Amanda

“Taking my tree escape route, I dropped onto the ground with no attempt to be stealthy, since I wanted to be seen by whoever was on guard duty. The operative word being “seen.” Not tackled to the ground, hitting it with a hard whoosh as all my breath left me. Though that may have been for another reason as my body instinctively recognized the scent of iron and musk. “What have we here?” Rohan’s voice vibrated against me. I had to turn my head to answer or risk eating dirt. “Do you mean ‘we’ in the royal sense or are the voices in your head clamoring in unison?”
― Deborah Wilde, The Unlikeable Demon Hunter

“I plank with no hands,” I bragged. “That’s why my arms ain’t swole like yours.” His brows drew together in a slightly perplexed clench. “Bet those are some mighty toes.” “Right?” I nodded seriously. “My toes are so much mightier than yours will ever be.” I”
― A.J. Aalto, Blightmare

“Maybe the fire’s inside,” she ponders, “and we just can’t see it.” “Sure.” “Isn’t that how it usually goes? The problem’s burning inside us, so deep inside that we don’t even know it’s there?”
― Daryl Banner, Beneath The Skin

“...I love her. I think I want to be with her."
"Be careful, Captain al-khoury. Those words mean different things to different people. Make sure they man the right things to you."
"Don't be an ass. I mean them."
"When did you mean them?"
"I mean them now. Isn't that what matters?"
A muscle worked in Khalid's jaw. "Now is easy. It's easy to say what you want in a passing moment. That's why a harem waits outside your door and the mother of your child won't have you."
He strode back toward the palace.
"Then what is the right answer, say yidi? What should I have said?" Jalal called out to the sky in exasperation.
"Always.”
― Renee Ahdieh, The Rose & the Dagger