"But I didn't know about the other story.""What other story?"About how you and Adrian Ivashkov are-""No, whatever you heard it's not true.""But it was really romantic""Then it's definitely not true."

"Hey, he replied. "You look beautiful today.I glanced down and laughed. Along with my limited wardrobe, I was also discovering that not doing laundry decreased my clothing options even further. I was in jeans and a plain black T-shirt today, and my hair had been lucky to get a quick brushing, let alone any real styling. I'd overslept and figured beachcombing didn't require much primping anyway."Liar, I said. "I practically rolled out of bed this morning."You forget that I've seen you in just about every state imaginable. You don't have to have every detail primped and perfect. You're beautiful even when you're disheveled. Sometimes more so."

"Keith was just bringing the glass to his lips when Adrian said, "Mmm. O positive, my favorite."Keith sprayed out the wine he'd just drunk and promptly started coughing. I was relieved that none got on me. jill burst into giggles, and Clarence stared at his glass wonderingly."Is it? I thought it was a cabernet sauvignon.""So it is," said Adrian, straight-faced. "My mistake."

"I certainly hadn't expected to walk away from today's trip with joint custody of a miniature dragon."

"Of course, some might argue that one can never know what's in the heart of a woman- For they are strange and mysterious creatures,and a man must be a mind reader if he ever wishes to make them happy."

"Love and loyalty run deeper than blood."

"Sometimes talking to you is like talking to myself: pretty damned annoying."

"You can crawl back to whatever hole you live in and fuck your landlord for rent."

"I'm backing down now. I really do love you. That's why I'm doing this."

"As much as I hated to admit it, I kind of looked forward to seeing him. It made no sense, but something about his infuriating nature made me forget about my other worries. Weirdly, I felt like I could relax around him."

"You can't save everyone, though God knows you try."

"What do you think Dimitri? Is this a good idea, Dimitri? Please give us your blessing so that we can fall down and worship you, Dimitri."

"This college would probably have the same problem as the last one did."I frowned, "What's that?""Homework."

"But I couldn't help myself, couldn't help the way I felt as I recalled the bliss and rush of a vampire's bite."

"Note even Moroi give licenses to infants, Sage."

"She accused me of wearing pants from the salvation army.""Rose, your pants ARE from the salvation army.""That's SO not the point!"

"Staring into the mirror, I was surprised to see a haunted look in my brown eyes. There was pain there, pain and loss that even the nicest dress and makeup couldn't hide."

"What's up?" I asked.You tell me," he said. "You were the one about ready to start making out with Adrian."It was an experiment," I said. "It was part of my therapy."What the hell kind of therapy are you in?"

"It's a tricky art, working with them in their purest form, she mused. "Simultaneously simple yet infinitely complex. It sounded like my relationship with Adrian."

"She has very strong ideas about family - ideas that probably sound kind of sexist to you. She believes all dhampirs should train and put in time as guardians, but that the women should eventually return home to raise their children together.But not the men?No, he said wryly. She thinks men still need to stay out there and kill Strigoi."

"If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you."

"I'd seen weirder things than a haunted shoe, but not many."

"It was impossible to get the Dimitri and Tasha thing out of my head, but at least packing and getting ready made sure I didn't devote 100 percent of my brain power to him. More like 95 percent."

"Hope implies that you think you have a chance at something."

"Adrian smiled and clasped my hands, taking a few steps toward me. "And as for who you are, you're the same beautiful, brave, and ridiculously smart caffeinated fighter you've been since the day I met you. Finally, he put "beautiful at the top of his list of adjectives. Not that I should have cared."Sweet talker, I scoffed. "You didn't know anything about me the first time we met."I knew you were beautiful, he said. "I just hoped for the rest."

"I also had to come tonight to apologize. If you need to go to Mexico to finish this process off, then I understand. I was wrong to criticize you for it or even imply that I had some kind of say in it. One of the greatest things about you is that in the end, you always make smart decisions. Can't always say the same for myself. Whatever you need to do, I'll support you."

"I don't think most people take honest well. They prefer the games. They want to believe the pretty lies."

"If I had learned anything in my life about love, it was that they were tenous things that could end at any moment. Caution was essential-but not at the cost of risking your life."

"Do you know what I see in you now? The usual aura. A steady golden yellow, healthy and strong, with spikes of purple here and there. But when I do this. . . .He rested a hand on my hip, and my whole body tensed up. That hand moved around my hip, slipping under my shirt to rest on the small of my back. My skin burned where he touched me, and the places that were untouched longed for that heat.. The colors deepen, it burns more intensely, the purple increases. Why? Why, Sydney? He used that hand on me to pull me closer. "Why do you react that way if I don't mean anything to you? There was a desperation in his voice, and it was legitimate."

"Whatever happened to the dragon?"I mustered my primmest tone. "He has a name, you know."Adrian pulled back and gave me a curious look. "I didn't know, actually. What'd you decide on?""Hopper." When Adrian laughed, I added, "Best rabbit ever. He'd be proud to know his name is being passed on.""Yes, I'm sure he would. Did you name the Mustang too?""I think you mean the Ivashkinator."He stared at me in wonder. "I told you I loved you, right?"Yes," I assured him. "Many times."

"That's ridiculous." Especially the part about Christian being manly."

"Dimitri is dead," she said. It was a statement, not a question, but she was looking to me for confirmation. I wondered if I'd given away something, some hint that there was still more to the story. Or maybe she just needed the certainty of those words. And for a moment, I considered telling them that Dimitri was dead. It was what the Academy would tell them, what the guardians would tell them. It would be easier on them...but somehow, I couldn't stand to lie to them-even if it was a comforting lie. Dimitri would have wanted the whole truth, and his family would too. "No," I said, and for a heartbeat, hope sprang up in everyone's faces-at least until I spoke again. "Dimitri's a Strigoi."

"After the bitching I'd done to Abe about going to remote, crappy places, I should have been excited about the prospect of going to Sin City."

"If you're Strigoi," the boy interrupted loudly, "then why don't you have horns? My friend Jeffrey said Strigoi have horns."Dimitri's eyes fell not on the boy but on me for a moment. Again, that spark of knowing shot between us. Then, face smooth and serious, Dimitri turned to the boy and answered, "Strigoi don't have horns. And even if they did, it wouldn't matter because I'm not a Strigoi."

"What were good and evil, really, but stupid categories? Stupid categoriesthat restricted people and punished or rewarded them based on how they responded to their own natures, natures they really didn't have any way to control."

"Are you in a suit?' I managed at last, my voice choking up. 'You didn't have to dress up for me.''Quiet, Sage,' he said. 'I'll make the hilarious one-liners during this daring rescue."

"Throughout our youth, whenever we had a dispute, Li Wei and I would apologize to each other by exchanging gifts. Mine would be in the form of drawings, crudely done with whatever natural supplies I could find. His would always be carvings. There was only one time the exchange didn't happen, the day I told him I was accepting the apprentice position and would never be able to marry him."

"I managed to ask a question that had been burning inside me. "Do you still love her? Rose? Along with not knowing what it felt like to be in love, I also didn't know how long it took to recover from love.Adrian's smile faded. His gaze turned inward. "Yes. No. It's hard to get over someone like that. She had a huge effect on me, both good and bad. That's hard to move past. I try not to think about her much in terms of love and hate. Mostly I'm trying to get on with my life. With mixed results, unfortunately."

"Hey, he's awesome. A little unstable, but awesome. We got along great." Adrian opened the door to the building we were seeking. "And he's a badass in his way too. I mean, any other guy who wore scarves like that? He'd be laughed out of this school. Not Abe. He'd beat someone almost as badly as you would. In fact..." Adrian's voice turned nervous. I gave him a surprised look."In fact what?""Well...Abe said he liked me. But he also made it clear what he'd do to me if I ever hurt you or did anything bad." Adrian grimaced. "In fact, he described what he'd do in very graphic detail. Then, just like that, he switched to some random, happy topic. I like the guy, but he's scary."

"Your... Your aura. It's... amazing. It's shining. I mean, it always shines, but today... Well I've never seen anything like it. I didn't expect that after everything that happened.'I shifted around uncomfortably. If I lit up around Dimitri normally, what on earth happened to my aura post-sex?"

"You, you got rid of that dress fast," I pointed out between heavy breaths. "I thought you liked it." "I do like it," he said. His breathing was as heavy as mine. "I love it." And then he took me to the bed."

"Are you kidding? He's arrogant, sarcastic, likes to intimidate people, and-oh." Okay. Maybe she had a point."

"In an undertone, I murmured, "This isn't over. I won't give up on you.""I've given up on you," he said back, voice also soft. "Love fades. Mine has."

"It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. You can let go of the sword.""I can't. I can't leave him alone. I have to protect him.""You have."

"I shot up,now as angry and frusterated as him.I had a feeling if i stayed, we'd both snap. In and undertone, I murmured,"this isnt over.i won't give up on you."" I've given up on you,"he said back,voice also soft. "Love fades. Mine has."

"And after a while...I mean, how do you choose? Who gets to live? Part of life is that...well, some people have to die. My powers aren't a prescription you can get filled as needed."

"It's okay," I said soothingly. "You're just getting your stride back. Once you're up to full power, I'll go crack a rib or something so we can test it."She groaned. "The horrible part is that I don't think you're joking."

"There's nothing worse than waiting and not knowing what'll happen to you. Your own imagination can be crueler than any captor."

"Sometimes it's worth lingering on the journey for a while before getting to the destination."

"For a moment his eyes locked onto me with an intensity that left me breathless."