“Well, she thought. Well, well. Here we are, probably for the first time, just talking to each other. Not arguing, not being sarcastic, just talking. It's nice.It was surprisingly nice. And the strange thing was, she knew Ash thought so, too. They understood each other. Over the table, Ash gave her a barely perceptible nod.”

“Ash held one finger up. "OK. Now listen-"Mary-Lynnette kicked him in the shins. She knew it was inapporopriate, she knew it was uncalled-for, but she couldn't stop herself. She just had to."Oh, for God's sake," Ash said, hopping backward. "Are you crazy?”

“Ash stripped some of the papery purple bark off his yew stick. "And, you see, it's difficult because what I've always thought about humans-what I was always raised to think…""I know what you've always thought," Mary-Lynnette said sharply. Thinking, vermin.But," Ash continued doggedly, "the thing is-and I know this is going to sound strange-that I seem to love you sort of desperately.”

“Thea sagged back against the seat. She was still confused and unhappy, but what scared her most was that she felt a strong urge to keep talking to Eric about it. He seemed to understand so well…better than anybody else ever had. And not only to understand, but to care.”

“Still, there was no point in hurting Damon. She loved Damon, too. “I’ll try,” she promised.“We’ll take you home,” he said.“But not yet,” she told him gently. “Let’s wait just a little while.”Something happened in the fathomless black eyes, and the burning spark went out. Then she saw that Damon knew, too.“I’m not afraid,” she said. “Well—only a little.”

“She was the one who was supposed to have walked with him through different lives, being born and loving and dying and being born again. They'd been born for each other, to help each other grow and blossom and discover and evolve.”

“Mary-Lynnette felt a violent wrench in her chest. For a moment everything seemed suspended-and changed.If Ash were dead-if Ash had been killed…Things would never be all right. She would never be all right. It would be like the night with the moon and stars gone. Nothing that anybody could do would make up for it. Mary-Lynnette didn't know why-it didn't make any sense-but she suddenly knew it was true.”