Shivani

“You’re a survivor. Voron put you on the edge of that cliff again and again until he conditioned you to claw onto life. You’ll do whatever you have to do to survive, and I’m your only chance of getting out. At first you’ll balk, but with every passing hour my offer will look better and better. You’ll convince yourself that dying will accomplish nothing and you should at least go out with a bang. You’ll tell yourself that you’re accepting my offer just so you can stick that broken sword into my chest and feel it cut through my heart. Even if you die afterward, the fact that I’ll stop breathing makes your death mean something. So you’ll call me. And you’ll try to kill me. Except you’ve gone three days without food, and that body . . .” He tilted his head and looked me over slowly. “That body burns through calories like fire goes through gasoline. You’re running out of reserves. I can put you down with one hit.”
“You’re right about the sword. You broke mine. I owe you one.”
He tapped his naked chest over his heart. “This is the spot. Give it a shot, Kate. Let’s see what happens.”
― Ilona Andrews, Magic Breaks

“What is it you want from me, Hugh?”
“Short term, I’d like you to say my name with a please attached to it. I’d like to walk into Jester Park with you on my arm.”
[...]
“Long term, I want to win. And I will win, Kate. You’ll put up a good fight, but eventually you’ll be sleeping in my bed and fighting with me back to back. We’ll be good together. I promise you.”
“What part of no don’t you understand?”
“The part where I don’t get what I want.”
― Ilona Andrews, Magic Breaks

“What is the connection between you and our handsome host? Aunt B asked.

Blackberries taste much worse when they try to come back up your throat. "Uhhh..."

"Uhhh is not an answer," Keira informed me.

Andre must not have told her about Hugh, and I had no desire to explain who my dad was. "We never met but we were trained by the same person. Now he works for a very powerful man who will kill me if he finds me."

"Why?" Keira asked.

"It's a family thing."

"That explains the attraction," Aunt B said.

"Attraction?"

"You're that thing he can't have. It's called forbidden fruit."

"I'm not his fruit!"

"He thinks you are. The word you're looking for is "smitten," my dear." Aunt B smiled. "I'm sure the way Megobari looked at you made Curran positively giddy.”
― Ilona Andrews, Magic Rises

“Desandra shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, Kate? Have you thought of walking up to Hugh and telling him that he's got the biggest dick ever?" She spread her arms to the size of a baseball bat.
"No, you think it would work?" I asked.
"It's worth a try. May be he'll be so happy you noticed his pork sword, he'll forget all about trying to kill us."
Pork sword. Kill me now. "I'll think about it."
Ascanio began patting his clothes.
"What?" Derek growled.
"Looking for something to take notes with.”
― Ilona Andrews, Magic Breaks