The Hands of Time Quotes

“I, on the other hand, was glad to have found a home at the place where I was the happiest—here, at school. And not just at any school, but the school that I founded—The Emerson-Abbot Academy for Demigods and Witches.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“He placed a hand on Danielle’s shoulder, and she spun around, throwing herself into his arms and burying her head into his chest. He held her tightly, and then he pulled away to look into her eyes. He said something to her—we couldn’t hear what he said since the portal blocked all sound—and then he lowered his lips to hers in a long, sensual kiss. Being together seemed to come naturally to them—as if they’d done this many times before. But eventually they broke apart, and Erebus reached for Danielle’s hand, as if letting us know he was there for her.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“It is.” She nodded. “Erebus is there on the other end. He wants to make sure I bind the portal on my own free will, so he’s waiting to join me until it’s complete. Once it is, he’ll stay by my side. Forever.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“But once you’re in Kerberos, there’s no coming back. So you need to be absolutely sure about this. If you have even a sliver of doubt, it’s okay. I’ll do it. I’ve been preparing myself for this since the night we spoke with Nyx. I’m ready.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“Yes,” she said. “I know this is sudden to you all, but I love Erebus. And he loves me. He promised me that if I do end up in Kerberos, he’ll stay there with me. He’ll keep me protected. He’ll even work with me to try to find a way back to Earth. I also won’t age while in Kerberos, so we’ll be able to search for a long time.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“They’d been removed and flung across the floor pretty quickly last night.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“My eyes opened, and Blake’s eyes staring back at me were the first things I saw. I smiled at the memory of last night and snuggled closer into him. We’d been holding each other all night, and I’d never slept better. Being with him, with his arms around me, it just made me feel so… safe.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“So he picked me up and carried me to the bed, and that night, we loved each other more than we ever had before.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“Yes,” I said, and I crushed my lips to his, running my fingers up his chest and burying them in his hair. A moan sounded from deep in my throat, and I arched my body up, pushing it hard against his. But it wasn’t close enough. Every inch of me pulsed with desire for Blake. I wanted more. I wanted him.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I know we haven’t been together for that long, but we’ve been through so much that it feels like forever.” His lips were so close to mine now, electricity buzzing between us. “I don’t know if I can properly get across how much you mean to me, but we don’t know how much time we have left together, so I’m going to try. Because before you, my life was empty and void. I went through the motions, but I wasn’t fully there. Then you burst into my life with fire and passion and lit it up in ways I never thought possible. With you, I feel more alive than ever. I’ve told you a million times, but I’ll say it once more—I love you, Nicole. I don’t want you to ever doubt that. So tonight—if you’re ready—I want us to be together completely. I want to show you how deep my love for you goes.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I love you, too.” I trailed my thumb over his cheek, trying to commit every inch of his face to my memory. “Knowing that there’s still a possibility—a big possibility—that you’ll have to make this sacrifice… it hurts more than I can say. But I don’t want to distance myself from you. If we only have a limited amount of time left… I want to spend as much of it together as possible.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“If there is, we’ll do everything in our power to discover it,” he said. “But no matter what, never doubt how much I love you. I came with you down to the Underworld to try to find another solution to this problem. I will go with you anywhere if it means we’ll have a chance at a future together. No matter what happens, I hope you never forget that.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I snuggled closer into him, resting my cheek against his chest. In his arms, I felt so warm and safe. I wished we could stay here in this moment forever.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“He got up and joined me in my chair, pulling me to his chest and wrapping his arms around me. “I love you, Nicole,” he said, his voice full of so much strength and passion that I knew he meant it. “And it’s because I love you that I have to do this. If I don’t, then you’ll never be safe. No one on Earth will ever be safe. I couldn’t live with myself if I let that happen.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I’d bolted to the shower so quickly that I hadn’t bothered to take pajamas into the bathroom with me, so I wrapped myself in a towel, brushed out my hair, and walked back into the bedroom. My eyes met with Blake’s, and I held the towel closer, feeling practically naked there in front of him. I was sure in that moment that he could see straight into my soul, and every inch of my body ached to run up to him and kiss him and pretend that everything was going to be all right and that he would be able to live out the rest of his life on Earth.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I couldn’t help noticing that they were each supporting the punishment proposed by their godly ancestor. Especially because I was about to do the same.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I vote human,” Danielle said. “Aphrodite’s idea about forcing him to be a male consort was pretty amusing.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“We should throw Helios into Tartarus,” Blake spoke up first. “It’s the worst part of the Underworld, and once he’s trapped down there, we’ll be rid of him for the rest of our lives. He’ll never give us another problem again.” “I liked Zeus’s idea,” Chris chimed in. “Turning him into a tree and infesting the tree with termites.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“Wise girl,” Athena said, and Apollo smiled, as if proud that I was his daughter.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“But before they send you off, I’ll request for them to let Aphrodite stay behind for a bit, so she can finally kneel down to me and suck my⁠—”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“Fine.” She huffed, reining her arms back in. “But only because you asked so nicely. And I expect you to properly thank me for listening to you when we get back to your bedroom in Olympus.” She raised her eyebrows at him, practically purring as she said the last part, and then she kissed him on the mouth—tongue and all.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“Everything we go through in our lives—even the hard parts—helps make us who we are.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I couldn’t wait any longer,” I told him. “What if that moment in the cave was the last time we ever saw each other? I couldn’t live with that. And now that we’re finally with each other again… I didn’t want to waste any time. We never know what moment might be our last.” “What’s gotten into you?” he asked, smiling. “You’re acting like you haven’t seen me in a month.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“I love you, Blake,” I said, unable to stop the words from pouring out of my mouth. “I love you so much.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time

“Everything we go through in our lives—even the hard parts—helps make us who we are. I wouldn't forget anything, even if I could.”
― Michelle Madow, The Hands of Time