Quotes From "Need" By Carrie Jones

It's a lot easier to understand things once you name them. It's the unknown that mostly freaks me out. I don't know the name of that fear, but I know I've got it, the fear of the unknown. Carrie Jones

Are we taking the Subaru?”“No. We’ll run.” Running is not part of my plan. Stopping right here is my plan.“ I’m not actually supposed to run, ” I try to say. “The arm and everything.”“ I’m sorry about your arm.”“ Really?” He swoops me up as if I weigh nothing, leans me against his chest, and carries me the way grooms are supposed to carry brides over thresholds. He is cold now, away from the fire. He smells of mushrooms. “Are you afraid of heights?” He keeps my good arm against him, and doesn’t even jostle my cast arm. It’s smooth and quick and I don’t have time to ..He sets me down on the rolling ground in a large clearing in the middle of tall pine trees. My breath whooshes out like I’d been holding it.“ Oh, that was amazing, ” I say before I realize it.“ You’re glowing. I thought you hated me.”“ I do. But flying? I don’t hate flying. I read this book once where–”“ You read?”“ Yeah.”“ Good. I like philosophy myself. It’s good to have a daughter who reads.” I swallow, shift my weight on my feet. They won’t be able to follow us here; we left no tracks. I can’t believe we flew. “Can all pixies fly? Because I was totally unprepared for that. I mean, I didn’t read that.”“ Only ones with royal blood. You can. . Carrie Jones

So, I’m a bear, ” she explains, eyeing us all. “Wait? Is Issie something?”“ Nope, ” Issie pouts. “All human. All the time.”“ The coolest human ever, ” Devyn says, reaching down and ruffling her hair. Carrie Jones

No one gets something for nothing, we all should know better Joelle Charbonneau

We kiss for a long time, a good long time. I don’t even notice that it’s cold and I forget to be afraid because that’s just how good a kisser he is. His lips move above my lips. My lips ache for the touch of him, the softness of his skin. We keep kissing. My hands wrap themselves in his hair. His hand presses me close into him, as close as I can be against him, and he is solid, strong, amazing. My hands leave his hair and journey down to the sides of his face, still tingling.“ We should keep going, ” he says, voice gruff and husky again. I love when his voice sounds like that, deeper than normal. His lips puff out a little more, too. “You’re blushing.” I pull my lips in against each other like I’m still trying to taste him. I move my snowshoes off of his snowshoes. It’s tricky.“ You’re a good kisser, ” I say.“ So are you. . Carrie Jones

His eyes are so beautiful and dark and they do look like that dog’s– I mean, that wolf’s. They are kind and strong and a little bit something else and I like them. I like them a lot. No, I like them way too much. Something inside me gets a little warmer, edges closer to him. The fire crackles and I jump again, jittery, nervous, but I don’t jump away from Nick. I jump toward him. Nick in the firelight with just a blanket on is a little hard to resist, no matter how crazy he might be. His skin, deep with heat, seems to glisten. His muscles are defined and good but not all steroid bulky. He is so perfect. And beautiful. In a boy way. Not a monster way. Not a wolf way.“ Are you going to kiss me?” My words tremble into the air. He smiles but doesn’t answer.“ I’ve never kissed a werewolf before. Are were kisses like pixie kisses? Do they do something to you? Is that why you never kissed anybody?” He gives a little smile. “No. It’s just I never kissed anyone because I never thought I could be honest about who I am, you know? And I didn’t want anyone to get attached to me because . .”“Because you’re a werewolf.”“ Because I’m a werewolf, ” he repeats softly. Watching his lips move makes me shiver; not in a scared way, in more of an oh-he-is-too-beautiful way. I put my hand against his skin. It is warm. It’s always been warm. He smells so good, like woods and safety. I swallow my fear and move forward, and my lips meet his, angel-light, a tiny promise. His lips move beneath mine. His hands move to my shoulders and my mouth feels like it will burst with happiness. My whole body shakes with it.“ Wow, ” I say.“ Yeah, ” he says. “Wow.”Our mouths meet again. It’s like my lips belong there . . right there. One tiny part of me has finally found a place to fit. . Carrie Jones

Oh.” I touch my cheeks. “You licked me.” He laughs and leans over, giving a tiny tongue swipe to my hand. “You’re very lickable.” I try to hit him. He laughs harder and grabs my hands.“ No fair! Mere mortal against werewolf, ” I complain.“ Fine.” He lets go, but first he kisses my fingers, each of them. I sigh happily. Carrie Jones

Do you admit that you are not the only person, or half-person genetically, that can save other sentient beings?” He crinkles his nose. “I do.”“ And do you admit that you have a bad temper, a cute car, and a nice girlfriend?” I hold my breath.“ I have an amazing girlfriend, ” he says. And then he kisses me, which is, you have to admit, the perfect boyfriend thing to do. The kiss is soft and speckling like star promises in a night sky. I stretch into it, wishing that I could hold onto it forever, even though I know that kisses can’t last forever–can they? . Carrie Jones

Zara.” He sighs. The wind bellows outside. “How can I make you understand this? I need your mom. If I don’t get her, more boys will die.”“ That’s ridiculous.”“ No, it’s just how it is.” I think for a second. “If that’s true, then why did Ian try to turn me?” He loses his composure. His face shifts into something worried, something almost human. “Did he kiss you?”“ Almost. Betty killed him first.” He almost smiles. He pulls his hand through his hair. “Betty is fierce.”“ Is that why you stay away when she’s here?”“ Not even a pixie wants to tangle with a tiger.” He blows on the ember in his hand. It turns to dust.“ You seem like you could handle almost anything, ” I say.“ This?” He smirks. “Parlor tricks. Carrie Jones

My eyes meet his eyes.“ You were a jerk, ” I say. His hands move to my cheeks. “I’m sorry.” I pull away, but I can only go an inch before I bump into lacrosse sticks, not that I really want to go any farther. “Nope. No way. You do not get to kiss me yet.” He pouts. Carrie Jones

And do you admit that you have a bad temper, a cute car, and a nice girlfriend?” I hold my breath.“ I have an amazing girlfriend, ” he says. And then he kisses me, which is, you have to admit, the perfect boyfriend thing to do. The kiss is soft and speckling like star promises in a night sky. I stretch into it, wishing that I could hold onto it forever, even though I know that kisses can’t last forever–can they?. Carrie Jones

He roars, “What have you done?” I don’t answer. My heart beats crazy happy just to see her get across the iron. She’s not burned. She’s still human.“ Zara.” His voice is measured. “I need her to maintain control.”“ You don’t need to be in control. You’re all trapped. So there’ll be no more stealing boys, no more shooting arrows in the woods, getting people lost. It’s all over.” The metal is cold on my fingers. Devyn grabs more wire, starts another flight. A group of pixies leaps for him, screaming, a wild, chaotic mess. They start clawing at each other, lost in fear and hunger, angry. A pixie in a pink dress shrieks when another wearing a black gown lashes at her, slashing through the skin on her arm.“ Zara?” The king tries to be calm and nice. He tries to look human. It doesn’t work. “Do you know what this means? Do you know the power that I’ll lose? The need? We will fight in here. We will kill each other.”“ I know, ” I say and my voice shakes as I stare at him, this man who is in my blood, but not me. He is not me. Still, I understand his need, his fear. He is stuck in this awful place where there is no moral way to move forward. “I’m so sorry.” And I am. Carrie Jones

My fingers try to grab onto the net. I’m pulled away too quickly, dragged through the snow. Everything is white and flying and painful.“ Nick! ” I claw at the snow, trying to slow down. There’s nothing to hold on to. I kick and kick. The hands clutch my ankles. Flipping my torso over I get one quick glance of their backs. They’re wearing parkas and hats and look normal, like people, but faster. I smash onto my face again and lift up my head just in time to see Nick snarling inside the net. He’s transformed again.“ Nick! ” I yell, but snow pours into my mouth. Sharp cold pain smashes through my teeth and into my skull. I cough and try again. “Nick! ”He raises himself up onto four legs and howls, a long, searing cry of anguish and rage. My heart breaks for him, caught there. I have to help him escape. I have to get free. I kick again. “Let me go.” Pain shoots through my head. Fireworks. Explosions. All inside my brain. The white world goes dark and I know what’s about to happen. I’m the one leaving. I am the one gone. Carrie Jones

Hate is a useless emotion. Carrie Jones

Why would I want to fit in? Carrie Jones

We all line up except for this guy in a wheelchair, Devyn. He smiles at me when I line up, introduces himself. He has a movie star smile, just white teeth and charisma, big eyes, dark skin. He’d be perfect looking if he didn’t have such a large nose, but the truth is it looks good on him, natural and powerful. He winks at Issie, who blushes.“ You can do it, Is, ” he says. She rolls her eyes, twists her lip, and says, “As long as I don’t pass out.”“ If you pass out, I’ll put you in my lap and wheel you across the finish line, ” he says, and it somehow isn’t sleazy because you can tell by his eyes how much he cares about Issie. I instantly like him. She blushes worse. Her face looks like she’s already sprinted a mile. Carrie Jones

Daddy?”“I’m right here, baby.” Lumps form in my throat, going all the way down into the core of me. It’s his voice. His. Right there. I reach toward the doorknob but I don’t get to turn it. Nick smashes at me with his head, pushing against my lower jaw and cheek, like a blow. His muzzle moves my head away from the door. He presses his face in between me and the wood. Fur gets in my mouth. I spit it out and push at him.“ That’s my dad. My dad.” I slap the door. “He’s on the other side. The pixies will get him.” Nick shows me his teeth.“ I can’t lose him again, Nick.”The wolf snarls like he’s ready to bite. My head jerks back and away, but then I steady myself.“ Get . out . . of . the . way.” Pushing against his thick neck, I slam my hands against him over and over again, pummeling him. He doesn’t budge.“ Move! ” I order. “Move.”“Zara, is there a wolf in there with you? Do not trust him, ” my dad’s voice says, calmly, really calmly. I grab a fistful of fur and freeze. All at once it hits me that something is not right. My dad would never be calm if I was in my bedroom with a wolf. He’d be stressed and screaming, breaking the door down, kicking it in like he did once when I was really little and had accidentally locked myself in the bathroom and couldn’t get the lock out of the bolt because it was so old. He’d kicked that door down, splintering the wood, clutching me to him. He’d kissed my forehead over and over again.“ I’d never let anything happen to you, princess, ” he’d said. “You’re my baby.” My dad would be kicking the door in. My dad would be saving me.“ Let me in, ” he says. “Zara .”Letting go of Nick, I stagger backward. My hands fly up to my mouth, covering it. Nick stops snarling at me and wags his fluffy tail. How would my dad know that it is a wolf in here and not a dog? How would he know that it isn’t pixies? I shudder. Nick pounds next to me, pressing his side against my legs. I drop my hands and plunge my fingers into his fur, burying them there, looking for something. Maybe comfort. Maybe warmth. Maybe strength. Maybe all three. . Carrie Jones

I sob and clutch my stuffed bunny. Nick leaps up on my bed and squashes his body against mine, nuzzling my face with his muzzle until I lift it enough for him to lick away my tears. While the pixie rages downstairs, I wrap my arms around Nick’s furry body and cry into him. My shoulders quake from the effort of it. He whimpers once or twice and tries to lick my face some more, but mostly he watches the door, and eventually I stop with the pathetic sobbing stuff and just keep crying. Carrie Jones

Dimples crinkle up the skin near his lips. I will not look at his lips. How can he never have used those? That’s a crime against humanity right there. Carrie Jones

Nick stands behind me. He puts a hand on my waist. I yank in a breath. The world seems to swirl around me.“ Are you going to faint?” he asks. I back into him and blurt, “But you’re so cute. Werewolves aren’t supposed to be cute. Vampires are, I think. They are in the movies. But the werewolves are pretty much ugly and they wear leather jackets and are all dirty with these monster sideburns.”“ That’s all you have to say? That I’m cute?” He takes a stray piece of my hair and curls it around his fingers. “Most people faint or shriek or never talk to me again. . Carrie Jones

Nick bumps my shoulder with his, playfully. He kicks up some extra snow on purpose, whishing it onto my knees.“ You’re lucky you’re cute, ” I tell him.“ Really?”“ Especially with that doggy breath.” He scoops up some snow, makes it into a ball, bounces his hand up and down. “Take that back.” I giggle. “Nope.”I bend down to grab some snow and topple headfirst. The cold of it bites into my cheeks. I try to push myself up, but I can’t. I’m all awkward and clumsy with the snowshoes on. Nick laughs. I struggle some more. He grabs me under my arms and hauls me up. Smiling, he sticks out his tongue, and with tiny little movements starts licking the snow off my cheeks. It should be disgusting. It’s not. It’s all warm, and good feeling, and amazing. I close my eyes and let him.“ You smell good, ” he whispers.“ I haven’t showered.”“ Doesn’t matter, you smell good.” His voice, sensual and warm, mellows me. Our lips touch and part, touch again. I breathe him in. He moves his face away a little and studies me. I smile. I can’t help it.“ I like you, ” I say. “A lot. Even with the whole werewolf thing.” He smiles back. “I like you too.”“ A lot?”“ Mm-hmm, ” he says, leaning in for another kiss. “A wicked lot. Carrie Jones

It's hard to save the world when you can't save yourself Carrie Jones

It's been so long since I've been okay, I don't know what it feels like anymore. Joelle Charbonneau

No. He won't save my brother. He doesn't love me no matter what he believes. He loves that I need him. But I don't. Not really. Because despite what I thought, what I counted on, he has never been there for me. There is no safety with him. I've always been alone. I just didn't know how isolated I was until now. Joelle Charbonneau

... no one can ever save someone else, you know? We can only save ourselves. You know that, don't you? Carrie Jones

I just run faster and hit the slowest of the lead boys. I wink and race by him. He smells like onions and he has big, wet circles in the pits of his shirt. He speeds up, but can only stay with me for a tenth of a mile before he drops back. Then it’s Nick.I cruise next to him. He’s some sort of running god, because he isn’t close to being winded. His stride is long, powerful, and quick.“ Hi.” Why I said this, I do not know. He’s cute. Okay. I am a sucker for cute boys and he was nice to Issie. Plus, he has good hair and he isn’t as pale as most Maine males. He looks like he works in the sun, or at least has seen the sun once, maybe many weeks ago. Plus, life is all supposed to be about making love, not war. My dad listened to John Lennon; I know this stuff.“ You’re fast, ” he says, easy. No huffing. No puffing. No blowing the house down.“ So are you.” We run together, keeping pace. The only one ahead of us is Ian, who is loping around the track as if it’s nothing. Nick shrugs at me while he runs, which is really something, because when I’m running full tilt it’s hard for me to speak, let alone break form to shrug.“ You can go faster, can’t you?” I huff out. He just gives a little smile again and then his eyes shift into something cold, like gravestones with just the barest information about a life etched onto them.“ Zara, ” he whisper-says. I lean in closer to hear him. “What?”My voice is not a whisper. It matches the thudding beat of my heart, the bass of the music that blares out of the speakers.“ Awesome job, new girl! ” Devyn yells, clapping. Carrie Jones