“I thought your boyfriend died?" Nicky asked, and it was actually a good question, and I was somad that I wasn't even embarrassed to answer him."We were three," I choked out. "I had a night lover and a day lover,” I said, and it felt likepoetry, just to say it there in public in the middle of the quad, under the foggy sun. "And they lovedeach other like night loves the day. And then the night lover died, and the day lover and I were naked inthe sunshine, with only ourselves for cover.”

“Listen to me. I will spill my insides for you once only. We were three—I am the green, thegrowing, the day. I loved the moon, the silver night, and he loved the sunshine, fierce and hot, and sheloved me because the sun must love the day. And the sun and I stood in a valley of stone and faceddeath, because we wanted to spare the night, who had suffered a thousand deaths already, and we didn'twant him to bleed any more. But he would not allow it. He swooped from the sky and clenched deathin both hands, and we wore his blood like skin.”

“Maybe that’s why his lovers hadn’t worked out so far. Maybe before you got someone who would fight to have you, you had to be ready to kill or die for them first.”

“Green smiled at me, all that compassion in his eyes, and he cupped my face in his hands, asthough it were delicate, and precious. "You must never leave me,” he said solemnly. "You may take asmany lovers as you want, but you must promise to always be here to make me feel like I can do all thatneeds to be done.”

“I blew through her like baby’s breath through a dandelion, and my soulleft its mark on hers. Forever. In one night, I’d bound her too me for as longas she lived, and I had no words to tell her.When I woke the next night, to see her there, above me, the relief radiatingfrom every line of her body, I thought it was more of a miracle than myfirst rising.”

“But see? Then you got all human on me the other night, and it's official. I'm there, Henry. I'm...I'm ready for the Henry lifestyle. And I know you've only gotten your toes wet in Lake Justin right now, but I want you to come in, take a swim, and build your house out here, okay?”

“I didn't have time to tell Bracken to care for her. I didn't have time to tell Arturo that I knew why he was hard on me, and it was okay. I didn't have time to tell Green that he was the sun and the moon and the stars. The Goddess gave me just enough time to feel her pain, to let her know I loved her. I had just long enough to say goodbye.”