“But stay away from him, Juliana. When we said we wanted to make you a good match, Leighton was not who we imagined."Even her brother thought Simon too good for her."Because he is a duke?""What? No," Ralston said, truly perplexed by her instant defensive response. "Because he's an ass.”

“Even if I thought he as perfect for her." She turned to face him. "What were we thinking?""We weren't," he said. "We were in love.”

“It was Gavin's turn to look perplexed. "You're from Tennessee?""Of course she's from Tennessee," Nick said."Why do you think we always make fun of her accent?"Gavin shrugged. "Because it's there?”

“Jace flushed a slow, dark red. "It's not like that. If I thought it would help the Clave-but it won't. She'll just get hurt-""Even if you thought it would help the Clave", Simon said, "you'd never let them have her.""What makes you say that, vampire?""Because no one can have her but you"said Simon”

“You are a Lightwood," Cecily said. "You stayed because you were loyal to your family name. It is not cowardice.""Wasn't it? Is loyalty still a commendable quality when it is misdirected?"Cecily opened her mouth, then closed it again. Gabriel was looking for her, his eyes shining in the moonlight. He seemed genuinely desperate to hear her answer. She wondered if he had anyone else to talk to. She could see how it might be terrifying to take one's moral qualms to Gideon; he seemed so staunch, as if he never questioned himself in his life and would not understand those who did."I think," she said, choosing her words with care, "that any good impulse can be twisted into something evil. Look at the Magister. He does what he does because he hates the Shadowhunters, out of loyalty to his parents, who cared for him, and who were killed. It is not beyond the realm of understanding. And yet nothing excuses the result. I think when we make choices-for each choice is individual of the choices we have made before-we must examine not only our reasons for making them but what result they will have, and whether good people will be hurt by our decisions.”

“Bet you ten bucks we make it."What are the odds? she thought, and realized with sudden, blinding clarity that she wouldn't take the other side of that bet, that only a loser would bet against them. This is really it, she thought, amazed. This is really forever. I believe in this."Min?" he said, and she kissed him, putting all her heart into it. "No bet," she said against his mouth. "Your odds are too good.""Our odds are too good”