Jacks Of The Hollow Quotes

“A tormented scream pierced the night like a blade. The sky bled, and darkness fell instead of stars, erasing lights across the Magnificent North.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She ran her fingers through his soft hair, just once.

He leaned in to her hand. 'That feels good,' he mumbled. 'You feel good, too.' He hooked an arm around her waist and drew her on to the bed.

'Jacks- what are you doing?'

'Just for tonight.' He tightened his arm, holding her even closer, until her chest was pressed against his bare skin.

'You're injured,' she breathed.

'This makes me feel better.' He spoke against her throat and finished with a lick that made her head begin to spin.

Now would have been a really good time to untangle herself.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Why are you being so cruel?'

'Because you won't leave!' Jacks shouted. 'And if you stay, you will die. Chaos hasn't fed in thousands of years. I know he thinks he can control his hunger, but he can't. That's why they put the helm on him.'

'You could have just said that. If you didn't want me to say goodbye or you want me to leave, you don't have to hurt me to get me to do it.'

'I'm not- I-' Jacks broke off abruptly. His eyes were no longer just red, they were blazing with fear. She'd never seen him look so terrified before. She'd been poisoned, shot, lashed across the back, and Jacks had always kept his calm until now.

With a great deal of effort, he took a deep breath, and when he spoke again, his voice was soft but uneven. 'I'm sorry, Little Fox. I didn't want to hurt you, I just-'

He looked suddenly at a loss for words, as if whatever he said next might be the wrong thing. He's never looked at her like this before.

'Jacks, please, don't use the stones tonight. Come with me instead.'

He took a jagged breath. For a second, he looked torn. He raked a hand through his hair, his movements jagged.

Evangeline took a step closer.

He shuttered his expression and took a step back. 'This doesn't change anything. I still can't have you in my life. You and I aren't meant to be.'

'What if you're wrong?'

Evangeline had once heard a tale about a pair of doomed stars, drawn across skies toward each other's brightness, even though they knew that if they drew too close, their desire would end in a fiery explosion. This was how Jacks looked at her now. As if neither of them would survive if they drew any closer.

'Evangeline, you need to go.'

A thunderous roar poured out from the Valory, so loud it shook the arch and the angels and the ground at Evangeline's feet.

'Get out of here.' Jacks said.

She held his gaze, one final time, wishing she knew how to change his mind. 'I wish our story could have had another ending.'

'I don't want another ending,' Jacks said flatly. 'I just want you to leave.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“... the girl remained unmoving. Dead. And yet the Fate continued to hold her.

'Bring her back,' he said softly.

'I am sorry,' said the queen who'd just awoken. She was a petite thing. She's tried to pull her son away from the girl to stop his unnatural feeding, but her hands were not strong enough. The queen could not fight immortals physically, but she had an iron will forged of mettle and mistakes. 'You know I cannot do that.'

The Fate finally looked up. 'Bring her back,' he repeated. For he also possessed an indomitable will. 'I know you can do it.'

The queen shook her head remorsefully. 'My heart breaks for you- for this. But I will not do this. After bringing back Castor and seeing what he became, I vowed to never use that sort of magic again.'

'Evangeline would be different.' The Fate glowered at the queen.

'No,' she repeated. 'You wouldn't be saving this girl, you would be damning her. Just as we did to Castor. She wouldn't want this life.'

'I don't care what she wants!' roared the Fate. 'I don't want her dead. She saved you, you need to save her.'

The queen took a shaky breath.

If the story curse could have breathed, it would have held its breath. It hoped the queen would say yes. Yes to bringing her back, to turning her in to another terrible immortal. Despite what this Fate believed, the girl would be horrible- the ones with endless life always were, eventually.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“I don't care what she wants!' roared the Fate. 'I don't want her dead. She saved you, you need to save her.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Little Fox, when I saw you, I thought-'

He broke off as he set her atop all the twisted sheets. Then he fisted her hair in his hand and tugged until she was looking up at him. His face had all the agony of a fallen star, broken and beautiful, with eyes so blue, the colour of everything else looked dull.

Deliberately, his gaze fell to her lips.

Her breathing turned ragged, and she wished just once that he could kiss her.

He leaned closer and gently twisted her hair, angling her head as he brought their mouths incredibly close.

'You're still bleeding.' He licked the centre of her lips, soft and agonisingly slow. His tongue felt like heaven and hell. Like everything she wanted and all she couldn't have. She had to stop herself from leaning closer, though she doubted Jacks would let her. She could feel his fingers against her scalp, holding her in place, keeping her lips just shy of his.

But maybe it was close enough. Maybe they didn't have to touch. She could live like this as long as she could live with him.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She hoped that he would argue with her- she hoped that he would fight for her. She hoped despite everything that he would choose her.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“... she couldn't believe the inexorable pull she felt was entirely one-sided.

She looked up at his unreadable eyes as he lowered her in to the bed. 'Do you still think of me as just a tool?'

Jacks frowned. 'I try not to think of you at all.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“The girl was dead. If her lifeless body had not confirmed it, then it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms. The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form.
...
The Fate didn't move. He didn't let the girl go. He looked as if he never would. He continued holding her as if he could return her to life with the force of his will. His eyes were wet with blood. Red tears fell down his cheeks and on to hers. But the girl didn't stir.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Hello,' he said, almost shyly, as he approached the table. He was barefoot and shirtless, and adorably tousled, with golden hair falling over sparkly eyes that looked as if they were still waking up.

'Hi.' Her voice came out oddly shy as well, which only seemed to make Jacks smile.

'You didn't have to sneak out of bed,' he said.

'I didn't sneak.'

'Then why didn't you stay?' He casually slid in to the seat beside her and turned to her with a wolfish grin. It was a smile like a fairytale, part villain, part hero, part impossible ever after.

She couldn't bear how much she loved it.

But then she remembered the stone. She imagined she'd feel differently if it was in an iron box, and she feared that Jacks would, too. That he wouldn't be looking at her as if he wanted to devour her instead of the breakfast.

'Tomorrow, I won't let you leave so easily.' His eyes flashed with mischief, and he stole a bite of her toast.

The gesture was so simple and so comfortable, and all she could think was that it would be so easy to stay here. 'I thought you said it was just one night.'

'I thought you never believed what I said.' He shook his head reproachfully and tugged her on to his lap.

'Jacks-' Evangeline put a hand against his chest. She could feel his heart was pounding, which surprised her. On the outside, he looked so casual and careless, but now she imagined he felt as nervous as she did. It made her want to pull him closer, to press her head in to his shoulder and tell him all the things that she was trying not to feel.

She wrapped her arms around his neck , and for a second she held tight. She held him as if he was hers and she was his, and there was nothing else between them. No curses. No lies. No past wounds or mistakes. She held him as if there was only now, as if nothing else mattered but this moment. Then she let him go. She shoved off his laps with clumsy arms and even clumsier legs that stumbled as she tried to step back.

'Evangeline... what's wrong?' A line creased between his brows.

'This isn't real, Jacks. You and I, we're under the influence of the mirth stone.'

'You think you would only feel this way about me because of a rock?' Jacks' mouth clamped shut. For a moment he looked angry, but she looked in his eyes, all she could see was hurt.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Everything between them felt as fragile as a raindrop that would cease to exist when it touched the ground. But the Hollow also felt like the sort of place where raindrops never touched the ground.

Jacks slowly ran a hand up and down her spine. 'Have you decided to stay.'

'I thought you already heard what I was thinking?' she whispered.

'I want you to say it out loud.' His words were low and quiet; she wouldn't have heard them if she hadn't been so close. And it struck her how intimate words could be, how they could be spoken only once , for only one person, and they would never be heard again, they would disappear like a moment, gone almost as soon as you realised they were there.

...

She meant to say, For tonight, I'm yours, but all that came out was 'I'm yours.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“She melted once more at the memory of how he'd said the word mine. It was only supposed to be for the night, but the pretending hadn't stopped. Light was bleeding through the windows, showering them in sunshine as they lay together, legs and arms entwined. One of his cool hands wrapped protectively around her waist, and the other had made its way up her skirt, holding her to him as if touching were a form of breathing.

They had moved closer as they slept, as if drawn by some force that she suspected was simply each other.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“He held her so tightly it hurt, but this pain she didn't mind. She'd let him crush her, let him break her, just as long as he never let her go. This was what she wanted, and she refused to believe that he didn't want it, too.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“As much as she hated the choice that Jacks was making, she didn't want to take it away. Instead, she hoped, one final time, that he would make a better one.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“I can see why Jacks likes you. You're a bit like her, you know?'

'Like who?'

The Handsome Stranger rubbed his jaw. 'He wouldn't be happy if he knew I said this, but if you're not careful, you'll end up like her as well.'

'Like who?' Evangeline repeated.

'His first fox.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“You want to know how the story really ends? You want to know the part of the tale that everyone forgets?'
...
'I told you that I killed her, but I didn't say how.' A dangerous intensity slipped in to Jacks' voice. 'I didn't tell you that I ran away, that I tried to leave her so I wouldn't hurt her. I didn't know if I really loved her, or if my feelings were all from the curse, because it wouldn't let me stop thinking about her. But she had more faith in me that I did. She chased after me. She was convinced I really loved her and that I could fight the curse. And I did. I never laid a hand on her. I overcame the Archer's curse. But it didn't matter, because as soon as I kissed her, she died.' Jack's mouth twisted bitterly. 'Since then, every girl I've kissed has died, except for one. And you are not that girl.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“He swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. 'You have no idea what I'm feeling now.'

He looked at her lips, and the most tortured expression she'd ever seen crossed his face.

When Jacks wanted something, it was with an intensity that could break worlds and build kingdoms. That was the energy pouring off him now, as if he wanted to destroy her and make her his queen all at once.

And it was oh so tempting to let him. Magic crackled in the sliver of space between them. Golden and electric and alive. It felt like the end of a fairytale, when one kiss has more power than a thousand wars or a hundred spells.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Her breath was short, and her heart was pounding- she feared that at any moment it might just give out. And he was standing there eating an apple.

But she knew he felt something. She no longer believed anything that had happened between them in the Hollow was because of the mirth stone. The mirth stone didn't create bliss; all it had done was mend wounds and take away fear.

What was Jacks afraid of? What was his wound.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Do you still want to know what the stones do when they're together?'

'Yes,' she said. But suddenly, she felt nervous. This was the answer she'd been waiting for. The one she'd been begging for. All this time, she'd been dying to know what Jacks really wanted. For a while, she'd been afraid of it, because she didn't want him to hurt anyone. But now from the way he looked at her, she suddenly feared the only person his answer would hurt was her.

Jacks crossed over to his desk and picked up a white apple. He tossed it as he said. 'When the four stones are combined, a person has the power to return to any moment in their past. It can only be done once. Once the stones have been used for this purpose, they'll never have the power to be used like this again.'

For a second, it didn't sound so bad. Lots of people had moments they wanted to change. That day alone, there were several things Evangeline would have done differently. 'What moment do you want to go back to?'

Jacks looked at the apple in his hand as he answered. 'I want to return to the moment I met Donatella.'

'The princess who stabbed you?'

He nodded tightly.

For a second, Evangeline was speechless. Of all the answers, she did not expect this. She quickly flashed back to the night that she and Jacks had spent together in the crypt, when he'd finally told her the story of Princess Donatella- how he'd kissed her and it should have killed her, but instead, it made his heart beat. She should have been his one true love, but Donatella chose another and stabbed Jacks in the heart.

'Why would you want to go back for her?'

Jacks worked his jaw. 'She was supposed to be my one true love- I want another chance at that.'

'But this doesn't make sense,' Evangeline said. 'Why go to all this trouble for a girl who you don't love?' Because Evangeline knew Jacks didn't love Donatella. She might have believed it before when she'd first heard the story, but Evangeline couldn't fathom it now.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“Do you think what he's doing is a good idea?'

The vampire rubbed the jaw of his helm. 'I think we should get going.'

'I'll take that as a no.'

Chaos sighed, one part impatient, one part beleaguered. 'I don't ever think time travel is a good idea. I've lived long enough to know that the past doesn't like to be changed. Jacks believes his plan will work because he only wants to alter one thing. But Jacks' reason gets clouded when he wants something badly enough. I believe the only way that time travel works is if the past hadn't had time to settle. The further back you go, the more Time fights against changes. And given the vindictive nature of Time, even if Jacks succeeds in changing the past, Time will no doubt make sure he loses something else in order to pay for it. So you are correct, I think he's making a mistake.'

'Then help me change his mind!'

Chaos shook his head ruefully. 'You're not good for him, either, Princess. This is a better mistake for Jacks to make than you. If he were to stay for you, he would kill you, and your death would kill him. Trust me, Evangeline. If you care about Jacks, the best thing you can do for him is let him go.'

'That doesn't feel like the best thing,' she said. But a part of her couldn't deny that maybe Chaos was right.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“What is she doing here?' Chaos gave a tight nod to the girl in the slip.

Jacks shrugged. 'I thought you might need a snack when you get your helm off.”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After

“He silently held her tighter and pressed his forehead to hers. She wasn't sure if he was crying or if she was, but there was wet on her cheeks. It felt a lot like tears.”
― Stephanie Garber, Once Upon a Broken Heart

“Jacks tore at another piece of bread. 'I don't ever come here. The Hollow used to be my home.' His eyes turned a bleak shade of blue.

Evangeline felt the urge to say she was sorry, but she wasn't sure what for. All she knew was that her heart had cracked when he'd said the word home.

What had happened to change things? How had he turned from a boy with a family and friends in to a Fate? And why did he no longer want to come here? To her, the Hollow felt warm and wonderful, but it clearly didn't to Jacks.

'When was the last time you were here?'

'Right after I became a Fate.' Jacks countenance shifted as soon as the words were out.

It was like watching a spell break apart.

The fire crackled and the tavern grew hotter as Jack's entire body tensed. He dropped the bread, hardened his jaw, narrowed his eyes on Evangeline, then slowly lowered his stormy gaze to the chain around her neck. And this time, he didn't ask if it was a a gift from Luc.

'I think you've been naughty, Little Fox.' He made a tsking sound with his tongue. 'Where did you find the truth stone?”
― Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After