“Like Mum and that bastard. You mean Da?Call him what you like.”

“Whats wrong with him?Nothing. Hes just. . just. . Just what?A peacemaker. And shed dropped her voice to a whisper. What would I do with a peacemaker? The same thing I did with a whore.”

“My father helped you with that. . that thing you do? Yes. Your father helped me with that peacemaking thing I do that keeps you happily killing for a living.”

“Please dont hug me. Please dont hug me.But she did. And now Bram had two sets of black eyes glaring at him.Finally, he said out loud, Its not me! I swear! Rhiannon laughed and leaned back from Bram...”

“You off then, Da? she asked.Aye. Too old for all this killing. And to prove that, her father turned and brought his axe down on the head of a traitor that had gotten too close. Spun once more and c...”

“A whore Ailean may have been, but a loving, caring whore who adored his offspring and mate.”

“I think people would be happier if they admitted things more often. In a sense we are all prisoners of some memory, or fear, or disappointment - we are all defined by something we cant change.”

“And I didn't choose it, Kat. I chose you.”

“I love you. Youre mine. Ill kill any bastard who tries to take you from me.”

“The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or humiliated. And the only thing people regret is that they didn't li...”

“I wonder if fears ever really go away, or if they just lose their power over us.”

“Fear is all in the mind”