How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
He thought of the name Alan, and what that meant.
It seemed that the word home, once learned, was hard to forget. (17.21-22)
Clearly Alan is a brother to Nick in the truest sense of the word, and speaking of words… it seems that Nick has learned a few in spite of himself.
Quote #8
Nick did not kill any of them. There were enough bodies lying on the floor for Alan to see when he woke. What Nick did was drift toward one of the bodies, the one lying in the magician's circle. (17.55)
When he thought he was completely human, Nick felt a compulsion to be aggressive and yes, sometimes even to kill. But in this scene, when he's not quite sure what he is, he shows restraint, in part because he knows that making a different choice would upset his brother. He gives up his freedom and drifts back toward the human body in which he was bound for sixteen-plus years. What does that say about who—or what—Nick Ryves is?
Quote #9
Black Arthur had said that a demon was a creature defined by its actions and its desires. "I won't leave you," Nick said, his voice emotionless as ever in his own ears. "I don't want to." (17.80 – 81)
Perhaps the biggest irony here is that Nick, who we are constantly told is inept with words and emotions, uses words (and a completely unemotional voice) to communicate one of the most beautiful sentiments in the entire book. After all, what is love but never leaving? This scene reminds of a definition provided in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: "Not leaving: an act of trust and love, often deciphered by children." Children and astute readers is more like it.