“Just how many sisters do you have? (Valerius)Eight. (Tabitha)Eight? (Valerius)What? (Tabitha)I'm just pitying whatever poor males lived in that house with all of you. It must have been truly frightening at least one week out of every month. (Valerius)Was that a joke? (Tabitha)Merely a frightening statement of fact. (Valerius)”

“C'mon, Tabitha. You stabbed me the night we met without even blinking. (Valerius) Yeah, but you were a dirtbag then. (Tabitha) I think I'm offended. (Valerius)”

“I'm sorry. (Valerius) It's okay. We all have scars. I'm just lucky most of mine are on the outside. (Tabitha)”

“I'm not human, Ms. Deveraux. In case you haven't noticed, I'm one of the damned. (Valerius) Baby, open your eyes and look around. We're all damned in one way or another. But damned is a far cry from dead. And you live like you're dead. (Tabitha) I'm that, too. (Valerius)”

“Is there something I should know?” Valerius asked them.The instant Vane opened his mouth to speak, Tabitha kicked his shin. Hard.Vane yelped, then frowned at her.“What was that?” Valerius asked. “Why did you kick him?”“No reason,” Tabitha said, reaching over the bar to pluck an oyster from the pile. She looked angelic, which meant something truly evil was going on.”

“You don't call Acheron 'babe.' (Valerius)You don't call Acheron 'babe' because...well, that's just sick. But I call him 'babe' all the time. (Tabitha)”