Mortal Ties

But not all scars showed, did they?

The dead weren’t scary. It was the living you had to watch out for.

Death cuts off possibilities. Even if they were possibilities you never meant to act on, it feels different when they’re gone.

Isen wasn't a two birds with one stone kind of guy. More like one stone, two birds, a rabbit, a fox, and maybe that deer will trip over the fox and we can get him, too.

We always want to fix things for the people who matter. Can’t, mostly, but we want to.

When you’re raw you don’t want people studying your reactions, even if you’ve convinced yourself you’re just fine. Maybe especially then.

He closed the damn door and turned and stopped, looking at her. “Sometimes,” he said softly, and stopped, then started again, “I often wonder why human men are so fixated on how a woman looks when there’s so much more to explore, and so many kinds of beauty—why obsess over one particular version? But sometimes, when I look at you, I understand." And sometimes, when he looked at her the way he was now, she was beautiful. Not just okay. Not even really pretty. Beautiful.

Do you need me? Always, but not immediately.

She didn't take it well, I guess," Jasper said. "Hard to deliver that kind of news." "No...no, you don't understand. But then you haven't met her." Slowly Rule looked up, relief blooming inside. He felt like he had as a small child, waking from some terrible nightmare to find his father's hand on his shoulder. The sudden bone-deep reassurance wasn't logical, wasn't reasonable. But it was real. "It's okay. It's good. Grandmother is coming.

As soothing as it would be to rip off his arm and beat him with it, it would really slow things down.

He wanted slow. He wanted lingering and teasing, and she was not in a patient mood. As with so much in a relationship, compromise was key.

HYPERBOLE IS THE BEST THING EVER!