“It's an illusion, control," Naomi said. "You ought to understand that by now, young Claire. We are never in control of our destinies, even the strongest of us. All we can hope to do is not be too b...”

“Myrnin was silent for a beat, and then he said, "Bob would be very disappointed in you.”

“You can't go around... licking things that come out of a water treatment plant. That's just... unsanitary.”

“Even bipolar vampires needed sleep from time to time, and he was well past his recommended safe dosage of stress.”

“That's very rude," Myrnin said. "I haven't brought my fangs our for some time. Not in mixed company, anyway.”

“His smile was bright and sweet and hot enough to melt solid steel. "Is this the part where I kiss you?""If you like.""Oh," he said, "I like.”

“Though there had yet to be a victor in this great war that had begun almost three years ago, Maurice had written to her that they had, all of them, on all sides, lost their freedom. Freedom to thin...”

“Then I thought, boy, isn't that just typical? You wait and wait and wait for something, and then when it happens, you feel sad.”

“I'm living under water. Everything seems slow and far away. I know there's a world up there, a sunlit quick world where time runs like dry sand through an hourglass, but down here, where I am, air ...”