“He starts to hum, a haunting melody. No words ride the music, only the familiar notes of a forgotten song.”

“You can put me down now," I grump."I don't know. It's a lot easier to save your ass when I have it riding on my shoulder.”

“Raising one hand, he tilts his hat to that sexy slant. "You want me. Admit it."Even if he's partly right, I'll never tell him. "Why would I want you?"He lifts three fingers to countdown. "Mysterious. Rebellious. Troubled. All those qualities women find irresistible.""Such an optimist.""My cup is never empty.""Too bad your brain is." The words bite, but my smile softens with affection.”

“Did he touch you? Hurt you?" Jeb whispers in the silence."No. He was a gentleman."Jeb frowns. "You mean a gentleroach .”

“He's a contradiction: taut magic coiled to strike, gentleness at war with severity, a tongue as sharp as a whip's edge, yet skin so soft he could be swathed in clouds.”

“I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick.”

“No one knows what he or she is capable of until things are at their darkest.”