"He stepped back and threw his arms out."I'm always crazy around you Rose. Here, I'm going to write an impromptu poem for you."He tipped his head back and shouted to the sky:"Rose is in redBut never in blueSharp as a thornFights like one too."
"What's up?"I asked.You tell me,"he said. "You were the one about ready to start making out with Adrian."It was an experiment,"I said. "It was part of my therapy."What the hell kind of therapy are you in?"
"Vladimir did great things—so could she. Besides, they come first, right?""Not always."I stared. I'd had they come first drilled into me since I was a child. It was what all guardians believed. Only the dhampirs who'd run away from their duty didn't subscribe to that. What he said was almost like treason."Sometimes, Rose, you have to know when to put yourself first."
"You will lose what you value most, so treasure it while you can."
"Wait. You think I'm going to die? That's why you slept with me?"
"He sighed and then focused his eyes right on me. It was like drowning, drowning in seas of green. There was nothing in the world except for those eyes."I want to kiss you, Rose,"he said softly. "And I want you to want me too."