Sherrilyn Kenyon: Syn has a brain disorder that causes him to lie most...

(The baby sneezed. Wulf jumped as fire shot out of its nostrils and almost singed his leg.) Excuse me. I almost made Dark-Hunter barbecue, which would be really sad ‘cause I ain’t got no barbecue sauce with me. (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

fire dark baby

Oh, goodie. Let the bloodbath commence. (Zarek)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Again, I repeat, don’t ask questions you don’t want answered. Just accept the fact that Acheron is a freak of nature and let it go. (Zarek)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

let-it-go want facts

How much longer will I live? (Urian) You’re immortal, barring death. (Acheron) That doesn’t make sense. (Urian) Most of life doesn’t. (Acheron)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

immortal make-sense

Guys, we’re so screwed. The women know we didn’t go hunting. (Kyrian) You think? What idiot came up with that lie? (Zarek) I’m not an idiot. And it’s not like I lied. I just omitted what exactly we were hunting and where we were doing it. (Talon) Like your wives wouldn’t know better? When was the last time Mr. Armani hunted something that didn’t have a price tag on it? Oh, and the loafers and trousers are perfect camouflage. (Zarek)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

hunting lying thinking

What an alliance, huh? A Dark-Hunter and a Spathi united to guard an Apollite. Who would have ever imagined? (Wulf) Love makes strange bedfellows. (Acheron) I thought that was politics. (Wulf) It’s both. (Acheron)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

alliances hunters dark

No, see the slide’s too high. He could fall and get a concussion. (Wulf) Forget that. He could rack himself on the teeter-totter. (Chris) Teeter-totter nothing. The swings are a choking hazard. Whose idea was it for him to have this? (Urian)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

swings ideas fall

Now there’s a sight you don’t see every day, huh? Two punked-out Goths throwing a Christmas party for sick children. (Doctor)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

doctors party children

St. Ash – who knew? (Gallagher)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

gallagher ashes

Akri? Can I keep him? See, he good eating. Lots of fat on this one. (Simi) No, Simi. You can’t keep the baby. His mother would miss him. (Acheron) But he want to go home with the Simi. He said so. (Simi) No, Simi. (Acheron) No Simi, no food. Nag, nag, nag. (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

mother home baby

Okay, gimmi a kiss and I’ll go. (Simi) Not in front of the Hunter, Simi. (Acheron) The Simi wants a kiss, akri. I’ll wait all century. You know I will. (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

hunters kissing waiting

I’m sorry, you just remind me of someone. (Rose) Old boyfriend? (Gallagher) No, my great-grandfather. (Rose) That’s not particularly flattering. I thought I looked rather good for my age. (Gallagher)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

grandfather sorry rose

So long as you minded your manners and kept your weapons concealed, they let you enter and leave in peace. Those who broke the one house rule of “No Spill Blood” quickly found themselves leaving in pieces.’ (Gallagher)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

house long blood

What’ cha doing out here all alone? Did you forget how to find Sanctuary? (Simi) No. I want to be alone for a bit. (Gallagher) Why? Were the bears mean to you? Mama can get a bit cranky whenever I play with the cubs. She thinks I’m going to eat one, but bleh! They’re way too hairy. Now if she’d let me skin one, I might be interested. (Simi) Are you joking? (Gallagher) Oh no. I never joke about hairy food. (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

play mean thinking

What are you doing out here? (Gallagher) Not much. Akri is off with that red-headed demon so he said I could go play just so long as I don’t eat nothing not cooked by a human. But all my favorite places are closed so I thought I’d go find the bears myself and see if Jose, since he’s human, would make me up something good that wouldn’t make akri mad if I ate it. (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

mad play long

Hey. (She took his chin in her hand so that she could move his head back and forth while she examined him.) You’re hurting in there. That would make akri very sad. He doesn’t like for his Dark-Hunters to hurt and the Simi don’t like it when akri is sad. Why are you hurt? (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

hurt dark moving

Oh no, that’s for you. Presents make people happy. The Simi wants you to be happy. (Simi) Thank you, Simi. (Gallagher) No need to thank me. See, that’s what families do. They take care of each other. (Simi) I no longer have a family. I had to give them up. (Gallagher) Of course you have a family. Everyone has family. I’m your family. Akri your family. Even that smelly old goddess is your family. She’s that creepy old aunt who comes around but nobody likes her so they make fun of her when she’s gone. (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

aunt fun people

Don’t you want Simi to be your family?...This is the part where you say, ‘Yes, Simi, I would like to be your family.’ ‘Cause if you don’t, then I’ll have to take my mitt back and barbecue you. Akri is still upset about the last Dark-Hunter I barbecued and that was…oh, a thousand or so years ago. He part elephant when it comes to remembering things. (Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

elephants dark years

So tell me, do you want Simi to be your family? (Simi) Yes, Simi, I would like to be your family. (Gallagher) Good. You’re such a smart Dark-Hunter.(Simi)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

smart dark want

There were Arcadians here, Katagaria, Dark-Hunters, demons, humans, and who knew what else. By rights none of them should get along and yet they were together tonight. Bound by something other than blood. They were bound together by their hearts.’ (Gallagher)

Sherrilyn Kenyon

dark heart blood

Syn has a brain disorder that causes him to lie most of the time. Ignore him. (Nykyrian)