Shawna Jalbert

“Vane is possessive of his toys, and I am his favorite one, even if he likes to break me again and again. He licks his way up the sensitive line of my throat, and I shiver beneath him. Maybe I don’t hate him. Maybe he’s just enough like his uncle that it quiets that incessant gnawing in my gut. All of the Maddred men are dark and dangerous and monstrous. And dark, monstrous things like to be in the company of other dark, monstrous things. I think that’s why we’re terrified of losing each other, why we cling to one another, not with love, but the opposite: obsession. Friction builds between us. I’m hot and warm and cold all over and when Vane’s teeth tickle my neck, I jolt away from him. “Hold still,” he says, yanks my head back, and sinks his teeth into me. The first hot gush of blood surges out of the puncture wounds. My veins fill with honey. Getting bitten by a jabberwocky feels like your bones melt into stars.”
― Nikki St. Crowe, Dark & Darker Still: A Vane and Roc Origin Story

“I am interested in you. All of you. Your sad eyes, your soft smiles, your tears, your courage, and your worries. I am at your side now, and I will be at your side until you tell me to leave. I do not need a khui to tell me who is the mate for me. You are mine and I will take every moment with you as a gift.” “But what about—“ “If my khui resonates for someone else? I will not let it.” He grins, utterly confident. “My heart is for you and you alone.” “That’s not how it works, Aehako.” “That is how it will work for me,” he says, ever stubborn. “And if your khui should resonate for another, I will send you to his arms with gladness for your happiness.”
― Ruby Dixon, Barbarian Lover

“I lift my head, taking in her facial features, “Don’t ever feel guilt, because I’d let this entire place burn to the fucking ground just to cover you from the flames. You, my pretty girl, are worth every damn burn I would suffer. With me as your shield, you’re untouchable.”
― Jodie King, Hollow Hellion

“Also, call me Hell, pretty girl, because you haven't met Hellion yet, but believe me, you will soon enough,” he adds, his voice laced with a chilling promise. “And when that moment comes, the only time you'll be uttering his fucking name is when you're screaming it.”
― Jodie King, Hollow Hellion