“Light had a way of keeping the monsters of my imagination at bay.”

“Busted. I'm a monster. Jev is my deceptively harmless-and shockingly handsome-alter ego.”

“This was it. Together. Forever. As we left it all behind, the sun warmed my back, lighting the way before us. I knew of no better omen.”

“A war was coming either way. Now all I had to do was choose my opponent”

“Your name?” I repeated, hoping it was my imagination that my voice faltered.“Call me Patch. I mean it. Call me”

“It’s brown.” So maybe I had the teeniest, tiniest, most infinitesimal amount of auburn in my hair. I was still a brunette. “It’s the lighting,” I said.“Yeah, maybe it’s the lightbulbs.” His smile brought up both sides of his mouth, and a dimple surfaced.”

“Are you keeping anything else from me?” “I’m keeping a lot of things from you.”“Like?”“Like the way I feel about being locked up in here with you. You have no idea what you do to me.”