“We shouldn’t be doing this.” “Why,” he asked, “should we not be dancing?” “It’s not real.” “It could be.”

“It is an apology,” he said, “for not believing in you . . . or in us. Yesterday, I thought I’d lost you, and then we fought together,” he said. “I pushed you away for fear of what our relationship would do, could do, to this House. And then we protected this House together. That is the true measure of what we could do.”

“The Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishment,” I told him when he stepped down from the podium. “What?” he innocently asked. “Getting you out of the library? I believe it’s due time, Sentinel.” “Now that I’m a real, live vampire?” “Something like that,”

“Stop. That was a mistake. It shouldn’t have happened." "No?""No." "I could offer you more.” "What?” "Power. Access. Rewards. You’d need be available only to me.” "Are you asking me to be your mistress?” "Yes.” "Oh, my God.” "Is that a yes?” "No, Ethan, Jesus. Definitely not.”

“Catcher shrugged, refolded the paper, and stuffed it back into his pocket. "Anyone wanna dance?""Oh, Jesus," Mallory muttered."Dance?" I asked. "I could dance. I need to change, but I can dance." I could always dance. My hips didn't lie.Mallory tucked her tongue into her cheek, then gave Catcher a look of mock irritation. "Nice going, Gandalf. You'll rile her up, and I'll never get her tucked in. You wanna give her candy and caffeine while you're at it?”

“Go get him, tiger, I silently told him. Shouldn’t you be working? he asked. Yes, I said frankly. But the world outside these walls is depressing, and I need the distraction. You may begin impressing me now.”

“What do zombies chant at a riot?”“Grrarphsnarg?” he asked, in a surprisingly well-done bit of mindless zombie imitating.“No, but that was really good. Disconcertingly good.”“I was deceased for a time.”“True. But anyway, the rioters get all riled up, and they chant: ‘What do we want? Brains! When do we want them? Brains!’” I fell into a wave of appropriately boisterous laughter; Ethan seemed less impressed.“I truly hope the stipend we pay you doesn’t get spent on the development of jokes like that.”