How’d you get to be so good at this?””I had a good teacher.””Better not have been Myrnin or I’ll have to kick his predatory ass.””I mean you, dummy.””Oh.

He’s not doing anything he shouldn’t be doing, right?” “Like what?””Like hitting on you.””Ew. No, of course not. He doesn’t see me that way.” Michael shook his head and went back to his coffee.”What? You think he does?””Sometimes he looks at you a little… oddly, that’s all. Maybe you’re right. Maybe he just wants you...

Little bit,” she said.

See?” he said, with an unholy amount of glee. “I hardly broke any laws at all. I should drive more often.””No. Trust me, you shouldn’t,” Eve said. “Think of all the little old people and the children.

I had a good teacher.””Better not have been Myrnin or I’ll have to kick his predatory ass.””I mean you, dummy.

I think I’d fall for you no matter what, Claire. You’re kind of awesome.

So, been attacked by any vampires yet?””Not one.””Zombies? Giant spiders? Water monsters?”It’s been really quiet on the supernatural front””Too bad, ’cause I got attacked by a devil dog. It was not awesome.

Michael: ‘Hey, remember when I almost didn’t let you into the house that first day you came?’Claire: ‘Yep’Michael: ‘Well, I was dead wrong. Maybe I never said that out loud before, but I mean it, Claire. All that’s happened since… we wouldn’t have made it. Not me, not Shane, not Eve. Not without you.’Claire: ‘It’s...

I feel like I’m some kind of fugitive here, like I’m hiding from something. Maybe myself.

A rap at the back door made her jump, and she peered through the window for a long time before she eased open the door a crack. She left the security chain on. ‘What do you want, Richard?’Richard Morrell’s police cruiser was parked in the drive. He hadn’t flashed any lights or howled any sirens,...

Oliver: You turned me down. So why, I wonder, did you decide Amelie would be a better choice?Claire: She smells better. And she made me cookies.

You’ve turned into quite a bossy little thing,” Myrnin said. “I think I might like it.

Did he just say–?””Yes,” Claire said, smiling. “Yes, he did.””Whoa. Guess I’d better stay alive, then.

The look in his eyes turned a little wild. “That’s the only reason I’m letting you go. If I had any choice–“”You do,” she said “Wed can all sit here and let him die. Or you can let Eve go on her wild-ass rescue mission and get herself killed. Or you can let sweet, calm,...

„…And he doesn’t like you to call him Mr. McStabby, you know.””Have you ever seen him cutting up that meat? He is like an artist with slicing. And that knife is as long as my arm. Mr. McStabby it is.

Funny how physics didn’t go away when you were murdered.

You couldn’t be romantic if your life depended on it.” “You know what’s lucky? Most bad guys don’t ask you to be romantic on command, so that probably won’t matter.

Moms like me.”He gave her a full-on Hollywood grin, and slipped out the door.

You humans, always eating. I’ll make you soup. You can eat it while you keep working.” Myrnin set aside his book and walked into the back of the lab.”Don’t use the same beaker you used for poisons!” Claire yelled after him. He waved a pale hand. “I mean it!

Hey!” Claire called after him, as she leaned her backpack against the wall.”No onions!””Your loss!””I meant for YOU! Not if you want to get kissed tonight!””Damn, girl. Harsh.

Now play nicely, make-believe dead girl

Kind of is, actually.

Her eyes felt swollen, and she knew she looked a mess, but sometimes…sometimes the emotions were just too big to hold.

I ended your experiment. Because you’re not a scientist. You’re a monster. I’m not leaving any of them at your mercy.

Next time we commit crime, we’ll make sure to include him.

Stop using him, and start protecting him. I know he thinks he doesn’t need it, but sometimes he does. Sometimes we all do.

Silver nitrate and water in a super soaker,” he told her. “My own invention. Ought to be good at twenty feet, kind of like wasp spray.”Oh. “You get me the nicest things.””Anybody can get jewelry. Posers

Myrnin, who hadn’t said much, suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened, shocked, and for a panicked second wondered whether he’d suddenly decided to snack on her neck… but it was just a hug. His body felt cold against hers, and way too close, but then he let go and stepped...

Myrnin said softly. “And how is it that you do not understand that HERE, in THIS place, this girl belongs to me, not to you?

If you see Myrnin, tell him I said I want my slow cooker back.””Your- You let him borrow something you put food in?”Hannah’s smile disappeared. “Why?””Um, never mind. I’ll make sure it gets disinfected before you get it back. But don’t lend anything to him again unless you can put it in some kind of...

Yes,” he said. “I am sure. I double-checked everything after you went home yesterday. I even made a few improvements, just in case.” The first part of that reassured her. The second part… not so much. “What kind of improvements?” “Oh, nothing, really. Mostly just streamlining. You really did very well; I certainly don’t want...

Claire, I-Look, my life is one long series of screw-ups and bad decisions, and I know that. I own that. But you…I just want you to be happy. And it cuts me when you’re not.””I’m happy with you.”She heard the smile in his voice this time. “So what do you really want? A storybook life...

Did you talk to him about it?””Oh, sure. Nothing happened, yadda yadda. The usual. But my maydar went off like crazy.””Maydar?””As in, he may be thinking about super hot sex with her. Like radar, only not as sure.

I promise.”And she kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him, while the sun came up and bathed Morganville in one last, shining day.

I don’t matter here, Shane. I feel like I just don’t matter. Stupid, right?””No,” he said. He sounded so gentle it broke her heart. “It’s how most people feel most of the time, Claire. You’ve grown up being special, and this is how most people live their lives…on their own, unnoticed. And they get used...

As she turned to concentrate on the portal, Eve tugged on Claire’s shirt. “What?””Ask him where he got the boots.””You ask.” Personally, Claire wanted the vampire bunny slippers.

Here,” Myrnin said, his voice still gentle and low. “Amelie said you had to work. No one said you had to work alone.” He picked up the next part and slotted it in, took the screwdriver from Claire’s numbed fingers, and fastened it with a couple of deft, fast movements. “I’ll be your hands.”She wanted...

Does it give you deja voodoo how alike the houses are?””That’s deja vu, and I hate you right now.””For narcing on you to your mom? Wait until you hear what I tell your dad.”From the sly grin on his face, she knew what he was thinking.”Don’t you even think about it.””I could tell him about...

Oh — who’s the Queen?””Her, of course. The White Queen. You’re just like Alice, you know. Down the rabbit hole with the Mad Hatter.

I think it’s interesting.

Don’t play his game. Play yours.

If she were any friendlier, she’d be giving you a lapdance right now.

Parents had some kind of sin radar, Claire thought. They always called when you were in the middle of something you just knew they’d consider wrong. Or at least risky.

So you’re saying I thrive on chaos.

Don’t diss me, Danvers. I’m warning you.”I’m not dissing you,’ Claire sighed. ‘I’m ignoring you. There’s a difference. Dissing you implies I think you’re actually important.

Epic fail, beautiful.

You can’t go around… licking things that come out of a water treatment plant. That’s just… unsanitary.

I just—we were talking, and we fell asleep. I swear, we didn’t, um—’’‘‘Yeah, you’d better not have ummed.

Okay, no, I’m not, but right now let’s pretend I am.

What are you going to do? Are you going to live in the dark, locked in here? Afraid to look out, answer the door, leave? Yes, he’s out there, and he’s clearly not going to leave you alone until one of three things happens: he hurts you and gets arrested, or he makes a mistake...