Sophie Jordan Quotes & Sayings

Character is what you do when no one's looking. — Sophie Jordan

For some reason I hesitate to tell him where I live. I don't want to come across as the spoiled little rich girl that's fallen low. Even if I am. — Sophie Jordan

I wait for him to announce my presence, holding his gaze, refusing to look away, determined that this beautiful boy see the face he sentences to death with this next words. — Sophie Jordan

This is the best thing I've ever eaten." He pauses for a drink, staring at me over the rim of his glass of juice.
" It's the provolone," I say, swallowing my last bite.
"It's the chef. — Sophie Jordan

I wish for adventure.
I wish to matter.
I wish for a home. — Sophie Jordan

That's what I wanted. Something to enrich me, to make me feel better about the things in my life that I could never change." - Page 56 — Sophie Jordan

Kicking off my shoes, I climed in beside him.
I eased toward him. His body radiated heat in the bed. I relaxed, inching closer, burrowing the tip of my nose against his back, savoring the clean smell of his skin, fresh from the shower.
His voice rumled through his back toward me. "Hey, your nose is cold."
I grinned ahainst his skin. "How about my feet?" I wedged them between his calves.
He hissed. "Get some socks on, woman. — Sophie Jordan

What question?" I ask, breathless.
"Whether you're as beautiful in the morning as you are during the rest of the day. — Sophie Jordan

You are no one in my life," she said in a voice fraught with tension. "You cannot tell me what to - "
"Oh, I can," he bit out, his voice a gravelly purr that abraded her skin and sparked something inside her. His hand slid around her nape and hauled her closer. His pirate's eyes swallowed her up and forced all the air out from her lungs in one great rush. "I will."
She opened her mouth to protest, but his mouth covered hers. Claimed her. It was the only word for it. This was a taking. And she the taken. — Sophie Jordan

His hand glides down my arm, folds over my hand. His fingers lace with mine, palms kissing. I can feel the fast thud of his heart through this single touch. — Sophie Jordan

Just because we are carriers doesn't mean that we have to live without conscience. The minute we forget that, the minute it's every man for himself ... then all is lost. We've become the monsters they say we are. — Sophie Jordan

I won't let him retreat from me. We've come too far. I'll fight for us even if it's him I have to fight. — Sophie Jordan

You want to go out?" he asks suddenly.
I blink. "As in a date?"
"Yes. That's what a guy usually means when he asks that question. — Sophie Jordan

I am what everyone always thought. A killer. — Sophie Jordan

Shaw took my hand, his fingers lacing with mine. "Happy?" he asked.
I smiled, my chest swelling with emotion. "More than I ever thought possible."
He kissed me, murmuring against my lips, "Get used to it. This is only the beginning. — Sophie Jordan

I'll find you. I will. We'll be together again. — Sophie Jordan

What good is safety if you're dead inside? — Sophie Jordan

That's just ridiculous, I breathed, awe and lust swirling through me like some heady elixir. — Sophie Jordan

I was immediately swept up in Ariane's story. Equal parts thrill-ride and love story, The Rules is intense and emotional. This book stays with you long after you finish. — Sophie Jordan

Life is full of regrets. They'll cripple you if you let them. — Sophie Jordan

This is impossible."
"This what?" I clutch the collar of his shirt in my fingers. His face is so close l study the varying color of his eyes.
For a long time, he says nothing. Stares at me in that way that makes me want to squirm. For a moment, it seems that his irises glow and the pupils shrink to slits. Then, he mutters, "A hunter in love with his prey — Sophie Jordan

Never forget that we are more than the genetic code. We can be more than labels applied to us. We can be more than what others whisper behind our backs. Free will exists. We need to choose to be the best we can be and we need to help others do the same. Believe in yourself. — Sophie Jordan

His hands lifted and slid over my tear-soaked cheeks, holding me almost tenderly. He looked troubled. There was no other word for it. "I don't know what it is you do to me."
I do something to him?
His voice continued, a dark little whisper rushing over my lips. "But I'm not going to fight it anymore. — Sophie Jordan

I once saw a show about an amputee who lost his leg and still feels it. He actually wakes up at night to scratch his leg as if it's still there, attached to him. They call it a phantom limb.
I would be like that. A phantom draki, tormented with the memory of what I once was. — Sophie Jordan

No one to trust. No friends. A life of silence broken only with music. — Sophie Jordan

He steps onto the sidewalk and rocks on the balls of his feet. He looks beautiful standing there, and a familiar ache starts in my chest as I wonder how I can love and fear the sight of someone with the same intensity. — Sophie Jordan

Let's go. I don't want to keep you from the things you have to do ... like plan the next crime wave with your biker gang."
"Sure. And you don't want to miss your nail appointment."
I cocked my head. "That's tomorrow. — Sophie Jordan

The water is still and smooth. Polished glass. Not a ripple of wind disturbs the dark surface. Low-rising mist drifts off liquid mountains floating against a purple-bruised sky. An eager breath shudders past my lips. Soon the sun will break. — Sophie Jordan

I simply do not subscribe to the hypocrisy of sitting in a church surrounded by an overprivileged Society that sings alleluias on Sunday and practices hedonism the rest of the week. — Sophie Jordan

It's easier for parents to ignore, to pretend that everything's great and then do whatever they want while convinced it's something you want, too. — Sophie Jordan

I wont let him have you. — Sophie Jordan

You're scared," he said quietly.
"Scared?" I scoffed. "Of what?"
"Of anything real. And what we have is real. You love me and it terrifies you."
"I don't love you," I lied.
He grabbed my face then, dragging me closer with both hands. "You love me. I know you do. I know it because I can see it in your eyes ... in the way you look at me." He inhaled. "It's the same way I look at you. — Sophie Jordan

You're with Hunter." It was more of a question than a statement.
Tears welled up in my eyes. "But it hasn't been right. It hasn't been you. I can't ... I haven't been able to - " I sucked in a deep breath. "I can't be a real girlfriend to him when all I can do is think about you."
"Ah, shit, Pepper." Still holding my face, he lowered his forehead to mine. "I'm not going through this again with you just so you can run when you get scared that I'm not like some ideal you built up in your head. I love you. I'm fucking in love with you, but it's all or nothing. I won't do this again unless it's going to be like that."
Now I was crying, choking on my sobs. "I know. I want that. It took me so long to figure that out, but I know now. You are the safest thing I'll ever find." I deliberately repeated his words, holding his gaze and letting them sink in. "Because you love me. Because I love you. — Sophie Jordan

He feels it, too. His eyes widen. A lovely hazel. Green with flecks of brown and gold. The colors I love. The colors of the earth. — Sophie Jordan

Where did you sleep?"
His mouth curled in a cocky grin at this question. "Where do you think?"
...
He turned his attention back to the wood and answered his own question, sounding a little bored all of a sudden. "On the couch. — Sophie Jordan

My imprint is there for the world to see. I don't try to hide it with my hair or a high collar. When I got ready for school this morning, I kept thinking of Sean. How proud he appears. Unapologetic. And I want to be like that. I don't want to look cowed or ashamed. I may not want to be this, but I don't want to be that girl, either. I don't want to be afraid. — Sophie Jordan

I won't leave you! Do you know how unbearable it's been without you? You're not like the rest of them." His hand swipes through air almost savagely. I stare at him, my eyes wide and aching. "You're not some well-trained puppy content to go along with what you're told. You have fire." He laughs brokenly. "I don't mean literally, although there is that. There's something in you, Jacinda. You're the only thing real for me there, the only thing remotely interesting. — Sophie Jordan

You are the worst kind of liar. You justify your actions. If you see a need, your arrogance precludes you from ever considering that there may be an alternative aside from your scheming and manipulations. — Sophie Jordan

What happened to you, baby? — Sophie Jordan

Miguel: We've only gone over 100x! Mika: K - gonna roc!! Billy: Glad ur babysitting, dumbass. U know how 2 shoot, right? Mika: Screw u! Kevin: Cut the crap - stay focused treat us like animals we'll show them animals Mika: Hear that! Miguel: Payback a bitch! — Sophie Jordan

I thought you were gone, Pepper. It was bad enough to lose you the first time, but to lose you like that? I couldn't have dealt with that. — Sophie Jordan

In this remarkably fast-developing world of science and technology, never forget that we are more than genetic code. We can be more than the labels applied to us. We can be more than what others whisper behind our backs or shout in our faces. Free will exists. We need to choose to be the best we can be, and we need to help others do the same. — Sophie Jordan

It's unclear who moves first. We're in each other's arms, lips locked, melded, hotly fused. Our hands drag over each other, reacquainting, remembering, almost as if we're both verifying the other one is real flesh and blood. — Sophie Jordan

You have my word. If you return with me, you won't be harmed. I'd die first. — Sophie Jordan

When I shoot, the ball bounces hard against the backboard, and flies wildly through the air, knocking the coach in the head. I slap a hand over my mouth. The coach barely catches herself from falling. Several students laugh. She glares at me and readjusts her cap. With a small wave of apology, I head back to the end of the line. Will's there fighting laughter. "Nice," he says. "Glad I'm downcourt of you." I cross my arms and resist smiling, resist letting myself feel good around him. But he makes it hard. I want to smile. I want to like him, to be around him, to know him. "Happy to amuse you. — Sophie Jordan

After running for my life from hunters, a girl with too much lip gloss doesn't register on my fear radar. — Sophie Jordan

Rage
that old familiar friend that got him through the hardest of times. — Sophie Jordan

Didn't she know yet? People you loved, the ones you cared about the most, they all died eventually. No one was spared. When you lost them, everything you had, all of your heart, was lost, too. It crippled you. Left you an empty shell, functioning on instinct alone. "You're horrible," she whispered, so softly that — Sophie Jordan

It's going to be okay, Jacinda."
I angled my head. "So I won't be punished?"
"I convinced them that you wanted to return. I told them you're eager to fall back into pride life. That you'll behave yourself and be more compliant." His top lip curls faintly, and I remember what he told me in Chaparral when he found me, that he liked me because I was different from everyone else here. Now he wants me to be the same.
I inhale sharply through my nose. Compliant. Submissive. Meek. Biddable. Do I even have it in me?
"Compliant? Jacinda?" Az giggles, unaware of the tension. "They bought that? — Sophie Jordan

Xander wears a lazy smile - looks bored. As if he sensed me watching, his gaze cuts to me, the smile vanishing from his face. His dark eyes seize hold of me.
"Turn around."
My pulse jackknifes against my throat at the deep voice. I look back at Will.
His lips barely moved as he speaks. "Trust me. You don't want to be one of the girls Xander notices. It never goes well for them."
"I've hardly spoken to him. I don't think he - "
"I noticed you."
A dark thrill races through me. I wipe damp palms on my jeans.
He laughs then. Low and soft. An unhappy sound. "So, yeah. He noticed you." His lips twist. "Sorry about that. — Sophie Jordan

Sudden conviction races through me, almost terrifying in its total certainty. I can't give him up. He's the other part of me. He gets what it feels like to be separate from everything and everyone, to reject the path others lay out for you. We're the same. Two sides to the same coin. — Sophie Jordan

Jacinda nearly manifested at school today, Tamra tattles in that singsong voice of whiny kids everywhere. It reminds me of when I would take her dolls and give them haircuts. — Sophie Jordan

He would be damned if he fell prey to love's debilitating thrall. — Sophie Jordan

I shrug like I don't care ... Like every fiber of my being isn't weeping in need for him — Sophie Jordan

What are you doing out here this late?" A frown pulls at his mouth. "It's one in the morning."
"Me?" I walk across the lawn slowly, still not fully trusting. "What are you doing here?" And no, I don't believe he had just been driving by. "Are you stalking me?" Hunting me? I want to add.
He blinks. Some of the tension carving his face loosens then. Replaced with something else. He rubs at the back of his neck. The move is self-conscious. Innately human. Embarrassed.
"I - "
"You are," I pronounce, an unbidden smile coming to my mouth.
"Look," he grumbles, his eyes angry. Defensive. "I just wanted to see where you live."
I stop before him. "Why?"
He rubs the back of his neck again, this time the motion is savage, annoyed. With me or himself, I'm not sure. — Sophie Jordan

Exactly what he wanted me to do. Exactly what they all thought I would do. Everyone in here. Everyone out there in the world. A world so afraid of carriers, it makes killers out of the innocent. — Sophie Jordan

He turns slightly ... and smiles. Just a small smile, but lovely. Sexy. — Sophie Jordan

A heart of stone could never break. But it could feel fear. — Sophie Jordan

Yeah. A real date. Something official. You. Me. Tonight. We're long overdue. — Sophie Jordan

Hope is all there is. All we have. And love. Or what's the point of any of it? — Sophie Jordan

Why are you here?"
His chest lifts on a deep breath. "I'm done."
"Done with what?"
"Done letting you avoid me."
I cock my head. I hadn't run him off? Could it be so simple? So easy? Poof! He's here whether I like it or not. I didn't even need to convince him that I had changed my mind? "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Because I'm not. Like the truest coward, when presented with my self-professed goal, doubts assail me. I'm not sure I'm ready for him. Even if being with him gets me the information I need about other prides, I'm still left with the issue of manifesting whenever I'm too close to him. And I want to be close to him. Can I be with him without being with him? In my true form?
Am I capable of that kind of control?
"I'm sure," he answers in a firm voice. — Sophie Jordan

Once Dad took us to an amusement park in Oregon. Before I ever manifested. I plummeted twenty stories on a drop ride. Totally helpless to gravity. Unable to fly, to save myself ...
I feel that same helpless terror now. Because nothing I say will divert Mom off her present course. Nothing will make her realize what she's doing to me.
I'm falling.
And this time nothing will save me. No mechanical device will work its wonder and jerk me back at the last minute.
But she does realize, a small voice whispers through me. That's why she's doing it. That's why she brought you here. She wants me to hit ground. — Sophie Jordan

I want you," he said starkly, the barest quiver in his hoarse voice. "Me and you. Together." He drew in a deep breath, his broad chest lifting. "But I can't chase you forever. — Sophie Jordan

Ironic, huh? To keep that part of me alive, I have to be close to that which kills it. — Sophie Jordan

Hi," I return, gesturing to the fish. "Nice catch."
"Yeah. I'm kind of impressed with myself. I always thought redheads were sexy."
"Ha-ha. I meant the fish."
"Ah. Yes. — Sophie Jordan

We're just doing our best to live in this world, Davy." Sean's voice stretches into the fading dark. "We're not perfect, but we're not monsters, either. We're just human. — Sophie Jordan

People wait their whole lives for this. Sometimes half their lives pass before they find it. Sometimes they never do. They settle for something else. Or nothing at all. But we found each other now, Georgia. Do you know how lucky that makes us? — Sophie Jordan

I wouldn't have waited this long for you. I would have already showed up at your dorm the minute I decided I wanted you. I wouldn't leave until I convinced you that you were mine — Sophie Jordan

I remember you. You were like burning firelight in that cave, all shimmery, dancing color." I lean closer over the island, mesmerized by his words, his hand on my face. If he keeps talking this way, he's going to see me like that again. "Tell me you thought about me. That you think about me now."
"I thought about you," I whisper, "I've never stopped thinking about you." Somehow I doubt I ever will. — Sophie Jordan

I like your sister. A lot."
I look at him dumbly.
He looks at me, lowers his voice to say, "I like you. — Sophie Jordan

Oh. Yeah? Then do me a favor and explain it to me. Why is Hunter so important? Why does it gotta be him? 'Cause that's what this is about, right? You fuck me but you still want to be with him. — Sophie Jordan

I'm not going to lie to you and convince you that I'm someone good and shiny like your guy that's going to be a doctor. — Sophie Jordan

He stares at me so darkly, so hungily that I can only nod. Agree. Of course, I feel it. "I do", I admit. — Sophie Jordan

Cassian's not a bad sort. He's not ... quite like his father."
Not quite. I pull back, certain my mother has been snatched by aliens. "Are you serious? — Sophie Jordan

Leaning down, he whispers for my ears alone. Prove them wrong. — Sophie Jordan

The world was a merciless place. Hard and cruel. Except when you found someone to trust and love. Life, however fleeting, possessed meaning then. — Sophie Jordan

This heat must be hell on your draki. Really blistering it. I'll wait. Check back in on you in about - " He tilts his head back as though calculating just how long I could make it here. "Five weeks," he announces.
Five weeks, huh. I'm almost surprised he would grant me that much time.
"Oh, my mother will just love you popping in. She'll probably cook a pot roast. — Sophie Jordan

You can't even see it. I'm the safest thing you'll ever find — Sophie Jordan

You're probably wondering what you did in a past life to get stuck with us." Catherine says this as she drowns a fry in ketchup, her many rings glinting as she works her fingers.
"Gee, thanks," Brendan murmurs.
She gives him a look. "Don't be so sensitive. You know I adore you."
I lower my mostly uneaten burger. "Of course not. Just glad for anyone who wants to be my friend."
"Hey, Jacinda!" Nathan calls from his table, half rising. He waves and jerks his head, beckoning me over.
Catherine's smile slips. She reaches for another fry, avoiding my gaze. "You've got plenty of people willing to be your friend. Go on. Sit with Nathan. He's a decent guy-unfortunate pink shirt and all. — Sophie Jordan

I touch his cheek, see my hand shake, and quickly pull it
back. He grabs my wrist, places my palm back against his
cheek, and closes his eyes like he's in agony. Or bliss. Or
maybe both. Like he's never been touched before. — Sophie Jordan

His expression is inscrutable. His eyes look strange with their pulsing pupils. "You're not like other girls. You're special."
Intoxicating warmth crawls over my cheeks. I'm glad at this confession. Glad that I'm as unique to him as he is to me. Back home, I only ever felt safe, protected, and revered. Even with Cassian, I never felt like he liked me for me, but rather for what I brought the pride.
Every moment with Will, I feel at risk, exposed. Danger hands close, as tangible as the heavy mists I've left behind. And I can't get enough of it. Of him. I crave his nearness still. Like a drug needed to survive, to get by each day. An addiction. A powerful, consuming thing.
"I've tried to deny it," he continues, "but it's there, staring me in the face every time I see you. If you were like other girls . . ." He laughs hoarsely. "If you were like other girls I wouldn't even be here. — Sophie Jordan

Why do you care? I've ignored you for days."
His smile fades. He looks serious, mockingly so. "Yeah. You got to stop that. — Sophie Jordan

So what's the deal with you and my sister?"
He laughs shortly and rubs the back of his neck like something is there, tickling, tapping.
"Tamra." Clutching the dashboard, I turn and glare at her. "There is no deal."
She snorts. "Well, we wouldn't be sitting here if that was the case now, would we?"
I open my mouth to demand she end the interrogation when Will's voice stops me.
"I like your sister. A lot."
I look at him dumbly.
He looks at me, lowers his voice to say, "I like you."
I know that, I guess, but heat still crawls over my face. I swing forward in my seat, cross my arms over my chest and stare straight ahead. Can't stop shivering. Can't speak. My throat hurts too much.
"Jacinda," he says.
"I think you've shocked her," Tamra offers, then sighs. — Sophie Jordan

Run from me, Grier Hadley, and I'll follow. I'll track you down and find you. — Sophie Jordan

Ironic. I'm here because of my inherent dangerousness, but it's my inherent politeness that makes me put up with this. With him. — Sophie Jordan

I see enough. I saw you. — Sophie Jordan

I stare into his eyes, I shake my head, sorry for the chance we lost. The chance we maybe never had. But not for saving him. I would do that again, no matter the cost. — Sophie Jordan

I make grilled cheeses for lunch, one for me, two for Will. We don't have any chips, but I find a far of pickles in the pantry.
"This is the best thing I've ever eaten." He pauses for a drink, staring at me over the rim of his glass of juice.
"It's the provolone," I say, swallowing my last bite.
"It's the chef."
I smile and look away.
We listen to music. Talk. Kiss until my flesh glimmers gold-red. Warms to the touch from the deep scald at my core. He stops to watch. Leans his face close to my neck and smells my skin. Like I'm something he might taste. He sweeps his hands along my arms ... making me burn hotter.
"Is this what it's like for other fire-breathers?" he asks, winks, holding my hand up in his broad palm. "Or is it just me and my magic hands? — Sophie Jordan

His blue eyes drilled into me. "Why are you doing this?"
I shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know."
He shook his head once like that wasn't good enough. "Why are you here?"
His fingers shifted, the tips sending hot little sparks up my arm. He should look ridiculous with the blue washcloth covering half his face, but he didn't. He looked human and male and all too vulnerable right then.
"Because you need someone. — Sophie Jordan

I love you," I whispered brokenly against his lips. Tears leaked out at the corners of my eyes. He pushed the hair off my face, clearing me for his view. Our noses touched, we were so close. His fingers trailed over my face, drying the tears from my cheeks as quickly as they fell.
"Don't cry, baby. I love you. I love you, Emerson." He pronounced the words slowly, like he was savoring them. Or maybe he just wanted me to absorb them. Maybe he wanted them to sink in so that I would feel them as clearly and completely as I felt his hands on my face, his lips against mine ... his heartbeat vibrating from his chest into my body.
So that I would believe in them. Believe in him.
And I did. I felt them. I believed in them.
I believed in us. — Sophie Jordan

Then again, there's nothing simple about Will. I think back to what he can do - bend earth, resist shading, his immense strength - and it's glaringly inaccurate to consider him a human. But then I can't think of him as a draki either. And this strikes me as sad. Will doesn't belong anywhere. Not among humans. Not among draki.
But he belongs with me. The conviction is still there, as senseless and dangerous as always, seeping into my bones, my heart. A fact I wouldn't change even if I could. — Sophie Jordan

You cold?' He chafes my arms. I haven't been cold since I moved here. This is something else. 'No. But you can put your arms around me anyway. — Sophie Jordan

That's what this is about then? Some blasted grudge you harbor against my father?" She muttered something indecipherable beneath her breath in a language he suspected was not English. French, perhaps? Her words were too low for him to determine. "Has the world gone mad?"
"Has it ever been sane?" he asked. He ahd decided the world a far from logical place long ago, when he'd been lost to the streets at the tender age of eight. "When you mull it over, you and I marrying is scarcely absurd. Fitting perhaps. Face it, neither of us is a feted blueblood. — Sophie Jordan

Her heart was broken, but it had not stopped beating. — Sophie Jordan

See you soon (but not soon enough). — Sophie Jordan

Because I know what it feels like to be used, valued only for what you can do ... not who you are, not who you want to be. — Sophie Jordan

Jacinda,
Sorry, but I had to leave town for a farm thing. Try not to knock any other teachers unconscious while I'm gone.
See you soon (but not soon enough),
Will — Sophie Jordan

She was ... is beautiful. Like her mother. Like you." He touched me then, pressing one finger directly over my heart. "You have it in here." He coughed violently, his hand dropping away from me. "It's a beauty that nothing can take away. Not this world or its monsters. — Sophie Jordan

He may be stronger, but I'm not defenseless. He knows that, of coarse. That's why he's here. He wants me for what I can do after all. — Sophie Jordan

His eyes drifted shut. without opening them, he murmured, "I like the sound of your laugh. It's real and genuine. A lot of girls have this fake laugh. Not you."
"I like your laugh, too." I whispered, feeling pulled in, cozy in the cacoon of his bed.
"Yeah?"
I flattened my palm over his chest, enjoying the sensation of the firm flesh, even warm as it was. He sighed, like my cool hand offered him some relief.
"I laugh more since you came around," he said quietly, his lips barely forming the words.
He did? I frowned. He must not have laughed at all before, then, because I didn't think he was particularly jovial.
I held him through the night. And he held me back, tucking my head beneath his chin. His arms surrounded me and kept me close to his overly warm body. Almost like I was some kind of lifeline. I felt the moment his fever broke around one in the morning. I finally relaxed and fell asleep. — Sophie Jordan