Quotes from Wicked as They Come

Delilah S. Dawson ·  395 pages

Rating: (4K votes)


“I would burn down the world for you," he whispered fiercely. "Your world or my own. I would rip down the entire city with my bare hands without a second thought. I don't need to taste anything else, I don't need a comparison.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Time to beat back the bunny hordes," he said gallantly,knowing that any blood-hungry animals in the area would be waiting outside for me.
He threw open the door, shouting, "Bunnies, prepare to meet your doom!”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Dammit, woman! You're scent, your stupid bloody delicious scent lingering in every crevice of my body and my wardrobe, driving me nearly mad. Do you know what it's like to want something so badly, to have it so close, and still feel that it's out of your reach? Out of control?”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Why, Criminy Stain," I said. "You're a romantic."

"Oh, no," he said with a grin. "I'm fiendish and unscrupulous, a vicious killer and a thief and a bloodthirsty monster. And maybe a little romantic. But don't tell anyone, or my reputation's shot.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Let me guess. You think we’re going to live happily ever after, like some stupid fairy tale?”

“Why not?” His stare dared me to laugh or, worse, to argue.

“Because the whole thing is ridiculous,” I said. I despised the bitterness in my own voice. I sounded so damaged. Good. If he thought I was his soul mate for some mysterious reason he wouldn’t let on, let him see the worst of me.

“It’s not ridiculous to me. Perhaps that’s the difference between predators and prey, love. I’ll never stop hunting. But I expect that one day, you’ll stop running.”

“Because I want to die?”

“Because you want to live.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come



“He was watching me, and he chuckled.

"Do you know how a man tames a wolf?" he asked me.

"No," I said.

"You get some clothing that you've been wearing for a while, and you toss it in with her. In the cage or the cavern where she sleeps. That first one, she rips up, shreds it to nothing. The second one, she just mouths it a bit, gets a taste. Inhales, like you're doing there. The third but of clothing, she starts dragging it around, loving on it, sleeping with it. And then you've got her under your spell. She's got the scent of you, wants to keep it around. She'll follow you everywhere."

"Are you calling me a wolf?" I asked.

"Are you calling me a man?" he said.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Sweetheart, you couldn't conjure me if you tried.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“He was an animal. He was terrifying. And he was beautiful. I realized that I was biting my lip, that my hand was wound into the ruffled fabric at my chest. Something in me was drawn to the carnage. Like so many women before me, I was a slave to the caveman brain, that deep old part of my DNA that whispered that ferocity would keep me safe and fed and alive and that I should most definitely find the fiercest creature around and hump it.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“I don’t know,” I said, exasperated. “What else do you have in your wacked-out world? Heat sensors? Mine fields? Dirigibles? Booby traps? Machine guns? Shrink rays? What?”

“Aside from dirigibles, which are rather expensive and rare outside of trade routes, most of what you just said made no sense whatsoever,” he said, as delighted as a child hearing a foreign language for the first time. “But it all sounds very dangerous. And fun. Especially the part about the boobies.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“What if you could take everything you were looking for in a person and whisper it into someone’s ear, and they brought that person to you? And then, when you saw them for the first time, even if you didn’t know they were the one for you, you suddenly knew it anyway?”

His finger traced my eyebrows, my cheekbones, as he thought a moment.

“What if your heart stopped when you saw that person, and only after that did you realize that they truly were everything you ever wanted?”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come



“Easy things aren't worth much. Your hand in mine is worth a great deal, Leticia." he said, helping to my feet. "That's what I'll be fighting for tomorrow.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“What you’re seeing is pain. And you’re the only one who sees it,” he said more softly. “You’re the only one who can cut me, and you wound me deep.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“I'm a nurse," I said, feeling huffy. "I help sick people."

"So you can stop the diseases?" he asked.

"Not really. I mostly help the people who are already dying, trying to make their last days comfortable."

"You help people die," he mused. "That sounds quite sinister, and that's coming from someone who drinks blood.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“I needed to take control of the dream. I held out a hand with fingers splayed and focused my will. “Zzzzzzzsssst! Pshew! Zzzzist!” I said. But nothing happened.

“What in Sang are you doing, love?” he asked.

My arm dropped to my side. “I was trying to shoot lightning bolts out of my fingertips,” I said. Then, quietly, “It usually works.”

“Told you it wasn’t a dream. Do you want to try flying, too?”

Sheepishly, I gave a little hop, but my feet came back down to the ground.

“No,” I said, feeling sullen and embarrassed and on the verge of outright panic.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“I don't think there's anything wrong with the way you are," I said shyly. "I just don't want to mess up, and you're much better at this sort of thing than I am."

"Don't worry. You'll enjoy playing along. You'll have to be haughty, and I'll have to act beaten down, when we're in public."

"That sounds kind of fun." I said.

"Just don't forget that it's a ruse, love," he said. "Because once we're outside the walls again, you'll be entirely in my power. And I'd hate to have to spank you.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come



“You're here," he said simply.

"Do I know you?" I asked, which came out more haughtily than I had intended.

"You will," he answered, kicking off the tree and walking toward me. "After all, you're wearing my locket. And I've been waiting for you.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“I watched him playing with the long blades of grass, weaving them into patterns as he hummed an unfamiliar song, a waltz.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"I'm letting you get used to the idea of me," he said idly. "I'm pretending to be harmless. Is it working?"
"Until you smile," (...)”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“He sighed. "Look, love, I know I seem like a tactical genius, but really, I'm just a magician who occasionally kills a bunny or drives a train.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Honestly," he said with a grin, "how would that have worked? Oh, hello dream lover. Would you drink some of my blud so I won't murder you in front of all these nice people?"
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Wait," I said looking around. "How do we get off of this thing and onto the island?"

Criminy's mouth compressed into a thin line. Then his lips started to twitch. Then he started to shake. And then he cackled, head thrown back, as if it was the funniest joke he'd ever heard.

"Darling, I have no idea whatsoever," he said, "I didn't think that far ahead.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come



“What if your heart stopped when you saw that person, and only after that did you realize that they truly were everything you ever wanted?”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“It's a little scary, what you do."

As I tried to figure out how to respond, and with words as sharp and cold as the blade of a knife, Criminy said, "If you're scared of her talent, then you don't truly know what fear is.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“He was gazing down at me, and his eyes were endless, deep pools of pleading and fire and barely restrained something or other, and they were magnetic, like black holes, but full of flames, and yet gray, and yet full of colors and see-through and dancing with little flecks of glitter, and I couldn’t look away, and what pretty eyelashes he had, as long and dark as a woman’s, as a kitten’s, as a panther’s, and the smell, oh, the smell, like crushed heather and berries and springtime in the morning and bodies rolling over and over in the grass and everything covered with dew like cobwebs making mandalas of raindrops, and I couldn’t stand it, couldn’t hold back for one more second...”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“The word WANTED slithered across the top of each image in elegant calligraphy. The drawing of Criminy was spot-on, but the one of me was more than a little imaginative. I looked like an evil seductress, some sort of vampy witch-queen.
I liked it.
I wanted a copy for my wagon.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Are you saying that was real magic?" I said. "That's crazy."

"Well, let's see. Are you telling me you just saw the past in a vision. That a monkey in a top hat was trying to murder my chief costumer and head accountant with the most powerful poison in existence using her makeup jar? If so, perhaps I'm not the crazy one here.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come



“Criminy?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"What are we doing?"

"I'm having a meal with a friend while you squirm like a child," he said serenely.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“I'm a gypsy. A rogue. Wicked as they come.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“Like so many women before me, I was a slave to the caveman brain, that deep old part of my DNA that whispered that ferocity would keep me safe and fed and alive and that I should most definitely find the fiercest creature around and hump it.

Dawson, Delilah S. (2012-03-27). Wicked as They Come (Blud) (p. 309). Pocket Books. Kindle Edition.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“. . . dreams are your heart's playground.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come


“I told him my own story, from locket to fainting. But I left out the part about how I was supposed to be Criminy's magic mail-order bride.”
― Delilah S. Dawson, quote from Wicked as They Come



About the author

Delilah S. Dawson
Born place: in Roswell, GA, The United States
Born date October 21, 2018
See more on GoodReads

Popular quotes

“At this time of my parting, wish me good luck, my friends! The sky is flushed with the dawn and my path lies beautiful. Ask not what I have with me to take there. I start on my journey with empty hands and expectant heart. I shall put on my wedding garland. Mine is not the red-brown dress of the traveller, and though there are dangers on the way I have no fear in my mind. The evening star will come out when my voyage is done and the plaintive notes of the twilight melodies be struck up from the King’s gateway.”
― Rabindranath Tagore, quote from Gitanjali: Song Offerings


“media are independent and committed to discovering and reporting the truth, and that they do not merely reflect the world as powerful groups wish it to be perceived.”
― Noam Chomsky, quote from Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media


“Fireheart sprang forward and burst through the curtain of lichen. Tigerclaw and Bluestar were writhing on the floor of the den. Bluestar’s claws scored again and again across Tigerclaw’s shoulder, but the deputy’s greater weight kept her pinned down in the soft sand. Tigerclaw’s fangs were buried in her throat, and his powerful claws raked her back. “Traitor!” Fireheart yowled. He flung himself at Tigerclaw, slashing at his eyes. The deputy reared back, forced to release his grip on Bluestar’s throat. Fireheart felt his claws rip through the deputy’s ear, spraying blood into the air. Bluestar scrambled to the side of the den, looking half stunned. Fireheart could not tell how badly hurt she was. Pain lanced through him as Tigerclaw gashed his side with a blow from his powerful hindpaws. Fireheart’s paws skidded in the sand and he lost his balance, hitting the ground with Tigerclaw on top of him. The deputy’s amber eyes blazed into his. “Mousedung!” he hissed. “I’ll flay you, Fireheart. I’ve waited a long time for this.” Fireheart summoned every scrap of skill and strength he possessed. He knew Tigerclaw could kill him, but in spite of that he felt strangely free. The lies and the need for deceit were over. The secrets—Bluestar’s and Tigerclaw’s—were all out in the open. There was only the clean danger of battle. He aimed a blow at Tigerclaw’s throat, but the deputy swung his head to one side and Fireheart’s claws scraped harmlessly through thick tabby fur. But the blow had loosened Tigerclaw’s grip on him. Fireheart rolled away, narrowly avoiding a killing bite to his neck. “Kittypet!” Tigerclaw taunted, flexing his haunches to pounce again. “Come and find out how a real warrior fights.” He threw himself at Fireheart, but at the last moment Fireheart darted aside. As Tigerclaw tried to turn in the narrow den, his paws slipped on a splash of blood and he crashed awkwardly onto one side. At once Fireheart saw his chance. His claws sliced down to open a gash in Tigerclaw’s belly. Blood welled up, soaking into the deputy’s fur. He let out a high-pitched caterwaul. Fireheart pounced on him, raking claws across his belly again, and fastening his teeth into Tigerclaw’s neck. The deputy struggled vainly to free himself, his thrashing growing weaker as the blood flowed. Fireheart let go of his neck, planting one paw on Tigerclaw’s outstretched foreleg, and the other on his chest. “Bluestar!” he called. “Help me hold him down!” Bluestar was crouching behind him in her moss-lined nest. Blood trickled down her forehead, but that did not alarm Fireheart as much as the look in her eyes. They were a vague, cloudy blue, and she stared horror-struck in front of her as if she was witnessing the destruction”
― Erin Hunter, quote from Warriors Boxed Set


“Waktu adalah hal yang aneh sekali. Bagaimana dia bisa memisahkan kita dari kita di masa lalu?”
― Ayu Utami, quote from Saman


“Gay sex, one. Straight sex, zero”
― Dani Alexander, quote from Shattered Glass


Interesting books

Every Soul a Star
(19.2K)
Every Soul a Star
by Wendy Mass
Just One Drop
(16.2K)
Just One Drop
by Quinn Loftis
Why We Broke Up
(47.5K)
Why We Broke Up
by Daniel Handler
Samarkand
(15.6K)
Samarkand
by Amin Maalouf
Heir to Sevenwaters
(11.9K)
Heir to Sevenwaters
by Juliet Marillier
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
(119.7K)
Crazy Love: Overwhel...
by Francis Chan

About BookQuoters

BookQuoters is a community of passionate readers who enjoy sharing the most meaningful, memorable and interesting quotes from great books. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. For some of us a quote becomes a mantra, a goal or a philosophy by which we live. For all of us, quotes are a great way to remember a book and to carry with us the author’s best ideas.

We thoughtfully gather quotes from our favorite books, both classic and current, and choose the ones that are most thought-provoking. Each quote represents a book that is interesting, well written and has potential to enhance the reader’s life. We also accept submissions from our visitors and will select the quotes we feel are most appealing to the BookQuoters community.

Founded in 2023, BookQuoters has quickly become a large and vibrant community of people who share an affinity for books. Books are seen by some as a throwback to a previous world; conversely, gleaning the main ideas of a book via a quote or a quick summary is typical of the Information Age but is a habit disdained by some diehard readers. We feel that we have the best of both worlds at BookQuoters; we read books cover-to-cover but offer you some of the highlights. We hope you’ll join us.