Damen Quotes

“I lack," said Laurent, "the easy mannerisms that are usually shared with," you could see him pushing the words out, "a lover."
"You lack the easy mannerisms that are usually shared with anyone," said Damen.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Oh, so you see some chick in baggy jeans and a hoodie, and you just have to have her so bad, you decide to repeat high school, just to get her?"

"Sounds about right." He laughs.”
― Alyson Noel, Evermore

“To get what you want, you have to know exactly how much you are willing to give up.

Never had he wanted something this badly, and held it in his hands knowing that tomorrow it would be gone, traded for the high cliffs of Ios, and the uncertain future across the border, the chance to stand before his brother, to ask him for all the answers that no longer seemed important. A kingdom, or this.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Though I have to admit, I had a good laugh when I realized you thought I was a bloodsucker." He smiles.

"Oh, well excuse me. I mean since there are immortals running around, I figure we may as well bring on the faeries, wizards, werewolves, and—" I shake my head. "I mean jeez, you talk about all this like it's normal!”
― Alyson Noel, Evermore

“I would court you, with all the grace and courtesy that you deserve,”
― C.S. Pacat, Kings Rising

“It was with a shock that he felt the touch of Laurent's fingers against the back of his wrist. [...] Laurent was shifting the fabric of his sleeve, sliding it back slightly to reveal the gold underneath, until the wrist cuff he had asked the blacksmith to leave on was exposed between them.
'Sentiment?' said Laurent.
'Something like that.'
Their eyes met and he could feel each beat of his heart. A few seconds of silence, a space that lengthened, until Laurent spoke.
'You should give me the other.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“That isn't why. She would have chosen him even if you'd had royal blood in your veins, even if you'd had the same blood as Kastor. You don't understand the way a mind like that thinks. I do. If I were Jokaste and a king maker, I'd have chosen Kastor over you too.'

'I suppose you are going to enjoy telling me why,' said Damen. He felt his hands curl into fists, heard the bitterness in his throat.

'Because a king maker would always choose the weaker man. The weaker the man, the easier he is to control.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Damen felt Laurent start shaking against him, and realised that, silently, helplessly, he was laughing.
There came the sound of at least two more sets of footsteps striding into the room, greeted with: 'Here he is. We found him fucking this derelict, disguised as the tavern prostitute.'
'This is the tavern prostitute. You idiot, the Prince of Vere is so celibate I doubt he even touches himself once every ten years. You. We're looking for two men. One was a barbarian soldier, a giant animal. The other was blond. Not like this boy. Attractive.'
'There was a blond lord's pet downstairs,' said Volo. 'Brained like a pea and easy to hoodwink. I don't think he was the Prince.'
'I wouldn't call him blond. More like mousy. And he wasn't that attractive,' said the boy, sulkily.
The shaking, progressively, had worsened.
'Stop enjoying yourself,' Damen murmured. 'We're going to be killed, any minute.'
'Giant animal,' said Laurent.
'Stop it.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Damen now knew the precise number of arrows Laurent needed to have trained on him in order to shut him up. It was six.”
― C.S. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“He's the captive Kastor sent you to train?' said Torveld, curiously. 'He's--safe?'

'He looks combative, but he's really very docile and adoring,' said Laurent, 'like a puppy.'

'A puppy,' said Torveld.

To demonstrate, Laurent picked up a confection of crushed nuts and honey and held it out to Damen as he had at the ring, between thumb and forefinger.

'Sweetmeat?' said Laurent.

In the stretched-out moment that followed, Damen thought explicitly about killing him.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince

“She was intelligent, accomplished, beautiful. She was everything I could have asked for in a woman. But she was a king maker. She wanted power. She must have thought her only path to the throne was through Kastor.'

'My honourable barbarian. I wouldn't have picked that as your type.'

'Type?'

'A pretty face, a devious mind and a ruthless nature.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“He didn't reprimand Damen. He didn't seem particularly displeased with barbaric behavior, as long as it was directed outward. Like a man who enjoys owning an animal who will rake others with its claws but eat peacefully from his own hand, he was giving his pet a great deal of license.

As a result, courtiers kept one eye on Damen, giving him a wide berth. Laurent used that to his advantage, using the propensity of courtiers to fall back in reaction to Damen's presence as a means of extricating himself smoothly from conversation.

The third time this happened Damen said, 'Shall I make a face at the ones you don't like, or is it enough to just look like a barbarian?”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince

“Makedon was explaining the virtues of iron tea to Laurent, and when Laurent massaged his own temple with finely bred fingers, Makedon remarked, rising, ‘You should have your slave fetch you some.’

‘Fetch me some,’ Laurent said.
Damen rose. And stopped.

Laurent had gone very still. Damen stood there, awkwardly. He could think of no other reason why he had stood up.

He looked up and his eyes met those of Nikandros, who was staring at him. Nikandros was with a small group to one side of the table, the last of the men in the hall. He was the only one to have seen and heard. Damen just stood there.

‘This meeting is over,’ Nikandros announced to the men around him, too loudly. ‘The King is ready to ride.”
― C.S. Pacat, Kings Rising

“That is the man you face. He has more honour and integrity than any man I have ever met. He is dedicated to his people and his country. And I am proud to have been his lover.”
― C.S. Pacat, Kings Rising

“I'm glad you're here,' said Laurent. 'I always thought that I'd have to face my uncle alone.'
He turned to look at Damen, and their eyes met.
'You're not alone,' said Damen.
Laurent didn't answer, but he did give a smile, and reached out to touch Damen, wordlessly.”
― C.S. Pacat, Kings Rising

“There was a warmth in his chest whenever he looked at Laurent. He didn't look often for that reason.”
― C.S. Pacat, Kings Rising

“I'm twenty years old,' said Laurent, 'and I've been the recipient of offers almost as long as I can remember.'

'Is that an answer?' said Damen.

'I'm not a virgin,' said Laurent.

'I wondered,' Damen said, carefully, 'if you reserved your love for women.'

'No, I--' Laurent sounded surprised. Then he seemed to realise that his surprise gave something fundamental away, and he looked away with a muttered breath; when he looked back at Damen there was a wry smile on his lips, but he said, steadily, 'No.'

'Have I said something to offend you? I didn't mean--'

'No. A plausible, benign and uncomplicated theory. Trust you to come up with it.'

'It's not my fault that no one in your country can think in a straight line,' said Damen, frowning a touch defensively.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“You'll always be safe with me.”
― Alyson Noel, Evermore

“Don't think, he'd said, because it was easier than saying, Take me for who I am.
He couldn't bear that suddenly. He wanted it without pretences, without excuses, his fingers curling hard into Laurent's hair.
'It's me,' said Damen. 'It's me, here with you. Say my name.'
'Damianos.”
― C.S. Pacat, Kings Rising

“The next night, alone in the tent, Laurent said: 'As we draw closer to the border, I think it would be safer--more private--to hold our discussions in your language rather than mine.'

He said it in carefully pronounced Akielon.

Damen stared at him, feeling as though the world had just been rearranged.

'What is it?' said Laurent.

'Nice accent,' said Damen, because despite everything, the corner of his mouth was beginning helplessly to curve up.

[...]

It was of course no surprise to find that Laurent had a well-stocked armoury of elegant phrases and bitchy remarks, but could not talk in detail about anything sensible.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“You seem to vacillate between assistance and assault. Which is it?'
'I'm not surprised you've driven three men to try and kill you, I'm only surprised there weren't more,' said Damen, bluntly.
'There were,' said Laurent, 'more.”
― C.S. Pacat, Captive Prince

“Laurent stopped. Damen could see the moment when Laurent decided to continue. It was deliberate, his eyes meeting Damen's, his tone subtly changed.

'Damianos of Akielos was commanding troops at seventeen. At nineteen, he rode onto the field, cut a path through our finest men, and took my brother's life. They say--they said--he was the best fighter in Akielos. I thought, if I was going to kill someone like that, I would have to be very, very good.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Now, now." He smiles, "Don't you worry 'bout a thing. Damen's right where you left him. Though I must say I can't believe that you left him. I underestimated you. I had no idea. Though I can't help but wonder how Damen would feel if he knew. I bet he underestimated you too.”
― Alyson Noel, Blue Moon

“What makes you think Kastor is the weaker man? You don't know him.'
'But I'm coming to know you,' said Laurent.”
― C.S. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Ever, if I’ve learned nothing else in my six hundred years of living, it’s that people hate change almost as much as they hate for their beliefs to be challenged.”
― Alyson Noel, Night Star

“Damen said, 'Men, sometimes.'
'In the absence of women?'
'When I want them.'
'If I'd known that, I might have felt a frisson of danger, lying next to you.'
'You did know that,' said Damen”
― C.S. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Friends,' said Laurent, 'Is that what we are?'
[...]
Damen said, with helpless honesty, 'Laurent, I am your slave.”
― C.S. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“All right,' he heard Lazar say.
He'd forgotten Lazar was there. After a long moment, he took his eyes off Laurent and looked back at Lazar, who was gazing at him with a rather dry but understanding smile quirking the side of his mouth.
'All right what?' said Damen.
'All right, you're not fucking him,' said Lazar.”
― C.S. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“To Laurent, in the same voice, he said, 'Calm down.'

Laurent said, 'I wasn't finished.'

'Finished what?' Reducing every man in the room? Jord isn't any kind of match for you in this mood, and you know it. Calm down.'

Laurent gave him the kind of look a swordsman gives as he decides whether or not to slice his unarmed enemy in half.”
― S.U. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two

“Laurent said, 'I didn't think anyone was good enough to get past your guard.' 'One person,' said Damen.”
― C.S. Pacat, Captive Prince: Volume Two