“Shane said, "Don't worry. I'll protect you."Claire hit him in the shoulder. "I don't need you to protect me.""Then why am I going first?""So you can take the first punch while I throw the second?""So I'm bait? Ouch. You've been in Morganville way too long, girl.”

“Who hit you?""Why, so you can go beat him up?" "One of the fringe benefits of being my human servant is my protection.""I don't need your protection, Jean-Claude.""He hurt you.""And I shoved a gun into his groin and made him tell me everything he knew," I said.”

“I'll do it!""No, you won't," Shane and Michael said, at virtually the same time. Shane continued. "You're barely on your feet, Claire. You don't go anywhere, not without me.""And me," Michael said."Hell," Eve sighed. "I guess that means I have to go, too. Which I may not ever forgive you for, even if I don't die horribly.”

“It's not that i don't want you. I lied, earlier, when i said i was protecting you. I'm protecting myself. I don't want to be your rebound, Jacqueline." "Then why are you assuming that role? It's not what i want, either." "What am i gonna do with you?" "I can think of a couple things.”

“Why? Why don't you want to go with me?"She huffed. "It's not that I don't want to go with you, it's that I'm not going at all.""So you do want to go with me."Cinder locked her shoulders. "It doesn't matter. Because I can't.""But I need you.”

“Eve: "We nearly got killed over ice cream." Shane: "Another thing I don't want on my tombstone." Claire: "You have others?" Shane: "*first finger* I thought it wasn't loaded. *second finger* Hand me a match so I can check the gas tank. *third finger* Killed over ice cream.”