Charlie Adhara > Quotes

“Murder was like getting a tattoo. The first one you carefully ask yourself why; each one after you ask yourself why not?”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at the Door

“It’s what you didn’t say, Dad.” Cooper could hear his voice loud and steady, like it had been growing inside him and waiting to burst out for years. “You never even mentioned it. Like it didn’t exist. Like it didn’t even cross your mind that I could be gay or bi or anything else. How was I to know it was okay? I never heard it from you. It wasn’t my job to tell you. It was yours to make me feel like I didn’t have to hide it from you.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“My name’s Oliver. Though if you want to call me Pretty Eyes Park again, I promise I’ll still come running.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at the Door

“Fortunately, Park seemed more bemused than offended. “Do you disapprove of human-werewolf relationships, Agent Dayton?”

“No. Of course not. I—that’s not what I meant. I just didn’t understand...” Cooper trailed off, thoroughly uncomfortable, and Park took pity on him.

“She’s not my type because I’m gay.”

The silence was sharp. Vaguely Cooper was aware his mouth was hanging open. He shut it quickly. Then opened it again to say, “Oh, that’s nice.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at the Door

“You’re not a very pleasant damsel in distress,” Park remarked.

“And you’re a shitty Lassie. Timmy never had to wait this long when he fell down a well.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at the Door

“You already know I love you,” Park said, shaking his head impatiently. “So today I promise, I vow that I know you love me, too. I never doubt it. How could I when I feel it all the time? I feel it when you make me laugh and then watch with that pleased little look on your face. I feel it when you touch me like I’m special and when you can’t touch me anymore because you’re over-full of sensations, but let me stay by you anyway. I feel so safe in loving you, because I know you love me, too. And it’s the greatest gift of my life.”
“You love me,” Cooper said.
“Obviously.” And it was, wasn’t it? Park pulled Cooper closer, arms around his waist. “So if you’re the Moon, fine. I’m the sky. If you’re a human, I’m your wolf. If you’re a prickly, sarcastic, awkward, independent, randy-as-hell, secretly good-hearted porcupine, well, then I’m Oliver Park.”
“I can’t believe I’m being slandered in my own vows.”
“Whatever happens next, whoever we are or whoever they think we are, it doesn’t matter. Because the way we love is already the stuff of legends.”
Cooper couldn’t help smiling. “Well. I guess if you say it like that, it doesn’t sound like such a bad life,” he said, leaning in to kiss him, and felt Park’s body sigh into his like it was coming home.
No, not a bad life at all.”
― Charlie Adhara, Cry Wolf

“Whenever you’re ready. As often as you like,” Cooper vowed. “You can always tell me what you want out of life and I’ll always be first pick on your heist team ready to help you get it.”
“As often as I like?”
“Dreams change. People change. Please just don’t stop giving me the chance to change with you.”
― Charlie Adhara, Cry Wolf

“How do I look?” he blurted as they approached the car. He couldn’t help it.
“Like you’ve seen some shit,” Park said.
“Oh, good. I like to stay on brand.”
― Charlie Adhara, Thrown to the Wolves

“You’re afraid.”
Cooper nodded, then let his head tip back, gasping, when Oliver pulled him closer still and moved to nuzzle over the scars on his belly.
“Why?”
“Because you can hurt me.” It slipped out without Cooper thinking, and he almost kicked himself when Oliver pulled away to stare at him seriously.
“I would never.”
“Not like that. You could hurt me because I... I care.” The last words were nothing more than a mumbled exhale that your average person wouldn’t have heard.
Oliver heard.
He stood, their bodies pressed together, and he leaned in so his mouth was hovering over Cooper’s. “In that case, you scare me, too.”
Cooper’s heart pounded and he tingled all over. “Yeah?”
He felt Oliver’s smile on his lips. “Special Agent Dayton, I’m absolutely terrified, and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at the Door

“I don’t need you,” Cooper repeated, whispering into Park’s sweaty hair now. “But I want you. All the time.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“Cooper, there isn't a room in the world I would be embarrassed to walk into with you by my side.”
― Charlie Adhara, Cry Wolf

“Being open isn’t easy for either of us. Shit, maybe not for anyone. But I work on it because, to me, you’re worth it. And you know what, Oliver? I’m worth it, too. So pull your shit together so we can get on with being mates and in love and all that trash.”
― Charlie Adhara, Thrown to the Wolves

“What am I supposed to be doing on this hike? Trying to start a…a…”
“Investigation?” Park suggested.
“Threesome?” Cooper finished.
Park choked. “Okay. We’re obviously not a couple that should be trying to finish each other’s sentences.”
― Charlie Adhara, Thrown to the Wolves

“What stage of love was it when another person became a habit? How quickly had the mere background hum of another person's life become such an essential fixture of the house that its absence felt like a robbery? Like their home had been gutted and he was left drifting around the remains...”
― Charlie Adhara, Cry Wolf

“So I get it. I know you’re this ridiculous superhero and you always have been. Shit, you might not believe in magic, but to me you’re as close to magical as anything I’ve ever known. And not just because of the whole werewolf thing, but because you’re you. All special and brilliant and patient and funny and you know, sort of good-looking sometimes, I guess.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“If you only ever make a change when you’re unhappy, you’ll always be in the position of running away from something, never running toward it.”
― Charlie Adhara, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

“he had just made them worse. Sometimes letting people get to know more about you didn’t bring you closer, it just gave them more reasons to want to walk away.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“That's who he wanted to be at his core. Not alpha, or survivor, or mate, overdramatic, anxious, cantankerous grump. Not even husband, really. Those were all facets, badges. At his core, he wanted to be his own wildest dreams.”
― Charlie Adhara, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

“I know, Dad, okay? I know him. Everything I need to. And I love him. I really love him. Please just...” Cooper reached toward his father. “He makes me happy, remember?”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“Then let’s do this.” He opened the door and hopped out. “Just, if things get to be too much around here, remember your safe word.”
Park smiled and followed him toward the front door. “Right. What was it again?”
“‘Safe word.’”
“Ah. Nice, easy, and just a little bit subversive.”
“My yearbook quote.”
“What, easy or—”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“I played basketball freshman year of high school. Does that count?”
Cooper laughed. “No, not at all. In fact, that’ll probably just set him off on a lecture about follow-through and commitment. Why’d you stop?”
“I got cut. I was terrible.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Park tilted his head. “Why do you look so happy about that?”
“Do I? No.” Cooper tried to school his expression, but Park squinted at him suspiciously, and eventually a grin broke free again. He snagged the front of Park’s shirt and twisted it in his fingers, suddenly unable to resist touching him. “I guess it’s just nice to know you’re not perfect at everything.”
Park seemed to think that over, perhaps looking for hidden digs or sarcasm. Eventually, almost tentatively, he said, “Well, I was really, embarrassingly bad. Can’t dribble for shit.”
Cooper tugged Park still closer and slid his free hand around Park’s waist. “Go on.”
“When my hands are above my head, I’m all thumbs. Can’t catch a thing.”
“Mmm.” Cooper pressed their bodies together and inhaled the curve of Park’s neck to his shoulder.
“I never once made a free throw.”
“Oh baby, the things you say,” Cooper groaned.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“I see you've been speaking with the voice I hear in my head at three a.m. while paralysed with anxiety. Good, good.”
― Charlie Adhara, Cry Wolf

“Now you've done it. I'm about to emote all over you.”
― Charlie Adhara, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

“I can try to finagle you some tickets. We could wrap you in a feather boa and call it a joint bachelor party.”

“I would rather you wrap me in boa constrictor and call time of death.”
― Charlie Adhara, Cry Wolf

“By any rights there should be a town crier running through the streets shouting, Two people have been killed, two more have gone missing, the best relationship you've ever had is nose-diving, shot down by secrets you don't even know the scope of! Hear he, fucking hear ye.”
― Charlie Adhara, Thrown to the Wolves

“Cooper slipped his lips around Park’s thumb and sucked, looking up at Park in what he hoped was an alluring way, though an ex had once told him the wide-eyed thing just made him look like a terrified squirrel getting some bad news. Definitely not the image he was going for when trying to get his face fucked.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“That's something they didn't warn you about getting older, seeing your parents age too, seeing them as people, sad and afraid and haunted by their own mistakes.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“Blood loss, Cooper thought dreamily. Finally something’s going my way.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at Bay

“You’ve got exactly twenty-seven hours and then I’m coming in there and trimming you down,” Park said from above.

“Like your big head could fit,” Cooper said. “And twenty-seven hours? It’s 127 hours! What do you think, he sawed his own arm off after one day?”

“You want to make it twenty-seven minutes, Dayton?” Park said.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at the Door

“When Cooper identified himself as a BSI agent, civilians hardly looked twice. Didn’t know what it was. Didn’t care. Ben Pultz knew who the BSI was, though. And from the way he leapt, inhumanly graceful, over a fire hydrant and catapulted down a side alley, he cared who the BSI was, too.”
― Charlie Adhara, The Wolf at the Door