“How long did you resist?” asks Uriel. “Did you push her away? Did you tell her she meant no more to you than any other animal? Oh, Raffe, did she die thinking you didn't care about her? How tragic. That must just tear you to pieces.” Raffe looks up with murder in his eyes. “Don't. Talk. About. Her.”

“But when did you see her, talk to me? When did you see her go into the cave? Why did you threaten to strike a spirit? You still don't understand, do you? You acknowledged her, Broud, she has beaten you. You did everything you could to her, you even cursed her. She's dead, and still she won. She was a woman, and she had more courage than you, Broud, more determination, more self-control. She was more man than you are. Ayla should have been the son of my mate.”

“Did she make you laugh? Did she love you as much as you loved her? Did she protect you and warm you and keep you from suffering? Valentine turned her eyes away from him, unable to face the empty answer in his face but not wanting to stop saying what she had thought for so long. "I saw how fascinating her mystery was to you. For my part, I think that the mystery is always greatest where there is the most-emptiness. A person full of life is never mysterious, on the contrary.”

“...she did have her own baby. She had you, and your brother, and if you think that it was any different for her, it wasn't. And I knew that he meant it.”

“How did you come to be a pirate?”“I was aboard a pirate ship.”She rolled her eyes at him. “How did you come to be aboard a pirate ship?”

“Did you hear the oral sex in the pool part?" she asked. "Yeah, sorry." "Don't be," she said, "You didn't lick that pussy in the pool did you?" "I haven't even been in the pool yet," he said while noticing how spectacular her legs looked in that short robe.”