Ruins (Partials, #3)

by Dan Wells

“If you insist on going through me to get him, it’s your call. But I warn you, I will probably cry when you hurt me, and you’ll feel bad about it later.”

“You’re proud of it,” said Calix, “but you’re not happy.” “The total amount of happiness in the Preserve is greater with me in it than out,” said Samm. “That’s the saddest definition of happiness I’ve ever heard.”

Love is when you have the opportunity of turning someone’s feelings or trust or vulnerability against them, but you don’t. You make promises you don’t want to keep, but you keep them because they’re right; you help people who can’t help you back.”

“Love is when you find something so great, so … necessary, that it becomes more important to you than your own goals, than your own life—not because your life has no meaning without it, but because it gives your life a meaning it never had before.”

“This is always the hardest part,” she said. Marcus raised his eyebrow. “Evacuating the entire human population of Earth from a nuclear fallout zone?” Kira gave a sad smile. “Accepting that I can’t fix everything.”