Nalia Quotes

Others may not notice it, because an angry Toraf is truly a rare thing to behold, but Galen can practically feel the animosity emanating from his friend. Which is why he casually bumps into him, taking care to be overly apologetic.
"Oh, sorry about that, minnow. I didn't even see you there." Galen mimics Toraf's demeanor, crossing his arms and staring ahead of them. What they're supposed to be staring at, he's not sure.
His effort is rewarded with a slight upward curve of his friend's mouth. "Oh, don't think twice about it, tadpole. I know it must be difficult to swim straight with a whale's tail."
Galen scowls, taking care not to glance down at his fin. Ever since they went to retrieve Grom, he's been sore all below the waist, but he'd just attributed it to tension from finding Nalia, and then the whole tribunal mess-not to mention, hovering in place for hours at a time. Still, he did examine his fin the evening before, hoping to massage out any knots he found, but was a bit shocked to see that his fin span seemed to have widened. He decided that he was letting his imagination get the better of him. Now he's not so sure. "What do you mean?" he says lightly.
Toraf nods down toward the sand. "You know what I mean. Looks like you have the red fever."
"The red fever bloats you all over, idiot. Right before it kills you. It doesn't make your fin grow wider. Besides, the red tide hasn't been bad for years now." But Toraf already knows what the red fever lo ~ Anna Banks

Last words are a kindness and I am not feeling kind. ~ Heather Demetrios

Short of dragging her to the water kicking and screaming-and destroying Emma's trust in him-Galen made the snap decision to leave them both in Rayna's care. And the word "care" can be very subjective where his sister is concerned.
But they couldn't waste any more time; with Yudor's head start on them, a search party might have already been dispatched, and if not, then Galen knew it was coming. And he couldn't-wouldn't-risk them finding Emma. Beautiful, stubborn Half-Breed Emma.
And he's a little perturbed that Nalia would.
The three of them plod holes in the sand reaching up to Emma's back porch, alongside a recent trail of someone else's-probably Emma's-footsteps leading from the beach. Galen knows this moment will always be burned into his memory. The moment when his brother, the Triton king, put on human clothes and walked up to a house built by humans, squinting in the broad daylight with eyes unaccustomed to the sun.
What will he say to Nalia? What will he do? ~ Anna Banks

So, yes, I will marry you. Someday. If you'll have me," he said modestly.
"Of course I will, you idiot," I said with a shriek, and threw myself into his arms. ~ Eilis O'Neal

Some think Grom felt the pull toward Nalia," Toraf says softly. "Maybe it's a family trait."
"Well, there's where you're wrong, Toraf. I'm not supposed to feel the pull toward Emma. She belongs to Grom. He's firstborn, third generation Triton. And she's clearly of Poseidon." Galen runs his hand through his hair.
"I think that if Grom were her mate, he would have found Emma somehow instead of you."
"That's what you get for thinking. I didn't find Emma. Dr. Milligan did."
"Okay, answer me this," Toraf says, shaking a finger at Galen. "You're twenty years old. Why haven't you sifted for a mate?"
Galen blinks. He's never thought of it, actually. Not even when Toraf asked for Rayna. Shouldn't that have reminded him of his own single status? He shakes his head. He's letting Toraf's gossip get to him. He shrugs. "I've just been busy. It's not like I don't want to, if that's what you're saying."
"With who?"
"What?"
"Name someone, Galen. The first female that comes to mind."
He tries to block out her name, her face. But he doesn't stop it in time. Emma. He cringes. It's just that we've been talking about her so much, she's naturally the freshest on my mind, he tells himself. "There isn't anyone yet. But I'm sure there would be if I spent more time at home."
"Right. And why is that you're always away? Maybe you're searching for something and don't even know it."
"I'm away because I'm watching the humans, as is my responsibility, yo ~ Anna Banks

How apparent is it that I want to put Grom into a headlock until he goes to sleep, and yell at Mom for not loving Dad or caring that he's dead? ~ Anna Banks

-The Wonderer's Dream-

Upon one lucky night I had a vision
A vision of a tree whose roots grew
Wide
Deep
and Long
And I followed it down until it lead me to another world
And in this world I learned there were worlds upon worlds
A world in which there was no slave or free
As there was nothing to be free from
This world was made of pure light
A light that radiates
In you
In me
And on the rare occasion it finds itself travelled and distant
and somehow, as luck may have it, in our world.

A poem for the Nalia Books ~ Queenbe Monyei

You've been shot," she tells Rachel.
"You shot me, you crazy bit - "
"We don't have time for the ER protocol crap, Mom," I cut in. "She knows she's been shot. She's alert. Help. Her."
Mom nods. She looks at Rachel's clenched fist where it's balled against her lower stomach. "I'm sorry I shot you. I need to look at that. Please."
Rachel gives her The Stank Eye. Rachel is very good at The Stank Eye.
"I'm a nurse, remember?" Mom says, her voice dripping with impatience. "I can help you."
Rachel inhales and eases her hand away from her stomach, but I can't bring myself to look at it so I just watch Mom's face to maybe gauge how bad the wound is. I imagine dark blood and entrails and…
"What the…?" Mom gasps. As an ER nurse, Mom's seen a lot of things. But by her expression, she's never seen this. I'm thinking it must be way serious. Also, I'm thinking I might throw up.
Until Rachel slaps a handcuff around Mom's wrist. "I'm sorry, Nalia. I hope you understand." Then she clinks the other end of the cuff around her own wrist. I steal a glance at Rachel's very clean, very intact, very non-bloody-entrails T-shirt.
Rachel is a smart woman.
Mom lunges for her, hands aiming for her throat. Rachel pulls some karate-chop-move thing and slams Mom against the door behind her. "Knock it off, hon. I don't want to really hurt you."
"You…you told Galen you'd been shot," I stammer. "I heard you tell him that. Why would you lie to him?"
Ra ~ Anna Banks

If Grom felt for Nalia the way
Galen does for Emma, then it must have felt
like a living death. Every single day.
He should know that I can't allow a tiny
law to separate me from her. ~ Anna Banks

I have a grandfather. I have a king for a grandfather. A king fish.
I clear my throat. "So ... This isn't just about my mom's identity. This is Jagen making his move to take over the kingdoms? And ... you think he's getting away with it?"
"Yes. Exactly."
"But I don't understand. What could I do to stop him? I'm just a Half-Breed."
"You can come with me and show them that you have the true Gift of Poseidon. That Nalia is your mother. It will prove her identity, that the Royals aren't lying, and that they haven't strayed."
"Won't it technically prove that they have strayed? I mean, you know how babies are born right? That means my mom and my dad-"
"I know how it works. And, uh, I don't want to talk about it with you. And I'm pretty sure Galen doesn't want me to, either. ~ Anna Banks

I need you to be serious right now."
"Probably you shouldn't have drugged me, then."
She rolls her eyes and waves in dismissal. "It was chloroform. You'll be fine."
"And Rayna?"
She knows what I'm asking, and she nods. "She should be waking up right about now." Mom sits back in her chair. "That girl has the personality of a mako shark."
"Says the nut job who chloroformed her own daughter."
She sighs. "One day you'll understand why I did that. Today is obviously not that day."
"No, no, no," I say, palming the air with the universal "don't even" sign. "You don't get to play the responsible parent card. Let's not forget the little matter of the last eighteen-freaking-years, Nalia." There. I said it. This conversation is finally going to happen. ~ Anna Banks

Grom greets him with a smile full of nausea. "I'm not ready for this, little brother," he confesses.
"Sure you are," Galen laughs, slapping his brother's back.
Grom shakes his head. "It feels like...like I'm betraying her. Nalia."
Galen stiffens. Oh. He doesn't feel qualified to talk Grom out of this kind of mood. "I'm sure she would understand," he offers.
Grom studies him thoughtfully. "I'd like to think she would. But you didn't know Nalia. She had an amazing temper."
He chuckles. "I keep looking over my shoulder, expecting to see her ready to bludgeon me with something for mating with someone else."
Galen frowns, unsure of what to say.
Grom chuckles. "I'm joking, of course." Then he shrugs. "Well, half joking, anyway. I swear I've been sensing her lately, Galen. It feels so real. It takes all I've got not to follow the pulse. Do you think I'm losing my mind?"
Galen shakes his head out of obligation. Secretly though, he thinks he might be. "I'm sure you're just feeling guilty. Er...not that you have a reason to feel guilty. Uh, it's just natural that you feel that way before your mating ceremony. Nerves and all." Galen runs a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this sort of thing."
"What sort of thing? Being mature?" Grom smirks.
"Funny."
"Maybe you should spend some more time on land, then come back and talk to me. Being on land ages you, you know. Might do you some good."
Galen snorts. Now yo ~ Anna Banks