#vampire-academy

"Yet, it had been Dimitri’s gentleness and thoughtfulness mixed with that deadliness that made him so wonderful. The same hands that wielded stakes with such precision would carefully brush the hair out of my face. The eyes that could astutely spot any danger in the area would regard me wonderingly and worshipfully, like I was the most beautiful and amazing woman in the world."

"Do you love him?"There were only a few people in the world who could ask me such insanely personal questions without getting punched. Dimitri was one of them."

"I'm backing down now. I really do love you. That's why I'm doing this."

"Life, unfortunately, doesn't seem to care what we want."

"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."

"Dimitri: "She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential—"Rose: "Wild and disrespecful? Who the hell are you anyway? Oursourced help?"Kirova: "Guardian Belikov is the Princess Lissa's guardian now, her sanctioned guardian."Rose: "You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?"

"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."