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I Must Have Been Sound Asleep If I Missed All That Shouting-simon What Shouting?-derek You Mean That Chole Just Told You She Followed A Ghost Onto A Roof, And You Didnt Blast Her All The Way To Canada?-simon He's A Little Off This Morning-chole More Than A Little I'll Say.-simon

-Kelley Armstrong

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I Must Have Been

Kelley Armstrong

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I Must Have Been Sound Asleep If I Missed All That Shouting-simon What Shouting?-derek You Mean That Chole Just Told You She Followed A Ghost Onto A Roof, And You Didnt Blast Her All The Way To Canada?-simon He's A Little Off This Morning-chole More Than A Little I'll Say.-simon

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It Wasn't Until I Was In My Teens That I Started Admiring Writers As Inspirations For My Own Work, And My Earliest Influences There Were Stephen King, Marion Zimmer Bradley And Richard Adams.

I Lifted Onto My Toes, Put My Hands Aroung His Neck, And Pulled Him Down. When Our Lips Met, That First Jolt... It Was Everything I Hadn't Felt With Simon, Everything I Wanted To Feel. His Hands Went Around My Waist, Pulling Me Closer--

You Forget, Darling, I Am The Local Psychopath." ~clayton Danvers, Bitten

Maybe I'm Being Selfish, But I Choose You." He Leaned Over, Lips Brushing Mine As He Whispered, "i Always Choose You.

So Do All Animals React That Way To You? I Know You Said Rats Steer Clear." "most Do. They See A Human, But They Smell Someting Else. It Confuses Them. Canines Are The Worst, Though." He Paused. "no, Cats Are The Worst. I Really Don't Like Cats." I Laughed.

You're Telling Me That You Can Raise The Dead By Simply Summoning?" "yes." "my God," She Whispered, Staring At Me."what Have They Done?" Hearing Her Words And Seeing Her Expression, I Knew I'd Just Done Something Worse Than Raising The Dead-- I'd Confirmed Her Worst Fears About Us. In Her Eyes, I Saw The Same Thing I Saw When People Looked At Derek. I Saw Fear. And I Knew We Were In Trouble.

Tell Me When You Want To Pick It Up Again." "tell Me When Satan Starts A Snowball Fight." "i'll Do That. Lunch?

What's Wrong?" I Didn't Say A Word." Something's Up. What Is It?" Nothing." His Head Turned, Gaze Going To Mine. "yeah?" Yes." A Snort And He Returned To His Bowl.

I Was...a Journalist...though My Typical Beat Was Freelancing Articles On Canadian Politics, Which Never Included Any Mention Of Demonic Phenomena, Though It Might Explain The Rise Of The Neoconservatives.

Cleavage Is Great," She Said. "like An Extra Pocket.

Nuh-uh. No Deals With The Devil. I’ve Learned My Lesson On That One. ~jaime Vegas

So, When I Spotted A Cougar Stretched Out On A Thick Pine Tree Branch Near The Park Gates, I Wasn't Surprised. I Can't Say The Same For The Women Clinging To The Branch Above The Cat. She Was The One Screaming. The Cougar-a Ragged-ear Old Top I Clled Marv-just Stared At Her, Like He Couldn't Believe Anyone Would Be Dumb To Climb A Tree To Escape A Cat.

Yes, I Can Talk And Think At The Same Time. Most People Can, Though I Suppose You Wouldn't Know That From Personal Experience. Elena (bitten)

Using Supernatural Beings To Build The Perfect Weapon? Intriguing Idea." "not Really," I Said. "they Did It On Buffy The Vampire Slayer. A Sub-par Season. I Slept Through Half The Episodes.

Supernatural Beings

Dont Talk To The Crazy Kids. I Longed To Shout Back That We Weren't Crazy. I'd Mistaken Her Kid For A Ghost, That's All.

The Three "f"s Of Being A Werewolf, Feeding, Fighting, And...reproduction

He Balled Up My Discarded Sweatshirt And Put It Against His Shoulder. “go On,” He Said. “i Don’t Bite.” “and From What I Hear, That’s A Good Thing.” He Gave A Rumbling Chuckle. “yeah, It Is.” I Leaned Against His Shoulder.

The Upshot Of Her Tirade Was That I Was The Devil's Spawn And Should Be Locked Up In A Tower Before I Unleashed Hordes Of The Living Dead To Slaughter Them All In Their Sleep. Well, Maybe That's An Exaggeration, But Not By Much.

I'm Suprised He Doesn't Send Christmas Cards," Antonio Said. "i Can See Them Now. Tasteful, Embossed Veilum Cards, The Best He Can Steal. Little Notes In Perfect Penmanship,"happy Holidays. Hope Everyone Is Well. I Sliced Up Ethan Ritter In Miami And Scattered His Remains In The Atlantic. Best Wishes For The New Year. Karl.

Uh-uh. We've Played This Game Before. I Hide. You Never Seek. I'm A Bit Slow On The Uptake, But I'm Beginning To Sense A Pattern.

Uh-uh" Clay Drawled Above Me, "elena's Played With You Long Enough, Its My Turn

I Wanted To Walk Over There. I Wanted To Curl Up Beside Him, Lean Against Him, Talk To Him. I Wanted To Know What He Was Thinking. I Wanted To Tell Him Everything Would Be Okay. And I Wanted Him To Tell Me The Same Thing. I Didn't Care If It Was True Or Not- I Just Wanted To Say It. To Hear It, To Feel His Arms Around Me, Hear The Rumble Of His Words, That Deep Chuckle That Made Me Pulse Race

The Show's Writers Had Peppered The Piece With Words Like "savage," "wild," And "animalistic." What Bullshit. Show Me The Animal That Kills For The Thrill Of Watching Something Die. Why Does The Stereotype Of The Animalistic Killer Persist? Because Humans Like It. It Neatly Explains Things For Them, Moving Humans To The Top Of The Evolutionary Ladder And Putting Killers Down Among Mythological Man-beast Monsters Like Werewolves. The Truth Is, If A Werewolf Behaved Like This Psychopath It Wouldn't Be Because He Was Part Animal, But Because He Was Still Too Human. Only Humans Kill For Sport.

Sometimes Humans Hit On A Moment Of Profundity More Complete Than Their Dim Minds Could Comprehend, And They Took That Nugget Of Truth And Dumped It In The Refuse For The Bards And The Poets To Find, And Mangle Into Yodeling Paeans Of Love.

All I Could Think About Was Him, And How Much I Wanted This, And How Incredibly Lucky I Was To Get It, And How Tight I Was Going To Hold Onto It.

He Leaned Her Back Against The Tub, Setting Her Head On The Edge, Then Washed Her Shoulders. "i Know I Left You Once." She Opened Her Mouth, Wanting To Say It Didn't Matter, It Was Forgotten. But It Wasn't. "i Know I Hurt You." Again, She Wanted To Argue. But She Couldn't. "i Know I Said I Won't Leave You Again, But I Also Know That's Not Enough, And That The Only Way You're Going To Trust That I Won't Leave Is If I Don't". He Slid The Cloth Over Her Arms. "if This Ends, Hope, It Won't Be Me That Ends It. I Think You Know That.

You Didn't Answer My Question. Are You All Right?" I Didn't Do Anything" Yeah. You Did." He Looked At Me. "you Did A Lot" -chloe & Derek-

Maturity Is Highly Overrated.

You Were Just Worried About Me." An Exhale, Relieved That I Had Understood. "yeah" I Turned. "because You Think I'm Worth It" He Put His Fingers Under My Chin. "i Absolutely Think Your Worth It." "but You Don't Think You Are." His Mouth Opened. Shut. "that's What This Is About, Derek. You Won't Let Us Worry About You Because You Don't Think You're Worth It. But I Do. I Absolutely Do.

I Don’t Care If I Get One At All. Just As Long As I Keep Getting Anniversaries.

Great. So If I Saw A Guy Standing Still, And He Wasn't Wearing An Old Uniform, I Just Had To Ask Him To Walk Through Furniture. If He Stared At Me Like I Was Crazy, Then I'd Know He Wasn't A Ghost. - Chloe

It's A Road," Corey Said, Pointing. "a Dirt Road," Hayley Muttered. "so? We've Been Slogging Through The Forest For Two Days. What Do You Want? A Six-lane Highway?

Hello, Aaron," Brigid Said, Sliding Up To Him And Running A Finger Down His Chest. "you're Looking Good . . . As Always." Aaron Lifted Her Finger Off His Shirt And Let It Drop. "put Some Clothing On, Brigid." She Smiled Up At Him. "why? Tempted?" "yeah, To Cover My Eyes.

This Is The First Adventure I’ve Survived Without Being Kidnapped, Attacked, Knocked Unconscious Or Possessed By Evil Spirits. A Ripped Blouse? Ruined Skirt? Bad Hair? I’d Call This Progress. ~jaime Vegas

I Glanced Up To See Liz And Smiled. "thank You." "i Just Went Along For The Ride. After That Happened-" She Waved At Derek. "you Know How Blind People Need Seeing Eye Dogs? Well, Apparently Werewolves Could Really Use Opening Door Poltergeists.

Reviews Are Great. I Can Read Negative Reviews And Say, You Know That Point They Made... They Were Dead On.

Stuffing People Into Boxes Is For Those Who Have Issues About Their Own Box.

Perfect Night, Wasn't It?" "it Could Have Been." I Smiled Up At Him. "but You Were There.

Could Have Been

Tell Her To Be Quiet, And She Got Louder. Tell Her To Stay Back, And She Pushed Me Into The Line Of Fire. Tell Her To Watch For Our Pursuers, And She Hovered At My Shoulder Instead. Open The Door To Listen, And She Wanted To Drag Me Back Inside. Ah. The Beginning Of A Beautiful Friendship.

A Girl My Age Had Been Murdered In These Woods And I'd Seen Her Last Terrified Moments, Watched Her Bleed To Death In This Forest. A Life Like Mine Had Ended Here, And It Didn't Matter How Many Times I'd Seen Deaths In Movies, It Wasn't The Same, And I Wasn't Ever Going To Forget It.

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He Lifted His Brows. "if I Really Thought It Was The Absolute Best Thing For Our Kids, You'd Have Had A Battle On Your Hands. That Was Just A Debate." "with Chair-throwing." "heated Debate. Fights Involve Chair-breaking. Chair-throwing Is Just Getting Your Attention.

The Rottweiler Stood His Ground And Waited For Me To Take The Next Step In The Dance Of Ritualized Intimidation. Instead, I Leaped At Him. Screw Ritual. Now Was Not The Time To Stand On Ceremony.

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He Glanced Down At The Blood-smeared Cut On His Side...and Realized He Wasn't Wearing Any Clothing. I'd Be Lying If I Said I Hadn't Realized It Already. Kind Of Obvious. It Wasn't Like He'd Been Going To Take Time Out To Find His Clothing Before Stopping Liam.

Your Mother Sets You Up Blind Dates? With Guys Like That?" The Corners Of His Mouth Twitched. "she Doesn't Like You Very Much, Does She?

Remembering. Forgetting. I'm Not Sure Which Is Worse.

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Finding Yourself

Nothing Screws Up A Séance Like The Appearance Of A Real Ghost. ~jaime Vegas

Derek? Derek!-chole Chole! What Are You Doing Out Here? I Said We Will Check It Out Later. Key Word We-derek Oh, Yeah I Decided To Come Out On My Own. Thats Why I Was Calling Your Name Repeatively- Chole

Bingo Pup. It's A Lesson Best Learned Early. They're All Afraid Of Us." He Strolled Over To Derek. "you're Trying To Be A Good Kid, Aren't You? You Think That'll Show Them They're Wrong. So How'd That Working Out For You? Guess What? They Don't Care. To Them, You're A Monster, And Nothing You Do--or Don't Do--will Change Their Minds. My Advice? Give 'em What They Want. It's A Short, Brutal Life." He Smiled. "live It Up." Derek Stared Straight Ahead, Patiently Waiting. "he Can't Hear A Word I'm Saying, Can He?" Liam Said. "nope.

I Called Clay From The Suv. "how'd It Go At The Paper?" He Asked. "she Called Me Perky." "ouch.

Boo," I Said. He Reacted As All Mutts React When I Confront Them. He Leapt From His Chair And Dove For The Nearest Exit, Shaking In Terror. In My Dreams. He Glanced At Me And Started Looking For Clay. It Never Failed. Mutts Only Quaked When I Appeared Because It Usually Meant Clayton Wasn't Far Behind. I Was Nothing But A Harbinger Of Doom.

You Want To Keep Looking?" I Asked. "yeah, Maybe." "i'll Leave You To It, Then." I Started For The Door. "no." He Said It Quickly, And Reached For My Arm, But Stopped Before He Touched Me. "i Mean, If You're Tired, Sure, But You Don't Have To." Derek Doesn't Want Her To Leave ♥

So Consider Your Options, Make Your Choice And Call Me Home.

He Said "cool" Like I Say A Spanish Word When I'm Not Sure Of The Pronunciation.

If You Say ‘we’re In This Together,’ I’m Going To Hurl.

Maybe My Expectations For Honesty Are Too High.

Demon, Angel, All The Same Thing If You Go Back Far Enough, Or Cut Deep Enough.

I Love You. I'm Not Sure If It's The Way You Want Me To. I Think It Might Be. But I Know That I Love You. I Absolutely Love You.

Elena?" "yes, Unless Nick Found A Woman In The Forest, Which I Suppose Wouldn't Be Too Surprising.

Antonio- "just In Time, Pete. Five More Minutes Of Reading This And She'd Have Been In A Coma." Peter- "are We Such Bad Company That You'd Rather Hide Out In Here Reading That Old Thing?

You Wanna Fight?" I Asked. He Looked Up At Me And, For Just A Second, Hesitated, Then Said, "yeah. I Do." "well, I'll Save You The Trouble. You Win.

My Past Was A Private Obstacle, Not A Public Excuse.

Ooh, Big Day In Town For Our Park Warden,” I Said. “they’re Even Making You Wear The Uniform. Hayley’s Mom Will Be Happy. She Thinks You Look Hot In It.” Dad Turned As Red As His Hair. Mom’s Laugh Floated Out From Her Studio. “maya Delaney. Leave Your Father Alone.

He Was Tall And Scrawny With A Face That Could Be Mistaken With Keith Richards On A Bad Day.

He Stood And Inhaled, Then Walked A Few More Feet, Stooped, And Prodded A Chunk Of Rabbit Fur. “i’m Definitely Thinking Something With More Body Parts,” I Said. “like A Head.” He Gave A Snort Of A Laugh. “it’s Probably Around Here Somewhere, But I Suppose You Want The Parts Attached, Too.

Just Show Him That I Didn't Need His Apology, I Guess. Show Him That I Was Okay. Better Than Okay. I Was Happy, In Spite Of Everything He'd Done To Me, And No, I Didn't Forgive Him. God Help Me, I Would Not Forgive Him.

No", Tori Said, " I Kidnapped Her And Forced Her To Escape With Me. I've Been Using Her As A Human Shield Against Those Guys With Guns, And I Was Just About To Strangle Her And Leave Her Body Here To Throw Them Off My Trail. But Then You Showed Up And Foiled My Evil Plans. Lucky For You, Though. You Get To Rescue Chloe Again And Win Her Undying Grattitude.

I Let Her Through. She Checked Derek's Pulse And His Breathing, Saying Both Seemed Okay, Then Leaned Down To His Face. "nothing Weird On His Breath. Smells . . . Like Toothpaste." Derek's Eyes Opened, And The First Thing He Saw Was Tori's Face Inches From His. He Jumped And Let Out An Oath. Simon Cracked Up. I Madly Motioned For Him To Be Quiet. "are You Okay?" I Asked Derek. "he Is Now," Simon Said. "after Tori Jump-started His Heart.

Do You Really Think He Untied You? .. He Was Just Checking His Kids Handiwork.

Let’s Just Say That Being Able To Contact Ghosts Makes For Some Very Interesting Ménages á Trios… And Ménages á Quartre, And Ménages á … Whatever Five Is In French. ~jaime Vegas

Life Experience. I Can Talk It Up, Vow To Broaden My Horizons, But I’m Still Limited To The Experiences With My Life. How Can A Person Understand An Experience That Lies Completely Outside Her Own? She Can See It, Feel It, Imagine What It Would Be Like To Live It, But It’s No Different From Seeing A Movie On A Screen And Saying, “thank God That’s Not Me”.

Murder? You Mean He's Dead?" "no. He's Resting Comfortably," I Said. "people Always Sleep Best With Their Heads At A Ninety-degree Angle. He Looks Comfortable, Doesn't He?" (paige & Elena)

She's Useful To Me, I'm Useful To Her. As Long As That Continues, Rowan Street Is Safe From An Old-lady Smack Down Of Epic Proportions.

No' When No One Answered, Derek Looked From Face To Face, Then Settled His Glower In Me. 'absolutely Not.' 'um, I Was The One Keeping My Mouth Shut' I Said.

Yes You're Getting Your Tattoo." I Threw My Arms Around Dad's Neck. "thank You!" "hey," Mom Said. "i'm The One Who Had To Persuade Him It Wasn't Turning His Little Girl Into A Streetwalker." "i Never Said That," Dad Said. "no?" I Said. "cool. Cause I've Decided To Skip The Paw Print. I'm Thinking Of A Tramp Stamp With Flames That Says 'hot In Here.' No Wait. Arrows. For Directionally Challenged Guys

I'd Been Staring At The Search Term For At Least Five Minutes. One Word. Necromancer.

Wild Dogs? Or Just Clayton? -nick Sorrentino (bitten)

And Stop Doing That,” He Said. “backing Away, Giving Me That Look.” Like You’re Scaring Me? Maybe You Are.” He Stepped Back So Fast He Wobbled And Caught Himself, And The Look On His Face—it Vanished In A Second, The Scowl Returning. I’d Never Hurt You, Chloe. You Should Know—” He Stopped. Paused. Then Wheeled And Started Walking Away. “next Time? Handle It Yourself. I’m Done Taking Care Of You.

God, I Loved Him. I Could Insist I Was Okay With Just Being Friends, That I'd Find Someone Else And Get Over Him, But I Was Fooling Myself. There Was No Getting Past This. I Loved Him, And Fifty Years From Now We Could Be Married To Other People, Never Exchanged So Much As A Kiss, And I'd Still Looking Into His Eyes And Know He Was The One. He'd Always Be The One.

Oh, My God! It's A Killer Pomeranian." I Glanced Up At Derek. "it's A Tough Call, But I Think You Can Take Him.

I Moved Up Beside Jamie."i Have To Go." She Frowned At Me. "where?" I Pressed A Hand To The Bottom Of My Belly. "my Bladder.it-" Ah." She Gave A Small Laugh. "we Interrupt This Life-or-death Situation For A Pregnancy Pee Break. Don't See That In The Movies, Do You?

When You Accept A Leadership Role, You Take On Extra Responsibility For Your Actions Toward Others.

You're Crying?" He Said. "no, I- " I Tore My Gaze Away. "just Dust. From The Path. Simon's That Way." I Tried To Pass Him, But He Stooped, Trying To Get A Loom Of My Face. When I Wouldn't Let Him, He Caught My Chin. I Jerked Back, Flinching At His Touch, Heart Thudding At It, Too. I Told Myself Simon Was Wrong. I'd Never Be Dumb Enough To Fall For Derek. But I Had. With Him So Close, My Stomach Kept Doing Weird Flips. It Wasn't Fear. It Hadn't Been Fear For Awhile. "you Have Been Crying," He Said, Voice Softer.

I Want You To Have Big Dreams, Big Goals. I Want You To Strive To Achieve Them. But I Don't Want To See You Beating Yourself Up Every Time You Make A Mistake.

Missing Someone

Kids Who Don't Eavesdrop On Adult Conversations Are Doomed To A Childhood Of Ignorance.

When Rae Got Back, She Spread Her Empty Hands Wide And Said "okay, Guess Where I Hid It." She Even Turned Around For Me, But I Couldn't See A Bulge Big Enough To Hide A Flashlight. With A Grin, She Reached Down The Front Of Her Shirt Into The Middle Of Her Bra, And Pulled Out A Flashlight With Flourish. I Laughed. "cleavage Is Great," She Said. "like An Extra Pocket.

Undying Grattitude?" Simon Looked At Me. " Cool. Dosethat Come With Eternal Servitude? If So, I Like My Eggs Sunnyside Up." I Smiled," I'll Remember That.

He Obviously Needed More Practice, But No Matter How Often I Abandoned Him Out There, His Sense Of Direction Never Seemed To Improve.

Another Werewolf Thing. Like Most Animals, We Spent A Large Part Of Our Lives Engaged In The Three Fs Of Basic Survival. Feeding, Fighting And... Reproduction.

I'm Behind You." I Spun To See Derek. "i Can't Win," He Said. "you're As Skittish As A Kitten.

Believe Me, I Have Better Things To Do Than Sabotage Your Friendships. No One Else's World Revolves Around You, Cassandra." -paige To Cassandra

Are You The Welcoming Committee? Or Has Jeremy Finally Chained You Up To The Front Gate Where You Belong?" "i Missed You Too.

Where You Belong

It Reminded Me Of What Dad Said After Every Snail’s Crawl Home From Albany When Snow Hit.“it’s New York, People. It’s Winter. We Get Snow. If You Aren’t Prepared To Deal With It, Move To Miami.

What Am I? Let's Just Say I Won't Fetch A Stick For You. I Won't Beg For Treats. And, No Matter How Nicely You Ask, I Will Not Roll Over And Play Dead.

The Stairs Aren't Challenging Enough Anymore?" He Asked. Antonio Laughed. "challenge Has Nothing To Do With It, Jer. I'd Say It's The Big Bad Wolf Huffing And Puffing At Her Door Up There.

Isn't It Possible That I'm Not Feigning Interest? That I Really Do Want To Know More About You?" "you've Never Been Interested In Me Before." "you've Never Been Interesting Before." -cassandra And Paige

When Liam Stepped Forward Again, Derek's Arm Shot Around Me , A Growl Vibrating Up From His Stomach. Liam Put His Hand Out Toward Me. When Derek Tensed He Pilled Back, Then Did It Again, Testing His Reaction, Laughing When He Got One, Untill Even Ramone Started To Laugh. "check This Out," Liam Said. "i Think The Pup's Got Himself A Mate. Isn't That The Cutest Thing?

I'm Not Going Anywhere, Not Without Chloe." Derek

Oddly Enough, I Find The Best Hostages Are The Live Ones. - Karl

Einstein Theorized That Time Travel Was Possible, But He Was Looking At It As Unidirectional, Going Forward. Traveling Into The Past Is Much More Problematic, As Countless Stories Have Demonstrated!

There Are Lots Of Things In The Folklore, Like They Can Only Be Killed By A Silver Bullet, That Don't Realistically Work, If You're Trying To Say They Have Existed For Hundreds Of Years, Unknown.

Before We Left Town, Antonio Pulled Into A Strip Mall And Went In To Get Subs And Salads, Leaving Clay And Me Half Naked And Bleeding In The Car, And Cain Unconscious In The Trunk. No Wonder I Was Anxious To Get Back To Toronto. Spend Too Much Time Around These Guys And You Become A Little Too Nonchalent About Blood-soaked Clothes And Bodies In The Trunk

He Lunged Again. This Time I Stood My Ground And He Checked His Leap At The Last Second....and Toppled Sideways. I Didn't Hide My Laugh That Time. His Face Twisted Fast, Grabbed My Pajama Leg And Wrenched, And Down I Went. "bully

Could You Please Put This--could You All Put These--could You Get Dressed, Please?" The Woman Only Bestowed A Serene Smile On Me. "we Are As The Goddess Requires." "the Goddess Requires You To Be Naked On My Lawn?

He Bent, Lips Coming To Mine And — 'derek? Chloe?' It Was Kit, Opening The Back Door. Derek Let Out A Low Growl. 'never Fails.' I Turned To Kit. 'how Is She?' 'we’re Going To Take Her Back To The House Now. She’s Unconscious Again.' 'then We’ll Walk Back,' Derek Said. 'give You Room In The Van To Lay Her Down.' His Dad Agreed And Went Back Inside. As We Walked Toward The Steps, I Looked Down At Derek’s Hand, Holding Mine. 'no One’s Around,' He Said. 'and We Can Take The Back Way.' 'good,' I Said, And Entwined My Fingers With His.

Love And Hate. Same Passion. Same Impulse

Dad!" He Shouted, Loud Enough To Make My Ears Ring. "dad! You Need To Get Down Here!" (derek) Chloe Held Open The Door And Whispered To Me, "i Could Say He's Not Always Like This, But I'd Be Lying.

That's What Being Crazy Was, Wasn't It? You Thought You Were Fine. Everyone Else Knew Better.

Some Women Just Aren’t Cut Out To Be Mothers, And Unfortunately It Had Taken Susanna Three Kids To Realize She Was One Of Them.

What Gave It Away? When She Loaded Me Bound And Gagged Into The Back Of Her Truck? Or When She Actually Said. "i'm Ready To Kill You And Throw Your Body Inn The Swamp? "hey For A While There, It Looked Like You Were Going To Talk Your Way Out Of It. I Didn't Want To Interfere.

Release The Demon Under Promise That I'd Be Repaid Handsomely, My Enemies Destroyed? Hmm, Where Had I Seen This Before? Oh, Right. Every Demon Horror Movie Ever Made. And The Horror Part Started Right After The Releasing Part.

When I Leaned A Little Too Close To The Doorway, My Inner Voice Piped Up, Telling Me Not To Be Stupid. The Guy With The Bionic Senses Was Better Equipped For This.

Urban Survival Rule 22: Never Annoy An Armed Man.

There Was No Closing My Eyes And Sliding Back Into That Blissful Dream Of Normal. This Was My Normal Now.

He Wore Sweatpants And A T-shirt And Had Stopped In The Middle Of The Hall, Furiously Scratching One Bare Forearm. "fleas?" I Said.

As I Recall, I Was Still Dressed When I Fell Asleep." "just Making Sure You Were Comfortable." "and Making Yourself Equally Comfortable, I See.

The Look She Gave Me Reminded Me Of When Is Was Seven And I'd Proudly Informed Out Housekeeper That I'd Donated Half My Clothing To A Charity Drive At School. It Had Seemed Perfectly Sensible To Me-i Didn't Need So Much Stuff-but She'd Stared At Me Like Margaret Was Now, With A Mix Of Horror And Disbelief.

The Secretary Moved In To Block Simon As I Followed Thierry Into The Office. As The Door Closed, I Heard Her Whisper, "i Think It's Very Sweet, You Sticking Up For Your Brother Like That." "i'm Not Trying To Be Sweet," Simon Said, Raising His Voice So Thierry Could Hear. "i'm Trying To Be Fair. But Apparently No One's Interested In That.

To Distract Myself From Thoughts Of My Father, I Decided To Check Out The Dead Body.

He Had A Newspaper Rolled In His Hand, Bearing Down On Me Like A Puppy That Had Piddled On The Carpet. "bad Chloe,” I Muttered. "what?” I’d Forgotten His Bionic Hearing. “bad Chloe.” I Gestured At The Rolled-up Paper And Put Out My Hand. “get It Over With.

I Got To Eavesdrop At A Window. As Clay Said, I Did Have Another Option. I Could Wait In The Car And Let Them Fill Me In Later. So, Eavesdropping It Was.

Where's Simon?"..."is He Okay? Why Isn't He Here?" She Glared At Derek. "where'd You Leave Him?" Passed Out In An Alley." Derek Frowned In Thought. "not Sure Where, Though.

Rafe Didn't Just Flirt-he Charmed Girls Right Up To The Point Where They Fell For Him, Then He Changed His Mind.i Called Him A Player With Attention Deficit Disorder.

I'd Seen More Cops In The Last Few Days Than On A Weekend Law And Order Marathon" - Paigne Winterbourne

I Told Him What My Dad Had Said. That Got Him Laughing And As We Pulled Into The School Parking Lot, Even The Sight Of Rafe Waiting For Me Only Made Him Roll His Eyes. We Got Out. I Glanced At Daniel. He Sighed. "go On." "you Sound Like You're Giving A Five-year-old Permission To Play With An Unsuitable Friend." "if The Shoe Fits..." I Flipped Him Off. "watch It Or I Won't Marry You," He Said. "truck Of No Truck." I Laughed And Jogged Over To Rafe. "did He Just Say...?" Rafe Began.

Once, When I'd Needed To Meet Daniel To Deliver A Warning From Jeremy, I'd Worn Two-inch Heels And Had Quite Enjoyed The Sensation Of Talking Down To Daniel, Until He Told Me How Sexy I Looked. Since Then He'd Never Seen Me In Anything But My Oldest, Grubbiest Sneakers.

Was She Telling You To Stay Away From Me?" I Asked. He Paused, Then Said, "yeah." He Squeezed My Hand Out Of Aunt Lauren's Sight. "it's Okay. We're Good." Chloe And Derek

We’re Not Naked, We’re Skyclad!

We Had One Gun, One Werewolf, One Poltergeist, One Supercharged Spell-caster, One Not-so-supercharged Spell-caster, And One Perfectly Useless Necromancer, Though Liz Was Quick To Remind Me That She Needed Me To Relay Her Words. - Chloe

I Saw My True Power. The Darkest Power. The Greatest Power. ~jaime Vegas

One Second He Was In My Face, Making Me Feel Stupid And Useless. The Next He Was Like This: Hovering, Concerned, Worried.

I Envied It; Not The Idea Of Having So Much Money That You Could Throw It Away, But The Thought Of Growing Up In A World Where Someone Cared So Much About Your Happiness And So Little About What You Accomplished In Life.

We'll Meet You Here. Hopefully Everyone Will Be In Human Form." A Wry Smile. "though I'll Warn You, He's Not A Whole Lot More Pleasant That Way. At Least As A Wolf, He Can't Talk.

I Didn't Need To Be Rescued." "sorry, But My Sword Outranks Your…" She Glanced At My Hand, "sock Puppet.

If There's Anything I Can Do- I Know There Probably Isn't, But..." Just Be Here

But Was It Wrong To Put Yourself First? That’s Called Survival, Right? If You’re Running For Your Life, You Don’t Get The Luxury Of Being Nice. They Were Going To Learn That. It’s Fine To Wave The Pompoms For Teamwork—all For One And One For All—but When Push Came To Shove, These Guys Wouldn’t Be Risking Their Lives For Chloe, Maybe Not Even For Each Other. I Was Sure Of It. Once Things Got Worse, It Would Be Every Kid For Himself. It Always Is.

Dangerous? Do You Remember What Xavier's Power Is? Teleportation. Limited Teleportation, They Guy Can Move About 10 Feet. Worst Thing He Could Do To Me? Poke Me In The Eyes, And Go "nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk" And Zip Away Before I Can Smack Him," - Elena

Got Your Text,” He Said When I Climbed Out. “how Much Did It Hurt?” “not At All,” I Said. “apparently, I Can’t Get A Tattoo Because I’m A Witch.” “i Could Have Told Them-” He Stopped. “oh, You Said Witch.” “ha-ha.

I Found Something" Simon Said As He Walked In. He Whipped Out An Old-fashioned Key From His Pocket And Grinned At Me. "it Was Taped To The Back Of My Dresser Drawer. What Do You Think? Buried Treasure? Secret Passageway? Locked Room Where They Keep Crazy Old Aunt Edna?" "it Probaly Unlocks Another Dresser," Tori Said. "one They Threw Out Fifty Years Ago." "its Tragic, Being Born Without An Imagination. Do They Hold Telethons For That?

I Grew Up Writing About The Paranormal, And I Blame Too Many Saturday Mornings Watching Scooby Doo.

What I Was Doing When I Was Creating My Werewolves Is Really Basing Them On A Wild Wolf Pack, As Much As Possible. It's Not As If Being Bitten Brings You In, But What It Does Is That It Strengthens That Instinct For Pack. It Strengthens That Instinct To Need To Be With Others Who Are Like You, And To Form Tight Bonds, As An Actual Wolf Pack Does.

A Name Is So Important. A Surname Connects You To Your Past, To Your Family. Even A Given Name Has Meaning - Why Did Your Parents Pick That Particular One?

I Let Out A Laugh That Sounded More Like The Yip Of A Startled Poodle. "superp-powers? I Wish. My Powers Aren't Winning Me A Slot On The Cartoon Network Anytime Soon... Except As A Comic Relief. Ghost Whisperer Junior. Or Ghost Screamer, More Like It. Tune In, Every Week, As Chloe Saunders Runs Screaming From Yet Another Ghost Looking For Her Help." Okay, Superpower Might Be Pushing It.

I've Spent The Last Decade Learning To Stand Firm And Face My Problems… Or At Least Batter Them Until They're Unrecognizable.

I Slid Closer, Feeling His Arms Close Around Me, Tightening. Our Lips Touched-- "derek?" His Dad Called. "chloe?" Derek Let Out A Growl. I Laughed And Backed Up. "we Seem To Get A Lot Of That, Don't We?" I Said. "too Much. After We Eat, We're Going For A Walk. A Long Walk. Far From Every Possible Interruption." I Grinned Up At Him. "sounds Like A Plan

This Is What I Wanted. This Guy. This Life. This Me. I Was Never Getting My Old Life Back, And I Didn't Care. I Was Happy. I Was Safe. I Was Right Where I Wanted To Be.

He Liked Women With Little Butts And Big Tits? Someone Had Played With One Too Many Barbie Dolls As A Kid.

The Truth Is, If A Werewolf Behaved Like This Psychopath It Wouldn't Be Because He Was Part Animal, But Because He Was Still Too Human. Only Humans Kill For Sport.

Still Sitting, He Reached Out And Pulled Me Toward Him. We Stayed There, Looking At Each Other, His Hand Still Wrapped In My Shirt Hem, My Heart Hammering So Hard I Was Sure He Could Hear It. When I Inched Closer, Not Wanting To Intrude, He Tugged Me In Front Of Him And I Stumbled, Half Falling Onto His Lap. I Tried To Scramble Up, Cheeks Burning, But He Pulled Me Down Onto His Knee, One Army Going Around My Waist, Tentative, As If To Say Is This Okay? It Was, Even If My Blood Pounded In My Ears So Hard I Couldn't Think.

We Drove To The Airport. On The Way, Clay Gave Him "the Lecture," Including All The Do's And Don'ts Of Meeting The Alpha, Which Was Only Slightly More Complicated Than An Audience With The Queen. Don't Sit Until You're Invited To. Don't Talk Unless He Asks You A Question. Don't Eat Before He Does. Don't Make Direct Eye Contact. Jeremy Demanded None Of This, But That Wasn't The Point.

I Hear Voices. A Shout. A Laugh. Clay's Laugh. I Strained To See Through The Night. Fog Had Rolled In From Lake Ontario, But I Could Hear Him Laughing. The Concrete Turned To Grass. The Fog Wasn't From The Lake, But From A Pond. Our Pond. I Was At Stonehaven, Bounding Through The Back Acres. Clay Was Running Ahead Of Me.

Sure. You Get All Slutty With Rafe. You Freak Out. You Cry Date Rape Drug.' - Hayley

What's This?" Nick Said. "bedtime?" No One Answered Him. I Kept My Eyes Closed. You Look Positively Content, Clayton," Nick Continued, Thumping Down On The Floor. "that Wouldn't Have Anything To Do With The Fact That Elena Is Cuddled Up With You, Is It?" It's Cold In Here," I Murmured. Doesn't Feel Cold." It's Cold," Clay Growled. I Could Start A Fire." I Could Start One Too," Clay Said. "with Your Clothes. Before You Get Them Off.

Common Courtesy Dictates That We Never Drain The Lifeblood Of Anyone To Whom We've Been Formally Introduced.

Common Courtesy

Who Cared Whether You Could Change Motor Oil When You Could Snap A Rottweiler’s Neck In 2.8 Seconds? Now There Was A Practical Skill.

Rafe Grinned. "so We Are Dating?" "no. You Have To Pass The Parental Exam First. It'll Take You Awhile To Compile The Data. They'd Like It In Triplicate." I Turned To My Parents. "we Have Kenji. We Have My Cell Phone. Since We Aren't Officially Dating, I'm Sure You'll Agree That's All The Protection We Need." Dad Chocked On His Coffee.

Jeremy Had A Plan For Getting Clay Back And I Wasn't Allowed To Know Anything About It Or Allowed To Help Him Carry It Out. As One Might Expect, I Accepted This News With Grace And Understanding. "that Is The Stupidest Idea I've Ever Heard!" I Snarled For The Dozenth Time That Hour. "i Won't Just Sit Here And Do Nothing.

What's Next? If There Are Vampires In There, They Probably Drink Artificial Blood Plasma Substitute.

I'm Just Saying It's Not Time For That Either. We Need To Focus And Having Maya Moon Over Rafe Is Making Everyone Uncomfortable." Rafe Grinned. "doesn't Bother Me.

Simon Had Drawn Three Pictures. In The Top Left Corner, Like A Salutation, Was A Ghost. The Middle Had A Big Sketch Of Arnold Schwarzenegger As The Terminator. The Third In Place Of A Signature, Was A Lightning Bolt Surrounded By Fog. Beside The Drawing, Someone Had Scrawled In Inch-high Letters 10 A.m. Tori Snatched It From Me And Turned It Over. "so Where's The Message?" "right There." I Pointed From Picture To Picture. "it Says: Chloe, I'll Be Back, Simon.

Lavina Led Me To An Abandoned Warehouse. I Think That At Some Point Someone Decreed That All Clandestine Meetings Must Be Held In One. Woe To The Criminal Overlord Who Lives In A City Thriving With Commerce, With No Empty Warehouses To Be Found. He Probably Needs To Build One, Just To Have A Place To Arrange Late-night Meetings. (bewitched)

You Guys Are Weird," Tori Said. Simon Sat On The Crate Beside Me. "that's Right. We Are Totally Weird And Completely Uncool. Your Popularity Is Plummeting Just By Being Near Us.

He Looked Like A Yanni Fan At An Iron Maiden Concert.

Simon: Anyone Ever Tell You Your Sense Of Timing Really Sucks? Derek: That's Why I Don't Play The Drums. Now What's Up?

You Bat Your Baby Blues At Tall, Dark, And Gruesome, And Next Thing You Know, He's Trailing You Like A Lost Puppy.

And He Says I Have Lousy Timing

I Screwed Up. Again. You're Shocked, I'm Sure.

No. Harsh Truth Was Better Than Comfortable Lies. It Had To Be.

I'd Always Thought Of Myself As An Open-minded Person. I Had No Patience With Anyone Who Put Down Other Kids Because Of Their Race, Religion, Or Sexuality. But That's Just One Kind Of Open-mindedness. There's Another Kind, Too, The Kind That's Willing To See People For Who They Really Are And Admit When You Were Wrong About Them. That's The Part I Still Need To Work On.

This Is So Cool," I Said Loudly As Dad Walked Away. "have You Met The Tattoo Artist? Is He Hot?" "he's A She," Mom Said. "is She Hot? Cause I'm Still Young, You Know. My Sexual Identity Isnt Fully Formed." "your Father Can't Hear You Anymore, Maya." Mom Sighed.

That's What We All Want, Isn't It? Power Without Price.

Young Writers Need To Be Encouraged To Write - Just Write - With No Restrictions On Form, Style Or Content.

We Have Kenjii. We Have My Cell Phone. Since We Aren't Officially Dating, I'm Sure You'll Agree That's All The Protection We Need.

He Was Trying To Tell Me Something.' Derek Snorted. 'aren’t They All? Must Be A Rule In The Ghost Handbook—if In Danger Of Evaporating, Make Sure You’re In The Middle Of A Dire Pronouncement.

I Remember Hearing Myself Start To Whimper, A Five-year-old, Crouched By The Side Of The Road, Staring Into My Father's Eyes, Whimpering Because It Was So Dark And There Was No One Coming To Help, Whimpering Because My Mother Was Back In The Crushed Car, Not Moving, And My Father Was Lying Here In The Dirt, Not Answering Me, Not Holding Me, Not Comforting Me, Not Helping My Mother Get Out Of The Car, And There Was Blood, So Much Blood, And Broken Glass Everywhere, And It Was So Dark And So Cold And No One Was Coming To Help.

How'd You Communicate?" "paper And Pen. Amazing Inventions. Anyway, Once We Were In Buffalo, I Led Him Here. We Couldn't Figure Out A Way In And He Got Stressed And Apparently That" -- She Waved At Him--- "is What Happens When A Werewolf Gets Stressed. By Then, The Garage Door Was Open, Some Staff Guy Bringing In A Car. He Took One Look At Derek And Decided It Was Time For A New Job

Bigger Room, Darling. Like I Said, We Need A Bigger Room.

I Had To Take Responsibility, Even If It Meant Saying No To An Authority Figure, Because I Was The Authority On Me.

I Could Only Stare, Any Sense That Maybe I Understood Him Evaporating As It Always Did. I'd Glimpse Something Underneath, And He'd Snatched It Away So Fast It Left Bruises That Called Me A Fool For Hoping For More.

There Are Just As Many Bitches Out There As Bastards. Equal Opportunity Asshole-ism.

Wish All My Corpses Would Do That.

After The Woman Left, I Set My Coffee Down And Opened The Bag. Two Muffins-double-chocolate And Blueberry Bran. I Texted Adam A Thank-you. I’d Just Started Eating The Chocolate Muffin When He Texted Backput That One Down And Eat The Bran. It’s Better Foryou.

When I Glanced At The Chair, It Started To Shake. I’d Like To Think It Was Scared Of Me, But I Rarely Invoked That Response In Living Things, Let Alone Inanimate Objects.

Inanimate Objects

I Understand That I May Make Mistakes With Characters Who Don't Share My Own Background, But I Commit To Doing My Best.

A Stereotype Becomes A Stereotype When A Significant Percentage Of The Population Appears To Conform To It.

Derek Caught My Arm Again As I Started To Move--at This Rate, It Was Going To Be As Sore As My Injured One. "dog," He Said, Jerking His Chin Toward The Fenced Yard. "it Was Inside Earlier." Expecting To See A Doberman Slavering At The Fence, I Followed His Gaze To A Little Puff Of White Fur, The Kind Of Dog Women Stick In Their Purses. It Wasn't Even Barking, Just Staring At Us, Dancing In Place. "oh, My God! It's A Killer Pomeranian." I Glanced Up At Derek. "it's A Tough Call, But I Think You Can Take Him.

How Long Could We Do This Before You Started Bitching?" Simon Said As We Turned Down Another Street Of Apartment Buildings. "what?" "we've Been Walking For Two Days Now, And You Haven't Complained Once. It's Damned Annoying, You Know." I Looked At Him. "if You Don't Complain, Then I Can't Complain. Not Without Sounding Like A Whiny Little Snot.

There Are Risks You'll Take For Yourself Because You Know That If Your Plan Goes Wrong, It'll Be Too Late For Regrets. But If You Risk The Lives Of Others And Fail, You'll Have A Lifetime To Regret It.

It Was Completely Fifth Garde And Completely Silly And I Loved It, Because He Wasn't Afraid To Be Silly. It Was Like Kissing Him First - I Could Do Whatever I Wanted And Not Have To Worry What He'd Think Of Me.

And Unless I'm Remembering It Wrong, Mermaids Don't Sing And Sirens Don't Swim." "ariel Sang In 'the Little Mermaid'," Corey Said. Sam Came Over To Join Us. "do I Even Want To Know Why You Remember Her Name?

You Think I Led Him On? For What? Kicks? I Don't Have Enough Exictement In My Life, So Maybe I'll Tease A Nice Guy, Get His Hopes Up, Then Laugh And Skip Away?

If It Gets Too Bad, Go. I’ll Understand.” I Won’t.

Go Out And Ask Her Into The Alley.” Clay Looked At Jeremy As If He’d Just Been Told To Dance The Rumba On A Public Thoroughfare. I Bit Back A Laugh. “just Walk Over To Her And Point At The Alley. Maybe Say…i Don’t Know…something Like ‘fifty Bucks.’ ” I Looked At Jeremy. “does That Sound Right? Fifty?” His Brows Shot Up. “why Are You Asking Me?” “i Wasn’t—i Just Meant, As A General…” I Threw Up My Hands. “how Am I Supposed To Know How Much A Hooker Costs?

...in Some Ways I Relied On That- Someone To Keep Me Thinking, Keep Me Striving To Do Better, Keep Me From Burying My Head And Praying It All Worked Out.

He Pivoted, Gaze Following Me As I Crossed To The Shower And Turned On The Cold Water, So It Would Drown Out Our Conversation Without Steaming Up The Room. Great," He Muttered."now They're Going To Think We're Showering Together. Maybe We Can Just Tell Them We Were Washing Off The Crawl Space Dirt And Trying To Conserve Water.

Wow. The Guy Can Make Me Feel Stupid Even When He's Telling Me I Don't Have To Let Him Make Me Feel Stupid.

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