“I resisted the urge to hurl my plate at him. “Of course not, Ian. It’s just that normally at this hour, Bones and I are fucking like rabbits, so I get twitchy when I have to wait for him to climb aboard.”

“There is only one way to fight, and that's dirty. Clean gentlemanly fighting will get you nowhere but dead, and fast. Take every cheap shot, every low blow, absolutely kick people when they're down, and maybe you'll be the one who walks away."

“No matter what happens, you will never lose me, I am forever yours, Kitten, in this life or the next.”

“That's what vampires do, Kitten. We always come for what's ours, no matter the circumstances." Bones said.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve faced death, and I don’t intend for it to be the last,” I said, repeating the same words he’d told me before fighting in that fateful duel. “I’ve chosen to live a dangerous life, but it’s who I am, and that wouldn’t change even if we’d never met.”

“I’ve never been jealous before I met you, it burns, luv. Like silver through my veins. Some nights, watching you with other men on your jobs, I think it will drive me mad. ”

“I was thrown into a state of sheer, mindless panic. “It’s my mother!” I whispered fiercely, as if Bones hadn’t figured that out. “Holy shit, you have to hide!” I literally shoved him toward the bedroom, yelling, “I—I’ll be right there, I’m not dressed!” He went, but with none of my hysteria. “Kitten, you still haven’t told her? Blimey, what are you waiting for?” The Second Coming of Christ!” I snapped. “And not a moment sooner! Here, in the closet!”

“Much slower, I turned around to see Vlad examining his fingernails, as if his hands weren't still ablaze in the flames that had blasted the ghoul's head off moments before. 'what the hell was that?' I gasped. 'Premature inflammation,' He replied. 'Happens sometimes. Very embarrassing, I don't like to talk about it.' ”

“You know that old saying. Once you go dead, no one's better in bed.”