shalu > shalu's Quotes

“In the morning, you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you don't like me, and I can pretend that I don't care. But for tonight, let me pretend you're mine.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Every person gets one impossible wish, if the person wants something more than anything, and they can find a bit of magic to help them along.”
― Stephanie Garber, Caraval

“Evangeline's heart raced as she took her first step. During her search for the missing door, she'd read that the Prince of Hearts's church held a different aroma for everyone who visited. It was supposed to smell like a person's greatest heartbreak.
But as Evangeline entered the cool cathedral, the air did not remind her of Luc - there were no hints of suede or vetiver. The dim mouth of the church was slightly sweet and metallic: apples and blood.”
― Stephanie Garber, Once Upon a Broken Heart

“I wish our story could have had another ending.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“I’m going to go back and stop your son from killing her.”
The queen’s face fell. For a moment, she looked as old as the years she’d spent lying in a suspended state. “That is not a small mistake to fix. If you do this, Time will take something equally valuable from you.”
The Fate gave the queen a look more vicious than any curse. “There is nothing of equal value to me.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“It hurts, Jacks.”
“I know, love. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“The girl was dead. If her lifeless body had not confirmed it, then it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms. The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Glad to know you're thinking about me when you kiss your husband.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“I swear this is what I really want.” He spoke each word like a vow. “I want to erase every moment you and I have spent together, every word you’ve said to me, and every time I’ve touched you, because if I don’t, I’ll kill you, just like I killed the Fox.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“I don't care what she wants!' roared the Fate. 'I don't want her dead. She saved you, you need to save her.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Are you jealous of Luc?'
'I thought we'd already covered that yesterday. I'm always jealous. And so are you.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Ballads never end happily, everyone knows that.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“At the word sacrifice, something sparked in the Fate's cold eyes. He held the girl tighter, carrying her in his bloodstained arms as he stood and started down the ancient hall.

'What are you doing?' A crack of alarm showed in the queen's implacable face.

'I'm going to fix this.' He continued marching forward, holding the girl close as he carried her back through the arch.

The angels who'd been guarding it now wept. They cried tears of stone as the Fate set the girl at their feet and began wrenching stone after stone from the arch.

'Jacks of the Hollow,' warned the queen. 'Those arch stones can only be used one time to go back. They were not created for infinite trips to the past.'

'I know,' Jacks growled. 'I'm going to go back and stop your son from killing her.'

The queen's face fell. For a moment, she looked as old as the years she'd spent lying in suspended state. 'This is not a small mistake to fix. If you do this, Time will take something equally valuable from you.'

The Fate gave the queen a look more vicious than any curse. 'There is nothing of equal value to me.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Why are you being so cruel?'

'Because you won't leave!' Jacks shouted. 'And if you stay, you will die. Chaos hasn't fed in thousands of years. I know he thinks he can control his hunger, but he can't. That's why they put the helm on him.'

'You could have just said that. If you didn't want me to say goodbye or you want me to leave, you don't have to hurt me to get me to do it.'

'I'm not- I-' Jacks broke off abruptly. His eyes were no longer just red, they were blazing with fear. She'd never seen him look so terrified before. She'd been poisoned, shot, lashed across the back, and Jacks had always kept his calm until now.

With a great deal of effort, he took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was soft but uneven. 'I'm sorry, Little Fox. I didn't want to hurt you, I just-'

He looked suddenly at a loss for words, as if whatever he said next might be the wrong thing. He's never looked at her like this before.

'Jacks, please, don't use the stones tonight. Come with me instead.'

He took a jagged breath. For a second, he looked torn. He raked a hand through his hair, his movements jagged.

Evangeline took a step closer.

He shuttered his expression and took a step back. 'This doesn't change anything. I still can't have you in my life. You and I aren't meant to be.'

'What if you're wrong?'

Evangeline had once heard a tale about a pair of doomed stars, drawn across skies toward each other's brightness, even though they knew that if they drew too close, their desire would end in a fiery explosion. This was how Jacks looked at her now. As if neither of them would survive if they drew any closer.

'Evangeline, you need to go.'

A thunderous roar poured out from the Valory, so loud it shook the arch and the angels and the ground at Evangeline's feet.

'Get out of here.' Jacks said.

She held his gaze, one final time, wishing she knew how to change his mind. 'I wish our story could have had another ending.'

'I don't want another ending,' Jacks said flatly. 'I just want you to leave.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Evangeline started to fall, and then Jacks was there. Her eyes were too heavy to open-but she could feel him. He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs.
But she was. She just needed to tell him she loved him.
"Evangeline-" His voice was hoarse. "Come back to me...."
I'm not dead, she tried to say. But there was something wrong with her throat. And it seemed Jacks couldn't hear her thoughts.
He silently held her tighter and pressed his forehead to hers.
She wasn't sure if he was crying or if she was, but there was wet on her cheeks. It felt a lot like tears. And then she felt...
Nothing.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Jacks dropped a heavy arm around her shoulders, sending a shock straight through her as he pulled her suddenly close.
'Want me to kill any of them for you?'
'No, they're just gossiping.'
'Then what if I merely give them the urge to cut out their own tongues?' he asked, flashing one of his dimples.
Evangeline stifled a giggle, though she knew she shouldn't be amused. She had no doubt he was serious about the tongues. 'Don't you dare-'
'You sure? They deserve it.' The whole House deserves it.
The thought was so quiet, Evangeline wasn't sure Jacks intended for her to hear it.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Little Fox, when I saw you, I thought-'

He broke off as he set her atop all the twisted sheets. Then he fisted her hair in his hand and tugged until she was looking up at him. His face had all the agony of a fallen star, broken and beautiful, with eyes so blue, the colour of everything else looked dull.

Deliberately, his gaze fell to her lips.

Her breathing turned ragged, and she wished just once that he could kiss her.

He leaned closer and gently twisted her hair, angling her head as he brought their mouths incredibly close.

'You're still bleeding.' He licked the centre of her lips, soft and agonisingly slow. His tongue felt like heaven and hell. Like everything she wanted and all she couldn't have. She had to stop herself from leaning closer, though she doubted Jacks would let her. She could feel his fingers against her scalp, holding her in place, keeping her lips just shy of his.

But maybe it was close enough. Maybe they didn't have to touch. She could live like this as long as she could live with him.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“And it struck her how intimate words could be, how they could be spoken only once, for only one person, and they would never be heard again, they would disappear like a moment, gone almost as soon as you realized they were there.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“... she couldn't believe the inexorable pull she felt was entirely one-sided.

She looked up at his unreadable eyes as he lowered her in to the bed. 'Do you still think of me as just a tool?'

Jacks frowned. 'I try not to think of you at all.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“What exactly are you doing?' Jacks drawled.

The breath left her lungs, and the broken heart scar on her wrist caught fire. She hadn't even heard him enter. Evangeline stopped mid-twirl, her skirts still swishing as she caught his dashing reflection in the mirror.

Her heart gave a silly jolt. She tried to stop it. But while Jacks was many terrible things, there was no denying that he was also painfully handsome. It was the golden hair. In certain lights, it looked like real gold, shining over eyes that glittered more than human eyes ever could. So maybe it was the eyes as well. And perhaps she could blame a little on his lips. They were perfect, of course, and right now they were smiling with amusement.

'So this is what you do when I'm not around?'

Evangeline felt the sudden urge to hide inside her wardrobe, but she tampered it down as she turned and met his gaze with a smile of her own. 'You think about what I do when you're not around?'

'Careful, Little Fox.' He took a step forward. 'You sound excited by the idea.'

'I'm not, I assure you,' she said, wishing she didn't sound so breathless. 'I merely like the thought that I torment you as much as you torment me.'

Jacks flashed one of his dimples, making him look deceptively charming. 'So you're the one who thinks about what I do when you're not around?'

'Only because I know you're up to no good.'

'No good.' He laughed as he said the words. 'I would hope you know by now that I'm up to far worse than just "no good".”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“How can you keep mistaking me for someone who cares?”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She could feel the cool of his arms sliding gently under her legs and carefully under her neck as he cradled her to his chest.
'It hurts, Jacks.'
'I know, love. I'm going to take you somewhere safe.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Hello,' he said, almost shyly, as he approached the table. He was barefoot and shirtless, and adorably tousled, with golden hair falling over sparkly eyes that looked as if they were still waking up.

'Hi.' Her voice came out oddly shy as well, which only seemed to make Jacks smile.

'You didn't have to sneak out of bed,' he said.

'I didn't sneak.'

'Then why didn't you stay?' He casually slid in to the seat beside her and turned to her with a wolfish grin. It was a smile like a fairytale, part villain, part hero, part impossible ever after.

She couldn't bear how much she loved it.

But then she remembered the stone. She imagined she'd feel differently if it was in an iron box, and she feared that Jacks would, too. That he wouldn't be looking at her as if he wanted to devour her instead of the breakfast.

'Tomorrow, I won't let you leave so easily.' His eyes flashed with mischief, and he stole a bite of her toast.

The gesture was so simple and so comfortable, and all she could think was that it would be so easy to stay here. 'I thought you said it was just one night.'

'I thought you never believed what I said.' He shook his head reproachfully and tugged her on to his lap.

'Jacks-' Evangeline put a hand against his chest. She could feel his heart was pounding, which surprised her. On the outside, he looked so casual and careless, but now she imagined he felt as nervous as she did. It made her want to pull him closer, to press her head in to his shoulder and tell him all the things that she was trying not to feel.

She wrapped her arms around his neck , and for a second she held tight. She held him as if he was hers and she was his, and there was nothing else between them. No curses. No lies. No past wounds or mistakes. She held him as if there was only now, as if nothing else mattered but this moment. Then she let him go. She shoved off his laps with clumsy arms and even clumsier legs that stumbled as she tried to step back.

'Evangeline... what's wrong?' A line creased between his brows.

'This isn't real, Jacks. You and I, we're under the influence of the mirth stone.'

'You think you would only feel this way about me because of a rock?' Jacks' mouth clamped shut. For a moment he looked angry, but she looked in his eyes, all she could see was hurt.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“You're a little scary right now, do you know that?'
She glared at him.
'That's a compliment, Little Fox.' He reached towards her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear with one featherlight touch.
Butterflies moved inside her. Different from the ones that she felt whenever she saw Apollo. Because Apollo didn't frighten her.
'What are you doing?' she squeaked.
Jacks chuckled. 'If I knew all it took to scare you was a little touch, I would have tried this sooner.' His fingertips played with her earlobe.
Evangeline pulled away, almost stumbling on the frozen ground. She hated that her legs were so unsteady. That one small touch could affect her so.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She wanted the pain to end. She wanted to forget his dimpled smile, his brilliant blue eyes, the way he called her Little Fox. And suddenly, her chest was tight at the thought she might never heard that nickname again. And she didn't want to forget. She didn't want to forget at all.

She didn't want the memories erased or rewritten; she wanted more of them.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Everything between them felt as fragile as a raindrop that would cease to exist when it touched the ground. But the Hollow also felt like the sort of place where raindrops never touched the ground.

Jacks slowly ran a hand up and down her spine. 'Have you decided to stay.'

'I thought you already heard what I was thinking?' she whispered.

'I want you to say it out loud.' His words were low and quiet; she wouldn't have heard them if she hadn't been so close. And it struck her how intimate words could be, how they could be spoken only once , for only one person, and they would never be heard again, they would disappear like a moment, gone almost as soon as you realised they were there.

...

She meant to say, For tonight, I'm yours, but all that came out was 'I'm yours.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She hoped that he would argue with her- she hoped that he would fight for her. She hoped despite everything that he would choose her.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“All Evangeline cared about was that she was going to forget about him.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Fates were always fighting the urge to be that which they were made to be.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After