Chloe Neill Quotes

So you traded up?" I asked, walking toward the car and opening the door. "Do you treat your relationships in the same way?"
"Yes," Ethan gravely said. "And I spent four hundred years shopping before I met you. ~ Chloe Neill

Should I be insulted that you're so eager to enjoy another man's pork?" I leaned out of the bathroom, toothbrush mid-swipe, and grinned. "Ethan Sullivan, did you just make a joke?" He hadn't, at least from the look on his face. But I wasn't threatened by the possessiveness in his eyes. Because bacon. ~ Chloe Neill

Be grateful for your immorality, but do not deny them the honor of their mortality. ~ Chloe Neill

That's our cue to depart."
"They know something " I pointed out.
"I know something too. I know we're going to attract a lot of unwanted attention if they keep screaming. And then we have to make up some ridiculous explanation about how we heard screaming through the vents in our rooms and we followed the sound back to the basement and we found these girls lying on the ground and pretending to be tied up by invisible rope because they're practicing for the regional mime championships."
I blinked at her. "Is that explanation more or less believable than we woke up because two girls who are actually evil magicians tripped a magical alarm wired to a door in the basement we aren't supposed to know about "
Scout paused for a minute then nodded. "Point made. ~ Chloe Neill

Oh, that turned out nicely," Lindsey said, hands on her hips as she surveyed it, then smiled at Mallory. "Is your house just covered in glitter now?"

Mallory stepped back, adjusted my sash carefully. "It's every-freaking-where. It's probably the perfect vector for worldwide contagion, should any bad guys figure that out. ~ Chloe Neill

It was a spell, thrown by Sebastian Born. Pretty fce, evil disposition. ~ Chloe Neill

I tried to lighten the mood, and pointed at the house shoes - the last things I'd have expected to see Catcher Bell wearing. "And the shoes?" I asked with a grin.
"My house, my rules. These shoes happen to be comfortable," he said "If you two roamed around the house naked and carrying bows and arrows before I moved in, it's none of my business. ~ Chloe Neill

Together - like a moth to a flame, there'd be nothing left. ~ Chloe Neill

The thumbs have been pricked, at least proverbially. ~ Chloe Neill

Ethan chuckled. "It hasn't escaped my attention, Sentinel, that you cringe every time I mention our future." "I don't cringe. I only cringe when you pretend-propose." He had a penchant for going down on bended knee - and straightening a hem or helping me with a shoe. "Nobody finds that amusing." "I find it excessively amusing. You do realize, don't you, that the proposal won't always be fake? ~ Chloe Neill

Well, shifters aren't. Shifters are happy. They're people; then they're animals; then they're people again. What's not to be happy about? They live with their friends. They drink. They ride their Harleys. They party in Alaska. They have hot shifter sex.
At that revelation, Jeff winged up his eyebrows at me, an invitation in his eyes. I bit down on a grin and shook my head sternly in response. Apparently unruffled, he shrugged and turned back to his computer. Happily. ~ Chloe Neill

That plans, however well-intentioned, were ultimately irrelevant? That we had to learn to adapt, and the best-case scenario was finding a partner who was willing to adapt alongside us? ~ Chloe Neill

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW . . . IS A WINEGLASS OF UNUSUAL SIZE T ~ Chloe Neill

True. But anyway, the rioters get all riled up, and they chant: 'What do we want? Brains! When do we want them? Brains! ~ Chloe Neill

Who's Baumgartner?" I asked.
President of the 155." At my blank stare, Catcher clarified, "My former union, Local 155 of the Union of Amalgamated Sorcerers and Spellcasters."
I nearly choked on chicken, and when I was done with the coughing fit, asked, "The acronym for the Order of sorcerers is 'U-ASS'?"
A, seriously appropriate," Mallory commented, giving Catcher a sideways grin. "B, explains why they call it 'the Order. ~ Chloe Neill

You have to call Darth Sullivan your 'Liege'?"
I grinned. "Only if I expect him to answer. ~ Chloe Neill

I knew the point wasn't the victory, but pulling yourself together and crawling your way back. That was life. ~ Chloe Neill

Would you put it past Darth Sullivan to figure out a way to haunt you postmortem? He's probably holding staff meetings in the afterworld. Offering up performance evaluations. Issuing dictates. ~ Chloe Neill

I walked inside and paused for a moment to breathe in the scent of paper and dust - the perfumes of knowledge. ~ Chloe Neill

The GP appeared in its typical V formation. "Goose on the lawn," Luc said. "Goose?" I asked. "That V formation. I like to use derogatory terms to describe the GP whenever possible. ~ Chloe Neill

You are a Cadogan vampire, by blood and bone. You have fought for this House, and you are mine to protect. My Sentinel, my Novitiate. As long as I am here to do it, I will protect you. As long as this House exists, you will have a home here. -Ethan ~ Chloe Neill

Take that back to the GP, Mr. Cabot. And should the urge arise, feel free to tell them to fuck off. ~ Chloe Neill

It's your job to be worried," I said lightly, squeezing his hand. "That's why we pay you the big bucks. Which you are apparently going to hand over to the NAC in order to keep that car in the garage." "Never fear, Sentinel. I will still be able to keep you in bacon." "Damn right," I said. "You know your priorities." Ethan rolled his eyes and slapped me on the butt. ~ Chloe Neill

And what do you have planned for your soiree?" Ethan asked. "I'm guessing it won't involve tea sipping and heavy reading."

I pretended to adjust invisible glasses. "Well, we will be reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica aloud and watching Neil deGrasse Tyson videos on the YouTubes. We might also make time for macramé. ~ Chloe Neill

The man was walking power and confidence, and he was all mine. "Seriously," Lindsey whispered, "well done." "I know, right? ~ Chloe Neill

Magic is overrated. Courage is what matters. ~ Chloe Neill

Merit," Catcher said, sitting beside Mallory on the couch, an arm around her shoulders. "It's nice to see you clothed again."
"And now that she is," Gabriel said, standing, "we should get moving."
"Where are we going, exactly?" Catcher asked.
"To a land beyond space and time," Jeff said drawing an arc in the air. "Where the rules of mortals have no meaning."
Gabriel looked up at the ceiling as if he might find patience there. "We're going to the Brecks' backyard. Into the woods, right here in Illinois, where most of us are quite mortal."
"Illi-noise," Jeff said with cheeky enthusiasm. "Because the wolves will howl. ~ Chloe Neill

Morgan and Catcher said their manly hellos - consisting of a symbolic head bob from Catcher (of the "You're in my lair now" variety) and a responding nod from Morgan (of the "You are clearly the king of this castle" variety). ~ Chloe Neill

You can tell a lot by the size of a mans library ~ Chloe Neill

Vamps are really only like ten percent fun at any given time. The other ninety percent is largely fretting. And bloodletting. ~ Chloe Neill

I nearly bit one of them, and yadda yadda yadda, we learned they had nothing to do with the color change." "You can't yadda yadda yadda nearly biting a fairy," Paige said. ~ Chloe Neill

I think Luc was right," he added when they were out of earshot. "I can hardly take you out anymore." "I just took out a vamp twice my weight while wearing a cocktail dress and three-inch heels. I think I deserve some credit for that. ~ Chloe Neill

So that you don't forget the world isn't black or white," he said. "It's grey and someone tells you otherwise, they're lying". ~ Chloe Neill

Seriously, I'm totally weirded out by the girly nature of this conversation. And yet, it's kinda like you're growing up. Do you think Judy Blume made a book about adolescent vampires? Are You There God, It's Me, Merit? Mallory snorted, obviously pleased with herself. ~ Chloe Neill

Eventually, the room was cleared, and we stood there together, chests heaving, a spray of shifters and humans on the floor in front of us. We weren't entirely undamaged - I'd taken a bruising shot to my right thigh, and Ethan had slices across his belly where he'd been caught with the edge of a bar of steel broken from someone's office chair.
But we were alive.
We glanced over at each other. I was just about to speak, but before I could get out words, his hand was at the back of my head, his mouth pressing against mine. The intensely possessive kiss left me gasping for breath, but even as he pulled back, his fingers stayed knotted in the back of my hair. ~ Chloe Neill

You can run. You can keep running to the ends of the earth. But I won't be far behind you."
"Ethan - "
"No. I will never be far behind you." He tipped up my chin so that I could do nothing else but look back into his eyes. "Do the things you need to do. Learn to be a vampire, to be a warrior, to be the soldier you are capable of being. But consider the possibility that I made a mistake I regret - and that I'll continue to regret that mistake and try to convince you to give me another chance until the earth stops turning. ~ Chloe Neill

You give me thirty-two inches of folded steel and I'll take on anyone you want.
Merit ~ Chloe Neill

An image of Luc's face flashed on my screen, his finger waggling. "Time to go outside!" it said. "Time to go outside!" I tried to silence it, reduce the volume, and turn off the phone, but to no avail. Luc had definitely created a reminder for our outdoor guarding duties - and there was no way to turn it off. I grimaced at the phone and showed it to Ethan. "We have a monster on our hands. ~ Chloe Neill

You are a universe, he reverentially whispered, and then his game began. A game of pushing me to the brink, of building the anticipation ... and leaving me stranded in the midst of it. ~ Chloe Neill

Food that good deserved undisturbed digestion ~ Chloe Neill

I kissed him, let him kiss me, let him clutch my hips, curl his fingers into
the fabric of my shirt, slide his hands around my waist and splay them
against my back, pull me infinitesimally closer. He made a sound, a growl or
purr, some predatory noise that rumbled in his throat, then said my name. And
this time, it wasn't a question but a sound of victory, a claim on his prize. ~ Chloe Neill

There are nights when the world is completely askew because he's gone. ~ Chloe Neill

Get to the Point: Vampire Contributions in Western Architecture. Fangs and Balances: Vampire Politicians in History. To Drink or Not to Drink: A Vampire Dialectic. Blood Sausage, Blood Stew, Blood Orange: Food for All Seasons. And the awfully named Plasmatlas, which contained maps of important vampire locales. ~ Chloe Neill

You are heart and recklessness and fire. The drama just came along for the ride. ~ Chloe Neill

And so it began, I thought, the first wave of a revolution against oppression, fought with corn syrup and chocolate. ~ Chloe Neill

Ethan Sullivan, registered smart-ass ~ Chloe Neill

I'm here," he said. "Be still. ~ Chloe Neill

You are incorrigible."
"I know." She sighed happily. "All the shit we've been through - all the shit I've been through - and I can still make lascivious jokes with the best of them. That's impressive, Merit. That's character. ~ Chloe Neill

He unsnapped the top button on his jeans.
My eyes widened."Sneaky bastard."
I gnawed my lip in pleasure,watching the past,present,and future Master of Cadogan House in the state of utter abandon:shirt on the floor,jeans unbuttoned,his arousal obvious. ~ Chloe Neill

Give me something to go on, here. What kind of black magic are we talking? Elphaba,Wicked Witch of the West-type stuff or Slytherin-type stuff? ~ Chloe Neill

You're perfect- beautiful, intelligent, intractable in a kind of ... attractive way. Headstrong, but a good strategist. An amazing fighter."
"But that's not enough?"
"It's too much. You think I haven't thought about what it might be like to return to my rooms at the end of the night and find you there- to find you in my bed, to have your body and your laugh and your mind? To look across a room and know that you were mine- that *I'd* claimed you. *Me.* Ethan Sullivan. Not the four-hundred-year-old vampire, not the child of Balthasar or the Novitiate of Peter Cadogan. Me. Just me. Just you and me. ~ Chloe Neill

Opportunities to wear denim to the office don't come along very often in Cadogan House." Ethan chuckled, then pushed off the bureau and pulled a black suit coat from a valet stand. "I hear the Master can be such a pain in the ass." He definitely had his moments. ~ Chloe Neill

Lindsey patted my arm. "Don't be embarrassed. It's about time you two made the beast with two backs."
I had to work to form words. "There are so many things wrong with that statement, I don't know where to start. ~ Chloe Neill

PAPER TOWERS
The library was on the second floor of the House, not far from my room. It had two floors - the first held the majority of the books and a balcony wrapped in a wrought-iron railing held another set. It was a cavalcade of tomes, all in immaculate rows, and with study carrels and tables thrown in for good measure. It was my home away from home(away from home.
I walked inside and paused for a moment to breathe in the scent of paper and dust - the perfumes of knowledge. The library was empty of patrons as far as I could tell, but I could hear the rhythmic squeal of a library cart somewhere in the rows. I followed them down until I found the dark-haired vampire shelving books with mechanical precision. I knew him only as "the librarian." He was a fount of information, and he had a penchant for leaving books outside my door. ~ Chloe Neill

memories are the most powerful chains, ~ Chloe Neill

The sword's a really nice touch - did you get it at Faire Makers? - but I'm not buying the attitude. It's not really Merit. You should be channeling your inner vampire sex warrior. Like this," she said, then put her hands on her hips, canted out one leg, and smiled sensually. "What?" was all I could think to say. "Maybe a little more cleavage, too." "Cleavage." She nodded, winked. "A vampire sex warrior can never show too much cleavage. ~ Chloe Neill

People hate us, blah blah blah, wish we'd go straight to hell, or maybe Wisconsin, since it's closer, blah blah blah. ~ Chloe Neill

The Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment," I told him when he
stepped down from the podium.
"What?" he innocently asked. "Getting you out of the library? I believe it's
due time, Sentinel."
"Now that I'm a real, live vampire?"
"Something like that, ~ Chloe Neill

I wouldn't let you leave the House if I didn't - there's too much at stake."
"At stake. Ha-ha." At his frown, I winced.
"Sorry. I kid when I'm nervous. ~ Chloe Neill

Please stop calling me that. You're still officially the Master."
"Oh, I know," Malik said. "But much like Merit, I find it amusing to irritate you."
As Malik walked down the hallway and around the corner, Ethan turned his pointed gaze on me.
I shrugged innocently. "I can't help it if I'm a trendsetter. ~ Chloe Neill

Of course I have a sly plan. I am a Merit, after all. ~ Chloe Neill

But I'll admit that he's kind of offensively delicious"
"Like salt and vinegar potato chips"
"Exactly ~ Chloe Neill

And maybe leprechauns will poop rainbows on your pillow. ~ Chloe Neill

Immortality affords you the opportunity to witness history in the making. Humanity's triumphs and its cruelties, both. It is both a high price to pay and a priceless gift, to carry the weight of that knowledge. ~ Chloe Neill

Dear God,"
"It should be illegal for smug vampires to look that good," Lindsey said, clucking her tongue.
"That is so true," I agreed, thinking a little less hotness would make my relationship with Ethan a lot simpler. ~ Chloe Neill

Ditto, Ethan said, a surprising amount of venom in his voice. I bit back a proud smile; he seemed to be adopting a little of my snark. ~ Chloe Neill

Well, " I began,"I've been roped into shenanigans."
Without preface, Catcher muttered a curse ,then leaned over slipped his wallet from his jeans, and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, which he handed to Mallory. ~ Chloe Neill

If you weren't taken, I'd date you myself."
"Which one of us were you talking to, hon?"
"I think she meant the [hot] dog. ~ Chloe Neill

I'm a reader, not a fighter. ~ Chloe Neill

Phones on, and stay alert," Luc said. "And tell Jonah we said hello." "Lucas," Ethan politely said, "kiss my ass. ~ Chloe Neill

He hung up the phone, and I did so gratefully, rubbing my ear a bit for good measure. I was pretty sure I'd just heard Rick Astley at eardrum-popping decibels, which wasn't anything I needed to ever experience again. Ever. ~ Chloe Neill

There are some decisions that we make, and some that are made for us. Sometimes you accept the path that's offered to you, and you live the path – that life – with grace. And sometimes you push forward, and you chart your own path. That decision is yours. ~ Chloe Neill

What do zombies chant at a riot?"

"Grrarphsnarg?" he asked, in a surprisingly well-done bit of mindless zombie imitating.

"No, but that was really good. Disconcertingly good."

"I was deceased for a time."

"True. But anyway, the rioters get all riled up, and they chant: 'What do we want? Brains! When do we want them? Brains!'" I fell into a wave of appropriately boisterous laughter; Ethan seemed less impressed.

"I truly hope the stipend we pay you doesn't get spent on the development of jokes like that. ~ Chloe Neill

Luc : It's time for our annual review of Rules You Disrespectful Bastards Never Follow. ~ Chloe Neill

Mallory leaned toward me. "FYI, your eyes are silver. I'll just add 'horny' to the list of reasons that happens." I nodded absently. ~ Chloe Neill

The world has a lot to offer. There's a lot to explore. I like to take advantage of that. ~ Chloe Neill

You're my world," he said, putting down the glass. "You're mine to protect. ~ Chloe Neill

First get the facts. Then you can distort them all you want. - Mark Twain ~ Chloe Neill

Have you ever had one of those days where you give up on being really clean, and settle for being largely clean? Where you don't have time for the entire scrubbing and exfoliating regime, so you settle for the basics? Where brushing your teeth becomes the most rigorous part of your cleaning ritual? Yeah, welcome to Monday morning at St. Sophia's School for (Slightly Grimy) Girls. ~ Chloe Neill

What's this?"
"An apology, of sorts."
I made a moue, but slipped the lid from the top ... and then my breath left me.
Inside the box sat a baseball, its well-worn white leather marked by the signatures of every Cubs player from the team. It was just like the one I'd had - just like the one I'd told him about the night we made love. ~ Chloe Neill

He has to pay people who have a sense of humor. Since he's lacking one," I added, when Ethan didn't laugh. "I understood the joke, Merit," he quietly said, sparkling emerald eyes on me as we began to sway. "I didn't find it funny." "Yes, well, your sense of humor leaves something to be desired." Ethan spun me out and away, then pulled me back again. Stuck-up or not, I had to give him props - the boy could move. "My sense of humor is perfectly well developed," he informed me when our bodies aligned again. "I merely have high standards." "And yet you deign to dance with me." "I'm dancing in a stately home with the owner's daughter, who happens to be a powerful vampire." Ethan looked down at me, brow cocked. "A man could do worse." "A man could do worse," I agreed. "But could a vampire?" "If I find one, I'll ask him." The response was corny enough that I laughed aloud, full and heartily, and had the odd, heart-clenching pleasure of watching him smile back, watching his green eyes shine with the delight of it. ~ Chloe Neill

I believe there's something you'll need, Sentinel." Ethan slid from his chair, dropped to one knee on the carpet. My mind had to race to keep up, but my heart pounded madly. Ethan looked up at me, grinned. "That thing, of course, is this." He held up a small dessert fork. "You dropped your fork, Sentinel." My blood pounded in my ears. I stood up, swatted his arms with slaps. "You are a jerk." He roared with laughter. "Ah, Sentinel. The look on your face." He doubled over with laughter. "Such terror." I kept swatting. "At the thought of marrying you, you pretentious ass." He roared again, then picked me up and carried me to the bed. "My pretentions are well earned, Sentinel." "You have got to stop doing that." "I can't. It's hilarious." Only a man would think fake proposals were so funny. ~ Chloe Neill

We'll see if she can rise to the occasion, do what needs to be done."
"We'll see if she can manage not to kill her Liege and Master, especially if he continues talking about her like she's not in the room. ~ Chloe Neill

How did men manage to offer a compliment that transitioned from sweet to utterly salacious in the span of a few words? ~ Chloe Neill

Give me a break, I'm trying to Gratefully Condescend. ~ Chloe Neill

You are the vampire, Merit, now and forever. But sometimes the mind needs a chance to catch up with the genetics. ~ Chloe Neill

Like an angel of justice taking them down with his giant sword of righteousness?"
"That sounds like the tagline for a bad porn flick. ~ Chloe Neill

My job is to ensure the sanctity of this House. Ensuring the sanity of its Master seemed like a good start. ~ Chloe Neill

Scout - oblivious to our jokes at her expense - pushed forward. "I don't understand why you're arguing with me. You know you have no chance."
Michael clutched at his chest dramatically. "You're killing me, Scout. Really. There's chest pain - a tightness." He faked a groan. ~ Chloe Neill

No one said love was easy, Sentinel.
-Ethan ~ Chloe Neill

You and Ethan had some kind of something?" "You're fishing. And we didn't have something or anything. We're just bummed it's Valentine's Day and I'm spending it with you guys." "Yeah, well, tone down the magic. You're giving me split ends. ~ Chloe Neill

Ethan sighed, then put a hand on my cheek. I don't tell you this enough, but I am incredibly proud of the vampire you've become. I want you to know that. ~ Chloe Neill

Say what you had to about Ethan, but the boy filled a library very, very well.
Okay - arguably, that wasn't the only thing he filled out well, but let's stay on track. ~ Chloe Neill

And what about us?" Catcher asked.
Gabriel's eyebrows lifted. "You're part of the mystery-solving gang, aren't you?"
Catcher muttered something unflattering, and Mallory nudged him. "I presume you want us to stay here tonight?" she asked.
"It would make things easier," Gabe said.
"So we'll sleep on the couch," Catcher said, "like we're twelve-year-olds at a slumber party."
"In fairness," Ethan said, "we don't all have to sleep on the couch."
"In fairness," Catcher said, "you can kiss my ass."
"Ladies," Mallory said. "Let's put on our big-girl panties. Merit and Ethan are already sleeping in the bedroom, and there's no point in making them move. Catcher and I can take the couch. The shifters will feel better if we make this work, and it's no great loss to any of us. ~ Chloe Neill

It was a chef's knife," I said, holding my hands about a foot apart. "And a very large one."
"That's what she said," Ethan murmured. ~ Chloe Neill

He does seem to have a lot of willpower." "That is an understatement," I agreed. "Tall, blond, and stubborn. ~ Chloe Neill

Mallory!" Catcher's voice boomed down the stairs.
Mallory fixed her mouth into a tight line and walked me into the kitchen. "Ignore it," she advised. "Much like the bubonic plague, it'll go away if you give it enough time."
"Mallory! You weren't finished! Get back in here!"
I glanced up the stairway. "You didn't leave him handcuffed to the bed or something, did you?"
"Jesus, no." I incrementally relaxed, until she continued. "My headboard's a single piece of wood. There's nothing to handcuff him to. ~ Chloe Neill

I don't want anything from you."
"Liar," he accused, and lowered his mouth to mine. ~ Chloe Neill

Let's just remember, Sullivan, that I want you for your smoked meats and your smoked meats only."
He barked out a laugh. "Touché, Sentinel. ~ Chloe Neill

Vampires were hardly the monsters we were made out to be in fairy tales and television shows. We were hardly different from humans, but for the genetic mutation, fangs, silvering eyes, and periodic penchant for blood.
What? I said hardly different. ~ Chloe Neill