“And that, Claire thought, was why Morley had been right about this, even if he was a complete vampire aboutit.You had to save what you could.Amelie had understood that all along, Claire realized. That was why Morganville existed. Because you had totry.”

“All her life, Claire had had a problem figuring out where other people ended and she began. All her life, she’d taken on the world’s hurt; she held herself responsible. But why?”

“Wait and see," Claire said excitedly. "Your husband will not be able to resist you."Grace hoped Claire was right.Since the night he had kissed her in the drawing room after their disastrous dinner party,he had done a magnificent job of exactly that.”

“Tempting. But you see, I can simply insist on a lifetime contract with none of your silly restrictions, or kill you right now.”“You won’t,” Shane said. That made Morley’s eyes open wide.“Why not? Jacob and Patience were quite specific—they’re concerned for Claire. Not for you, boy.”“Because if you kill me and Eve, you’ll make her your enemy. This girl won’t stop until she sees you all pay.”Claire had no idea whom he was talking about—she didn’t feel like that Claire at all, until she imagined Shane and Eve lying dead on the ground.Then she understood. “I’d hunt you down,” she said quietly. “I’d use every resource I have to do it.And you know I’d win.”Morley seemed impressed. “She is small, but I see your point, boy. Besides, she has the ear of Amelie, Oliver, and Myrnin; not a combination I would care to test.”

“No, Belle needed him. He had to save her from a disastrous marriage. And then, he supposed, he'd simply marry her himself.John wasn't unaware that he was about to pull one of the greatest about-faces in history. He could only hope that Belle would understand that he had realized she'd had been right all along. People made mistakes, didn't they? After all, he wasn't some infallible storybook hero.”

“Once, on ancient Earth, there was a human boy walking along a beach. There had just been a storm, and starfish had been scattered along the sands. The boy knew the fish would die, so he began to fling the fish to the sea. But every time he threw a starfish, another would wash ashore. "An old Earth man happened along and saw what the child was doing. He called out, 'Boy, what are you doing?' " 'Saving the starfish!' replied the boy. " 'But your attempts are useless, child! Every time you save one, another one returns, often the same one! You can't save them all, so why bother trying? Why does it matter, anyway?' called the old man. "The boy thought about this for a while, a starfish in his hand; he answered, "Well, it matters to this one." And then he flung the starfish into the welcoming sea.”