“Looks like Faye's doing a little extracurricular activity," a voice behind her murmured, and Cassie turned gratefully. Nick nodded at the guy who was occupying the seat there, and the guy scrambled up and left. Cassie hardly noticed the occurrence, it was so common. The kids from Crowhaven Road indicated what they wanted, and the outsiders gave it to them. Always. It was the way things worked.Nick sat in the vacated chair and took out a pack of cigarettes. He opened it,shook one forward. Then he noticed Cassie.Cassie was staring at him with her eyebrows lifted, her best Diana expression on. Disapproval radiating from her like heat waves."Ah," Nick said. He glanced at the cigarettes, then at her again. He tapped the protruding cigarette back into place and tucked the pack in his pocket."Bad habit," he said.”

“Cassie looked up at him, her fingers still intermeshed with his. "Sorry," she said unsteadily. "I was just scared." "Remind me to get you scared frequently," Nick said. He looked slightly dazed.”

“And I know you thought a lot of him. I realize I'm hardly the perfect substitute, but like I said, the way things are going maybe it's stupid to wait for perfection." Suddenly he was looking directly at her and Cassie saw something in his mahogany eyes she'd never seen before.”

“This is weird," he said, looking around the room, and taking another gulp from his glass. "This is so weird ... I don't know what I'm doing. I've got deliveries to make ..." Then he said, "Gee, you're pretty." Gee? thought Cassie. Gosh. Golly. Oh, my God. "Thanks," she said weakly, and glanced around the room for help.”

“They'd bitten her the little monsters. And now they were sitting on the floor and composedly licking the blood off their chops. A surge of violent revulsion passed through Cassie. From the doorway Faye chuckled. Maybe theyre not getting all their vitamins and minerals from the kitten chow she said.”

“And it was good just to hold her and touch the softness of her skin. He wanted to hold her hard, not to hurt her but to keep her safe, to show her that he was strong enough to protect her. Her beauty was like fire and strange music, and he loved her.”

“Gabriel was trying to smile, but the expression kept breaking apart. He was looking at her as if he hadn't seen her for years and years of searching, and had just now walked into a room and come upon her unexpectedly. As if he wanted to look at every part of her, now that he could do it honestly.”