“I apologized to her once for spending less time with her, but she blew it off. "You're in love. That makes you actually kind of boring to people who aren't in love. You know, the sane ones.”

“How did you learn all this?"Vic sighed. "See, while you spend all your time making out with Balthazar, and Raquel stays holed up with her art projects, and Ranulf's off studying his Norse myths again, i do something else. Something crazy. Something strange. I call it 'talking to other people.' Through this miraculous process, I am sometimes able to learn facts about two or three other human beings in a single day. Scientists plan to study my method."~Vic”

“Lucas," I repeated. "I know you can hear me. The guy I love is still in there. Come back to me." Once again longed for the release of tears."Death couldn't keep me from you. And it can't keep you from me, not if you don't let it.”

“You’re going to tell me that last night shouldn’t have happened.”No. I’m glad it happened. For too long, I’ve been telling myself that I could spend all this time with yo and flirt with you and not have it mean anything. It does mean something. You mean something to me. But I’m not in love with you.”

“There's one way. Only one. Mine." Balthazar stepped closer, using every inch he had on Lucas, who was tall but not that tall. "Charity is a person. The same as you, the same as me.""You and me aren't the same."Balthazar cocked his head. "Then let's say the same as Bianca. Will that make you listen?""Bianca's no killer! She didn't have a choice about what she is.""Guys, don't do this," I pleaded, but they paid no attention."A choice? You think we all get a choice?" Although Balthazar spoke softly, there was a roughness to his voice I'd never heard before. It sent chills down my spine. "Try being hunted down in the night. Try running as far and as fast as you can and finding out their faster. Try coming to in a stable, with your parents' dead bodies on the ground in front of you, your hands roped above your head and a dozen hungry vampires arguing with each other about who gets you next. See how much choice you have then."Lucas just stared at him. Obviously he'd never imagined anything like that; neither had I.Even more quietly, Balthazar continued, "Try watching your baby sister die, and then tell me that you wouldn't spend the rest of eternity trying to make up for it. When you've done all that, Lucas, then you can talk to me about choices. Until that time, tell me what I need to know and then shut your mouth.”

“I didn’t tell him. He found out. Basically, he caught me coming inafter the last time you and I saw each other. But he won’t give us away,Lucas. He’s even willing to help us see each other, as long as we helphim with Charity.”“What, like, a fund-raiser or something?”I’d forgotten he didn’t know her name. “The vampire girl in Amherst.”“Wait—Charity? That’s her name? You were able to figure out whoshe is.” He smiled so proudly that all the tension of the moment instantlymelted. “I fell in love with a genius.”

“Balthazar was the kind of guy who used totally correct spelling and punctuation even when he was texting, which was sort of bizarrely hot. She was in serious trouble if commas could get her going.”