Threadneedle Quotes

“She threaded it into the music and found the song was different to the one she'd practised. What was coming out of her was new, painful to the touch, as if her fingers were leaving their usual bloodstains on the keys: she was locked in a dark cupboard; watching a picture of her mother curling in the flames of a fire; falling asleep, one hand in Effie's; Attis was reaching out to touch her neck; breaking up pianos in his forge, white keys scattered like bones; there was a small white key she wanted but could not have; a door that was locked, forever.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Anna was used to hearing the word duty, only when Aunt said it the word had the lash of a whip about it, a way to control and restrain. Effie’s version was an unlocking, filled with a feverish freedom.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“The fire finally crackled but it couldn't chase the loneliness from the house, the loneliness that comes from the space between two people who have nothing left to say to one another. Two people are not quite a family.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“He had dark, unruly brown hair and a smile that promised many things, none of them good.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“She wasn't sure what to do next. They were so close. The room so hot. Their anger alive and temporarily frozen like the sparks of only moments ago; Attis's breath fast and heavy and the scent of him suddenly dizzying. Anna looked down. He stepped closer and lifted her chin, his eye's a smoke behind which fire burned-.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Anna had never heard plants being talked about in such a way – their meanings unfolded, their chemistry invaded by legend and lore. The garden, stirred by the wind, seemed to inhale and exhale around them, releasing their stories into the air.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Bertie laughed heartily. ‘Men are always so quick to slap a label on things. I attribute most of the problems of the world to that. They think they’re being clever, carving everything up, but all true wisdom is lost that way.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Attis smiled courteously. ‘The plants have a say in this?’ ‘It would be impolite to imply otherwise when you’re standing in their space.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Bertie smiled. ‘No one is looking for magic any more, my dear. No one sees beyond their own nose – or their phone for that matter.’ Bertie made it all sound so simple – there was magic and it was as natural as any living thing. It didn’t have to be hidden away like some sort of sickness.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Anna had never seen a garden like it – no flower beds, no paths, no lines, nothing was restricted and yet there seemed to be a kind of order to it all, an agreement among the living things of where they ought to be and how much they ought to grow. The lights brought the swirling, shadowy textures to life. A small stream ran down through the centre, whispering to itself.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“The Dark Times have long gone. We don’t live in that world any more. I mean, back then people believed in magic and feared the Devil. Now no one believes in anything and the only thing people fear is, you know, terrorism, or global warming, or a picture of their face becoming a meme.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Yes. I like bear men, but I like the lean ones too. Sometimes I like girls. Depends on my mood." She took the coffee off the barista and inhaled it deeply. "Saying that, I like coffee more than all lovers put together.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“He had a little piece of her soul now and she would see it in every single smirk of his.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Are you secretly a dwarf? Aren't they always blacksmiths?"
"Bit tall for that, aren't I?"
"Goblin?"
"Too beautiful for that."
"Maybe a goblin then…" Anna mused.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“Aren't you going to get yourself burnt?"
"I don't burn easy."
"Forged in the fires of hell and all that?"
"Something like that.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“I like a woman with an appetite."
"I think you like any woman with a pulse," she pointed out.
"A pulse certainly helps.”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle

“She could feel his breath on her neck, the heat of him. Her legs were stuck to the floor. The dress hung on her, open. She turned around slowly. It was like losing her free will again, only this time, instead of not being able to feel anything, she could feel it all - too much - not enough - she wanted more. His hands were painful flames on her skin; his lips were longing; his eyes were the place you go before sleep - smoke and dreams and escape.

'Attis,' she exhaled and he lowered himself towards her. The kiss was slow and sweet and agonizing, like one of his magical symbols, turning her molten in his arms; beneath, a fire roared, a heat Anna had never known, a heat that only grew against the impossible softness of his lips. She grabbed at the collar of his shirt as his hands pressed against her back. She wanted to sink into him forever, for every last knot inside of her to come undone. She felt her dress fall of her shoulders...”
― Cari Thomas, Threadneedle