We are chained to this life by a chain of gold, and we dare not sever it for fear of what lies beyond the drop.

we are not here just because we have nowhere else; we need nowhere else, because we have the Institute, and those who are in it are our family.

I'm trying to figure out how someone could live in a brothel for a month and not notice. You must be terribly dull-witted." Tessa glared. "If it helps at all, it seemed to be quite a high-class establishment. Nicely furnished, fairly clean..." "Sounds as if you've visited your fair share of brothels," Tessa said, sourly. "Making a study of them?" "More of a hobby," said Will, and smiled like a bad angel.

Why do you do these things to yourself? Not just what you did to the window, but the way you talked to Clary. What are you punishing yourself for? You can't help how you feel.

For the first time Valentine glanced down at the body of Brother Jeremiah. "I did kill him, and the rest of the Silent Brothers as well. I had to. They had something I needed." "What? A sense of decency?

Looking for an entirely reliable informant is like looking for a chaste mistress.

It had been a whim, and there was nothing Magnus attached more importance to than a whim.