The Bride Contract Quotes

“Kiahn nods his head. “Vel and her band of human fanatics helped me to research normal human courtship. First comes dating”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“Her pretty eyes go glassy and her lip trembles a little when she says the words that I know I’ll hear echoes of for the rest of my life. “Please don’t force me to love you any more than I already do, Kiahn. I don’t think I could stand it when you have to walk away.”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“Her lips quirk up on one side - a minute gesture that I find so infuriatingly attractive, that I start to think this little human is going to ruin me for all future breeding contracts. Honestly, it’s a startling question to ask myself, but I genuinely wonder if I’ll ever be able to get my cock erect for a female that isn’t her? Will I have to imagine Niska when I’m mounting my next bride?”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“the whole reason that it’s standard for breeding brides to grant their permission is so that participating males can use said permission to touch and… do other things with the perfect likeness of their bride. To desensitize them from the act, help them get used to it, and lower the risk of getting overexcited and issuing a bonding bite.”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“although their lands are divided up into principalities, the real power still lies in the capital, with the King. If the only way you can get heard by the king and his court is to prove that your ‘Bloodline Venom’ is strong, then you need to start having these super special kids with super special venom.”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“The females willing to enter a contract are putting themselves at risk of being bonded in the hopes that their offspring will possess a strong venom, keeping its properties going, where many are already long extinct now.”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“I’m an abducted human with no agency who has agreed to have sex with him in exchange for mine and my friend’s freedom - or, as close to freedom as humans can get out here.”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“after the period of the contract is up, male Xavianns just move onto the next one if there’s no baby as a result. Just like that. She had said that over three quarters of the contracts do not result in ‘successful breeding’, so the Prince should expect that outcome anyway. But I can’t help but feel that purposefully using a contraceptive without his knowledge is just enough to tip my guilty conscience over the edge.”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“What if I bite her?” I ask, the words sounding quiet and hoarse. What if I bond that sweet, vulnerable little human to me, and she ends up heartsick from it, just like my mother was?”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract

“So take these,” he murmurs, opening his other hand to show me half a dozen orange pills. I roll my eyes. “You shouldn’t even be taking those. You know the laws.” I’m not stupid, everyone knows my brother takes the bite suppressants so that he can bed females more safely - so that the risk of him biting them becomes as minimal as they can be without the drastic decision of fang removal. But the last time male Xavianns messed with the nature of our species with suppressants, it affected all the generations preceding them.”
― Melissa Emerald, The Bride Contract