Lafevers Quotes & Sayings

A kiss for luck, demoiselle?"
It is a magnificent, lusty kiss and I feel nothing but deep regret that it may be his last.
Just before he pulls away, he whispers in my ear. "Duval said to give you that should I get a chance. It is from him. — R.L. LaFevers

I am left with the conviction that an avalanche would be easier to dissuade than that man. — R.L. LaFevers

He smiles then, and even though it is well past midnight, its as if the sun has just come out. — R.L. LaFevers

Sometimes I really hate being right. — R.L. LaFevers

I have lived now in the real world, with all its mess and turmoil, all its wildness and all its beauty, and I can never unsee what I have seen, I can never unknow what I now know. More importantly, something deep inside me has awakened, and now that I have moved through the world fully aware, it is impossible to let myself be lulled back to sleep. — Robin LaFevers

Are men truly such idiots that they cannot resist two orbs of flesh? — R.L. LaFevers

Just as I am drifting off to sleep, he speak again, so softly I almost cannot be certain it is not a dream.
I am sorry. You make me ashamed of what we are, of what little we can offer you, and I lashed out at you when what I really wanted was to punish my own dark thoughts. — Robin LaFevers

The first book I opened looked promising - Mummies and Their Secrets by Sir Lynn N. Bandage. — R.L. LaFevers

Men of power are unwilling to believe anything ill of their own kind. — Robin LaFevers

I feel grace. Warm and flowing like a river, it pours over me. I am awash in grace and cannot help but raise my face to it as I would the sun. I want to laugh as it rains downs on me, ripples through my limbs, cleanses them of fatigue and self-loathing. I am reborn in this grace, and suddenly, I can do anything. — Robin LaFevers

You came to us a lump of clay, and we molded you into an instrument of Death. — Robin LaFevers

The fault lies not with you she says this so gently it makes me want to cry. I have never shed a tear, not throughout all my father's beatings or guillo's mauling, but a few kind words from this women and it is all i can do not to bawl like a babe. — Robin LaFevers

For all that I have kissed before, I have never felt anything like this. It is as if I have swallowed a tiny piece of the sun, its warmth and light reaching into every corner of my soul and chasing away the shadows.
I surrender to that kiss - surrender to the strength and the courage and the sheer goodness of the man. — R.L. LaFevers

Not all men are the same, you know. With someone such as Gavriel, I would suggest appearing aloof, not chasing too much. He might see that as suffocating rather than charming.
Her words are sharp, but her voice is sweet, like honey on the edge of a blade, and meant to be cutting. I comfort myself with the knowledge that if Duval ever feels smothered by me, it will be because I am holding a pillow over his face and commending his soul to Mortain. — R.L. LaFevers

It is unwise for them to be so very happy, for the gods will feel the need to humble us. — R.L. LaFevers

She carries nothing" he says, "but a small dagger and an even smaller heart. — Robin LaFevers

Getting the poison to them is more difficult than it should be. I cannot just slip it into their food, they eat with the rest of the household, and as much as I dislike everyone here, I am not willing to poison them all. At least not yet. — Robin LaFevers

And there it is. The threat I have lived with my entire life. If I am not good enough, kind enough, thoughtful enough, obedient enough, I will be cast from my home like a stunted fish from a fisherman's net. — Robin LaFevers

I bear a deep red stain that runs from my left shoulder down to my right hip, a trail left by the herbwitch's poison that my mother used to try to expel me from her womb. — R.L. LaFevers

And then, without any warning at all, he presses his lips against mine.
As his mouth covers my own, I find myself reeling, as if I have been tipped backward and am falling, falling, so that even the stars in the sky are spinning. His lips are warm and soft, the unrelenting pull of his desire for me as strong as the pull of the waves against the sand.
It is not like practicing with Ismae, or even Sybella. It is not like any of the first kisses I have imagined over the years. It is far, far better and more wondrous, and yet terrifying as well, like one of the raging storms that pound against the convent walls in the winter, threatening to breach its defenses. So too does this kiss threaten something deep within me that I cannot even name. — Robin LaFevers

... true faith never comes without anguish. — R.L. LaFevers

I am a handmaiden of Death. I walk in His dark shadow and do His bidding. Serving Him is my only purpose in this life, and I have let my annoyance drive that duty from my mind. It will not happen again. — Robin LaFevers

And so it is with us; we serve as handmaidens to Death. When we are guided by His will, killing is a sacrament. — R.L. LaFevers

You're jealous!" I am so surprised I scarce remember to keep my voice low. He flinches at the word, then looks sorely affronted. "Jealous? Of that old man? Nay, it is just that if anyone is to hunt you, it should be me. — Robin LaFevers

I have avoided the fate my father planed for me, surely it is I who won not he. — Robin LaFevers

You always hold a piece of yourself back, Annith. For all your love and affection and kindness, there is always a part of yourself that you withhold from others. — Robin LaFevers

What good is fighting if what you are fighting for is lost? — Robin LaFevers

I know I should look away, let him grieve in private, but I cannot. The sweet girl that I knew only briefly is the key to this gentle beast who has captured my heart. — Robin LaFevers

I point out. It was the most foolish, jape-fisted bit of buffoonery I have ever seen, and I am impressed in spite of that. — Robin LaFevers

You are not my nursemaid. Remember, I am rescuing you. — Robin LaFevers

You love me?"
"Yes, you great lummox. I love you."
He lets out a sigh. "Sweet Camulos! It's about time. — Robin LaFevers

A short while later, as I stare down at the bodies of the six men I have just killed, I cannot help but wonder: Do I love killing? Of a certainty, I love the way my body and weapons move as one; I revel in the knowledge of where to strike for maximum impact. And of a certainty, I am good at it. — Robin LaFevers

It is all we have left to us. And while it is more than I ever dared dream, it is nowhere near enough. — R.L. LaFevers

The maids in my village talked of falling in love with a man at first sight. That has always seemed naught but foolishness to me. Until I enter Sister Serafina's workshop. It is unlike anything I have ever seen, full of strange sights and smells, and I tumble headlong into love. — R.L. LaFevers

One heart cannot serve two masters. — Robin LaFevers

Everyone has a price, it seems — Robin LaFevers

Truly, we are the gods' own children, forged in the fire of our tortured pasts, but also blessed with unimaginable gifts. — R.L. LaFevers

Once they leave to see to their other duties, I go to stand before the fire, feeling once again as if I have been completely upended and remade anew, when in truth, I have barely caught my breath from the first time my life shattered before my eyes.

But this- this is different. This is no shattering, but rather some great knitting together of the broken pieces into a stronger whole.

I feel cleansed, not only of sin- but of artifice. I am stripped down to nothing but my raw self. As uncomfortable as it makes me feel, there is freedom in it as well, for there is no place left for others' expectations and desires of me to hide. — Robin LaFevers

People hear and see what they expect to hear and see. — R.L. LaFevers

I want you to be with me for the right reasons. Not because you feel you must or because you fear we will die, but because you want it with your heart and your body. — Robin LaFevers

While I am Death's daughter and walk in His dark shadow, surely the darkness can give way to light sometimes. — R.L. LaFevers

When one consorts with assassins, one must expect to dance along the edge of a knife once or twice. — R.L. LaFevers

He barks out a laugh. "My little rebel. — R.L. LaFevers

It is rarely a lack of love that forces two hearts apart, but other obstacles. — Robin LaFevers

He snorts in disbelief. Is that yet another miracle of Mortain? That His acolytes are able to contort themselves enough to tend to their own backs? — Robin LaFevers

Besides, he is one of the few things that has ever loved me and survived. — Robin LaFevers

You come to us well tempered, my child, and it is not in my nature to be sorry for it. It is a well tempered blade that is the strongest. — R.L. LaFevers

Good intentions are only lies the weak tell themselves. — Robin LaFevers

Perhaps that is because you mistake death for justice, and they are not the same thing at all. — R.L. LaFevers

If Death could grant you a wish, you would use it for someone else? Trade your happiness for someone else's? — Robin LaFevers

Marveling at how easily he has absolved me, I step forward and take his big hands into my own. Not you, for you are as different from them as day is from night. — Robin LaFevers

I comfort myself with the knowledge that if Duval ever feels smothered by me, it will be because I am holding a pillow over his face. — R.L. LaFevers

Don't you see? Your mortal heart shines like a candle flame and I, like one of those hapless black moths you used to leave as an offering, am helpless before its lure. — Robin LaFevers

I must have faith, but having faith is hard, so very much harder than despair. — Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf? — Robin LaFevers

Reluctantly, I headed for the stairs. I wasn't dawdling. Not exactly. Just giving Father a bit of time to calm down. — R.L. LaFevers

I will no longer sit and wait patiently for my happiness to grow like some budding fruit on the limbs of a tree, but will mold it and shape it with my own hands. — Robin LaFevers

And have you never questioned your faith? Never doubted or turned your back on Him?"
"No. I have not. — Robin LaFevers

Indeed, I am as skilled as any alchemist, but instead of turning lead into gold, I turn my fear into daring, and assuredly that is a far greater trick. — Robin LaFevers

Jewels can be replaced, cousin. Independence, once lost, cannot. — R.L. LaFevers

I will not let them take you alive." Of all the things he could have said, that is the one thing that comforts me the most. "Nor I you," I say around a strange lump that has formed in my throat. — Robin LaFevers

I have found it is surprisingly difficult to remain sad when a cat is doing its level best to sandpaper one's cheeks. — R.L. LaFevers

I pause at the door, wishing I could find a corner and sleep until my head clears, but the sailor said the abbess is expecting me, and while I do not know much about abbesses, I suspect they are not fond of waiting. — R.L. LaFevers

Hate cannot be fought with hate. Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both. — R.L. LaFevers

He flashes a grin that is two parts death and one part humor. — Robin LaFevers

Yes. I have see Him, but He is the god of Death, not some knight to be swooned over. — Robin LaFevers

Every time he glances at me I feel it just as surely as if he has reached out and run his finger along my soul. It is all I can do not to smile at the sheer wonder of it. — R.L. LaFevers

When he laces his fingers through mine, my heart does its now familiar panicked flight, bumping painfully against my ribs. My shoulder twitches as if to pull my hand back, but my heart overrules it. — R.L. LaFevers

It is this kindness of his that unsettles me most. I can dodge a blow or block a knife. I am impervious to poison and know a dozen ways to escape a chokehold or garrote wire. But kindness? I do not know how to defend against that. — R.L. LaFevers

Surely He does not give us hearts so we may spend our lives ignoring them. — R.L. LaFevers

My hand tightens on my wine goblet, and I am glad it is silver, not glass, for surely it would shatter under the force of my annoyance with this woman. — Robin LaFevers

At least I will not be the ugliest one here. — Robin LaFevers

However, there are those who deserve to die but who have not yet encountered the means to do so - we help them on their way. — R.L. LaFevers

Then he offers me his arm. As I take it, I wonder what folly decreed that women cannot walk unassisted. — R.L. LaFevers

He does not start guiltily, as he should, but frowns in annoyance. "Who are you?"
I slip my hand through the slit of my overskirt, and my fingers close around the hard wood of the crossbow tiller. "Vengeance," I say softly. — R.L. LaFevers

If you so much as snicker, I will kill you all. — Robin LaFevers

Whenever you are ready, or if you never are, my heart is yours ... — R.L. LaFevers

My lady! Come away from there before you catch your death! Her words bring a smile to my lips. Does she think Death is some small bird with my name written on it, beating at the window in the hope that I will catch it? — Robin LaFevers

He pauses then, studying me. "How would you have done it?"
His question surprises me. "You mean how would I have killed you?"
"Yes. Do you have a favorite method for such things?"
Since he knows I am an assassin, there is no need to be coy. "I prefer a garrote. I like the intimacy it allows me when I whisper reminders of vengeance in their ears as they die. But in your case, I had sharpened my favorite knife especially for the occasion."
His brows quirk up. "Why no garrote for me?"
I look pointedly at his thick neck, bulging with muscle and sinew. "I do not have one big enough," I mutter. — Robin LaFevers

I will sit here but an hour or two, then leave."
I yawn. "So very long as that?"
When he answers, there is a wry note in his voice. "I do have my reputation to protect. — R.L. LaFevers

It takes a surprising amount of courage to place one's hand into an unseen area when your mind is thinking about vermin. — R.L. LaFevers

And just as love has two sides, so too does Death. While Ismae will serve as His mercy, I will not, for that is not how He fashioned me. Every death I have witnessed, every horror I have endured, has forged me to be who I am
Death's justice. — R.L. LaFevers

He lowers his lips to mine, placing them over my mouth gently, our kiss bearing the weight of a thousand we may never have. — Robin LaFevers

What do you know of gods and saints?" I ask, filling my voice with scorn.
His fingers drift to the silver oak leaf of Saint Camulos on his cloak. "I know that what our saints want is not always made clear to us. Sometimes, it is their wish for us to flail and struggle and come to our own choices, not accept ones that have been made for us. — Robin LaFevers

As far as I can tell, it doesn't make any difference to adults how clever children are. They always stick together. Unless you are sick or dying or mortally wounded, they will always side with the other adult. — R.L. LaFevers

Tis Vanth's cage. You can just move it out of the way."
"I already have," he grumbles. "With my shin. — R.L. LaFevers

God's Teeth,' he says. 'I was only trying to wake you. You were crying out in your sleep.'
'I was not,' I say, then look from his neck to my knife.
'When I tried to wake you, you stabbed me.' He sounds sore put out. and I cannot blame him. — R.L. LaFevers

I stare at him coldly. "I do not care for needlework." I pause. "Unless it involves the base of the skull. — R.L. LaFevers

What I feel is his need and desire and longing, crashing against me like waves against the shore, calling to those same unwanted feelings I hold for him. And always that inexplicable connection that draws me to him. — Robin LaFevers

It is a good thing I no longer have a heart, because if I did, it would surely break. — R.L. LaFevers

Why be the lamb when you can be the lion? — R.L. LaFevers

We cannot be held responsible for what our families do, especially when we have no way to control them. — Robin LaFevers

I feel Him kiss my brow, a chill weight on my forehead. In the kiss is absolution, yes, but understanding as well. Understanding that it is He I serve, not the convent. His divine spark lives within me, a presence that will never leave. And I am but one of the many tools he has at his disposal. If I cannot act
if I refuse to act
that is a choice I am allowed to make. He has given me life, and all I must do to serve Him is live. Fully and with my whole heart. — R.L. LaFevers

Are you the one named Alyse? For he calls that name in his sleep."
"No, that is his beloved sister, dead these past three years." The depth of my disappointment that it is not my name he calls takes me completely by surprise.
"Ah," the old nun says sympathetically, as if she somehow knows what I am feeling. "Then perhaps you are Sybella. That is the name he asks for when he is awake. — R.L. LaFevers

The pain of hope dying is worse than his fists and boots. — R.L. LaFevers

I have always been willful and stubborn. It is one of my greatest sins."

"But is it a sin? If it allows you to survive? Endure? Prevail? — Robin LaFevers

If you are not careful, soon you will have men locking themselves in dungeons so that you can rescue them. — R.L. LaFevers

In the distance a wolf howls. Let it come, I think. Beast will most likely simply howl back, and the creature will either turn tail and run or fall into line behind him, like the rest of us have. — R.L. LaFevers

And I must remind myself that assassins should take no pleasure in their finery and frippery. — Robin LaFevers

The abbess may well try and force me to return to the convent, silent and in disgrace, but I will not go back. Not like this. Indeed, I can see no way I can ever return to the convent, for the abbess will not let me return in victory, and I refuse to do so in defeat. — Robin LaFevers