The Falconer Quotes
"I’ve memorised their every accusation: Murderess. She did it. She was crouched over her mother’s body, covered in blood."
"You’re fine, I tell myself. You’re not angry. They’re just a bunch of ninnies not worth being upset over."
"I wonder what transgression they have made up for me this time – other than the obvious one, of course."
"I can never let the real me show. If I do, they’ll all realise that I’m far worse a woman than they imagine me to be."
"I’ve committed murder exactly one hundred and fifty-eight times in twelve months. My tally now grows almost every night."
"The daughter of a marquess does not hunt faeries."
"I feel the dark part inside of me stir and rise, desperate to do only three things: hunt, mutilate, kill."
"The daughter of a marquess does not charge out of a ballroom. The daughter of a marquess does not abandon her partner in the middle of a dance."
"Strength resurging, I let out a fierce scream and slam a fist into the revenant’s soft spot, its abdomen."
"If I’m going to die, I’ll die fighting. Never at the mercy of any faery – not like my mother."
"I am not broken or empty. The shadow-self inside me that compels me to kill is silent. I am unburdened. I am complete."
"The hunt has become second nature. I have to hush my barbaric thoughts or I’ll act too soon and lose myself."
"I’ve learned never to say thank you when he mends my dresses. Faeries take heavy offence to gratitude."
"The darkness inside me wants little else than to kill again."
"You underestimate me. And that is a mistake."
"I scramble to my feet and sprint to Kiaran. ‘What are you doing?’ I grin. ‘You’ll see.’"
"‘Black powder is a light explosive,’ I say defensively. ‘I didn’t factor in the redcap’s reaction to the seilgflùr – are you angry?’"
"I watch mutely as Kiaran plants his heavy boot in the center of the redcap’s massive chest and shoves the faery over the bridge’s remains. He tosses the heart after it."
"‘I built it,’ I say through clenched teeth. ‘You always told me to do whatever was necessary to slaughter the fae, and I did exactly that.’"
"I can’t believe he just referred to Mother’s death in the same way one might describe a couple caught in a garden tryst."
"A wedding would shift attention away from last year’s . . . unfortunate circumstance."
"‘What you want isn’t important,’ he says. ‘Duty comes first.’"
"‘I can’t help saying something. ‘Are you so anxious to be rid of me?’"
"I never shed tears for the woman he loved so much. I never gave my father the answer he wanted most: some insight into what happened."
"I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to distress you."
"‘I thought you said I look awful.’ ‘Like hell,’ he clarifies. ‘Like splendid, magnificent, beautiful hell.’"
"‘You’ve been killing them, haven’t you?’ His voice is low. Emotions thicken his melodic accent and it surprises me so much that I’m not certain how to respond."
"I’ve never seen him so out of control before. Whatever emotions he might feel are always so carefully reined in, coiled tight."
"You sense fae power. You fight almost as fast as I do. You’re stronger than other humans, and you heal more rapidly."
"I don’t know how to comfort someone. I can’t reassure Gavin with words or empathetic expressions. I don’t have the words, and I’ve lost all ability to be gentle."
"When I’m calm, it’s easier to distance myself from the memories. I can pretend my damage is less serious than it is."
"Gavin’s jaw tics. ‘Fine. If that’s how you want to leave it.’"
"‘Dulls the visions,’ he says. ‘Would you like some?’"
"It’s not really a howl – that’s its power. Our human ears just interpret it as sound."
"We’ll never be the same, he and I. We’ve seen too much ever to be the people we once were."
"I killed a cù sìth. Surely you didn’t miss it?"
"This is my last chance to go back before that happens."
"One night of thoughtless frivolity and you have managed to tarnish our family name, my standing, and your mother’s memory."
"I’m someone who has slayed for you, who pulled you from that river, saved your life and taught you all the ways to kill me and mine."
"‘I’m human,’ I snap. ‘That’s what I am. Just like you.’"
"My fantasy at this precise moment is to enjoy a dram or two. I could use the drink."
"Power is immeasurable. It's thrilling, seductive, a craving that becomes an ache inside. A need that is never sated or forgotten."
"To take in all of this, every calm moment you can. Breathe in the sight so deeply that the memory becomes a fundamental part of you."
"I've seen my share of battle, and I've faced worse than what we are about to. Do you know the most vital thing I've learned? To take in all of this, every calm moment you can."
"Sometimes, it will be all that's left to ground you."
"If you think it humanises me, you're a sentimental fool."
"Time allows me to become more skilful at hiding how much I hurt inside. Time makes me a great liar. Because when it comes to grief, we all like to pretend."
"It's a sacrifice I made, Kam. I can never go back there."
"I never once felt the need to use it, during any of those nights I earned dozens of injuries?"
"Don't make the mistake of believing you know that part of my past. If you think it humanises me, you're a sentimental fool."
"Beautiful, he says. Brutal. No words in any language could ever adequately describe it."
"Because I didn’t belong there any more, Kam. I don’t belong here, either."
"This is the downside of immortality, Kam. Nothing stays the same. Everything changes. Except me."
"Humans pulse with vitality and an unending, compulsive need to cling to life."
"I know your weakness, Kam. What triggers you."
"You may go. I don’t care to discuss this with you."
"You’ll wish you had killed Kadamach when you had the chance."