Marissa Meyer Cress Quotes & Sayings

Listen, Cress, I hate to break this to you, but I am sweaty and itchy and haven't brush my teeth in two days. This just isn't a good time for romance. — Marissa Meyer

I guess it's time.
While Cress's thoughts continued to churn through the horrible things that could happen to her, she felt herself being suddenly spun around and dipped backward, a supportive arm scooping beneath her back. She yelped and caught herself on Thorne's shoulder.
Then he was kissing her. — Marissa Meyer

How are your eyes?" she asked.
"Well, I've been told they're dreamy, but I'll let you decide for yourself. — Marissa Meyer

I appreciate the confidence, Your Imperial Psychologist, but we're way beyond that. Cress if over me and ... it's for the best. — Marissa Meyer

Cress?"
"It's beautiful out there."
A hesitation, before, "Could you be more specific?"
"The sky is gorgeous, intense blue color." She pressed her fingers to the glass and traced the wavy hills on the horizon.
"Oh, good. You've really narrowed it down for me."
"I'm sorry, it's just ... " She tried to stamp down the rush of emotion. "I think we're in a desert."
"Cactuses and tumbleweeds?"
"No just a lot of sand. It's kind of orangish-gold, with hints of pink, and I can see tiny clouds of it floating above the ground, like ... like smoke."
"Piles up in lots of hills?"
"Yes, exactly! And it's beautiful."
Thorne snorted. "If this is how you feel about a desert, I can't wait until you see your first real tree. Your mind will explode. — Marissa Meyer

Venezuelan dream dolls? We have some on display in the palace. They're incredibly rare." He examined its back. "What is it doing here?"
"I'm pretty sure Thorne stole it."
Kai's expression filled with clarity. "Ah. Of course." He nestled the doll back into its packaging. "He'd better plan on giving all this stuff back."
"Sure I'll give it back, Your Majesticness. For a proper finder's fee. — Marissa Meyer

I need you to know I never meant it. I said it because I thought that's what you're supposed to say, but it didn't mean anything. And it's different with you. This is the first time I've been scared. Scared you'll change your mind. Scared I'll screw it up. Aces, Cress, I'm terrified of you." Her stomach fluttered. He didn't look terrified. "Here's the thing." Thorne crawled over her legs and lay down beside her, boots and all. "You deserve better than some thief who's going to end up in jail again. Everyone knows it. Even I know it. But you seem determined to believe I'm actually a decent guy who's halfway worthy of you. So, what scares me most" - he twisted a lock of her hair between his fingers - "is that someday even you will realize that you can do better. — Marissa Meyer

Captain?"
"Cress."
She couldn't not say it,although she realized he was right.It was sort of scary.Much scarier than it had been the first time she'd told him,out in the desert.It was different now.It was real. "I'm in love with you."
He chuckled. "I should hope so,after all that." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her temple. "And I love you too. — Marissa Meyer

Really?" she drawled. "You'd rather take your chances with her?"
"At least I know when she's manipulating me."
"News flash: I have never manipulated you. And I hope I never have to. But you aren't the only one with responsibilities and an entire country of people who are relying on you. So I'm sorry, your majesty, but you are coming with me, and you're just going to have to figure out whether or not you can trust me when we're not so pressed for time."
Then she raised her hand and shot him. — Marissa Meyer

As someone who understands why you did this, and admires your ability to actually accomplish it, I am-pleading with you. Cinder. Please. Take me back."
She filled up her lungs. "No. — Marissa Meyer

He leaned forward to inspect her closer. "Is that all hair?"
... Sudden, overwhelming panic clawed up Cress's throat. With a squeak, she ducked out of view of the camera and scrambled beneath the desk. Her back struck the wall with a thud that rattled her teeth. She crouched there, skin burning hot and pulse thundering as she took in the room before her - the room that he was now seeing too, with the rumpled bedcovers and the mustached man on all the screens telling her to grab her imaginary partner and swing them around.
"Wha - where'd she go?" Thorne's voice came to her through the screen.
"Honestly, Thorne." A girl. Linh Cinder? "Do you ever think before you speak?"
"What? What did I say?"
" 'Is that all hair?' "
"Did you see it? It was like a cross between a magpie nest and ball of yarn after it's been mauled by a cheetah."
A beat. Then, "A cheetah?"
"It was the first big cat that came to mind. — Marissa Meyer

About time you woke up, lazy." Cinder glanced over her shoulder to see Thorne in the doorway. Cress and Jacin filled in behind him. "How's the hand?"
"Almost fully functional."
"Of course it's almost fully functional," said Iko. "Cress and I are geniuses." She flashed Cress a thumbs-up.
"I helped," said Thorne.
"He held the lamp," Iko clarified.
"Jacin did nothing," said Thorne, pointing.
"Jacin checked your pulse and breathing and made sure you weren't dead," said Iko.
Thorne snorted. "I could have done that. — Marissa Meyer

An animal?" Thorne said, and she realized he'd been waiting for her to further explain what she was seeing.
"It has long legs and horns and ... and it's beautiful."
"Oh, good, we're back to this, then. — Marissa Meyer

First, we're going to find a way to get into Artemisia. We're going to find Cress and rescue Cinder and Wolf. We're going to overthrow Levana, and by the stars above, we are going to make Cinder a queen so she can pay us a lot of money from her royal coffers and we can all retire very rich and very alive, got it? — Marissa Meyer

Thorne glared at him. "Whatever, Doctor. It's just, when Cress thought she was in love with me, she was actually in love with this other guy she'd made up in her head, who was brave and selfless and stuff. I mean, he was a real catch, so who could blame her? Even I liked that guy. I kind of wish I was that guy." He shrugged.
"Are you so sure you're not? — Marissa Meyer

I know you can hear me. I'm sorry my friend is such a wing nut. You can just ignore him." "That's usually what we do," said the other feminine voice. Cress — Marissa Meyer

All right, Miss Cryptic. What's the new plan, then?"
Glancing around the room, Cinder tipped up her chin. "It starts with kidnapping the groom."
Iko's hand shot into the air.
"Yes, Iko?"
"That is the best idea ever. Count me in. — Marissa Meyer

I haven't used my glamour since I was twelve years old," she whispered, gaze piercing as if it were very important to her that Scarlet understand this. "Not since I was old enough to control it. That's why the visions come to me. That's why I'm going mad. — Marissa Meyer

It's just like the one Scarlet had." He flipped the gun in his palms, running his thumbs along the barrel. "She shot me in the arm once."
This confession was said with as much tenderness as if Scarlet had given him a bouquet of wildflowers rather than a bullet wound.Cress and the others traded sorrowful looks. — Marissa Meyer

He froze, becoming stone still. As the hover climbed the hill to the palace, his shoulders sank, and he returned his gaze to the window. "She's my alpha," he murmured, with a haunting sadness in his voice.
Alpha.
Cress leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees, "Like the star?"
"What star?"
She stiffened, instantly embarrassed, and scooted back from him again. "Oh. Um. In a constellation, the brightest star is called the alpha. I thought maybe you meant that she's ... like ... your brightest star." Looking away, she knotted her hands in her lap, aware that she was blushing furiously now and this beast of a man was about to realize what an over-romantic sap she was.
But instead of sneering or laughing, Wolf sighed, "Yes," he said, his gaze climbing up to the full moon that had emerged in the blue evening sky. "Exactly like that. — Marissa Meyer

What - ? In one movement, Thorne lifted her onto the desk and pressed her back against an enormous potted fern and - oh. Cress had built a thousand fantasies around their rooftop kiss, but this kiss was something new. Where before, the kiss had been gentle and protective, now there was something passionate. Determined. Cress's body dissolved into nothing but sensation. His hands burned her waist through the skirt's thin fabric. Her knees pressed against his hips, and he pulled her closer, closer, like he couldn't get her close enough. A whimper escaped her mouth, only to be swallowed by his. She heard a moan, but it could have come from either of them. — Marissa Meyer

He gave Cress a quick farewell embrace,then pulled Iko into a hug. Iko squeaked, frozen.When Kai pulled away,Iko looked from him,to Cinder, then back.Her eyes suddenly rolled up into her head and she collapsed onto the floor. — Marissa Meyer

Kai appeared in the foyer below with a garland of ribbon and roses draped across his shoulders. Cinder smirked. "Having fun down there?" "Surprisingly, I sort of am. Turns out Thorne has a weird knack for this wedding thing. He says it's because Cress has been poring over wedding feeds for the past few months, but ... I think he's secretly enjoying it." Thorne's voice came booming from the sitting room: "Don't mock a guy for having good taste! — Marissa Meyer

Iko stepped back, but Thorne filled the space she'd left, cupping Cress's face in his hands. His eyes bored into her, full of disbelief. His thumb caught her first tear.
Suddenly, Cress found herself laughing and sniffling and laughing some more. She ducked her head and swiped at the tears. "No crying," she said. "It's dehydrating. — Marissa Meyer

Captain?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think it was destiny that brought us together?"
He squinted and, after a thoughtful moment, shook his head. "No. I'm pretty sure it was Cinder. — Marissa Meyer

Cress knotted her fingers in her lap. "I know you better than you think, Captain Thorne. I know that you're smart. And brave. And thoughtful and kind and - "

"Charming."

" - charming and - "

"Charismatic."

" - charismatic and - "

"Handsome."

She pressed her lips and glared at him, but his mocking grin had swept away any hints of sincerity.

"Sorry," he said. "Please, continue."

"Perhaps more vain than I'd realized. — Marissa Meyer

She'd been right back at the boutique. He was like the hero of a romance story, and he was trying to rescue his beloved. His alpha. Cress — Marissa Meyer

When she was a child, the witch locked her away in a tower that had neither doors nor stairs. — Marissa Meyer

He leaned closer and his lips found hers, pressing her into the soft pillows. She gasped and dug her fingers into his shirt, afraid he would pull away before she could memorize this moment. But he didn't pull away, and Cress gradually dared to kiss him back. — Marissa Meyer

But was the woman's death the tragedy, or her life? — Marissa Meyer

My life is an adventure." she said, growing confident as she opened her eyes again. "I will not be shackled to this satellite anymore. — Marissa Meyer

My point is that I am going to figure this out, like I always do. First, we're going to find a way to get into Artemisia. We're going to find Cress and rescue Cinder and Wolf. We're going to overthrow Levana, and by the stars above, we are going to make Cinder a queen so she can pay us a lot of money from her royal coffers and we can all retire very rich and very alive, got it?"
Winter started to clap. "Brilliant speech. Such gumption and bravado."
"And yet strangely lacking in any sort of actual strategy," said Scarlet.
"Oh, good, I'm glad you noticed that too," said Iko. "I was worried my processor might be glitching. — Marissa Meyer

She would be brave. She would be heroic. She would make her own destiny. — Marissa Meyer

Finally, Cinder gulped. "I'm sorry I had to
" She gestured at the unconscious wedding coordinator, then waved her hand like shaking it off. "But she'll be fine, I swear. Maybe a little nauseous when she comes to, but otherwise ... And your android ... Nainsi, right? I had to disable her. And her backup processor. But any mechanic can return her to defaults in about six seconds, so ... " She rubbed anxiously at her wrist. "Oh, and we ran into your captain of the guard in the hallway, and a few other guards, and I may have scared him and he's, um, unconscious. Also. But, really, they'll all be fine. I swear." Her lips twitched into a brief, nervous smile. "Um ... hello, again. By the way. — Marissa Meyer

Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, squeezing. "Maybe there's a little bit of a hero in me after all. But ... really, Cress. Only a little. — Marissa Meyer

When they reached a maintenance closet, Iko ushered the escort-droid inside.
"I want you to know that I hold nothing against you," she said, by way of introduction. "I understand that it isn't your fault your programmer had so little imagination."
The escort-droid held her gaze with empty eyes.
"In another life, we could have been sisters, and I feel it's important to acknowledge that."
A blank stare. A blink, every six seconds.
"But as it stands, I'm a part of an important mission right now, and I cannot be swayed from my goal by my sympathy for androids who are less advanced than myself."
Nothing.
"All right then." Iko held out her hands. "I need your clothes. — Marissa Meyer

At the top of his file was a three-dimensional holograph scanned in from his military graduation. Cress preferred it to the infamous prison photo that had become so popular, the one in which he was winking at the camera, because in the holograph he was wearing a freshly pressed uniform with shiny silver buttons and a confident, one-sided grin.
Seeing that smile, Cress melted.
Every. Time.
"Hello again, Mr. Thorne," she whispered to the holograph. — Marissa Meyer

I am a criminal mastermind, I am here to take down this regime. — Marissa Meyer

Alpha. Cress leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees. "Like the star?" "What star?" She stiffened, instantly embarrassed, and scooted back from him again. "Oh. Um. In a constellation, the brightest star is called the alpha. I thought maybe you meant that she's ... like ... your brightest star." Looking away, she knotted her hands in her lap, aware that she was blushing furiously now and this beast of a man was about to realize what an over-romantic sap she was. But instead of sneering or laughing, Wolf sighed. "Yes," he said, his gaze climbing up to the full moon that had emerged over the city. "Exactly like that." With — Marissa Meyer

The other girl, Iko, cupped her chin with both hands. This is so much better than a net drama. — Marissa Meyer

But you're a prisoner," said Thorne.
"I prefer damsel in distress," she murmured.
One side of Thorne's mouth quirked up, into that perfect half smile he'd had in his graduation photo. A look that was a little bit devious, and all sorts of charming.
Cress's heart stopped, but if they noticed her melting into her chair, they didn't say anything. — Marissa Meyer

Bending his head, Kai pressed his lips to her knuckles. The plating had no nerve endings, and yet the touch sent a tingle of electricity along her arm.
"Cinder?"
"Mm?"
He lifted his gaze. "Just to be clear, you're not using your mind powers on me right now, are you?"
She blinked. "Of course not."
"Just checking."
Then he slid his arms around her waist and kissed her.
Cinder gasped, pressing her palms against his chest. Kai pulled her closer.
Seconds later, her brain began registering all the new chemicals flooding her system. INCREASED LEVELS OF DOPAMINE AND ENDORPHINS, REDUCED AMOUNTS OF CORTISOL, ERRATIC PULSE, RISING BLOOD PRESSURE ...
Leaning into him, Cinder sent the messages away. Her hands tentatively made their way to his shoulders, before stringing around his neck. — Marissa Meyer

But the captain just shook his head. That's very good of you to say, Cress. But trust me. I would have blackmailed someone. — Marissa Meyer

Corridor. Cress screamed and collapsed onto the ground. "Jacin, we are about to have company," said Sybil, ignoring Cress's sobs. "Separate yourself from this satellite, but stay close enough to have good visual without drawing suspicion. When an Earthen ship draws close, they will likely release one podship - wait until the pilot has boarded this satellite and then rejoin us using the opposite — Marissa Meyer

Somehow, Thorne's inability to talk about his attraction to Cress spoke so much louder than an outright confession. After all, he had no trouble making suggestive commentary about Cinder. — Marissa Meyer

She smoothed her skirt around her knees. "This Scarlet ... you're in love with her, aren't you?"
He froze, becoming stone still. As the hover climbed the hill to the palace, his shoulders sank, and he returned his gaze to the window. "She's my alpha," he murmured, with a haunting sadness in his voice. — Marissa Meyer

Captain! To your left there's a Lunar guard and on your right is a doctor who's running tests on Lunars and I'm being held by one of Levana's wolf hybrids and please be careful!"
Thorne took a step back into the hallway a gun from his waistband. He spent a moment swiveling the barrel of the gun in each direction, but nobody moved to attack him.
With some surprise, Cress realized that the operative's grip had weakened.
"Er ... " Thorne furrowed his brow, aiming the gun somewhere near the window. "Could you describe all those threats again because I feel like I missed something. — Marissa Meyer

Now, what I'm worried about is how we're going to be dividing the reward money when this is all over. Because this ship is starting to feel awfully crowded and I'm not sure I'm happy with all of you cutting into my profits."
"What reward money?" asked Scarlet.
"The reward Cinder's going to pay us out of the Lunar treasury once she's queen."
Cinder rolled her eyes. "I should have guessed. — Marissa Meyer

When Rapunzel saw the prince, she fell over him and began to weep, and her tears dropped into his eyes — Marissa Meyer

Her tongue flailed around all the questions stammering to get out, and she finally landed on: "When did you have time to take a mistress?"
His smile faltered. "Don't talk about Cress like that."
"What?"
"Oh - wait! You mean Darla. I won her in a hand of cards."
Cinder gawked.
"I thought she'd make a nice gift for Iko."
"You ... what?"
"For her replacement body?"
"Um."
"Because Darla's an escort-droid? — Marissa Meyer

The man, a huge grin spreading over his face, was slower to stand, first grabbing a cane from against the wall. "Welcome aboard the Rampion, Your Magesticness. Captain Carswell Thorne, at your service." He bowed. — Marissa Meyer

Knees suddenly weak, she reached for his forearms to stabilize herself. "You came for me."
He beamed, looking for all the world like a selfless, daring hero.
"Don't sound so surprised." Dropping the cane, he pulled her into a crushing embrace that tore her away from Wolf and lifted her clean off the floor. "It turns out you are worth a lot of money on the black market. — Marissa Meyer

Seeing that smile, Cress melted. Every. Time. — Marissa Meyer

The witch snipped off her golden hair and cast her out into a great desert — Marissa Meyer

I thought it was ... um." He cleared his throat. "But there were clearly a lot of expectations, and a lot of pressure, and ... " He squirmed in the chair. "We were going to die, you know."
"I know." She squeezed her knees into her chest. "And, no, it wasn't ... I didn't think it was a bad kiss."
"Oh, thank the stars." His head fell back against the chair. "Because if I'd ruined that for you, I was going to feel like such a cad. — Marissa Meyer

It was a few seconds before Cinder found her voice and she had to grip the door frame to keep standing.
"Thorne?"
His head jerked around. "Cinder?"
"Wh - what are you - how? Where have you been? What's going on? Why are you wearing that stupid bandanna?"
He laughed. Gripping a wooden cane, he stumbled toward her, waving one hand until it landed on her shoulder. Then he was hugging her, suffocating her against his chest. "I missed you too."
"You jerk," she hissed, even as she returned the hug. "We thought you were dead!"
"Oh, please. It'd take a lot more than a satellite plummeting to Earth to kill me. Although, admittedly, Cress may have saved us that time. — Marissa Meyer

A hand landed on Cress's head. She
gasped and recoiled, but Thorne was
already wrapping his arm around her
shoulders and squeezing her against him.
"Just checking it was you," he whispered. — Marissa Meyer

Thorne and Cress were waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp, and when Cress and Iko spotted each other they shared a squeal. Thorne and Cinder shared a cringe, and then they were all smiling and embracing as if they hadn't seen each other in years - even though they still got together with some regularity. — Marissa Meyer

Because if there was one thing Cress knew about heroes, it was that they could not resist a damsel in distress.
And she was nothing if not in distress. — Marissa Meyer

Attending the royal wedding. Cress hoped it would stay that way. — Marissa Meyer

Wow, when you research, you really research, don't you? — Marissa Meyer

If you honestly believe that," said Thorne, stowing the gun again, "then you really don't recognize true value when you see it. — Marissa Meyer

With a quick twist to her heart, Cress's fear of him began to subside. She'd been right back at the boutique. He was like the hero of a romance story, and he was trying to rescue his beloved. His alpha. — Marissa Meyer

You said yourself that the people of Luna need a revolutionary." She lifted her chin, holding his gaze. "So I'm going to Luna, and I'm going to start a revolution. — Marissa Meyer

Three people stood close behind him, but all Cress could see were the blue eyes staring back at her, directly back at her, beginning to fill with the same breathless awe she felt.

The same wonder.

The same enchantment.

Though they were separated by two screens and vast amounts of empty space, she could feel the link being forged between them in that look. A bond that couldn't be broken. Their eyes had met for the first time, and by the look of pure amazement on his face, she knew he felt it too. — Marissa Meyer

Hello?" A girl again. "I know you can hear me. I'm sorry my friend is such a wing nut. You can just ignore him."
"That's usually what we do," said the other feminine voice. — Marissa Meyer

A look that was a little bit devious, and all sorts of charming. Cress — Marissa Meyer

WINTER SPOILER KINDA
Cinder stared at his whitened knuckles and struggled for something meaningful to say. Her grand plan of revolution and change had just begun and already she felt like a failure. This seemed worse than failing the people of Luna, though. She'd failed the people she cared about most in the universe.
Finally, she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Thorne."
"Yeah," he said. "Me too. — Marissa Meyer

Twenty-three," he said. "Mm?" She opened her dazed eyes. Thorne pulled back, looking guilty and worried, which made some of her euphoria fade away. "You once asked me how many times I'd told a girl I loved her. I've been trying to remember them all, and I'm pretty sure the answer is twenty-three." She blinked, a slow, fluttering stare. Her lips pursed in a question that took a while to form. "Including the Lunar girl who kissed you?" His brow furrowed. "Are we counting her?" "You said it, didn't you?" His gaze darted to the side. "Twenty-four." Cress gaped. Twenty-four girls. She didn't even know twenty-four people. — Marissa Meyer

Levana agreed to a cease-fire," said Wolf, "but we're waiting to hear if it's been implemented." "Also, Cress destroyed me in a game of Mountain Miners," said Iko. Thorne nodded, as if these two announcements carried the same weight. "She is a genius." Cress — Marissa Meyer