Do you not understand?” he whispered. “I have never belonged to anyone. Not since I was a child. It is a lonely thing to be unclaimed by another. The idea that I could be yours seduces me more than you can know.

Finding peace and contentment with Evernight—two emotions he was certain he’d never found in bed with a woman before—was entirely unacceptable. When awake, the woman was prickly as a hedgehog and about as lovable as a block of ice.

Everyone had a place. Everyone fit. Everyone belonged. Everyone but Anna Mae.

Because we know he was simply a man, with weakness and frailties.
Who yearned for the same things all of us do--to love and be loved

Wherever I am, you belong. You're mine. Say it.

I love you." He stabbed a thumb at his chest as he glared at her.
Of course he did. Lucien had never hidden the fact.
But the love of a friend, while comforting, was not enough anymore.
It did not soothe the restless discomfort that pushed against her chest or quell the
loneliness that seemed to grow within her each passing day.