I happen to have a fondness for vampire stories. In the Forests of the Night, Dracula, Interview With the Vampire, Companions of the Night. Anything with vampires is fair game. Of course, some vampire stories strike me as being fairly stupid (I wasn't overly fond of "The Silver Kiss"). But some of them I like, and here on this evolving page are some quotes from those some that I like.
My home has no coffin in it; I sleep in a bed, thank-you.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
If someone hammered a stake through my heart I suppose I would die, but I do not play with humans, stakes, or mallets.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“You never asked for these powers, Alexander,” I told him quietly, “You never signed the Devil’s Book. You are trying to be forgiven for doing nothing wrong.”
-Rachel Weatere, In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
The city at night is like a jungle. In the red glow of the unsleeping city the streets and alleys change and twist like shadows, just like all the human—and not so human—predators that inhabit it.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
If I did not [kill her], someone was going to kill her as soon as she entered one of the bars or set foot in a café, which had probably never served anything she would want to drink.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
He went to draw a knife, but I grabbed it first and threw it into the street hard enough to slam an inch of steel into the ground.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“Mr. Karew…this is rather improper.”
“You’re right.” Aubrey said.
-Mr. Weatere and Aubrey, about Aubrey dropping in on Rachel late at night. In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Alexander walked back to the house silently, and I watched him leave, not knowing what to say. I could not deny that the rose was beautiful in a way—perfectly shaped, just opened. The color, though, was the color of darkness, death, and all the evil things I had been told of: black hearts, black arts, black--
Black eyes. Hypnotic black eyes.
-Risika Silver/Rachel Weatere [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Some vampires, like some humans, know nothing other than submission. They do not wish to rise in power. But those vampires are rare. Few vampires will allow themselves to show fear of another, for as soon as you are proved weaker you become the hunted. The hunter hates being hunted, chased, or wounded. If it did not, it would not be an aggressive hunter, and those who cannot be aggressive are hunted down while they shiver and hide because the night is dark.
Forever is too long to live in fear.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
I could deal with this moment, so long as I did not think of the one before.
-Risika/Rachel [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
I believed, for that second, in my immortal soul and I would not abandon it—not willingly.
-Risika/Rachel [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
What I have said is very close to a challenge—one I hope to avoid—but so be it. If I must, I will play on thin ice with Aubrey tonight. I do not care that if the ice breaks it will be I who falls through.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
I do not allow myself to grow close to humans. They have a tendancy to notice that I never age.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
ATHER: You will learn.
RISIKA: I will not be a killer.
A: You will…you are above the humans now, Risika, above even most of our kind. Will you let them rule you because that is how the humans taught you?…The law of the jungle says “Be strong or be dominated”. The law of our world says “Be strong or be killed”.
R: It is not my world!
A: Yes it is, Risika.
R: I won’t let it be.
A: You have no choice, child.
R: You’re evil. I won’t kill because you tell me to…
A: Then kill because it is your right…You are no longer human, Risika. Humans are your prey. You have never felt sorrow for the chickens you killed so they could grace your plate. The animals you raised so they could be killed. The creatures you put in pens so you could own them. Why should you feel differently towards your meal now?
R: But you can’t just kill humans. It’s…
A: Evil? The world is evil, Risika. Wolves hunt the stragglers in a group of deer. Vultures devour the fallen. Hyenas destroy the weak. Humans kill that which they fear. Survive and be strong, or die, cornered by your prey, trembling because the night is dark.
-Ather and Risika, In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
AUBREY: Ather has been looking for you.
RISIKA: Tell Ather I do not want to see her.
A: Tell Ather yourself. I’m not your messanger boy.
R: No, you just take Ather’s orders like a good little lapdog.
A: No one orders me, child.
R: Except Ather…she snaps and you jump. Or search, or kill.
A: Not always…I just didn’t like your brother.
-Aubrey and Risika, In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“You stepped over the body without a care. Over the body, no respect, Risika…”
-Aubrey, mocking Risika (he doesn’t care much about the body), In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“The world has teeth and claws, Risika; you are either the predator or the prey. No one deserves to die any more than they deserve to live. The weak die, the strong survive. There is nothing else.”
-Aubrey, In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
But in nature, survival is the name of the game and the body touches its long-dead roots. You adapt, because if you cannot, you’re as good as dead. I adapted.
-Risika Silver [text], In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“Remember this, Risika—I have no love for you. I think you are weak, and I don’t care about your morals. If you challenge me again, you will lose.”
-Aubrey, to Risika pinned on the ground,In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
JAGER: What do you see, Tiger? You look around this room as if you saw it differently from all of us. What do you see?
RISIKA: I see someone who does not show his true eyes…What do you see?
J: I see my warnings to Ather and Aubrey were justified.
R: Was it you who warned Ather I would be strong?
J: It was I who warned her you would be stronger than she.
R: Ather is weak…it is one of her flaws. She changes those who will be stronger than her because it makes others think she has more power than she does.
J: She isn’t the only one you are stronger than, Risika…Aubrey isn’t often challenged, because people know he is powerful and are afraid of him. He has you afraid of him, although he is not much stronger than you are, if at all.
R: Oh really? Then we must be speaking of different Aubreys, because I lost the last time I fought the Aubrey I know.
J: You could hide that scar with a thought. You have the power to do that.
R: I could…but I don’t.
J: You wear it like a warning—a sign you will avenge it.
R: I will avenge more than this scar, Jager.
J: When? Will you wait from him to start the music? Or will you start it for yourself?
R: I prefer to kill in silence.
[pause]
J: Happy hunting, Risika.
-Jager and Risika at Ambrosia, ,In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“I just came to offer my condolences on the death of your poor, fragile kitten…”
[insert lots of rambling, introspective text here]
“Considering you killed Tora, your condolences aren’t worth much.”
-Aubrey and Risika (if only Atwater-Rhodes could have left out the rambling in between those two great lines),In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
I am in a far more destructive, reckless mood than ever…I have nothing left to lose and I want to change something. Destroy something.
I spin the mirror so that it faces away from me. I know what I will see if I look into its reflective illusion.
-Risika Silver [text] ,In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
…and the nightclub is as strange as an ice-skating rink in hell.
-Risika Silver [text] ,In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
“I hate you.” She said.
“That’ll probably work out for the best.”
-Kerry and Ethan, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“She seems rather young, mon cher,” she said as Kerry stepped out of the car, “but I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Just let me get my shoes.”
-Regina, to Ethan, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
After all she’d seen, and despite all logic, she couldn’t be surprised. “You’re exactly what they said,” she told him, less question than statement. “You’re a vampire.”
Lest she have any lingering doubts, he took the phone from her and yanked the cord out of the wall.
-Kerry and Ethan, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he repeated.
She forced herself to look directly into his eyes. “Does that mean that you’re not going to harm me, or does it mean that when you kill me, it’s not going to hurt?”
-Ethan and Kerry, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“Ethan, I just want you to know—not that anybody can ever truly know how they’re going to react to any given situation, and then it’s too late because then you’re saying how you did react instead of how you’re going to react, so you can only guess. Which is what I’m doing, even though I don’t have all the information, so you might think I’m being terribly naïve, which I probably am. But I don’t want you thinking I’m implying any sort of criticism of anybody who may or may not have been in the same situation, which is obviously impossible anyway because every situation is different….”
He had pulled back and was frowning, probably from concentration as he tried to follow what she was saying, and she couldn’t fault him because she’d lost track herself.
-Kerry and Ethan, making out in Marsala’s closet, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“What do you think she’s done?” Kerry asked.
“Run away.” Ethan answered with a knowing nod.
The policeman left.
“…or arson, accessory to murder, grand theft auto, and obstructing justice.” Ethan finished.
Kerry pushed her plate away. She was becoming an accomplished liar…just as her mother had been those last several months. “What? No credit card fraud?” She asked.
“Ah,” Ethan leaned in close to whisper, “that comes when we rent the car.”
-Kerry and Ethan discuss their recent activities in a Greek resteraunt, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“Oh, I’m not taking it lightly,” Ethan assured her, “one thing we’ve learned over the years, after You can never have too many covers on a window, is Don’t mess with kids.”
-Ethan, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“ ‘it is not clear whether Kerry ever arrived home after leaving the store parking lot at about eight forty-five in the company of a young man named Evan,’” –he gave her a significant look—“ ‘described as being in his late teens or early twenties, having dark hair, dark eyes, and wearing a vinyl jacket’. Vinyl,” he scoffed, rolling his blue eyes, “Wonderful witnesses. One of your friends describes you here as ‘quiet but friendly’ and ‘always having a friendly word for everyone’.”
“Who said that?” Kerry asked.
“Craig McDougal, night manager.”
“Oh, puke.” Kerry said.
“That doesn’t sound very friendly.”
-Ethan and Kerry read about Kerry’s disappearance in the paper, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“Are you really drinking that?” She asked.
“No, it’s all done with mirrors,” he answered, still not looking up.
-Kerry and Ethan in a Greek resteraunt, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you it’s rude to read at the table?”…
“I figured it was alright since I’m reading about you.”
“What?” She grabbed for the paper, but he smacked her across the knuckles with it.
-Kerry and Ethan, reading the paper, Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde
[Vivian Vande Velde has a style pretty similar to mine. Lots of humor, even in serious situations.]