Words for Reminiscing

Our Favorite Night Huntress Quotes

By Wench Barb and Wench Care

Collage by Olga Daniels

The final installment in Cat and Bones's story hit shelves and e-readers yesterday, and most of the Wenches are working their way through that fabulous book right now. So we decided to take this opportunity to look back at some of our favorite quotes from this wonderful series, of which there are many. The Night Huntress series has it's share of hilarious zingers, heart-wrenching life truths, stunning declarations of love, and sexy lines that leave us panting, so narrowing it down to just one per book was quite the challenge. A challenge we accepted.

So click through to see our favorite quotes from each book in the Night Huntress series. Obviously there will be spoilers (including an Up From the Grave quote!), so click at your own risk.

Halfway to the Grave

"That's right, luv." Softly but with unyielding resonance. "If you run from me, I'll chase you. And I'll find you."

I have, literally, dozens of quotes highlighted in this book, so why choose this one? Because it is perfectly Bones, showing us exactly who he is, for the entire series. One of the reasons I adore Bones above all other heroes is that he never lies to himself or others, and he pursues exactly what he wants. Bones never bluffs, and this statement is not a bluff. When Cat leaves him, he chases her for over four years, until a twist of Fate has him finding her again. He knew very early in their relationship that he was in love with Cat, he knew how rare that was, and there was nothing on this earth that was going to keep her from him. ~~Barb

"Right, then, mate, terribly sorry for my unspeakable rudeness, and I do beg your pardon," he said with admirable humbleness when Timmie cracked it open. Only I could pick up the slight edge to his voice as he went on. "I can only say that it was caused by my natural affront to the notion of her as my sister. Since I'll be shagging her tonight, you can imagine how I'd be distressed at the thought of rogering my sibling."

I chose this quote because it tells me multitudes about Bones - first, he is determined, possessive, and he has no shame. Second, he makes me laugh - even when he's not actually intending to.  The notion that this man, vampire or not, is so stuck on Cat that he's willing to apologize for his nature - but not much more than a 'sorry, not sorry'...  I love it.  And I laugh every time.  Every single time.  It makes this whole first book pop - I loved Bones to start with, and it took a long time for Cat to grow on me.  This quote right here absolutely cemented the fact that I would be reading this series as long as Ms. Frost kept writing it.~~Care

One Foot in the Grave

"There I met you, and I fell in love. You can't imagine what that was like after centuries of...emptiness. I hadn't thought I was capable of falling in love, but at last I felt like I had something to give other than a good shag or killing a bloke for someone."

Source

*sigh* This is my very favorite quote, not just of this book, but of the whole series. Because we see through Cat's narration, we don't fully understand how other people feel unless they express it to her. Well, here Bones is telling Cat, in unequivocal terms, exactly what she means to him, and what his life was like before she came into it. He tells her that we was as happy as he thought he had any right to be, but she changed everything. Cat doesn't have the greatest self-esteem so she can't possibly understand why he would not move on with his life as she told him to. But here, in his beautiful, honest words, he explains exactly why he could never move on from her. Ever. ~~Barb

"See, Don, I have this question, and I hope you'll be honest with me."
He pulled at the end of his eyebrow. "I think you know you can count on my honesty."
"Can I?" I asked with an edge. "All right, then tell me: How long have you been fucking me?"
That caused him to stop tugging his brow. "I don't know what you're saying-"
"Because if I was going to fuck you," I interrupted, "I'd get a bottle of gin, some Frank Sinatra music... and a crash cart for the heart attack you'd have. But you, Don, you've been fucking me for years now, and I haven't gotten any liquor, music, flowers, candy, or anything!"

This was a tough one. It was a toss-up, in the end, between this one, and the final quote leading up to the Infamous Chapter 32. I went with this one because while the other makes me shiver every time.... This one shows us more of Cat. Her backbone is growing in, and she's got a sharp wit to go with it. Snarky and sarcastic - exactly how I love my heroines... because it's how I am myself. I love that Cat is finally willing to stand up and say "THIS FAR, AND NO FARTHER." That she's drawing a line in the sand, and demanding that she be treated with the respect and consideration that she deserves.~~Care

At Grave's End

"Actually, Justina, I didn't just ring you to chat about what an undead murderer I was...right, degenerate whore as well. Did I ever tell you my mum was one? No? Oh, blimey, I come from a long line of whores, in fact..."

I sucked in a breath as Bones divulged yet another tidbit about his past to my mother, who must be frothing at the mouth my now.

"...called to give you the good news. I asked your daughter to marry me and she accepted. Congratulations, I will officially be your son-in-law. Now, do you want me to call you Mum straightaway, or wait until after the wedding?"

Source

Humor is a huge reason to love this series, and this quote perfectly illustrates Bones's wicked sense of humor, especially when needling his mother-in-law about her initial hatred of him and her inability to push him out of Cat's life. Bones is here to stay, and there is nothing Justina can do about that. It's also a good example of the habit so many of the characters have of teasing one another. Cat and Ian, Bones and Vlad--they may not like each other, but they respect each other enough to pick on one another, and that just rings so true. And hilarious. ~~Barb

"Wow," Tate whispered. "They're fucking right on the dance floor."
"I see that." There was an edge to my words.
Dave gave me a sideways grin, "Juan will cry at being stuck in the van. If he were here, he'd be screaming, Authenticity's imperative! and taking his pants down."

This and the snark between Vlad and Bones were my best from At Grave's End, but I ended up going with this because it speaks to the camaraderie between the members of Cat's team, regardless of their state of pulse. It gives us a sense of how at ease they all are, how Dave is adapting, and how everyone loves Juan, no matter what they might ever say. And I love that the characters all intertwine - that there is more for Cat than just Bones, that Tate is more than a plot device for angst, that Dave is more than just 'that guy from the cave'... that everyone has more to them than the initial assumption might give.~~Care

Destined for an Early Grave

"Awake or asleep, I belonged to Bones, no one else."

Source

A theme that weaves through the first several books is people trying to separate Cat and Bones. In DFAEG, Gregor is that culprit, trying not only to separate them, but to claim Cat for his own. Which simply was not going to happen. It may have taken Cat some time to accept that she loved Bones, longer to accept that he truly loved her with her flaws and all, and even longer to accept that she was worthy of his love, but she got there, and it was amazing. Their love is glorious, and I adore how they both find ways to express and celebrate their relationship. ~~Barb

"Then you remember the dream," Mencheres stated. "That bodes ill."
The fear of that made my reply snappy, "Hey, Walks Like An Egyptian, how about for once you drop the formal stuff and talk like you live in the twenty first century?"
"The shit's gonna splatter, start buggin', yo," Mencheres responded instantly.
I stared at him, then burst out laughing, which was highly inappropriate considering the very grave warning he'd just conveyed.

Now, I do believe I've established that I LOVE MENCHERES. Love him. Beyond reason. And I've also established that I like my heroines smart and sassy. This combines both elements, and makes me laugh even when I feel like I shouldn't. It's perfection - it allows Cat to show off her sassiness in the face of danger, Mencheres to show his sense of humor, and me to enjoy Cat while loving the shit out of Mencheres. I'll take it! ~~Care

One for the Money

By the time Bones announced it was Tammy's turn, I'd fallen in love with him all over again. Flowers and jewelry worked for most girls as a romantic gesture, but here I was, misty-eyed at watching him show my mother how to stab the shit out of him.

Cat and Bones never had a traditional relationship with a typical period of wooing, and neither of them are flowers and chocolates kind of people. But they show one another how much they care, what the other means to them in stunning ways that the other partner could never mistake. Justina will never be Bones's favorite person (attempted murder and being the cause of four years of misery tends to put a person on one's bad side) but he knows what she means to his wife, and will do whatever it takes to keep his wife happy and safe. It really is a lovely gesture, with the delightful snarky twist that makes us love a Jeaniene Frost tale so very much.~~Barb

This Side of the Grave

Source

"Sneaky, manipulating, merciless, bloodsucker..."

A chuckle drifted up to me. "Pillow talk already? You'll have me hard before we're even back in our room."

"Well, I hope your hard self enjoys flogging the bishop tonight." I snapped.

His laughter only increased. "Really, luv, I'm impressed. Wherever did you learn such a salty expression?"

*Sigh* What a wonderful relationship these two have. Seriously, this one scene shows Cat and Bones laughing together, learning together, still hot for each other. Through seven books and two novellas I never once got tired of seeing them in love, kicking ass together, sarcastic, hilarious, building a life together. This exchange is priceless and I remember laughing out loud the first time I read it, but it's also a perfect example of why we love these two so very much. ~~Barb

"Before we go, I gotta know: If mind-reading abilities are real, there's something else I wondered if fiction got right about vampires - "
"Ask me if I sparkle and I'll kill you where you stand," Bones cut him off with utmost seriousness.

This was hard. Oh, this was SO HARD. I liked a quip about the instability of sectionals, a note about Veritas, the mention of the soundproofing of Mencheres' bedroom, some snark from Vlad, and some snark from Cat, but honestly, this one took the cake. As usual, someone's sense of humor just pulled me in, and linked the books to my own life, allowing me to feel connected to the story, the world, the characters - and to once again remind me why a sense of humor, and an amusing turn of phrase is one of the first things I look for in friends... and more. ~~Care

One Grave At A Time

"I didn't know that then. I just thought you were easy.

His laugh rumbled out, hard arms tightening around me. "I was, but I still wanted you more than I believed possible. You don't know how mad you drove me those first several weeks. It tormented me seeing you every day and being unable to touch you because you hated me."

"I hated myself more." Another whisper, but this one he heard. "You showed me how accept myself, and I loved you long before I could admit it to you."

We knew this, knew that she loved him far more deeply than she was willing to admit, long before she admitted it to herself or to him. But hearing Cat recognize, out loud, how wrong she was, how far she's come since those early days with Bones...it's just stunning. ~~Barb

Source

Ian appeared to have recovered from his surprise. He gave Spade an almost accusatory look. 
"You're shagging a woman who can turn into a dragon? Blast you, Charles, I am sick with envy!" 

I had some Cat snark, and some profound revelations about the nature of love, but honestly, you all can see the way I roll here by now. I had to go with this one, because I'm just a sucker for a sense of humor - especially if it's on the bawdy side. So Ian gets me - every time. That he's finally got a great one liner that doesn't take five minutes explanation to set up makes this my favorite quote. And while I adore Mencheres... Ian ranks up there pretty damned high as well, and he hasn't seen enough love from me recently. Yes, I'm incredibly attached to this series, and terrified to read the next book... because I don't want it to end.~~Care

Up From the Grave

Source

"The day you love anyone but yourself, is the day I'll take your marital advice, Ian," Bones bit back in an icy tone. 
"Then today is that day," Ian replied sharply, "for I love you, you wretched, pig-headed, guttersnipe. I also love that arrogant, overpriviledged dandy smirking at us" -a wave indicated Spade, whose aforementioned smirk vanished- "as well as the emotionally fractured, malfunctioning psychic who sired me. And you Crispin, love a bloodthirsty hellion who's probably killed more people in her thirty years than I have in over two centuries of living, so again I say don't bother trying to convince her she isn't who she is." 

Oh Ian. I did not love Ian when we met him in OFITG, but that is because I am very much a sucker for my heroines' narrations. I saw him through Cat's eyes, and she was most definitely not an Ian fan, unable to understand why Bones couldn't simply kill Ian to rid them of a problem. But Bones would only accept that as a last resort, and thankfully it didn't come to that. Since then, we have since seen Ian's humor, loyalty, bad-assery, and most surprisingly, his depth. We simply have to pay witness to Ian's happily ever after, he has more than earned it, and we are all ready. 

Did we pick your favorite quotes, Saucy Reader? What lines would you add to our list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!