He pulled the Carstairs family ring from his finger and held it out to Will. "Take it." Will let his eyes drift down toward it, and then up to Jem's face. A dozen awful things he could say, or do, went through his mind. One did not slough off a persona so quickly, he had found. He had pretended to be cruel for so many years that the pretense was still what he reached for first, as a man might absently turn his carriage toward the home he had lived in for all his life, despite the fact that he had recently moved. "You wish to marry me now?" he said, at last.

You want a round table meeting, we can have a round table meeting." "I love round tables," said Magnus brightly. "They suit me so much better than square.

Fine." Magnus stood up. "But," he added, pausing by Alec's chair and leaning in close to him, "you are not trivial." Alec flushed. "If you say so," he said. "I say so," said Magnus, and he turned to follow Isabelle out of the room.

I do not believe you can threaten people into goodness.” - Jem Carstairs

khalepa ta kala, greek. It means 'beauty is harsh'.

Do you think…" He raised his eyebrows. "Do I think what?" "That Valentine might have drowned?" "Never believe the bad guy is dead until you see a body," said Simon. "That just leads to unhappiness and surprise ambushes.

There are some people—people the universe seems to have singled out for special destinies. Special favors and special torments. God knows we're all drawn toward what's beautiful and broken; I have been, but some people cannot be fixed. Or if they can be; its only by love and sacrifice so great that it destroys the giver.