Nicole Sobon > Nicole's Quotes

“As much as I hated the silence, I also found a small part of me that appreciated it. Because, even for just a brief moment, it allowed me to escape the chaos that surrounded me. Silence, as unnerving as it was, was also rather beautiful.”
― Nicole Sobon, Stouthearted

“On one hand, I knew that we should have headed back to the others. Taking time to get cozy with Glate wasn’t the smartest of choices, especially given what had happened last time we tried to take advantage of what little free time we’d had with one another.
But on the other hand? Life was far too short to not give into temptation every now and again. We were all merely existing to die at one point or another. There would be no happily-ever-after for any of us. Life was what you made of it, and even if the world that I had found myself in had been complete and utter shit, I had decided that I would see to it that I lived out my last days happily.”
― Nicole Sobon, Stouthearted

“I needed Hack to think that I would comply, that I’d go along with his nonsense because that would be the only way to discover the truth. I needed him to think he was in control so that he could slip up. All it would take was one mishap on his end, that was all I would need.

One mistake and I would be able to figure out what he was hiding.

So instead of allowing my anger to guide me, I chose to allow hope to lead me in the right direction.

Hope was my ammunition.

And I was the weapon.”
― Nicole Sobon

“I shot him a smile and spun back around to face my computer screen, unable to process what the hell had just happened. That was when I noticed a small Post-It-note pressed against my Dell monitor. Scribbled across the neon pink sticky was a note from Jesse:
Evie, what are you so afraid of?
-Jesse
What was I afraid of? I was afraid of everything.
I was afraid of letting people in.
I was afraid of falling.
But most of all, I was afraid of myself. I was my own worst enemy.
I grabbed a blank Post-It note from the container on my desk and pulled a black pen out of my coat pocket. I allowed my hand to move freely, not thinking of my response. Only then, after I placed the pen down on my desk did I read what I’d written.
Reality.”
― Nicole Sobon, Decoding Evie

“This is your idea of mission uniform?” Cole asked, eyeing my burgundy leather ensemble.

I arched a brow at him as I shoved my cell phone inside of my back pant pocket. “What? Do you have a problem with it?”

“Well, last I checked, we were supposed to get in and take care of the mission without drawing any attention to ourselves.”

“And we will,” I assured him. “Just remember to keep your eyes on the target as opposed to on me, and we’ll be fine.”
― Nicole Sobon, Arabella

“I missed her. I missed her more than I’d ever admit aloud, but she was gone now, and there was no changing that. They burned her body just to be sure. After all, they couldn’t chance the possibility that the disease would survive after she’d died. “There’s still too much we don’t understand. It’s the only way to ensure the safety of the survivors.”
Survivors. Such an odd word for our predicament.
Yeah, we were still ourselves. Still human. Our minds still within our control. But were we alive? We spent our lives running, trying to escape the ever-tightening grasp of death, and yet, we were the survivors – the lucky ones.”
― Nicole Sobon, Survival Instinct

“I want to do this right,” he said.
“Wha—?” I went to protest, but he stopped me before I could.
“Gemma, trust me when I say I want nothing more than to kiss you. Hell, I’d love to take you right now, right here, but I can’t.”
Well, this was not where I saw things going. I crossed my arms over my chest in a pitiful attempt at mock sadness.
Ben just laughed. “Do you know why I can’t?”
Obviously not, I thought to myself. If I had, I wouldn’t have been begging for him to continue. Lying this close to him? It was hard to forget what had just occurred. My body was aching for his presence, for his touch, still adjusting to the electric shock that had coursed through me. “No,” I answered. “Please, enlighten me.”
Ben reached for my hand, entwining my fingers with his. A devilish grin spread upon his full lips. “Because, when I do finally kiss you, Gemma Michaels, I want to see to it that I’m your last first kiss.”
― Nicole Sobon, Collide

“Harley, if you’re asking me to marry you, I’m afraid I must say no,” he joked. “I mean, we hardly know each other, and you haven’t even bothered to ask my parents for my hand.”
“Will you shut up?” As much as I didn’t want to laugh, I failed. That was the good thing about Drake. He could be annoying, sure, but he knew how to lighten the mood when things became tense. “I’m being serious, Drake.”
“Okay, then shoot.”
“Are you like me?” As the words escaped my lips, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
“What do you think?”
“Answering a question with a question doesn’t work,” I answered. “And I think you are.”
“Well, then, you can rest assured knowing you’re right.” He shrugged as he turned the chair around to properly face me. “Although, I do believe I wasn’t supposed to tell you as much just yet.”
“Was my father behind this?”
Drake shook his head no. “The League—more specifically, the Council—had nothing to do with my arrival,” he assured me. “I came here for you, yes, but only because the clan of the vampire you killed is looking for you. And while you might not believe it, I’m your best chance at survival.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“You don’t understand it now, but I am keeping you safe,” he insisted. “Trust me, if it wasn’t for me, you would have been dead by now. They’ve also kept you alive because they knew I would kill them if they hadn’t.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, is that supposed to make me feel better?”
I wanted to hate him. My goodness did I want to hate him. The problem was, no matter how much he had pissed me off, I couldn’t bring myself to write him off. He was a piece of crap for allowing me to be captured. But I had to believe there was still good beneath the boy who stood before me. It couldn’t have all been a façade, could it?
Don’t be an idiot, Harley.
I just wanted to be happy, and Drake had presented a possibility of something I had wanted for so long but refused to admit aloud. For so long, the idea of wanting to be with someone terrified me. Heck, a future with someone seemed to be a novel idea. Then this frustrating and wonderful boy had entered my life and threw it into utter chaos. It was exciting, and I hadn’t wanted to consider my life without him.
But I also knew I had to question how much of what he’d displayed with me was real.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“Heightened senses would be useful in the field.
But in day-to-day life? No, thanks.
My thoughts were an utter disaster as it was. I’d spent so much time trying to get outside of my head, reminding myself that the person my mind thought I was and the person I truly was were two different entities. Taking on the weight of the world around me was an unnecessary evil I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with on a daily basis.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“This should be the last thing you want,” I said.
“And yet, it’s the only thing I want.”
“Perhaps I’m not the only one capable of making terrible decisions then.” Drake pressed his lips to mine again, and this time, I welcomed his mouth against mine. There was an urgency in the kiss, though he made sure to keep it soft and gentle. There was no denying the fear in his movements.
And that worried me. What had he intended to do that he was so scared?”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“Should I take your silence to be an opening?” He brushed his lips against my ear.
“You ask far too many questions.”
Drake released me from his grasp and climbed on top of me. “You have full control over what happens, Harley. Do you understand? If at any point you’re not comfortable, I need you to tell me.”
“Understood.” Drake looked down at me with a teasing smirk on his lips. “Now, will you just stop procrastinating and kiss me already before I change my mind?”
He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine as though testing my reaction. But slow was not how I preferred to roll. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair. Drake seemed to understand what I was doing and pressed his body against mine.
I knew I should have stopped it.
I should have stopped him.
But I couldn't. This was what I wanted.
Drake pulled away slowly. An amused grin pulled at his lips. "What?" I asked.
He shook his head. "You, Harley Sanders, will be my undoing.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“How do you get over being thrust into a life you didn’t ask for, though?”
Amelia forced a laugh. “Life doesn’t care what you want, Harley.”
Her words were harsh but full of truth. I knew it. Did I want to accept it? Absolutely not. I did understand, though. I couldn’t do anything about what led me here. I could, however, figure out how to move forward and hope for something better.
Was it guaranteed I would succeed? Nope.
Did I intend to try regardless? Yes.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“Life as a hunter often felt pre-determined for us. We were taught to use a stake early on, and hunting was something we were taught was a right of passage. I’d learned, though, nothing in life was set in stone.
All it took was one minor shake-up for our plans to change. It was terrifying at first, sure. The idea of having to accept the world wasn’t what you thought it to be, but once you let go of the idea that you had to follow a certain plan, life became better.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“Don’t be an idiot, Drake. I’m more than capable of enough
poor decision-making on my own,” I reminded him. “I don’t
need you falling victim to my half-assed decisions today.”
A smile tugged at his lips, and before I knew it, he’d had his
arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer against
him. I was fast, but he was faster. Much faster, it seemed. “You
don’t get to make my mind up for me, Harley. I’m more than
capable of making my own decisions.”
“Well then, perhaps you should learn to make some good
ones.”
Drake tightened his grasp on my waist and dropped his head
so that our foreheads touched. I felt the heat of his breath on
my lips as he opened his mouth to speak. “Whatever happens
to you today, I’m going to be there by your side. No matter
what.”
“Don’t be a creep,” I teased. Truthfully, though, I actually
wanted him there. It was stupid, and I knew as much. I needed
to retain a distance between us; I needed to keep him safe, no
matter what. And yet, I needed him to be there for me because
I was terrified of what awaited me.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“He used his free hand to grab a hold of my chin and lift my
face to his. His eyes were locked onto mine as though he had
discovered the most important thing in his life. Me. “I don’t
want to give you up,” he said before pressing his lips to mine.
At first, I hesitated. I wanted this. I wanted him. But I knew
I needed to keep my thoughts clear. Well, that and I was still
fearful of allowing things between us to become much of
anything more because the idea of giving him so much of
myself was unsettling.
I was still figuring out who I was and what I was meant to
do with my life.
I couldn’t be sure where I would be in two years.
Even a week from now was hard to imagine.
I would’ve loved to believe he would still be by my side, but
life was everchanging and nothing was ever promised to us. I
couldn’t stand the idea of letting him in, only to have to learn
to live without him should things go wrong. The truth of it all
was that I’d been on my own for so long, I had forgotten what
it was like to let someone else into your world, and the idea of
closing that door again? I couldn’t do it.
“This should be the last thing you want,” I said.
“And yet, it’s the only thing I want.”
“Perhaps I’m not the only one capable of making terrible
decisions then.” Drake pressed his lips to mine again, and this
time, I welcomed his mouth against mine. There was an
urgency in the kiss, though he made sure to keep it soft and
gentle. There was no denying the fear in his movements.
And that worried me. What had he intended to do that he
was so scared?”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“None of you are intending on coming back, are you?” I finally
managed to ask. “You never intended to see this through to the
end.”
“When you’ve lived a life as long as ours, Harley, the
promise of death is the only thing to look forward to.” Esme
shared a smile with Felix, who tipped his head ever so slightly
in agreement. “This isn’t a battle we ever truly wanted to be a
part of; it was merely a way to ensure our death would come at
last.”
“Couldn’t you have just asked them to kill you?” Frustration
overtook my voice because I realized the danger they’d put us
all in for selfish reasons.
“The Ancient Elders will do whatever they can to keep
themselves safe,” Felix answered. “You have to remember,
we’re their personal weapons. They don’t want to see our
demise.”
“Don’t get us wrong, we still hate your kind,” Amelia
assured me. “But when you’ve lived a life as long as us, sooner
or later, you find yourself craving an end to it all.”
“So comforting, Amelia,” I groaned. Honestly, I wasn’t
entirely sold on her hating hunters. Or at least, she hadn’t truly
hated hybrids as much as she would have liked me to believe.
After all, she’d given me a weapon to take down the Ancients
myself.
Still, I didn’t dare share our secret with the others.”
― Nicole Sobon, Thanks for the Venom

“If it comes down to it, and it doesn’t look like I’ll win,” I started. “Let me
die.”
He stood perfectly still for a moment, his eyes dark and his lips pursed as
though carefully mulling over his words. When he finally did speak, the sudden
rasp of his voice sent a shiver down my spine. “As a servant of Dante, I’m not
to risk my own being to save your own. However, I can’t let you sacrifice
yourself for a war you were unfairly born into.”
“Dare I ask why”
I placed my hand in his and allowed him to pull me to my feet.
“Because some souls are worth saving.”
― Nicole Sobon, Magic & Mischief

“You were utterly perfect,” he said, forcing me from my
thoughts. “I’ve never hated myself more than I did that night
because you were the girl I should’ve been with. You were the
one I wanted to be with.”
And yet, I wasn’t the one he’d chosen to go with.
Even now, all of these years later, it still hurt to recall the
pain I’d felt after he bailed on me. And hearing him say those
words? Well, they kind of pissed me off. “Then why didn’t
you do something back then?”
He pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes. He
dropped his right hand to my hip and tugged on the fabric of
my pajama shorts, bunching the fabric in his fist. “Because I
was a fucking idiot, Gemma.”
“Besides, you wouldn’t have wanted me back then,” he
continued. “Back then? I spent most of my time thinking with
my dick, and you deserved a hell of a lot better than me. You,
Gemma Michaels, deserve the world.”
He ran his left hand up the side of my body, bringing his
hand to rest at my waist, and I had to fight the urge to pull
him closer to me. I wanted more, but I wanted to see how far
he was willing to take things, first.
“And I would like to be the one to show you that,” he
said.
“Show me what?” I asked.
He grinned. “The world, sweetheart.”
― Nicole Sobon, Collide (Episode One)

“When a knock finally sounded from outside the apartment,
I eagerly rose to my feet and made my way toward the door to
let him in. “You do realize you have a key, correct?” I teased,
trying to bite back my nerves. “You don’t have to knock.”
“I don’t have to, but I wanted to.” He leaned in and gave
me a peck on my cheek and I took in the smell of his cologne.
It was light enough that it was hardly noticeable from a
distance, but up close, it was a mesmerizing scent, one
reminiscent of sandalwood. He pulled a small bouquet of
flowers from behind his back and handed them to me. “Your
favorite, of course."
All at once, my nerves seemed to ease up. I smiled as I
took the purple tulips from Ben and went in search of a vase
to store them in. “I’ll admit, I can get used to this.”
“Is that so?” He cocked a brow as he followed me into the
kitchen. “Well, I’ll admit, I could get used to you like this.”
He moved in behind me as I stood at the sink, filling a
vase with water for the flowers, and wrapped his arms around
my waist. “I’m a lucky man,” he whispered, leaning in closely
so that his warm breath caught against my neck, eliciting a
chill throughout my body. “You look amazing, Gems. So
much so that I fear if we don’t leave soon, I won’t be able to
stop myself from dragging you to your bedroom.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat or an offer?”
I grabbed hold of his arms and pressed back against him.
In response, he let out a growl. “Don’t tempt me, love. It’s
already hard enough,” he insisted. “We’re supposed to do
things the right way, remember?”
“Ah, yes. You and your ‘right way’ nonsense.” I leaned my
head back to look up at him and grinned because I knew he
was fighting it, and it would only be a matter of time before
he caved. “I know you and sooner or later, you’re going to
give in.”
“Don’t tempt me, love.” He pulled one of his hands from
mine and ran his right thumb over my jaw. “I’m trying to be
good here.”
“But maybe I don’t want you to be good, Benjamin.”
― Nicole Sobon, Collide: Episode Two

“I’d always wondered if I would ever encounter that kind of
love. If I’d ever be so lucky to know what it was like to
willingly give everything I had to one person. I’d always
thought it was a long shot. Me? In love, better yet, willing to
settle down? Yeah, right.
Gemma Michaels had other plans, though. The night we
spent together at the park was the promise of what was to
come; we just didn’t know it then.
“I wanted to bring you back to the place where I began to
fall in love with you,” I’d said.
My lips twitched as tears began to swell at the corners of
Gemma’s eyes. “You bastard,” she said with a laugh.
“Remember how I said you lack charm? I was wrong. You can
be pretty charming when you want to be.”
“Only when it comes to you, love.”
“Okay, no need to overdo it, bigshot. You’ve already got
me.”
When we got older, Molly asked my dad why he’d
ultimately decided to stay following Mom’s affair. His answer
had been simple. “No one is without fault, Molly. Giving up
on the person that matters most to you because they acted out
of fear is not love—you fight for love, dear. Because things
worth caring about, the things that make your heart race,
those are the things worth fighting for.”
I didn’t get it then.
But now, as I looked into Gemma’s eyes, I finally
understood what he’d meant.”
― Nicole Sobon, Collide: Episode Four

“As she waitress hurried off toward the back, I turned to
look at Gemma and grinned. “Benjamin? The full name,
Gems? Was that really necessary?”
She leaned in and laughed. “A girl’s gotta have some fun.”
“Well, I could think of a few ways to aid in that cause.”
Blood rushed to Gemma’s cheeks as she glanced around,
apparently to make sure no one had been paying us any mind.
Fortunately for her, no one else was within earshot, allowing her to relax. Still, it didn’t take away from my pleasure of
seeing her squirm in her seat. Although she wouldn’t admit it
aloud, I knew Gemma’s mind had gone there, too.
“Will you behave? This is a fine-dining establishment,” she
quipped.
“You’re adorable.” I leaned over, somewhat hanging off
the stool, and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “Now let’s get
you some pizza, shall we?”
“I knew there was a reason I loved you.”
― Nicole Sobon, Collide: Episode Three

“Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but rather learning to start over.”
― Nicole Sobon, Program 13

“The thing about the truth was that it sometimes tore apart the perfect world we forced ourselves into believing existed.”
― Nicole Sobon, Submerged

“I was drawn to him. My body sung in his presence, a hymn so low it was only audible to the two of us.”
― Nicole Sobon, Time After Time

“Juliet,” he said as I closed the gap between us. “Have you finally come to plead for my hand in marriage?”
“And why the hell would I do that?” I groaned.
“Don’t act as if you’re not head over heels in love with me.”
“Trust me when I say the only thing I feel towards you is the strong desire to plunge my stake into your chest,” I said with a shit-eating grin. “But for some reason, Ezekiel thinks you’re worth keeping around, so I have to play nice. For now.”
Deacon took a step closer and reached out his hand and grabbed hold of my face. “As if you wouldn’t let me kiss you right now,” he teased. “As if you wouldn’t let me do whatever I wanted with you if I asked.”
I rolled my eyes and yanked his arm away. “In your dreams, Deacon.”
“Oh, you have no idea, Juliet.”
― Nicole Sobon, The Curse

“What the hell was wrong with me?
Was I secretly attracted to Deacon? And if so, how the hell had that happened?
I tried to force myself to focus on something - anything - else.
No such luck.
Traitor, I thought to myself. I’d spent a majority of my life living among vampires and as a general rule, I always made it a point not to get into bed with them. It wasn’t that they weren’t attractive. They were. Hell, there were plenty of vampires I’d caught myself fantasizing about before Deacon. But with him, I actually wanted to act on those fantasies and that was dangerous territory.
A heart could be a deadly thing in a world at war.
And I couldn’t risk losing mine to a vampire soldier because I wanted him.”
― Nicole Sobon, The Curse

“I didn’t have to like her to have a little fun.
I wanted her, and there was no use denying it.
I was the hunter, and she was my prey.
Everything in me said it was wrong.
And yet… my body hungered for her touch. To feel her fingers as they ran over my skin, to feel the warmth of her flesh against mine; my lips pressed to her neck. I wanted to caress every inch of her body, to make her beg for me to stop, and I hated myself for it. Fucking hell. But I couldn’t stop. I didn’t.
“I can hear your heartbeat, princess,” I said, my voice full of desire and lust. “It’s racing with excitement. You want this, don’t you? Why, I imagine if I were to slip those panties off, I’d find you ready and waiting for me.”
“Is that what you spent your shower doing? Thinking about me?”
I could’ve been honest. I could’ve told her yes.
But I refused to let her have the upper hand.
No. If this was going to happen, I was going to be in control.”
― Nicole Sobon, The Curse

“I told you to look at me,” I growled. “Now, how about you listen and be a good girl, princess?”
“Give me one good reason,” she teased.
I felt the hunger as it took over my body. I sensed it the moment my eyes turned black. The moment my body went rigid on top of hers. Her scent had consumed me. It was a new hunger I’d never experienced. One I hadn’t known I needed. Without another word, I leaned down and pressed my lips to her. Desire erupted upon my tongue. I dug my fingers into her hips, adjusting her so that she was pressed tightly against me. “Is this a good enough reason?”
Our mouths met with a fierce passion, our tongues caressing one another as we were running low on time. “It’s going to take a hell of a lot more than that to woo me,” she said as we broke apart momentarily. “What else are you capable of doing with that tongue of yours?”
I often wondered how I would die. Never once did I believe it would be at the mercy of someone like Juliet. But my cock had never been one to make the best decisions. “Oh, you’ll find that out soon enough. Don’t worry about that, princess. I plan to taste every single inch of you before we’re through.”
“Promises, promises,” she said as she rolled her eyes playfully. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to wait for you to back up your words.”
― Nicole Sobon, The Curse