“Get stuffed, don't you have more publicity stunts to pull?" Bones shot back. "How about chatting with another writer who can smear your name into greater popularity?""What, did Anne Rice not return your calls, mate?" Vlad asked scathingly. "Jealousy is such an ugly trait.”

“Bones. "We have to leave," I said to Vlad. "Now.""'Run, Forrest, run!'" Vlad mocked. ”

“I thought you'd gotten over your whoring when you left him, Catherine, but it seems you only postponed it."Bones' face turned to stone, and he answered her even before I could snap out an indignant response."Don't you ever speak to her that way again." There was pure warning in the whip of his words. "You can call me any name you like and more, but I will not stand by while you slander her out of your own ignorance.”

“You arrogant...” thrust through the stomach of a snapping zombie, twisting and using all my strength to cleave him in half “... over published...” wasn't going to work, it clawed at the blade, and my God, these things were tough, “...showy old bat...” Crack! There went my head into the wall. If I didn't have a split skull, I'd be amazed. “What are you waiting for? Aren't you the king of all bogeymen? The legend children fear will devour them if they don't behave?”“Come on, Vlad, live up to your reputation! If you can't burn to death one Egyptian vampire chained to a wall, how did you ever drive the Turks from Romania?”“You did it!”“Of course, I'm Vlad Tepesh, what did you expect?”

“Charles, mate, you fret too much. I'm a grown man, I am, and I can blood my handle.""Handle your blood?" Bones offered dryly.Ian grinned. "Exactly.”

“You’re not going to let her do this, are you?” Bones snorted. “Let her? Mate, if you think you can control a woman, you must be single—-and a thousand pounds says she beats your arse.”

“Are you having performance issues?” I asked in surprise. “Bite your tongue,” Vlad said, with a snort. “I was seeing if Dermot understood sign language, but from the look on his face, it seems not.”