“The sheer splendor of the sight made my chest tighten and tears sting my eyes. All the darkness lately made it easy to forget the world contained more than people trying to hurt other people. It had beauty, too, if you knew where to look--and remembered to open your eyes.”

“Drive-ins," Vlad said, his lip curling in a way that said he hadn't been a fan of them even when they were popular. "I suppose that's better than a regular theater. Less people at drive-ins, and if they're anything like I remember, most of the humans there won't be concentrating on anything but fornicating anyway."His disdainful tone almost made me laugh. Who knew the reputated scourge of the underworld looked down his nose at drive-in nookie?"Not everyone had their own castle to go back to when they were young and horny," I said, my lips twitching.The look he threw me was more than cynical. "My youth was spent in constant war, not the pursuit of tender seductions.”

“I love your hands,' he sighed. 'You think I look like an angel? Well, Kitten, your hands are my heaven and your eyes are my home.'" (Bones)”

“So do you remember this place?" "Hard to forget." he snorted. "This is where you tried to kill me. You were so nervous, you kept blushing. Never had someone try to stake me who blushed so much.”

“No one feels like you do, so every brush of your skin is a cruel reminder of what I’ve lost. I can barely stand the sight of you because you’re more beautiful than I’ve allowed myself to remember, and when I cut that wire off Maximus and smelled you all over him, I wanted to kill him more than I’ve wanted to kill anyone in my life, yet I couldn’t because of my promise to you.”Slow tears continued to trickle down my cheeks, but for a different reason this time.“You care.”The words were whispered with a despairing sort of wonder. He wasn’t willing to rescind his loveless vow, clearly, but I was wrong about the apathy I’d thought he felt. That he admitted all the above was surprising enough; the fact he’d done it within earshot of his pilots was no less than shocking.Vlad grunted. “Don’t worry. I intend to kill them as soon as we land.”

“Vlad made a sound too harsh to be a growl. "You won't be satisfied until you've brought me to my knees, is that it?""Why not?" It shot out of me with all the recklessness of my still-broken heart. "You brought me to mine.”

“I opened my mouth-and had nothing to refute that with. Damn people who argued using logic. Talk about unfair.”