Home > Work > Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels, #7)
101 " I want you to understand me.This isn’t vengeance.This is punishment. "
― Ilona Andrews , Magic Breaks (Kate Daniels, #7)
102 " What is it you want from me, Hugh?”“Short term, I’d like you to say my name with a please attached to it. I’d like to walk into Jester Park with you on my arm.”[...]“Long term, I want to win. And I will win, Kate. You’ll put up a good fight, but eventually you’ll be sleeping in my bed and fighting with me back to back. We’ll be good together. I promise you.”“What part of no don’t you understand?”“The part where I don’t get what I want. "
103 " I leaned forward. “How did I turn out? Are you proud of the monster you made?”Roland smiled. Hugh and Landon were right. It was like the sun had risen. Like digging a hole in your backyard and finding a glittering jewel in the dirt.“Child, my dangerous one, my beautiful one. You’ve claimed your city. You shouldn’t have been able to do that for another hundred years. I’m so proud that my pride could topple mountains. If you let me, I would show you to the world. I would show the world to you.”“So I could see it through your eyes?”“So you could see it through your own. "
104 " I crouched on the beam. The bunnycat shivered less than a foot away."Here . . . " Bunny? Kitty? "Here, cute creature thing . . . Don't be scared. "
105 " You're crazy, you know that?""Yes. But I'm a demon in the sack."I laughed. "Okay then. That fixes everything.""That's right, it does. "
106 " The magic ground against my mind and I heard the same word whispered over and over in my head.“Z’emir-amit. Z’emir-amit. Z’emir-amit.”Oh my God. I knew that name. I read about her. I studied her legends, but I never thought I would come across anything of hers because she had been dead for thousands of years. Dead and buried in distant Iraq, somewhere on the east bank of the Tigris River. That name belonged to the bones in front of me. I could feel it. I knew this magic.I was looking at the corpse of my grandmother.She wanted me to say her name. She wanted to know that I understood.I opened my mouth and said it out loud. “Semiramis.”Her magic drenched me, not the blow of a hammer, but a cascade of power, pouring onto me as if I stood under a waterfall.Z’emir-amit. The Branch Bearer. The Shield of Assyria. The Great Queen Semiramis. A line from Sarchedon floated up from my memory. When she turns her eyes on you, it is like the golden lustre of noon-day; and her smile is brighter and more glorious than sunset in the desert… To look on her face unveiled is to be the Great Queen’s slave for ever more. "
107 " I don’t see what the big deal is.” “It’s a sword made out of your grandmother’s bones, Kate.” I shrugged. "
108 " I’m a rat,’’ Robert said. ‘’I’m not going into a reptile’s mouth.’’ Oh boy. Fine time to develop phobias "
109 " You’re a survivor. Voron put you on the edge of that cliff again and again until he conditioned you to claw onto life. You’ll do whatever you have to do to survive, and I’m your only chance of getting out. At first you’ll balk, but with every passing hour my offer will look better and better. You’ll convince yourself that dying will accomplish nothing and you should at least go out with a bang. You’ll tell yourself that you’re accepting my offer just so you can stick that broken sword into my chest and feel it cut through my heart. Even if you die afterward, the fact that I’ll stop breathing makes your death mean something. So you’ll call me. And you’ll try to kill me. Except you’ve gone three days without food, and that body . . .” He tilted his head and looked me over slowly. “That body burns through calories like fire goes through gasoline. You’re running out of reserves. I can put you down with one hit.” “You’re right about the sword. You broke mine. I owe you one.”He tapped his naked chest over his heart. “This is the spot. Give it a shot, Kate. Let’s see what happens. "
110 " Landon slid back into the driver’s seat and pointed at my saber. “Put it away.”"“Say the magic word.”“Please,” Landon squeezed out.I slid the blade back into the sheath and petted it. “It’s okay, Sarrat. If he insults you, I’ll cut his head off and you can drink his blood. "
111 " If anybody comes to challenge you, we'll kick their ass. We'll find a way to handle Roland. And if the pack Council produces any kittens, we'll give them to Jim to raise., He needs to mellow out anyway.'I looked at him. He took his hands off the wheel and held them apart about six inches. 'Cute fluffy kittens. Just sitting on Jim's lap. "
112 " What part of no don’t you understand?”“The part where I don’t get what I want. "
113 " Perhaps you should negotiate?" Robert glanced at me.Sure. I cleared my throat. "Move or I'll cut your head off. "
114 " I’m a weremongoose. I’m fucking fast. When I get bored, I play with my pet cobra, and I don’t mean that figuratively. "
115 " If I compromise on this, soon I’ll compromise on other things and then I won’t be me anymore. "
116 " Uh-oh. In all the time I’d interacted with Ghastek, he never swore. Ever. The “premier” Master of the Dead was about to throw a tantrum. I braced myself. “He comes into the city, he throws away my people, he orders me around like I’m his servant, and now this? How dare he!”I sighed. “How dare he!” came out. Could “Does he know who I am?” be far behind. "
117 " We looked at the fire. “This is one hell of a date,” I said.“Trapped by a horde of vampires in the middle of a snow-covered field, huddling around a tiny fire on thin blankets,” Curran said. “Drink it in, baby. All this luxury just for you.”“At least it’s not raining.”We both looked up just in case a freak downpour decided to drench us, but the night sky was clear. Nothing but stars and desperation. "
118 " I loved that he called me on my bullshit. I laughed at his jokes and I loved that he laughed at mine. I loved that no matter where I was he would come for me. That he would always be there, helping me cut my way through the mess that was life. "
119 " Barabas always managed to project an air of urbane, civilized polish that came with a sharp edge. Tall, lean, and pale, he had fire-bright red hair that stuck out from his head like a forest of aggressive spikes. If he ever frosted his hair blue, he’d look like a gas burner. "
120 " Sometimes the Universe smiled. Mostly she kicked me in the face, stomped on my ribs once I fell down, and laughed at my pain, but once in a while she smiled. It was Wednesday. "