“His leaving had been like snipping off the end of a rope - leaving two unraveling strands.”

“He had held out shakily, like a tree that had been hacked down to its breaking point. But that kiss was the last swing, the final impact, and he gave in finally, felled.”

“If you're the wolf, though, I'll chop off your head and piss down the hole”

“How strange to have a sister, Valarie thought. Someone you might have been.”

“Peter had stolen a knife. We were seven years old, and we'd caught a rabbit in a trap. We looked at each other darkly, a look I'll never forget, one of a shared savage thrill, like young wolves taking down their first kill.A spill of blood issued from the rabbits neck, a quick red streak across pristine white fur, slow enough to be cruel. I hadn't cut deep enough. Had I wanted to spare its life or prolong its misery? I've never wanted to know the answer.”

“I am going to save your daughter. And then I intend to marry her. I would like your blessing in this, but I can live without it.”

“Though Valerie and Peter were dancing differently, their bodies moving in different ways, they were both doing the same dance. It was a jealousy dance, old as the human race”