Dead of Winter Quotes

“Mortal, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years, it’s this: lies are curses you place on yourself.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“I take no actions that I wouldn’t publicly recount. If you can’t speak your deeds, then don’t do them.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Aww, did I just become the most popular person in this tent?”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“I know that look.” Jack shook his head ruefully. “Doan worry; she’ll
give you your balls back as soon as she’s done getting her way.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“You want this?'
I raised my gaze, gasping at the dark hunger in his expression. My mind blanked. Want his body? How could I not? He was pure temptation.
'I meant this,' he held up my bag, 'but I could easily be persuaded to share anything else my wife might desire.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“By all the gods, I desire you, but you must know that you have my love. It's given, sieva. Wholly entrusted to you. Have a care with it.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Your mortal's storming the slaver den." Aric's tone was half-amused, half-approving. "I'm hereby inviting myself on his incursion.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“When he was this close to me, I could feel his palpable yearning. I could sense that gut-wrenching loneliness he'd suffered.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“You once told me I was so good at this game because it's all I'll ever have.' The sadness in his voice had drawn me up short. 'Your words were true, though I didn't wish them to be. Not then. Or now.'
I'd heard Aric enraged, playful, fierce, in pain, and in lust. I'd never heard this soft sadness before.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“You promised to make me pay!'
'I intend to, Empress, but not in the way you're thinking.' His accented words were loaded with innuendo.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Trying to draw Matthew into our conversation, I said, “Look, here’s Matthew’s.” I pointed out his card; on it, a smiling young man with an oblivious expression walked a desolate land, carrying a rucksack and a single white rose. A yapping dog nipped at his heels.

Matthew tilted his head at the likeness. “In a place where nothing grows, I carry a flower. The memory of you.”

I smiled at him. “That is so sweet.”

He frowned. “That literally happened.”

“Oh.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Obviously, you don't know this, Empress, but you ride with the very one who killed you in the last game! He's played you false!"
"Nope, I knew. He decapitated me. Blah.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“You'd think after two thousand years, I'd be accustomed to looks of fear.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“In our first meeting; you skewered me with your sword. In other words: you started it.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“I've wrought my family's destruction. Killed those I loved most, with my very touch. My dark precipice has been reached. I throw back my head and roar as recognition takes hold. I am Death...”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“He looked like a normal gorgeous young man, who was at home here amidst all this wealth. Like the heir to a fortune. Highborn.
And still, my first impulse was to stab him with a table knife.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“This was why we fought to survive. For love.
Vincent had it all wrong. I'd had it wrong. Love wasn't the most destructive force in the universe.
Love is the universe.
That is the point.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“The two of them were acting like such...guys. I wanted to strangle them.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“I could ask for no better parents.'
'You miss them.' After all this time?
'Every single day out of hundreds of thousands.'
What could I say to that? Anything I came up with sounded trite. Silence fell over us.
Aric drank, lost in thought. And I knew he was remembering the night he'd killed them...”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Admit it: you Photoshopped your carnates.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Any chick who carried around a bird of prey with a little helmet was cool in my book. Oh, man, I really hoped she didn’t intend to kill us all.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Mortal, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years, it’s this: lies are curses you place”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Aric told me I should give my blessing to you and Jack.”

She snorted. “You can bless us all you want, but it’s not happening.”

I frowned at her. “You told me things had changed between you two.”

“Yeah. As in, I made peace with the fact that I’ll never be with him. It was a done thing between you two before I ever came into the picture.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“After he heard you didn’t want to have anything to do with him, J.D. took it bad—like head in his hands, pulling out his hair. So we got wasted together. I told him how I felt about him, and I tried to kiss him.”

Jealousy scored me.

“And do you know what he did?”

I held my breath.

“He pushed me away, telling me that the people of his mother’s blood fall in love once. They pray they get it right—because it can’t be changed. He told me his mother loved his father, unrequited, and nineteen years of misery couldn’t shake it.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Is this what you did at Death’s?” Jack demanded. “Let him touch your face, you? After you danced for him?”
“Why didn’t you answer the radio?”
I didn’t hear anything.”
“Because I turned off the volume,” Aric said with a shrug.
Precarious moments eked by before he lowered the pistol. “You’re right. I’m sorry, bébé.”
“She refuses both our advances, mortal.” “Until she sees her way clear to me.”
“Advances? You mean you messed with her head some more and reminded her of old games?”
“Not at all. I merely pointed out some of the countless ways I’m better for her than you are. Even you recognize this.” When Jack clenched his hands, I shot to my feet. “Don’t touch him!”
“Not goan to poison myself, no. Not when I have a future to look forward to.”
“Ah, yes, a new start with Selena. My wife and I extend our felicitations.”
“You think she’s goan to pick you over me? Imbécile!”
“I have no doubt in my mind.” Where was Aric’s unnerving confidence coming from? If his gift would skew my decision, then was there even a choice?
“When we return the Archer to the outpost,” Aric said, “you’ll kindly give us your answer. The suitor you pass over will leave you alone.” He offered Jack his deadly hand. “Come, let’s shake on it.”
“Sheathe your goddamned weapons, Reaper, or I’ll pull my own again.” He asked me, “You agree to this?”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“He and I were walking hand in hand, just after we’d had sex for the first and only time—and right before we’d gone into battle against the cannibals.

’Bout to face shittier odds than I ever have, stone-cold sober, and I never felt so good. Is this what being at peace means? No damn wonder everyone wants to feel this way.

Evie glances up at me with those blue eyes, and she’s so fucking beautiful I nearly trip over my feet. Her scent is honeysuckle, which means she’s all but purring. Her lips curve, and that smile hits me harder than any punch. She’s got no regrets.

Good. ’Cause I’m never letting her go. I might reach too high to have her, but she doan think so. I want to say something, to tell her how I feel about what we just did. Everything I think to say could be taken the wrong way.

So I squeeze her hand and keep it simple. “À moi, Evangeline.” Mine.

She promises me: “Always.”

And I believe her.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“Those bastards had driven me into a trap; Cyclops ate the trap.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“I turned to Cyclops. “You’re going to stay here with Finn and Matthew.” Talking to the animal always made me feel ridiculous (though he was smarter than most beasts—and I might actually be communicating with Lark).

In CLC, the loony bin I’d been clapped up in, patients had only been allowed to watch classic shows on cable, like Lassie. I feared any second I was going to say, “What’s that, Cyclops? Timmy fell down a Prepper well?”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“lies are curses you place on yourself.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“This was why we fought to survive. For love.

Vincent had it all wrong. I’d had it wrong. Love wasn’t the most destructive force in the universe.

Love is the universe. That is the point.

Between breaths, Jack said, “So this is snow, huh?” He’d never seen it before.

Excitement bubbled up, and I started laughing. I pressed the radio button. “Isn’t it amazing? Everything looks clean.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter

“You wish to hear the origin story?” “Uh, yes.” I passed him the bottle. “Very well.” He drank, handing it to Jack, starting another round. “A goddess of magic devised a contest to the death for select mortals. She invited deities of other realms to send a representative from their most prestigious house, all youths. Each one bore their god’s emblem upon his or her right hand.” My heart raced . . . I had been one of those youths. “These players would fight inside Tar Ro, a sacred realm as large as a thousand kingdoms, harvesting their victims’ emblems; only the player who’d collected them all would leave Tar Ro alive. Naturally, the gods cheated, gifting their own representative with superhuman abilities, making them more than mortal. Secret abilities. That’s why we’re called Arcana.” “Hail Tar Ro,” I murmured. “The High Priestess told me that.” “An old-fashioned greeting. She’s quite knowledgeable about the games. Very respectful of the old ways.”
― Kresley Cole, Dead of Winter