He saw her draw closer in the mirror. Her black hair was an ink splash against the white tile walls. She paused behind him. “You protected me, Kaz.” “The fact that you’re bleeding through your bandages tells me otherwise.” She glanced down. A red blossom of blood had spread on the bandage tied around her shoulder. She tugged awkwardly at the strip of towel. “I need Nina to fix this one.” He didn’t mean to say it. He meant to let her go. “I can help you.” Her gaze snapped to his in the mirror, wary as if gauging an opponent. I can help you. They were the first words she’d spoken to him, standing in the parlor of the Menagerie, draped in purple silk, eyes lined in kohl. She had helped him. And she’d nearly destroyed him. Maybe he should let her finish the job.
Leigh Bardugo
Related I want you,” she said. “Naked.” His nostrils flared as if he was soaking in the sc... NALINI SINGH When you've lived as long as I have," he said, eyes heavy-lidded but definitely on her, "you learn t... NALINI SINGH His hands tightened on her shoulders as the truth washed over him. My God, she really had told him y... CAROLYN JEWEL How can I judge?" she said at last. "To me, he is a hero. To the world a monster." She let her head ... ROBERT FANNEY She narrowed her eyes at him. She wanted to tell him that it was his fault, that she would ne... KIMBERLY DERTING She turned to go back inside the livery stable. The excitement with which she’d entered it le... BONNIE DEE Sam…” “What?” she whispered. “Tell me what to do to fix it.” She shook he... KAYLEA CROSS Valentine whirled. Clary, lying half-conscious in the sand, her wrists and arms a screaming agony, s... CASSANDRA CLARE What do you want to show me?" "Nothing, really. I just want to be alone with you for a mi... RAINBOW ROWELL No" she jerked back, stared up at him. Her eyes were like thunderclouds. He'd never seen them l... LORA LEIGH If you want me to fix your homework, you need to leave me alone.” Then he spotted her. “You’re... BRIGID KEMMERER Something tugged inside him. A flutter of unease. Do you sing? Those had been her first words t... MARIE RUTKOSKI She suddenly understood why she had let him kiss her in the diner, why she had wanted him at all. HOLLY BLACK What does Éloa mean?” He narrowed his gaze, answered her literally. “It’s the name... SARAH MACLEAN He lifted the lavender soap to his hair, and she squeaked. “You don’t use that in you... SARAH J. MAAS She looked into the mirror, wiping the mascara that was running down her cheeks with her tears and s... AKSHAY VASU My name...my name is Mary. I'm here with a friend.' Rhage stopped breathing. His heart skipped ... J.R. WARD I believe in you, my darling. I believe in you." He closed his eyes. And when he opened th... ELIZABETH HOYT Inej turned to go. Kaz seized her hand, keeping it on the railing. He didn't look at her. "Stay", he... LEIGH BARDUGO While this is all very amusing, the kiss that will free the girl is the kiss that she most desires,�... CASSANDRA CLARE Her hands brushed Shane's, and he let go of the cards and took hold. And then somehow she... RACHEL CAINE She had an overwhelming desire to tell him, like the most banal of women. Don't let me go, hold me t... MILAN KUNDERA Jay showed up after school with a bouquet of flowers and an armful of DVDs, although Violet couldn�... KIMBERLY DERTING I saw her, once. “She passed through our village, through fields littered with dead sol... MARIE LU She tilted her head, looking back down at Del’s notes as she absently tore the crust off her pizza... PRISCILLA GLENN Was it ever . . .” She winced, wished she could muffle the need to ask. “Before, with anyone els... J.D. ROBB Her innocence was maddening. She should know. She should know what her steward had done. She should ... MARIE RUTKOSKI She found him standing before the water staring unseeing at its frozen surface. He was shivering. Sh... KRISTIN CASHORE During those days before the girl from the lake was finally buried in her hometown, Jay had been the... KIMBERLY DERTING All of a sudden, she was there, breaking away from the little group of women and running toward him.... BONNIE DEE If I had stayed human, how could you have remained with me as a lifemate?” She pushed her rounded ... CHRISTINE FEEHAN Hair the color of lemons,'" Rudy read. His fingers touched the words. "You told him about me?" ... MARKUS ZUSAK Before I go," he said, and paused -- "I may kiss her?" It was remembered afterwards that ... CHARLES DICKENS She slid a sideways glance in his direction, trying to figure out just what it was that was making h... KIMBERLY DERTING She chuckled, leaned on him as they headed out of the park. “All in all, it was a hell of a party.... J.D. ROBB Absently, she brushed back some of the hair from her face, and she saw as Jaguar's eyes followed how... AMELIA ATWATER-RHODES Now he felt temper snapping at the nerves. “If you can’t be comfortable in the house while I’m... J.D. ROBB Hey, Sam,” Drake shouted. “I thought you’d like to know this isn’t my whole army.” Sa... MICHAEL GRANT I love you," he said. She looked up at him, her eyes shiny and black, then looked away. "... RAINBOW ROWELL We should go back inside," she said, in a half whisper. She did not want to go back inside. She want... CASSANDRA CLARE He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Ye be a sight for sore eyes, lass,” he told her. “But we�... SUZAN TISDALE He grasped her by the wrist , running a thumb along the sensitive skin underneath. "Then let me call... SARAH J. MAAS Here, sleep with your back against me. I shall protect you better this way.” She nodded, shu... ANGELA QUARLES She sucked in a shuddering breath, and he pulled back far enough for them to share breath. Her finge... SARAH J. MAAS She stared into his eyes and announced, “A good-bye kiss.” It was at that Raid stopped dead... KRISTEN ASHLEY His face was glistening with cold. He was beautiful, the snow in his eyelashes like diamonds, the co... SARAH BLAKLEY-CARTWRIGHT Her room was warm and lightsome. A huge doll sat with her legs apart in the copious easy-chair besid... JAMES JOYCE But now she could not bear the way she sounded. She was not a person anyone could love. .... PETER CAREY She didn’t know how long they stood on that roof, tangled up in each other, mouths and hands rovin... SARAH J. MAAS For the Wife Beater's Wife With blue irises her face is blossomed. Blue Circling to ... BRUCE WEIGL Do you love him?” I jumped out of my skin. She was standing right beside me. “Who?” JULIE ANNE PETERS Prove it!" she hissed. "Prove you are who you are!" "We don't have time for this! You really wa... MELISSA DE LA CRUZ He reached over and took Taylor’s hand. She did not pull her hand away. He moved his hand up ... MICHAEL GRANT The little group before her finally moved on and Sarah took its place, standing before Tom like he w... BONNIE DEE ...Again she did not seem to hear, still looking into Cale’s eyes. Then slowly, hopelessly, she dr... PAUL HOFFMAN And I'm not sensitive at all, Philip. Just mean." He smiled down at her. "Have you ever co... NORA ROBERTS You must have traveled all night,” she heard herself say. “I had to come back early.” Sh... LISA KLEYPAS Cam paused, staring down at her with dilated eyes, the irises bright gold rims around circles of fat... LISA KLEYPAS When he finally broke off the kiss and moved his lips to her neck, then her breast again, sucking he... BONNIE DEE Celaena threw her weight into the dagger she held aloft, and gained an inch. His arms strained. She ... SARAH J. MAAS She clambered to the shoreline. Numb and shaken, she began to dress. It wasn’t easy as she fumbled... JEAN M. GRANT She murmured, "You're unfinished." "Aye, precisely." "I need to go." When she moved t... KRESLEY COLE She tossed her towel on her dresser and turned to the bed where shed left her PJs. Only it wasn't ju... C.C. HUNTER Lily?” She couldn’t see his face, but she knew his eyes were on her. She could feel them. ... JESSICA LEMMON Now now,” he said, setting his hand on her shoulder. He didn’t even see her turn. One moment she... MATT TOMERLIN His breath caught, harsh enough that she looked over her shoulder. But his eyes weren't o... SARAH J. MAAS She was a very pretty woman. She had dark red hair and her eyes -- her eyes are just like mine, Harr... J.K. ROWLING Roarke, one thing." She walked to him, well aware he was all but snarling with temper. "I haven't ki... J.D. ROBB When Kai fell silent, she risked a glance at him. He was staring at her hands [which she always hold... MARISSA MEYER She paused, frowning at him. But his eyes drifted to the small wooden door just a few feet away. A b... SARAH J. MAAS I'll tell you what's wrong!" he roared, "I'm trying to quit smoking!" Then he strode angrily to the ... LINDA HOWARD You're not the way everyone says you are," Kaye said, looking at him so fiercely that he couldn't me... HOLLY BLACK A footman knocked at the door, the sound echoing through the entrance hall. The sisters looked... LISA KLEYPAS Finally, he slipped his arms around her too. Her eyes closed in relief. “I was thinking,... BONNIE DEE She lends her pen, to thoughts of him, that flow from it, in her solitary. LANG LEAV Kiss me again,” he challenged, only half joking. It was so weird to hear him say that, to hea... KIMBERLY DERTING If I release you, you won't scream? I'd rather not continue the conversation like this." She sh... JAIME RUSH No problem," Gale replies. "I wake up ten times a night anyway." "To make sure Katniss is still... SUZANNE COLLINS The silky swirl of his tongue in the hollow of her navel sent fire licking through her veins. Hazily... LISA KLEYPAS Tell me about the farm," she pleaded as drops of blood began to appear on her hand. "The farm?... MELINA MARCHETTA I’ll come back,” she promised. “I’ll always come back to you.” “I know,” he said ... TIFFANY REISZ She moaned, long and low, wanting to arch, to thrash, to scream. Instead she opened her mouth and bi... ELIZABETH HOYT What have the nibblers ever done for you?" The breeze ruffled her hair, pushing it back from he... SUZANNE COLLINS Don't do that!" she exclaimed, shivering at the realization that it had been his fingers touching he... RICHELLE MEAD The Janus Guard will also be out that night,” he said, one hand reaching out to squeeze her should... LESLEY LIVINGSTON He gripped her hips tightly. "I need you," he whispered, and her heart pounded in answer. She ... LISA KESSLER The rage of the Beast Lord was a terrible thing to behold. Some people stormed, some punched things,... ILONA ANDREWS Astrid found the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it up over his head. She unbuckled his belt and shove... MICHAEL GRANT He never should have left the island. He’d been there with Diana and Penny. He could have tossed P... MICHAEL GRANT Peter," she began. He looked up at her, and she could see the pain in his eyes. "I love you," she sa... SARAH BLAKLEY-CARTWRIGHT She is pissed off all the time,” he mumbled and I remained silent, letting him ramble. “She want... C.A. HARMS Adam leaned down and placed his lips next to her ear. He blew gently on it before he spoke. Mona lea... QUINN LOFTIS She was here, with him, and she felt like heaven. The soft scent of her hair, the slight taste of sa... JULIA QUINN Stop! Stop!” Sophie shrieked with laughter as she ran down the stone steps that led to the g... JULIA QUINN She came towards me with a juicy gash between her legs that smelled like my best friend's sister" DAVE MATTHES So, what did you think of the Unseelie Court?" A slow, wicked smile spread on his face. "... HOLLY BLACK You love your country," she said. "I can't let you give all that up." He caught a glimmer of pain an... SARAH J. MAAS Yes. He saw her in his mind, exactly as she was. She bore him company with her pride, resentment, ha... CHARLES DICKENS You cold or something?' he said. She strained against him; she wanted to pass clear through him: 'It... TRUMAN CAPOTE Morgan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Maybe you’re right,” she sighed, “We should ... KRISTEN CASEY
More Leigh Bardugo
They are orphans again, with no true home but each other and whatever life they can make together on... LEIGH BARDUGO You're very welcome," she said, giving my hair a hard tug. "You should be used to being gawked at by... LEIGH BARDUGO The heart is an arrow. It demands aim to land true. LEIGH BARDUGO Better terrible truths than kind lies. LEIGH BARDUGO Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat... LEIGH BARDUGO He needed to tell her...what? That she was lovely and brave and better than anything he deserved. Th... LEIGH BARDUGO I'm a business man," he'd told her. "No more, no less." "You're a thief, Kaz." "Isn't that... LEIGH BARDUGO We are all someone's monster. LEIGH BARDUGO When everyone knows you’re a monster, you needn’t waste time doing every monstrous thing. LEIGH BARDUGO It's not natural for women to fight." "It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is ta... LEIGH BARDUGO No mourners. No funerals. Among them, it passed for 'good luck. LEIGH BARDUGO Many boys will bring you flowers. But someday you'll meet a boy who will learn your favorite flower,... LEIGH BARDUGO She'd hurt him, but she'd attempted everything in her power to make things right. She'd shown him in... LEIGH BARDUGO This was his soul made flesh, the truth of him laid bare in the blazing sun, shorn of mystery and sh... LEIGH BARDUGO Aleksander," I whispered. A boy's name, given up. Almost forgotten. LEIGH BARDUGO Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay. LEIGH BARDUGO Why waste my anger on you when the fault is mine? I should have anticipated another betrayal from yo... LEIGH BARDUGO I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world. LEIGH BARDUGO The Darkling slumped back in his chair. “Fine,” he said with a weary shrug. “Make me your vill... LEIGH BARDUGO Beauty was your armor. Fragile stuff, all show. But what's inside you? That's steel. It's brave and ... LEIGH BARDUGO I took a breath. “Your highness—” “Nikolai,” he corrected. “But I’ve also been kn... LEIGH BARDUGO I've seen what you truly are," said the Darkling, "and I've never turned away. I never will. Can he ... LEIGH BARDUGO Why won’t you leave me alone?” I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to wo... LEIGH BARDUGO What is infinite? The universe and the greed of men. LEIGH BARDUGO Of course not," said Sturmhond. "Anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea. LEIGH BARDUGO I will strip away all that you know, all that you love, until you have no shelter but mine. LEIGH BARDUGO Watch yourself, Nikolai,” Mal said softly. “Princes bleed just like other men.” Nikolai p... LEIGH BARDUGO The less you say, the more weight your words will carry. LEIGH BARDUGO When people say impossible, they usually mean improbable. LEIGH BARDUGO The problem with wanting," he whispered, his mouth trailing along my jaw until it hovered over my li... LEIGH BARDUGO Yuyeh sesh. Despise your heart. Ni weh sesh. I have no heart. LEIGH BARDUGO In this moment he was just a boy -brilliant, blessed with too much power, burdened by eternity. LEIGH BARDUGO He leaned against the window, and the gilded frame came into sharp focus. “Do you think it would b... LEIGH BARDUGO And there's nothing wrong with being a lizard either. Unless you were born to be a hawk. LEIGH BARDUGO Na razrusha'ya. I am not ruined. E'ya razrushost. I am ruination. LEIGH BARDUGO At some point, Jesper realized Kaz was gone. "Not one for goodbyes, is he?" he muttered. ... LEIGH BARDUGO I can’t decide if you’re crazy or stupid.” “I have so many good qualities,” Sturmhond... LEIGH BARDUGO Sisters in battle, I am shield and blade to you. As I breathe, your enemies will know no sanctuary. ... LEIGH BARDUGO Inej turned to go. Kaz seized her hand, keeping it on the railing. He didn't look at her. "Stay", he... LEIGH BARDUGO You were like a stranger, Alina. Beautiful," he said. "Terrible. LEIGH BARDUGO They had an ordinary life, full of ordinary things-if love can ever be called that. LEIGH BARDUGO I don't care if you danced naked on the roof of the Little Palace with him. I love you, Alina, even ... LEIGH BARDUGO I'm sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now. LEIGH BARDUGO What do you want then?" The old answers came easily to mind. Money. Vengeance. Jordie's voic... LEIGH BARDUGO I can hear the change in Kaz's breathing when he looks at you." "You... you can?" "It catc... LEIGH BARDUGO No Mourners. No Funerals. LEIGH BARDUGO Stay,” she panted. Tears leaked from her eyes. “Stay till the end.” “And after,” he ... LEIGH BARDUGO The water hears and understands. The ice does not forgive. LEIGH BARDUGO She'd laughed, and if he could have bottled the sound and gotten drunk on it every night, he would h... LEIGH BARDUGO I will have you without armor, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all. LEIGH BARDUGO Jesper knocked his head against the hull and cast his eyes heavenward. “Fine. But if Pekka Rollins... LEIGH BARDUGO Kaz leaned back. "What's the easiest way to steal a man's wallet?" "Knife to the throat?" asked... LEIGH BARDUGO No, little brother. No one is stronger. You've cheated death too many times. Greed may do your biddi... LEIGH BARDUGO I roll my eyes. "Well, if I plan on doing anything exciting I promise to give fair warning so just..... LEIGH BARDUGO What are you smiling at?” I whirled, peering into the gloom. The Darkling’s voice se... LEIGH BARDUGO Hope was tricky like water. Somehow it always found a way in. LEIGH BARDUGO What is she to you anyway?" "Here's my answer captain. She's the thing that made this all... LEIGH BARDUGO Suffering is like anything else. Live with it long enough, you learn to like the taste. LEIGH BARDUGO I'm the Sun Summoner. It gets dark when I say it does. LEIGH BARDUGO Nina glanced from Inej to Kaz and saw they both wore the same expression. Nina knew that look. It ca... LEIGH BARDUGO Crows remember human faces. They remember the people who feed them, who are kind to them. And the pe... LEIGH BARDUGO How many times have you told me you're a monster? So be a monster. Be the thing they all fear when t... LEIGH BARDUGO She smiled then, her cheeks red, her cheeks scattered with some kind of dust. It was a smile he thou... LEIGH BARDUGO A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lost Grisha, a Suli girl who had become a killer, a boy from ... LEIGH BARDUGO When evening fell the boy would bring the girl a glass of tea, a slice of lemon cake, an apple bloss... LEIGH BARDUGO A wise warrior learns from her mistakes. LEIGH BARDUGO And that was what destroyed you in the end: the longing for something you could never have. LEIGH BARDUGO Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return. LEIGH BARDUGO Be brutal. Be cruel. More lives will be saved in the long run. LEIGH BARDUGO Weakness is a guise. Wear it when they need to know you're human, but never when you feel it. LEIGH BARDUGO I hope you weren't looking to me to be the voice of reason. I keep to a strict diet of ill-advised e... LEIGH BARDUGO We meet fear. We greet the unexpected visitor and listen to what he has to tell us. When fear arr... LEIGH BARDUGO Maybe there were people who lived those lives. Maybe this girl was one of them. But what about the r... LEIGH BARDUGO Have any of you wondered what I did with all the cash Pekka Rollins gave us?" "Guns?" asked Jes... LEIGH BARDUGO She wouldn't wish love on anyone. It was the guest you welcomed and then couldn't be rid of. LEIGH BARDUGO I saw the prince when I was in Os Alta,” said Ekaterina. “He’s not bad looking.” “Not... LEIGH BARDUGO I need someone who can be invisible, who can become a ghost. Do you think you can do that?" LEIGH BARDUGO Greed is your god, Kaz." He almost laughed at that. "No, Inej. Greed bows to me. It is my serva... LEIGH BARDUGO David looked at me, then, the regret plain on his face. No matter what I said, we both knew the hard... LEIGH BARDUGO If it works, it will be plenty dramatic. And I suppose that if it doesn't work, it will be even more... LEIGH BARDUGO Everyone okay?" Mal asked. "Never better," said Genya shakily. David raised hi... LEIGH BARDUGO You cannot make this kind of decision," he said. "Go off with someone you barely know. You're sevent... LEIGH BARDUGO Sure we do," said Theo, swatting at a branch. "We get to the spring, Alia gets cured. We argue over ... LEIGH BARDUGO The Darkling just stared out into the waves. I considered shoving him over the railing. Sure, he was... LEIGH BARDUGO Wylan looked as if he was ready to wet himself. Helvar appeared grim as always. Jesper just grinned ... LEIGH BARDUGO I miss a good cup of tea, dancing, boys- definitely not rain." "We dance," Diana protested. LEIGH BARDUGO Maybe your tutors didn't cover this lesson, but you do not argue with a man covered in blood and a k... LEIGH BARDUGO Some people see a magic trick and say, "Impossible!" They clap their hands, turn over their money, a... LEIGH BARDUGO I’m going to get my money, Kaz vowed. And I’m going to get my girl. LEIGH BARDUGO Don’t worry, Da. People point guns at each other all the time in Ketterdam. It’s basically a han... LEIGH BARDUGO Meeting you was a disaster.” She raised a brow. “Thank you.” Djel, he was terrible a... LEIGH BARDUGO Scheming face,” Inej murmured. Jesper nodded. “Definitely. LEIGH BARDUGO Has anyone noticed this whole city is looking for us, mad at us, or wants to kill us?" "So?" sa... LEIGH BARDUGO I want you to stay. I want you to … I want you.” “You want me.” She turned the words over. G... LEIGH BARDUGO I don't like this." "To be fair, Matthias, you don't like much. LEIGH BARDUGO Sometimes scientific discoveries are like that […]. Once people know something is possible, the pa... LEIGH BARDUGO I think the hard work of writing is just how long a book is terrible before it's good. LEIGH BARDUGO Don't argue. Never deign to deny. Meet insults with laughter. LEIGH BARDUGO The storm has brought Ulla to the cold shelter of the northern islands, to the darkened caves and fl... LEIGH BARDUGO What god do you serve? Inej had asked him. Whichever will grant me good fortune. Fortunate people di... LEIGH BARDUGO Too much champagne?” “Maybe.” “Silly girl,” she said, looping her arm through ... LEIGH BARDUGO When we get our money, you can burn kruge to keep you warm." "I'm going to pay someone to burn ... LEIGH BARDUGO You know I can do it, Kaz, and you know I'm not going to refuse. So why ask?" " Because I've... LEIGH BARDUGO I don't want your prayers, he said. What do you want, then? The old answers came easily to... LEIGH BARDUGO But hope rises like water trapped by a dam, higher and higher, in increments that mean nothing until... LEIGH BARDUGO You see, some people are born with a piece of night inside, and that hollow place can never be fille... LEIGH BARDUGO This goes to show you that sometimes the unseen is not to be feared and that those meant to love us ... LEIGH BARDUGO A thousand desperate wishes have been spoken on these shores, and in the end they were all the same:... LEIGH BARDUGO His knuckles brushed against her skin and lightning cracked through him, left him paralyzed, rooted ... LEIGH BARDUGO Ketterdam is made of monsters. I just happen to have the longest teeth. LEIGH BARDUGO When had she stopped being a child? The first time a guy whistled at her out of a car window when sh... LEIGH BARDUGO But when someone does wrong, when we make mistakes, we don’t say we’re sorry. We promise to make... LEIGH BARDUGO Nina, you taught me to be something better. They could be taught, too. LEIGH BARDUGO I like to have powerful enemies. Makes me feel important. LEIGH BARDUGO Kaz had always kept himself at a remove from everyone. They’d wanted camaraderie, friendship, but ... LEIGH BARDUGO The world was made of miracles, unexpected earthquakes, storms that came from nowhere and might resh... LEIGH BARDUGO It's always been this way. There were rumors about me even before I was born. It's why my mother nev... LEIGH BARDUGO I shouldn't have lost my temper that way. It just pricks his pride, makes him dig in his heels." LEIGH BARDUGO I have loved you all my life, Mal," I whispered through my tears. "There is no end to our story. LEIGH BARDUGO I thought the love I'd had for him belonged to the past, to the foolish, lonely girl I never wanted ... LEIGH BARDUGO Why can a Grisha possess but one amplifier? I will answer this question instead: What is infinite? T... LEIGH BARDUGO No mourners, no funerals. Another way of saying good luck. But it was something more. A dark wink to... LEIGH BARDUGO Trevlig långresa ner', sa hon innan hon hoppade upp på räcket och gled iväg som en klick smör i... LEIGH BARDUGO A different kind of knight, one who'd chosen to protect the girl the world wanted to destroy; one bo... LEIGH BARDUGO I am done being careful. I am done being quiet. Let them see me angry. Let them hear me wail at the ... LEIGH BARDUGO Stay,” she panted. Tears leaked from her eyes. “Stay till the end.” “And after,” he ... LEIGH BARDUGO Alone in the gloom, surrounded by books, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed. LEIGH BARDUGO Yes, supermodels have the power to make you buy things you don't need and feel terrible about yourse... LEIGH BARDUGO Speak, she begged silently. Give me a reason to stay. For all his selfishness and cruelty, Kaz was s... LEIGH BARDUGO Sometimes when we find love we pretend it away, or ignore it, or tell ourselves we're imagining it. ... LEIGH BARDUGO There is something more powerful than any army. Something strong enough to topple kings, and even Da... LEIGH BARDUGO I didn't think he was in love with me and I had no idea what I felt for him, but he wanted me, and m... LEIGH BARDUGO You live in a single moment. I live in a thousand. LEIGH BARDUGO When had she stopped being a child? The first time a guy had whistled at her out of a car window whe... LEIGH BARDUGO What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we w... LEIGH BARDUGO You're shaking." "I'm not used to people trying to kill me." "Really? I hardly... LEIGH BARDUGO It's probably for the best, I told myself. How would I have said goodbye to Mal anyway? Thanks fo... LEIGH BARDUGO Mal,"I whispered into the night. "What?" "Thanks for finding me." "Always. LEIGH BARDUGO I'm not like you, Mal. I never really fit in the way you did. I never really belonged anywhere." LEIGH BARDUGO The moment our lips met, I knew with pure and piercing certainty that I would have waited for him fo... LEIGH BARDUGO I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. ... LEIGH BARDUGO She would have her ship and he would have his city. LEIGH BARDUGO You’ll get what’s coming to you some day, Brekker.” “I will,” said Kaz, “if there’s an... LEIGH BARDUGO A liar, a thief, and utterly without conscience. But he'll keep to any deal you strike with him. LEIGH BARDUGO Everything is a negotiation with you, Brekker. You probably bartered your way out of the womb. LEIGH BARDUGO You can't spend his money if you're dead." "I'll acquire expensive habits in the afterli... LEIGH BARDUGO You'll get what's coming to you some day, Brekker." "I will," said Kaz, "if there's any justice... LEIGH BARDUGO Usually people don't start hating each other until a week into the job, but you two have a head star... LEIGH BARDUGO He was going to break my legs ,” she said, her chin held high, the barest quaver in her voice. “... LEIGH BARDUGO This action will have no echo. LEIGH BARDUGO Any other impossible feats you'd like us to accomplish?" The barest smile flickered over ... LEIGH BARDUGO He’d wanted me to believe in his ruthlessness. Then I remembered his words from so long ago:<... LEIGH BARDUGO She righted herself, her balance returning. Had she really thought the world didn't change? She was ... LEIGH BARDUGO There are better things than princes. LEIGH BARDUGO We were not made to please princes. LEIGH BARDUGO Do you take anything seriously?” “Not if I can help it. Makes life so tedious. LEIGH BARDUGO You’re stupid about a lot of things, Wylan, but you are not stupid. And if I ever hear you call yo... LEIGH BARDUGO If only you could talk to girls in equations.” There was a long silence, and then, eyes trai... LEIGH BARDUGO Nina might not be able to put you back, you know. Not without another dose of parem. You could be st... LEIGH BARDUGO Just this minute, I'll settle for an apology, she decided. And I wont' board the boat without one. E... LEIGH BARDUGO He looked down at his boots. "That berth belongs to you too. It will always be there when―if you w... LEIGH BARDUGO I've been nothing but kind to you. I'm not some sort of monster." "No, you're the man who sits ... LEIGH BARDUGO People, particularly big men carrying big rifles, don't expect lip from a scrawny thing like me. The... LEIGH BARDUGO Then the memory of the Darkling's kiss blew through me and rattled my concentration, scattering my t... LEIGH BARDUGO C’mon,” he said. “One foot in front of the other. You know how it’s done” “You’re... LEIGH BARDUGO I hate hiding how much the stupid things he did hurt me, but I hated the idea of him finding out eve... LEIGH BARDUGO I had spared the stag's life. The power of that life belonged to me as surely as it belonged to the ... LEIGH BARDUGO Thanks for being my best friend and making my life bearable. Oh, and sorry I fell in love with y... LEIGH BARDUGO Did you miss me, Alina? Did you miss me when you were gone?" "Every day," I said hoarsely. LEIGH BARDUGO Did you tell him what I showed you in the dark? LEIGH BARDUGO Do you blame me for every mistake I made? For every girl I tumbled? For every dumb thing I've said? ... LEIGH BARDUGO So I'm the Darkling's prisoner?" "You're under his protection." "What's the difference?" LEIGH BARDUGO Just you and me." "Really?" "It's always just you and me, Alina. LEIGH BARDUGO A moment later the boy whispered, "I don't think you're ugly." "Shhhh!" the girl hissed. But hi... LEIGH BARDUGO Sturmhond had a way of talking that made me want to shoot someone. Preferably him. LEIGH BARDUGO If it were a trick, I'd promise you safety. I'd offer you happiness. I don't know if that exists in ... LEIGH BARDUGO The ox feels the yoke, but does the bird feel the weight of its wings? LEIGH BARDUGO I am grateful you're alive", he said. "I am grateful that you're beside me. I am grateful that you'r... LEIGH BARDUGO He was a wounded animal who needed to be put down. And Kaz had done it gladly, choked the life from ... LEIGH BARDUGO I don’t hold a grudge. I cradle it. I coddle it. I feed it fine cuts of meat and send it to the be... LEIGH BARDUGO I have been made to protect you. Even in death, I will find a way. LEIGH BARDUGO Jesper couldn’t quite believe he was having a conversation with the Sturmhond. The privateer was a... LEIGH BARDUGO Her heart was a river that carried her to the sea. LEIGH BARDUGO He'd told her they would fight their way out. Knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we ... LEIGH BARDUGO Greed may do your bidding, but death serves no man. LEIGH BARDUGO The thought filled me with grief, grief for the dreams we'd shared, for the love I'd felt, for the h... LEIGH BARDUGO Why do you guys say that, anyway? No mourners, no funerals? Why not just say good luck or be safe?�... LEIGH BARDUGO He'd broken his leg dropping down from the rooftop. The bone didn't set right, and he'd limped ever ... LEIGH BARDUGO You don’t look like a monster.” “I’ll tell you a secret, Hanna. The really bad monster... LEIGH BARDUGO If Ketterdam has taught me anything, it's that you can always bleed a little more. LEIGH BARDUGO Nina Zenik, as soon as I figure out where you've put my knives, we're going to have words." LEIGH BARDUGO Baghra," Nikolai said, "how are you this evening?" "Still old and blind," she snarled. "An... LEIGH BARDUGO What you want and what the world needs are not always in accord. LEIGH BARDUGO Fear is a powerful ally, but feed it too often, make it too strong, and it will turn on you. LEIGH BARDUGO Pull your shirt up over your mouth,” he told Wylan. “What?” “Stop being dense. You... LEIGH BARDUGO The trap is loneliness, and none of us escapes it. Not even me. LEIGH BARDUGO I need your skills, Inej. That's not the same thing. You may be the best spider crawling around the ... LEIGH BARDUGO Thoughts of moonlight and silken hair evaporated in a black bolt of fury. Kaz saw Inej tug on the sl... LEIGH BARDUGO You have your own problems right now, Zenik, said a voice in her head. Stop worrying about saving th... LEIGH BARDUGO, CROOKED KINGDOM I'm vegetarian, but I love Thanksgiving dinner: faux turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. LEIGH LEZARK