Captive Prince

Quotes from Captive Prince Trilogy by @cspacat

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Why do you give me good advice?’ asked Laurent.
Isn’t that why you brought me with you? Instead of speaking those words aloud, Damen said, ‘Why don’t you take any of it?”

— Book II, II

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“I see you are once again assisting—’ Charls leaned in conspiratorially, ‘cousin Charls on his travels.’
‘Cousin Charls wants to keep his identity hidden. I hope you understand. The Veretian Council think he’s hunting at Acquitart.’
‘I am the soul of discretion,’ said Charls.”

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Fuck me,’ said Laurent.
‘I want to,’ said Damen. ‘Can you let me?’
‘I am letting you,’ said Laurent, the terse words pushing out.”

— Book II, XIX

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“You were a force of nature. (…). Frightening to have you on my side.’
‘Frightening?’
‘You didn’t know how afraid I was of you?’
‘Of me? Or of yourself?’
‘Of what was happening between us.’
‘Sometimes I’m still afraid of it.’ Laurent’s voice was honest.”

— The Summer Palace

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“(…) Laurent drew his horse up in a little circle, and met Damen’s gaze, his pale brows rising, as if to say, ‘Well?’
Damen grinned. He hefted the spear he had caught, and (…) threw; let it go (…) to thunk into the target alongside Laurent’s spear, where it rested, quivering.”

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“I remember how much it maddened you in the palace, to be powerless. I felt yesterday how badly you wanted to hit someone.’
Damen found he’d moved without realising it, his fingers lifting to touch the bruised edge of Laurent’s jaw. He said, ‘The man who did this to you.”

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“DAMEN WAS SMILING. (…)
Laurent missed him.
He felt a flutter of illicit joy when he thought of it. He remembered Laurent gazing up at him. You keep overturning all my plans. Laurent was going to be furious when he arrived at the morning meeting.”

— Book III, X

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“I forgot, you don’t fuck boys.’
Damen said, ‘Men, sometimes.’
‘In the absence of women?’
‘When I want them.’
‘If I’d known that, I might have felt a frisson of danger, lying next to you.’
‘You did know that,’ said Damen.”

— Book II, XVII

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Say it,’ said Damen.
‘I yield.’ It was gritted out. Laurent’s head turned away to one side.
‘I want you to know,’ he said, the words thick and heavy as they pushed out of him, ‘that I could have done this any time when I was a slave.”

— Book III, VIII

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Laurent had placed his boot flat against the plane of Damen’s chest, and pushed. And he didn’t remove his boot from its position, he held Damen in place with it, the firm pressure of the ball of Laurent’s foot a warning to stay back.”

— Book II, XIX

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“I knelt for you,’ said Damen.
The remembered words when Laurent had forced Damen to his knees, and extended the toe of his boot.
He thought, Laurent would never do that. Laurent had too much pride.
Deliberately, Laurent went to his knees.”

— The Summer Palace

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Kallias’s unselfconscious ease made Erasmus feel happy and very shy.”

— The Training of Erasmus

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“You were jealous.”

— Book III, XVI

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“You and Auguste would have been slapping each other on the back and watching tournaments, and I would have been trailing around tugging on your sleeve. He would have liked you.’
‘Even after I started courting his little brother?’ said Damen carefully.
‘Yes,’ said Laurent softly”

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Jokaste is confined in a cell in the east wing. Do you have further orders?’
‘Strip her and send her to Vere as a slave?’ Damen didn’t move from the sill.
Nikandros said, ‘You don’t really want that.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I want it to be worse.”

— Book III, XI

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Laurent had placed his boot flat against the plane of Damen’s chest, and pushed. And he didn’t remove his boot from its position, he held Damen in place with it, the firm pressure of the ball of Laurent’s foot a warning to stay back.”

— Book II, XIX

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Because they were a nuisance, he pulled at the laces of his shirt, which had caught under him, then bunched it in his hands, and used it, without thinking much, to wipe himself off. He tossed it from the bed.”

— Book II, XIX ½

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“Exposed, Laurent’s nipples were hard and puckered, the first tangible evidence of desire, and Damen felt a wild surge of gratification. His eyes lifted to Laurent’s.
Laurent said, ‘Did you think I was made of stone?”

— Book II, XIX

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“His eyes closed. He thought of weight, dipping the mattress, an unformed image of the soldier he had seen silhouetted above him, the words of a poem, Arsaces, undone.”

— Training of Erasmus

[Captive Prince @capribot]

“I miss you too,’ he said. ‘I’m jealous of Isander.’
‘Isander’s a slave.’
‘I was a slave.’
The moment ached. Laurent met his gaze, his eyes too clear.
‘You were never a slave, Damianos. You were born to rule, as I was.”

— Book III, X