“Do you normally turn up in gentlemen's bedrooms in the middle of the night? If I'd known that, I would have campaigned harder to make sure Charlotte let you stay.”

“I belong to you. You could do anything you wanted with me and I would let you. You could ask anything of me and I'd break myself trying to make you happy. My heart tells me this is the best and greatest feeling I have ever had.”

“And maybe it would have bitten you in half," said Will. "What you are describing, the transformation into a demon, is the last stage of the pox.""Will!" Charlotte threw up her hands. "Why didn't you say so?""You know, the books on demon pox are in the library," Will said with an injured tone. "I wasn't preventing anyone from reading them.""Yes, but if Benedict was going to turn into an enormous serpent, you'd think you could at least have mentioned it," said Charlotte. "As a matter of general interest.”

“Do you think Charlotte will let me handle the investigation?""Do you think you can be trusted in Downworld? The gaming hells, the dens of magical vice, the women of loose morals..." Will smiled the way Lucifer might have smiled, moments before he fell from heaven. "Would tomorrow be to early to start looking, do you think?Jem sighed. 'Do what you like, William. You always do.”

“Henry patted Charlotte’s shoulder anxiously. “Would you like a cool cloth? What can I do to help?”“You could ride up to Yorkshire and chop that old goat’s head off.” Charlotte sounded mutinous.“Won’t that make things rather awkward with the Clave?” asked Henry. “They’re not generally very receptive about, you know, beheadings and things.”

“Keep up," said an irritable voice in her ear. It was Jace, who had dropped back to walk beside her. "I don't want to have to keep looking behind me to make sure nothing's happened to you.""So don't bother.""Last time I left you alone, a demon attacked you," he pointed out. "Well, I'd certainly hate to interrupt your pleasant night stroll with my sudden death."He blinked. "There is a fine line between sarcasm and outright hostility, and you seem to have crossed it.”

“Look," Luke went on, "In all the years I've known him, there's always been exactly one place Simon wanted to be, and he's always fought like hell to make sure he got there and stayed there.""Where's that?""Wherever you were.”