“I knew, as sure as I knew my name, that tomorrow he would send me another coat, in a big fancy box, with a big bow on it. It would be the right size, it would be a top brand, and it would be warm................It was cranberry red, with a removable liner, a detachable hood, and tortoiseshell buttons.”

“In fact," Eric said, as he went to the front door, "I'd throw it away entirely. Maybe burn it."He left, closing the door behind him very quietly.I knew, as sure as I knew my name, that tomorrow he would send me another coat, in a big fancy box, with a big bow on it. It would be the right size, it would be a top brand, and it would be warm.It was cranberry red, with a removable liner, a detachable hood and tortoiseshell buttons.”

“I love you,” Bill said helplessly, as if he wished those magic words would heal me. But he knew they wouldn’t.“That’s what you all keep saying,” I answered. “But it doesn’t seem to get me any happier.”

“I’d always enjoyed life, and I knew I would again. But I was going to have to slog through a lot of bad patches to get there”

“Would Eric enjoy being a Sooner? As I navigated through Shreveport, I wondered if Oklahoma vampires wore cowboy boots and knew all the songs from the musical.”

“I'd long wondered if I were really a civilized person, though I kept striving to be one. I knew that at the moment I'd said I would take care of Lorena myself, I had meant it. There was something pretty savage inside me, and I'd always controlled it. My grandmother had not raised me to be a murderess.”

“She won't win," Eric said. He sounded confident, passionate--everything I might have hoped would be reassuring."You're sure?" I asked."Yes, my lover. I'm sure.""But you're not here," I observed, and I hung up very gently. He didn't call back.”