“To Severine, his expression was blank. Spotless and clean. She wondered what it'd be like to create a mess in his eyes, to leave an imprint.”

“I wondered – would a bullet through my temple actually kill me or just leave a really big mess for me to clean up? (Jacob)”

“He may have his mother’s gray–green eyes, but this wonderful little boy—and Smitty’s godson—still had the cold, hard expression of a predator. Just like his daddy.”

“Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?”

“Expecting his usual aloof expression, she saw instead that his smoky eyes were locked on her face and the walls that he usually hid behind were gone. There was something that looked almost like longing in his expression.”

“Griffin? You . . . okay?”His face still blank, he looked over at me. His pale eyes were wider than I’d ever seen. “That . . . was . . . the most . . . disgusting thing . . . I’ve ever seen.”My fear vanished. She was okay. I patted his knee and his expression changed. Peace filled his face. “And the most incredible.”