He tried to learn seductive phrases in all languages, but the only Swedish he had ever really needed was, "Do you serve anything aside from pickled fish?" and "If you wrap me in furs, I can pretend to be your little fuzzy bear.

Someday," Magnus said, looking at the crumpled royal person at his feet, "I must write my memoirs.

Clearly,' said Luke, 'something's going on that I don't know about.' Simon looked over at him. 'Sometimes I think that's the motto of my life.

Stop. I don't do you favors, Alec. I do things for you because - well, why do you think I do them?" Something rose up in Alec's throat, cutting off his response. It was always like this when he was with Magnus. It was as if there were a bubble of pain or regret that lived inside his heart, and when he wanted to say something, anything, that seemed meaningful or true, it rose up and choked off his words. "I need to get back to the ship," he said, finally.

He always lived in his head. He never cared about how things were, only how they would be, someday, when he had everything he wanted. When we had everything we wanted.

You're staring at me," Simon said. "Why are you staring at me? Have I got something on my face?

Tatiana's eyes were huge and poison-green, eyes with enough pain in them to eat away at a world and devour a soul.