“You went to all that trouble just for my body?" I said, amazed and so grateful.Reyn looked up, irritation on his face. "Yeah. We were going to have you stuffed, as an example to future students."I grinned, "You could put me on wheels, move me from room to room.”

“His eyes locked on mine and my voice went a few notes high when i said "How could Ashley guess you were with me?"Brody said, " Because I don't think she's blind."We stared at each other. We were both breathing heavily.With one step across the room, i seized his face and kissed him.”

“You tell Roarke you were tagging me for this? Or is he going to get riled up so I have to kick his ass again?""Oh, is that what you were doing when you had to be carried out of the room unconscious?""I like to remember it that I was just getting my second wind.”

“You wanna fight?" I asked.He looked up at me and, for just a second, hesitated, then said, "Yeah. I do.""Well, I'll save you the trouble. You win.”

“You saved me," I said. Nathaniel put his hands on either side of my face. "I had to," he said. "So you could save me back.”

“You knew what I was," he said, taking his hair back from his face, eyes wild with the will to make me believe. "You knew that my face is a lie, just pretending to be human. And you still wanted me, you could touch me, you could see what I am, the only one who knew and wanted me all the same, and you said I wasn't a --" his chest hitched. "Not a monster. I was going to tell you, and then I thought, well, I'm probably going to die in the underworld, so why can't I have this until then? I'm the stupid one; not you. I'm so sorry.”