze.

It always surprised me that Father– being such a practical man in all other respects– chose my high- spirited, dreamy mother and then this unsuitable horse. It was a weakness of his. And one that made me all the fonder of him.

Professionals don’t know what gives some people a resilient personality,” Dr. Russ said, pacing the classroom. “You can have four people go through something exceptionally traumatic, and one of those people will have a higher resiliency to coping. They won’t turn to drugs or rebel against society, they’ll seek the positive in any given situation. Now the interesting thing is the argument whether resiliency is nature or nurture. Are we born with it, or is it taught to us?

What kind of twisted fucking head games is he playing? Has been playing for years now? I’m sick of it. I’m sick of him. It’s like he makes a sport of keeping me tied to him. How long can I dangle her before she breaks? Little does he know his selfish actions are helping him to eradicate himself from my heart. I hope the door bruises his ass on the way out.

When something or someone moves you, truly moves you, a part of you wakes affected and afflicted by senses you had never previously experiences. A part of you that you never understood, or perhaps never even knew, suddenly sparks into existence.

I’m trying to say,” Lorre said, conversationally, “that I’m fairly certain I’m in love with you, not that I know anything at all about love, so take that however you want, and don’t feel you need to do anything about it; I wouldn’t, if I were you.

I’m determined not to be any less than someone with two working legs." "If only people didn’t all have to rub that crippled leg in my face as if it were a sin. That’s the part that bothers me the most. I didn’t do anything wrong – something wrong happened to me.

What are you doing?" Matt's eyes snapped open to see Reyna walking toward him. "I was ... thinking," he said. "That's a weird pose for thinking." She imitated him, closing her eyes and holding out her hand. Then she screwed up her face, like she needed to go to the bathroom.

Not everyone is willing to break the rules and customs like I am. But I say that customs are made to serve us, we are not made to serve customs. But if everyone thought that way there would be lawlessness. I’d flame anyone else who disobeyed our customs. That’s only for me.

I would slay dragons. I would walk through hell. I would wage wars. I would lie and cheat and steal and kill for you. I’d break every fucking law and commandment for no one else but you. I am madly, deeply, unconditionally in love with you. Your happiness is my first and only priority.

Then what of Savette? She’s still too full of magic. What about Rakturan? Your comrades will happily kill him if you don’t stop them. What about Hubric? Did you not swear to him? None of us can do everything, spider. Crushing yourself under responsibilities that aren’t yours is not wise.

So fucking beautiful," Sawyer whispered, his voice almost breaking, the desire evident in his tone. "Let me love you," he muttered in a husky voice, and his choice of words temporarily stunned me. I felt the weight of his penetrative stare, which conveyed how much he meant his words. Too soon.

Who needs music when I have an angel in my arms? Are those harps I hear?” Grace looked at the ceiling dismissing my corny line. Pulling her snug little body close to mine with our hands held close to my heart, I pressed my cheek to hers. “I can’t dance without music,” she insisted through a giggle.

The only thing that stood out in my memory was when the pediatric nurse placed Layla’s semi-naked body under my T-shirt, against my skin. During those few brief minutes the hurt I felt in my heart temporarily dissipated. I sighed deeply when Layla squirmed contentedly as she soaked up my warmth when I cradled her protectively against me. Then, when I felt her little heart beating close to mine through her teeny bony chest, I choked up with the indescribable distress I felt, and my tears fell

You’re a river, Bones,” he said, squeezing my hands hard to get my attention. “You don’t break, you bend. If someone tries to control you, you find a new way around. People might think you’re just water, might think they have you contained, but you’re strong enough to cut a path through mountain rock and wild enough to wash everythin’ away when you rage.

You ugly, bald baby, I hate you.

It seemed everyone was a part of that fabled equation of one plus one, minus me...

Hell, can you imagine if crayons were all one color? Me neither!

She's my safe haven. I'm her damnation. And I hope I don't end up dragging her to the depths of my hell.

Sometimes you don't realize you need something in your life until it shows up.

Not every path in life is straightforward and clear, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't press onward.

I expected this week to go one way, but then it didn’t, and I got caught up in the magic—got caught up in you.

It tells the person it’s addressed to that they’re being asked to serve as a witness in criminal court. You and your mom get one, so did Gina and Aunt Jean, and your mom’s

Don’t tempt me, little savage,” he growled, his eyes meeting mine as he bit his bottom lip. “I don’t think you can handle my appetite.

I could have died, you know. He’s not the best shot in all of history, just the best shot there is right now! And how did you know he wouldn’t miss and kill us?”“I guessed,” I said. I hadn’t known. It was a calculated risk. I was the kind of person who took calculated risks because it was sometimes the only way to get ahead. You just had to be sensible about it.

He's the forbidden fruit, and I want to take the biggest, juiciest bite out of him. I know he will ruin me. The temptation is sardonic, wrapping and constricting around the purity of my soul to replace my innocence.

Matt pointed at Fen, "Fen's a descendant of Loki, trickster and troublemaker. Laurie is, too." Laurie smiled at Baldwin. Then Matt gestured at the twins. "They're Frey and Freya. She was a goddess of love and beauty, he was weather and fertility. And I'm, uh, a descendant of Thor. I'll ... umm ... fight the Midgard Serpent." "Thor smash," Reyna interjected. "That's the Hulk, not Thor," Matt started to explain. "Whatever," Reyna muttered.

Trust me, Billie. This is your chance to show him what he's lost. Tell me you dare me because if I kiss you, I guarantee you'll sucker punch that asshole right in the dick." Cradling my face in his hands he held my full attention again. "Say it," he said, his mouth hovering so close to mine his breath became my air. "Say what?" I whispered back, my brow creased tight because my brain was in meltdown, and I had almost convinced myself I had lost the plot. "Dare you.

He reminds me of a demon ready to possess my body. If I allow the hijack to happen, I'll succumb to his dark and delicious ways and I have a feeling I'll never want to walk on the safe side again. I'll be the Persephone to his Hades, but the ride will be a far cry from hell.

Can I get my swans?" Reyna asked. Hildar turned to her. "Freya does not have swans." "Right," Matt said. "I got that wrong. Sorry. Freya is said to be the leader of the Valkyries, who are swan maidens." "We are not swan maidens," Hildar said, straightening and lifting her sword. "But you can turn into swans." "No, we are not swans." "Not even vicious killer swans?" Reyna asked. "No." "Okay, but I'm still your leader, right, Like Matt said, Freya -" "No." Hildar hesitated. "You are not battle proven. You may lead us one day. But we are still not swans.

A thousand years ago, they waged a war against humans and nearly destroyed us completely. We still didn’t know why they’d called a truce and relented. We only knew that we were bound by some old treaty to allow them into our mortal courts if they asked it and to provide a tithe to them if requested. And apparently, there was this Law of First Greeting no one had told me about and now a Law of Marriage no one had seen fit to mention. Because obviously, you wouldn’t mention it to the one person who likely should have been told. Where would the fun be in that?

No, I wasn’t going to think about that. I didn’t think about it through the long hours of flight. I didn’t think about it as the sun came up – finally – on the horizon, bathing me in gold and hope. I didn’t think of it when Hubric signaled a weary stop and we landed exhaustedly next to a pond in a rolling field of grass. Stop thinking about it. Seriously. You’re driving me crazy. But honestly, how did you stop thinking about something like that? I’d been so close to having something I’d wanted all my life. I’d been so close to getting what I didn’t even believe was possible.

It’s always about what you want! What about me, huh? You think I chose this? You think I wanted to live like this? Now I know why women don’t tell on their husbands, how are they supposed to survive?” I gasped in a stunned silence. Did she really just tell me that she didn’t tell on Earl because of money? Would that imply that she knew all along

We walked in silence for two blocks as I tried to process what had happened. There was the overturned glass, the spilled milk, but his father didn’t yell, hit, or throw anything. The reaction that I had anticipated never came, and it left me standing at my chair in flight mode without a reason. I turned my head away from Paul and he must have noticed.

Like I said, there are layers. People might agree with the principles but there’s more to it. Maybe they finally find a place with the true believers – a place they never had before with anyone else. Maybe the ideals, while not that important to them, open up paths to success or honor that weren’t open to them before. Maybe they get power they didn’t have. Maybe it just makes them feel good to rub other people’s faces in the dirt or feel like they’re somehow in the right or cleverer than their neighbors, or to rebel – not against anything, just to rebel in general. People are strange. In that buzz of thoughts and wants any one thing could be the controlling impulse that launches them down a path you can’t turn back from.

It's the goats," he said, his voice low. "The what?" Fen said. "The, uh, goats. Thor ... in the myths ... Thor has goats." Fen pressed his lips together, but after only a moment, he sputtered a laugh. Baldwin joined in. Even Laurie seemed to be trying to hold one back. Matt's cheeks heated. "Seriously? Goats?" Fen said. "That is awesome." "They're magical goats," Matt said. "Magical ..." Fen couldn't even manage the rest without choking on his laughter. "Do not mock the son of Thor," Hildar said. "The goats are very important. It is an aspect of the great god. Oku-Thor." "Oku-Thor?" Fen said. "Lord of the Goats," Hildar said. All three burst out laughing, even Laurie. Matt tried to explain that wasn't the real translation - it meant "Driver Thor", referring to the goat cart he drove, not the actual goats, but no one was listening to him. The damage was done.

I see it out of the corner of my eye as the man moves his fork toward his mouth. He's talking to the woman and he looks like the same pompous asshole I've been watching for the last hour. Truly. The he moves the fork and a piece of pasta falls off. It hits his lip and smears cheese down his perfect, clefted chin. He tries to act cool, but for a split second, like a flash of light, I see what he's hiding. Curt looks up with his chin still on the table. He's watching me watch them. "You saw it, didn't you?" he breathes. I shake my head. "No, I didn't see anything really...." I squint. the woman puts a small amount of egg on her fork, then lifts it tentatively. She's trying to act beautiful, in control. She moves her body sideways, then opens her mouth.... "See?" curt asks drowsy. "You see it?" I stare, fascinated. Maybe, after all, I do. Curt nods in answer to the question I haven't asked. "Finally," he says. "Do you get it now?" I nod very slowly. The woman takes another bite, and I don't think about her legs anymore. I just watch for the flash. I don't think I will, but I see it again. One minute she looks confident , perfect, the next I see something else. I cringe. I try watching the man instead, but that's worse. I realize for the first time that he's trying really hard.

A footfall crunched behind him. He turned to see Reyna heading his way with the cat at her side. He grinned at them, and Reyna stopped short, glancing over her shoulder as if looking for the cause of his grin. "Someone spike you prefight Gatorade?" she asked. "No, I'm just happy to see -" He rocked back on his heels. "Happy to see the cat is still with you. Have you picked a name yet?" "What are my options again?" "Trjegul, Bygul, and Heyyu." "Tree-gool and Bee-gool?" she said. "And Hey-yu?" She stopped. "Hey, you. Oh. Ha-ha. Leave comedy to the professionals, Thorsen." He shrugged. "You could always ask the cat what her name is." "Nope. I pick Trjegul." She looked down at the calico. "You're Trjegul now. Even if you're really Bygul." The cat only blinked. "So if I call you by your name, you'll come, right?" Trjegul got up and wandered off in the other direction. "Watch out or I'll trade you for a swan!" Reyna called after her. "A giant, killer stealth swan that eats ungrateful kitties for breakfast.

Jesus fucking Christ, Maverick! I know everything and I still don't care. That's how much I love you. That's how wound around the very fucking center of my soul you are. It's the same place you'll be until I close my eyes and take my last breath. You are rooted here"-he pounds his chest-"in the bowels of me so far I will never be rid of you. No matter how much I've tried. No matter how much I wanted to while I knew you were with him." His voice cracks. He stops. Pants. Pins me with a look that devastates me but not more than his confession or the tears I now see gleaming. "While he was the sun that lit your world, you were the darkness that shadowed mine.